Originally Posted by
unterhausen
there are bike shops at the controles on PBP. I did think to mention that you would have trouble finding parts there. I know two people that ended up buying wheels on PBP, and I broke a spoke so it was almost an option for me. But a conservative build should be fine. The shops are busy and it takes at least an hour to get a wheel.
I did a lot of 1000k+ rides around Europe. I usually carry couple of chain links and a chain tool with me, but I've never had an issue with a chain.
If there is a problem with a wheel, that usually spellt trouble. I had spokes brake, but they usually fail at me most stressed place, that is on the rear hub next to the cassette. Not only would that require me to carry spokes (in differnt lenghts), but also a cassette removal tool.
So I just resorted to carry a nipple spanner, and if something went wrong, I hoped the next mechanic was not too far away. But I might consider just taping one of each spoke used to the frame for PBP and take a mini cassette removal tool to go safe, since I'll be also riding at night.