Originally Posted by sch
From another point of view I always marvel at riders who appear to carry nothing more than a cell phone.
You see them with a tiny underseat bag big enough for said cell phone and a bit of cash, look at their pockets and see an Ipod bulge, no pump on the bike, no tools and you wonder. Are they incredibly lucky, never go on 80mi jaunts, just riding the hood? After two experiences with triple flats on centuries, I never have less than two spare tubes, a patch kit, a tire boot (tevdek) and a multitool, (never used so far), plus pump which add 15-18oz to the ride load, plus a couple of snicker bars and or gel packs. Probably overkill and I have thought about the recent spate of 16# bikes and what it would be like to ride something less than 24#...
Steve
You must have seen my bike. After 5 years and 20,000 miles so far so good. I've only had one occassion when I could not get back home. I had a sidewall come off the wire bead and blew out the tube. Since then I've changed the type of tires and haven't had that issue any more. The time the tire blew I had several people stop and offer to take me to a bike store so I guess I could have made it home......I was deep into the ride and was looking for an excuse to get home anyway.