I've never needed my chain tool on my OWN bike but have used it a number of times on other's bikes.

Most often it happens waiting for Critical Mass to start. This is where I bump into folks wandering around with broke bikes asking everyone to help before the ride starts.

The last time it was some dude who had broke his chain clean in two. Bent bit of the link plates sticking out like some metal bear had bit it in half. I was able to use the chain tool to shorten and re-work his chain so that the bike was rideable but I advised him STRONGLY against shifting to Big/Big. His bike was is such poor condition anyhow that even had such a thing happened and the driveline self-destructed again he'd not be out much. I also lent him my pump as his tires had approximately no air in them. I had to stop there as I could have spent the next 4 hours working on his bike.

This sort of thing happens to me a lot..

i must be on a totally different wavelength.

i'm an old bachelor, and i'm thinking overnight stuff: clean underwear and socks, prophylactics, old spice
extra strength deodorant, travel size toothpaste, folding toothbrush, comb for what little hair i have
left (snort), tic tacs..... and it all fits in a very small nylon zip pouch. hey, don't laugh. ask bachelorette women what they carry in their tool kit, aka purse. you will be shocked, just shocked. and i think even married women carry at least clean panties.

then i started reading the posts. whoops!

ohhhhhh, for the biiiike...... just the ultra basics: levers, pump, patches, allen wrenches, gerber multi-plier. the gerber isn't even necessary, i just like having it available for opening cans/bottles, cutting through barbed wire at high security facilities, crimping detonators, using it as an inpromptu crevice device for going up cliffs, hanging onto a wire (to not burn my hands)as i slide across a canyon with my bike strapped to my back, the usual.

kinda like james bond. Q should have created something like it for him.
i have a swiss army card multi-tool: basting pin, scissors, knife, file/screwdriver, toothpick, and tweezers, ruler.

i love gadgets that actually work.

whoa, a 007 bicycle, stealth model, of course- low radar reflectivity, visual invisibility, rockets , cable launcher with grappling hook...the possibilities stagger me. and weighs under 5 pounds fully loaded and operational.

^ epic. But please guys don't take plastic tire levers. I had a flat commuting to work, and the lever broke whil I tried to take the tire off, resulting in a deep, messy cut in the mouse of my hand, with grease and debris on the side.

[QUOTEmouse of my hand][/QUOTE]
Never heard that expression before. Sounds like an emo band.

ka0use, if you do all that, why do you need the Old Spice, Tic-tacs, etc? Women should fall at your feet, regardless of how you smell...

I probably carry too much. I usually have:

In my tool roll:
Spare tube
patch kit
tire levers
multi-tool (hex wrenches, chain tool, spoke wrenches, screwdrivers, etc)
small adjustable wrench
a few zip ties
a boot

On the bike or elsewhere:
small pump
pocket knife or leatherman
U-lock
wallet, phone, keys

I used to carry spare di-lithium crystals. I stopped because they would go past the expiration date before I could use them.

The usual...spare tube, patch kit that includes a large patch for tire punctures, tire levers, spare brake pads (1 pr), multi-tool, cell phone, keys, some cash.

Bigbossman always makes fun of the "steamer trunk" back-o'-the-saddle bag I use (Rivendell Banana Bag or a copy thereof). In it I carry:

Tire levers (only used to remove tires)
3 spare tubes (I hate having to patch tubes by the side of the road)
Patch kit (in case it simply is unavoidable or somebody with different sized tubes needs a hand)
Multi-tool w/chain breaker (I used to carry a Park allen set and a separate chain tool - I have broken chains three times in the past 20 or so years)
one or two chain master links (they are tiny and weigh, what, 5 grams?)
CO2 applicator w/3 whippets
1-3 Gu packets (depending on how long the ride is and whether I remember to restock after the pervious ride)
1-3 Cliff Bars (ditto - I like to carry the smaller two-bite size Cliff bars, if available, as I rarely want to eat a whole one at a time)
Spare drink tablets/powder. Nuun works well, but LanceOldstrong introduced me to this stuff called "Sustain" that he gets from secret source, and it's great
Universal spoke wrench (yes, I have saved someone's ride by having it along)
Small crescent wrench (a couple of my bikes have regular bolts that might need attention)
A loose allen wrench of some English size (7/32" I think) that I need for the seat post binder bolt on one bike

I also have room for arm warmers and/or leg warmers if needed.

I also have a frame pump on the bike and a Swiss Army knife, wallet and cell phone in my pockets.

On a tandem, I carry more stuff in a rack-top bag, including stuff I am more likely to need for switching and andjusting stuff for different stokers than for roadside repairs. It's been a while since I went on a loaded tour, but usually went overboard on carrying tools when I did. I wanted to be able to strip the bike down to frame, fork, BB and headset and service and rebuild it if necessary. The extra weight was worth it to me.

For under 2 hrs rides: Pump, tube, tire levers.
For 2-5 hrs rides: the above plus patch kit, spoke wrench, allen keys.
For solo centuries: the above plus another tube, chain tool, Swiss Army knife, zip ties (inside my handlebar).
And as someone said, always my glasses.

Never heard that expression before. Sounds like an emo band.


ka0use, if you do all that, why do you need the Old Spice, Tic-tacs, etc? Women should fall at your feet, regardless of how you smell...[/QUOTE]

you got me laughing so hard i can hardly breathe!

i suspect it is the lack of pheremones (phermones?). i have to make up for that with the tic-tacs, etc. if i were a real stud muffin i'd have a no-wrinkle zip-up tux in the kit, too. after doing all that other stuff i'm pretty tired at the end of the day.

i still can't breathe. i'm gonna laugh for a week. i'm gonna cut/paste this and pass it to those i know.

These days, riding the 3.1km loop in the park (again...and again, but at least it's smooth asphalt), I use my top-tube bag to carry:

Flat-head screwdriver, 3x allen keys, multi-tool - to adjust saddle, toe-clips, straps and stem while adjusting my fit on the Marinoni.

In the seat-bag for longer trips:

Co2 cartridges and nozzle, tire levers, spare tube, patch kit, tire-pressure gauge, light + bracket and diffuser lens (you never know), multi-tool and spare allen key.

Passport and maps as needed (not necessarily in the tool kit, but if they'll fit...)

ka0use, you're laughing only because someone showed you that YOU are the funny guy. Stick around, will ya?

I have never used a CO2 inflator and am not tempted. I'll huff and puff with my pump. I even inflate my car tires with a bike pump. It's reliable and always handy.

I've been using my bike lights a lot lately. I've decided to switch from battery lights to dynamo lights. Battery lights suck by comparison.

Yeah, Tom, I need to put some chain links in the kit. Thanks.

And regarding the quick clot bandage-
Tonight my riding buddy and I came upon a chick who had crashed her bike.
She said she was OK and didn't want any additional help. She had a small cut on her knee that was bleeding.
It reminded me to add a couple small first aid things to the kit.
Small bottle of hydrogen peroxide, telfa pads, transpore tape, some bandaids. Antibiotic salve.

i'll bite since no-one else will-

what are di-lithium crystals?

Don't cross the streams Peter...

wait- is that ghost busters? they used di-lithium crystals in their ectoplasmic vacuum?

Mtb kit:
Can of slime
Multi
Adjustable Wrench
Chain Tool
Tire levers
Spare Links
Tube
Pump
Electrical Tape

Road Kits:
Pump or Co2 depending on bike
Spoke Wrench
Chain Tool
Adjustable wrench
Spare links
electrical tape
tube
patch kit
Multi

You aren't an old-timer, are you? From well before the days of Trek bikes, di-lithium crystals, perhaps also spelled dilithium crystals, powered the warp engines on the Enterprise, NCG1700, if I recall correctly. Star Trek.

Storry: Ah canna' hold her, keptin.
Spock : Fascinating.
Bones: He's dead, Jim.
Kirk: Not chess, Spock. Poker.

i tell ya, i don't know what gets into me. if i have a comic version, it is calvin from calvin and hobbs.
i was a loose cannon in the army, too. i had a reserved spot in front of the cap'n's desk, and on several occasions he had guests behind him- wearing stars, everyone frowning. dunno how i made it through without ending up on fatigue details or an article 15. when i tell folks of some of my mis-adventures they ask whose side i was on.

ftfy

It's a little-known fact that in Star Trek IV -The Voyage Home Scotty told Dr. Egon Spangler about how dilithium crystals could be used to manipulate ectoplasmic energy in exchange for help in building the whale tank in the ship. This was cut from the final movie because of contract issues between the studios that owned the rights to the Ghostbusters and Star Trek franchises. Instead we got that stupid "clear aluminum" scene that was so dumb which aired in the movie as a substitute.

Tom's too modest. He never carries a pump:just a hose and a small hose clamp.

Blows 'em up by mouth.

Makes Moby Dick look like an amateur. Ahab would quake in his boot...

torker graduate, commuter
Park tool MT-1
patch kit
tire lever
minipump
6-inch crescent wrench, may upgrade to dedicated 15mm when I get a round-tuit.
disposable plastic bag for the brooks seat or keeping hands clean if the back chain has to come off on the way to work.
back-up small headlamp
it all fits in a small leather frame bag, except the pump which is mounted on the frame.


nishiki GT, touring
bones multi tool, would rather have a another mt-1
2 tubes
tire levers
patch kit
mini pump
1st aid kit in an altoids tin
Gerber suspension multi-tool and flash light
would like to have chain breaker and master link
all that goes into a banjo brothers small barrel bag except the tubes and pump.

Schwinn windwood, pub cruising
Custom wooden box on the back rack sized perfectly to accommodate a twelve pack without bungies.
cell phone for bootie call/flat tires.

I don't carry a first aid kit. Talk me into it.