I keep thinking about a time about nine years ago. I was riding home on the greenway. The entrance ramps to the greenway are sometimes a couple of miles apart, so if my bike breaks down, I have a lot of walking to do. Two spokes suddenly snapped on my rear wheel. Suddenly, the wheel would not spin in the frame. I disengaged my rear brake cable (rim brakes). I had a spoke wrench in my tool bag. I was able to true the wheel well enough that I could ride home. Later, I rebuilt the wheel with all new spokes.

If I had needed to carry my bike, it was heavy, and it was a long walk to the subway. I could not have rolled my bike anywhere.

The thing I'm pondering is the fact that one very rarely needs to make a repair with a spoke wrench while out on a ride. I don't carry one these days, and I don't believe I need to. But I was very lucky to have one that day and also lucky to have the skill to use it.

I feel like there is a lesson here, but what is it?

And have you ever used an unlikely-to-be-needed tool while out on a ride?