You must be an old timer Tom. I too have resisted getting into the CO2 thing. Just can bring myself to. What do you do with the used cartridges? They can't be recycled, can they?
Seems wasteful to me.

Me too. You learn something, you understand it, see no additional benefit in doing it a different way so why change? This also applies to sex.

On the summer commute/daily road bike I carry the pictured stuff (273 g) in a small nylon sack (12 g) plus some tubes (95 g each x 2). Sometimes I throw in a Swiss army knife (97 g) but it isn't really part of the tool kit.

http://i800.photobucket.com/albums/y...CAFB10FD70.jpg

This kit matches exactly the fasteners on my bike, no more, no less.

Just to be all weenie about it, I weighed each item in the 285 g total "toolkit".
adjustable wrench 57 g
tire levers x 2 20 g
chain tool 74 g
ratchet screwdriver, phillips and flat 33 g
allen wrench 6mm 29 g
allen wrench 5mm 19 g
allen wrench 4mm 9 g
patches, sandpaper, glue 10 g
spoke wrench 22 g
nylon stuff sack 12 g

I see a cheap-ish way to get this lighter. I could get a $10 Park MT-1 with allen 3-4-5-6-8 mm and box 8-9-10 mm plus flathead screwdriver, which weighs "1 oz" according to REI.com, let's call it 30 g.
Plus a $12 Rav X Chain TX chain tool which also has integrated spoke wrench (plus box 8-9-10 mm that might be handy to hold a nut while you turn the bolt), 57 g. Use a small ziplock baggie.

So then I'd have just about 120 g
Park MT-1 30 g
Rav X Chain TX 57 g
tire levers 20 g
patches, sandpaper, glue 10 g
ziplock 5 g ?

$22 to save 165 g, that has to meet any weight weenie $/g hurdle.

Maybe I'll do that when I put together the tool kit for the next bike.

I'm 51. Does that make me an old timer?

I finally got around to trying mini-pumps. No wonder people prefer CO2 cartridges. These things are ridiculous. I keep one in my tool bag in case I forget my frame pump. My tool bag can move from bike to bike, and I'm less likely to forget it than my pump. But I'm going to try to remember my long frame pump, too.

fender1, you should try sex some day. You may understand what all the hoopla is about.

jyl, I don't remember if we discussed the materials tire levers are made of. I can't stand the plastic ones. I go through the trouble of getting the steel ones. Remember when they were called tire irons? Anyway, your kit is very sensible. I don't care for multitools generally.

jyl, you do realize, don't you, that your tool kit weighs over half a pound? 0.6 lbs to be more precise.

I'm 63. I appreciate sex (and also recommend it). I don't like multi-tools because they can be unwieldy and you may want both ends simultaneously. I've had plastic tire "irons" break, but the aluminuiuminum ones may be okay and are light. In any case, the shape of the tip is very important; it must be able to penetrate under a tight-fitting bead. I much prefer a frame pump because (1) they work, and (2) you can see them on the bike so you can be sure you didn't forget it. A tiny toolkit or loose patch kit in a saddlebag isn't visible, remembered or left behind, so I try (usually successfully) to remember not to forget that stuff when switching bikes. Most of my bikes have their own dedicated spare tubes, patch kits, minor tools, etc.

Daily rides:

1. opinel knife
2. park tools allen
3. Leatherman
4. tube
5. CO2
6. 50c army surplus straps
7. sun screen
8. wallet
9. night reflective vest
10. good luck vintage key
11. tire lever

Longer rides, add a spoke wrench and more tubes...

1) cell Phone and headphones
2) and a good chunk of cash.

Mainly if anything bad happens I'll just take a cab back home Or bike to the closest shop and get it repaired if I'm on a ride. I'm too lazy to fix stuff when I'm on a long ride. Plus pumps and other items that latch onto my frame leave marks and stuff on my grail bikes so I don't even bother.

I carry a topeak kit and a co2 inflater with pump and Just carry some dollar bills I have one in each tire I tour with and a park tool kit I am now wondering why I have two kits with me

Yeah, which is why I am mulling over how to reduce the weight.

For example, if you carry chain connectors, can you skip the chain tool? I'm thinking "no" but am not sure.

Or, should I cut the Allen wrenches shorter, drill holes in the adjustable wrench, etc?

Still, I recently bought a Park MTB-3 multi tool - on a whim, having never owned a multi-tool before. It has everything - Allen, box, screwdrivers, chain tool, pedal wrench, tire levers, knife, bottle opener. It is spec'd at 266 g.

The weight doesn't matter on my commute bike but I have a couple other bikes that are, or will be, more weenie-ish.

Poked around the garage and came up with a few more options for C&V toolkits, which need standard (not Allen) wrenches.

"Midget" combination wrenches. These cute little Craftsman full polish wrenches sometimes come with the larger sets. They are like doll tools. 8mm and 10mm together weigh 29 g. You could cut the open ends off to save weight, but it would be like cutting the hand off a doll.

http://i800.photobucket.com/albums/y...05934FFE02.jpg

MAFAC wrenches. These came with a UO-8 I bought, neatly tied to the seat rails. The 8 mm and 10 mm together weigh 31 g and I think they are meant to double as tire levers too, which saves 20 g.

http://i800.photobucket.com/albums/y...0599DE411D.jpg

And one could replace all the 8 mm fasteners with 10 mm fasteners, to eliminate one wrench. But no-one here is that obsessive . . .

Thanks - I like picking over lists - Lately I have stuffed two spokes into the bottom end of my seat post hoping that if I have them I won't need them - Also I been packing a brand new little Piramid patch kit with an unopened tube of glue - Once I open the tube I just get another brand new kit (about $1.25) - I have added some alcohol wipes but more for cleaning off a tube for a patch than my hands - Still need to finalize a little first aid kit - I don't ride far from home but some of the country roads I ride on are a little rough so flats are common...

And in any case, a 10mm head would weigh more than an 8mm head, bolt shaft diameter not even considered...

I have some of this mini-wrenches but all in SAE sizes, not metric. They come in handy sometimes when working I'm on a Triumph. I've never really carried wrenches, except a small adjustable occasionally in the old days. I try to make sure everything is tight and adjusted before I start out. So far that policy has worked most of the time. Which guarantees something will break on my next ride.

I recall a previous thread leading me to a cool lnstructables tutorial on making a tool kit that fit in an Altoids tin. I think I will try to adapt my tools to that container. It would be terribly cool.

Along the lines of the Altoid tin tool kit, there was once:

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2026/2...c82_z.jpg?zz=1

I confess, I have seldom used my toolkit, except for the tire repair bit. On the STP this year, I lost the ability to shift into the big ring, and had to adjust my derailleur cable anchor bolt. That was the most involved roadside repair I've done in many years.

Carrying a toolkit is thus more of an act of faith, an offering to the gods. I carryeth thee, and thee wardest off the mechanical demons. If I could burn incense on my ride, or trail a little plate of food, maybe I'd do that. Instead, I have the toolkit, as much a talisman as a functional object.

I remember the MAFAC toolkit. It was cool but not really that good. I guess I prefer real tools and tolerate the weight penalty to carry them. Mostly.

So true - Sometimes I wonder just how my bike tolerates my own weight...

The majority of times I have used my tools are usually on someone else's bike - No prob... Good Turn Daily n all...