That is AWESOME advice. Just put some zip ties in my jacket pocket! Thanks 2manybikes!

I don't know if I'm joking here or not. With all the stuff I hear about that you would have to have to repair any possible breakdown, would it be easier to get an Xtracycle, or tow a trailer, and bring along a folding bike as a spare?

A good idea too. Possibly without the cushion of the tire absorbing the impact, a better chance of working

An old nylon toestrap could be useful for various stuff too. I remember seeing a pic somewhere of a toestrap woven through the spokes and big cog. I saw one in my Box O' Random Bike Stuff so I tossed it in the bottom of a pannier just to have along.

OK Somebody's gotta say it. Go fixed gear. Ultra-reliability. Don't want to worry about fixing a broken chain? Measure the length and carry a spare one, they're not too heavy. There's no freewheel pawls to freeze, there's nothing that can't be fixed right then and there. If your brakes are ineffective in the snow, that's ok, you don't need them most of the time anyway. I barely use my brake. I did it for reliability and simplicity (which go hand in hand usually) and I have absolutely no regrets. Fixed gear wheels are non-dished and so they are inherently stronger no matter what the spoke count. They make perfect commuters. The only killer is if you have super-tough hills to navigate, but even that's managable. You get stronger after the first few rides anyway.

No, I'm not just being an advocate for fixed gear. I think it is a serious solution worth considering. The number of tools you have to bring along is dramatically reduced, and the likelyhood of breakage is minimal if setup properly.

Good suggestions. :beer:
Hand and toe warmer stuff is the only thing I don't have. :eek:
http://a1072.g.akamai.net/f/1072/206...46_9996Prd.jpg
I guess I should head over to REI and get some - - - so I'll be ready when the doctor says I can ride again.

For me:

Multi-tool

Cellphone

Sweat shirt. (insulation layer- only thing that will fit in trunk bag)

hand and toe warmers

tube

CO2

Frame Pump

Two cigarette lighters

and this.... Actually I just broke off a chunk and put it in a baggie with the lighters. Instant fire. Find a few pieces of wood and some grass and you have a pretty quick fire.


http://ace.imageg.net/graphics/produ...E-955731dt.jpg

Switch to a fixed gear. Pee works to unfreeze the rear derailer, (so I've heard). It'll also keep the bears and big cats away.

For a great homemade firestarter, take a cardboard egg carton, collect a bunch of lint from the clothes dryer and/or pencil shavings from a sharpener, and melt some parrafin in a double boiler. Heap some of the lint/pencil shavings in each egg holder then pour parrafin over them. When cool, cut apart the carton and put in a baggie. They light easily and burn hot and long. Easy to get kindling going and build a good fire. Parrafin is cheap and the rest of the stuff is available for free.

Here's another idea to kick around: put together a couple of kits of stuff, put them in waterproof containers, and "cache" them in easy-to-find locations near the roadway on the tough part of the commute. A propane torch and a striker, a folding saw, food, space blankets and a tarp, medical items, bike items, tools, lights... paper and pencil so you can write out your last words... ;)

I like this idea. Just be sure you can locate, get to, and retrieve the cache with snow on the ground! And don't put it too close to the road or it may end up buried pretty deep after the snowplow comes through a couple times! Maybe suspended from a tree in a camoflaged bag?

"jim carey"

I like the suspended-in-a-camoflaged-bag idea so the bears have a hard time getting it. :)

I used to live in Alaska and we had a small Eskimo-style "cache" thingie in the back yard, which looked like a log doghouse on stilts. It was ornamental, but that's what put the idea into my head.

The cache idea is very interesting. What would you put in the cache? I suggest it be inexpensive items so if the cache is discovered and raided, you can inexpensively replace it.

1. Firemaking equipment. Some waterproof matches in a small ziplock bag. A bic lighter, a flint style firestarter and tinder (http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-...ter_basic.html), some dry kindling, etc. A small cable saw to cut wood into manageable sized pieces.

2. Protection. Space blanket, or perhaps a space blanket style sleeping bag which would provide a better protection from weather when exposed. If there's room, maybe a cheap jacket from walmart. I've seen some real inexpensive fleece jackets there. Combined with a space blanket for wind protection, the two would really help. Maybe a pair of thick wool socks? A cheap blue foam camping pad to sit or lay on and provide thermal insulation.

3. Food. Not generally required for short durations but a good morale booster. Something that can be easily eaten even if frozen so it needs to have a low moisture content. Perhaps some high sugar cereal, crackers, or Clif Bars. Food should be stored in a vapor barrier bag to reduce attracting animals.

4. Signalling. Perhaps a couple fold up triangle reflectors that can be put in each lane of the road to help flag down a motorist coming either direction.

5. Light. A small LED squeeze light. Warm up before using by putting in a pocket so the battery will be at full power.

6. Medical. One of the many small backpacker emergency medical kits should suffice.

7. Bike stuff. A fold up spare tire. Spare tube. Duct Tape. Some wire. String. A cheap knife.

So you can find the cache, perhaps wrap a bit of reflective tape around a highway sign post and secure the cache perpendicular to the road some number of paces from the sign.

I live in Canada. I've dealt with breakdowns in remote areas - mostly aircraft but I apply this to bikes, now that I've given up the car.

First, I dress as if I were going to have to walk from whereever the "breakdown" occurred to civilization.

You can NOT carry enough parts and tools to fix everything on the bike that might break. You'd need a MIG welder, spare rims, hubs, bars. It's just not practical.

Remember this: TRIAGE.

Can the problem be fixed easily? Let's say the cable slipped out of the retaining nut on your derailleur. OK - a 4mm allen wrench to tighten it up. Easy. Even if it isn't perfect, you're limping away.

Your pedal or bottom bracket just siezed: don't touch it.
Lower the saddle all the way and PUSH with your feet. You can still roll along at 5mph using the bike as a scooter.

Forget servicing a freewheel. When it's -42, gusting 50mph and blowing snow, you'll likely do more harm than good fumbling with the guts of a bottom bracket, hub or headset.

In the time it takes to work on something like a hub, you're going to get hypothermic in the winter. If you really want to prepare for the worst, bring an emergency tent along you can service the bike in. That's overkill to me. I'll just limp.

TRIAGE TRIAGE TRIAGE. "Can I fix it here? Is it worth fixing it? Can I get away without fixing it?"

Tools: I used to carry a full tool kit for anything on the bike that wouldn't need "spare parts." (eg: tightening any bolt or nut, spoke, fixing flats etc.) I now carry a Topeak Alien. It has everything that was in my seperate tool kit including a chain tool.

Once the bike is at least limping away, pick the shortest route to civilization - even if it's in the wrong direction. Go there, make a phone call, get home or to some place warm. Survival is the key, not making a meeting on time.

I hope that didn't sound too heavy but I've seen people die when they didn't prioritize effectively during a crisis.

You could make a stash "LeBeau" (hogan's heros), like the secret tunnel entrances, out of a 5 gallon bucket. Dig down, put the bucket in, load it with gear and snap the lid back on. Cover with branches and leaves. Mark a tree or telephone pole with spray paint.

I really like the cache idea. The ideal thing would be to make it where it definitely can't be found, mark the location on your GPS, and go back to find it later. You guys who haven't already should look up geocaching. I plan on buying a GPS next year so that my son and I can go geocaching next summer. I might just have to plant my own emergency bike cache with spare tires, an extra tube to fit the stashed tires, and a spare chain or something. You guys really have my mind going with this!

Just in case Avalanche Transceiver. :D

Preparation in the way of fully inspecting your bike before and after each ride can be some of the easiest and best form of problem avoidance. It might even be the primary thing; all the other gear you bring becomes secondary as a form of insurance.

+1!

Why not add a VHF compact radio? And a lock. And a signal flare. As nice as the idea of making a repair on the spot might be, you might possibly have to lock the bike to something solid and leave by other means, or call for help. If your bike is disabled, the most important part of the travel package is you. Are you equipped to deal with the threat of hypothermia?

The isolation and harshness of the route and weather you describe would give a reasonable person pause before riding under extremely adverse winter conditions. I am assuming this is not some form of emergency. Cycling is fun and commuting can be too, but there are times and places when it isn't at all worthwhile.

Thanks for the wake call. Your post sends me back to 12/15/03. I rode into work at 3:00am in a monster blizzard. We had a total of 24" to 30" of cold dry snow that day.

I was on local back roads to start. Then I quickly realized this is not good when reached state RT 3. I struggled pedal by pedal. To make it to work that day only to realize, there was a state of emergency, do to heavy snowfall.

I bragged about it here but that’s something I'll never ride thru again!

What would I have done if ?

Snow cave yes, a fire in a blizzard not much of a chance of that with out a neatly constructed snow cave to vent the smoke out.

Keep yourself warm and safe,


Johnny

You say there's no cell phone service, but I saw some walkie-talkies at the sporting goods store that claim to have a ten-mile range in "ideal conditions." I don't know if cold would increase or decrease the range, but you could give one to your wife/girlfriend/friend and have them keep it on during your ride home.

I think the ten-mile ones were about $60. It got cheaper for shorter ranges.

Manufacturers of two-way radios tend to be very optimistic when they discuss maximum range. Minor terrain features like hills, trees, buildings, etc. all significantly reduce the useful range of VHF/UHF frequency devices. Generally, you would not get a 10 mile range unless you have a direct line of sight between the two units. So, if you are both on separate mountaintops, or one person is in an aircraft, you might get the published range. Otherwise, forget it.

My experience with handheld ham radio VHF/UHF tranceivers is that, with 5 watts, you are lucky to get more than a couple miles in typical terrain. A cheap $60 handheld is unlikely to have even that much power, and probably not have a very sensitive receiver.

First aid kit, food, water, cross-country skis or snow shoes and poles.