So, what are your most frequent and recent roadside repairs (excluding flat tires)? I'm looking at my bulky Crank Bros multi-tool and realizing I've never used it on a ride...

I can use something smaller because most of my rides are within two miles of the house, and the ones that exceed that are with groups.

Cables, specifically derailer cables. They are the most likely item to need adjustment on a bicycle even including flats. 80 to 90% of problems I see at my local co-op are related to a misadjusted derailer cable. Most can be fixed in 30 seconds or less.

Or could have been fixed in 30 seconds or less. But it usually takes longer because Odysseus (Odysseusi?) has been charmed by the Siren song of the limit screws and throughly messed up the system.

Repairs, besides flats? None, really. Occasionally I need to tweak a derailer or brake. I try to stay ahead of basic maintenance so nothing breaks down.

I've had one spoke break, and another wheel warped when I slid sideways on loose gravel on asphalt left behind by a road crew. I was able to straighten the warped wheel well enough to limp to the LBS where they did a proper repair. But I don't usually care spare spokes, although I've considered it.

I've had a broken chain once, but that was my fault for not putting the pin in properly. I had a broken spoke one time as well, but managed to get home with a slightly wobbly wheel. One other time one of the retain clips on my pedal broke, or rather came loose, so I had to ride home more or less unclipped on one side.

Other than that, and numerous flat tires, I've had no issues. I have a multi tool as well, but have never actually used it on the road.

Besides flats I rarely have a mechanical problem. I keep my bike in top form though. If or when I do, it's usually a cable issue. Brake or mech. I still carry a multi-tool with a chain breaker though.

Just the occasional jumped chain. Fix requires a stick, almost always available, until it happened in the middle of winter with snow cover. Had to break a branch off.

My back wheel goes out of true every few months or so. We have some pretty shoddy roads in town which are probably the culprit. Other than that my machine is pretty dern reliable.

Amazing thing is if you do the pre ride checks, and keep an eye on keeping up regular maintenance,

punctures or the rare broken spoke should be it.

The nut behind the wheel gets loose.

I have one of those crankbros tools too - the M19 - has a tool for everything on my bike as well as a chain-tool.

I don't have occasion to use it regularly but I have saved myself from an hours long walk a few times by repairing a chain after the quick-lick failed. I've done that twice for myself and twice for other users I've met on the trail. I'll never ride without it, the weight if acceptable for how useful it's been.

Really the most normal maintenance things I have on my rides are fiddling with my fenders to keep them symmetrical and messing with my seatpost clamp since it likes to creak after rides in heavy rain. If I didn't ride in the rain I'd have no maintenance items other than flat tires or the extremely rare broken spoke.

happens to be my most common mechanical, and that's maybe once per year. Requires something to assist getting the jammed chain free, but I can usually use rearward spooling of the chain by the cassette to "help" break it loose.


Other mechanicals are extremely rare. Derailleur cable tweak. Seatpost clamp tightening. Saddle clamp tightening. Once, I rewrapped a handlebar side because it gapped during a ride and annoyed me. I have broken spokes on a particular wheel, which I have since replaced (it was years ago).

I can't remember my last roadside repair. I have a Topeak Mini 9 which is very small that I use for a lot of bike maintenance at home.

Beside flats, my last and only road side 'repair' was restraighten my right brifter after I slid on gravel and fell down.

Pretty much just routine maintenance and worn component replacement. *shrug*

Ghost shifting on my Cannondale Trail bike.

I carry a pair of light weight rubber coated work gloves on all my rides in case my chain falls off. That black gunk on a chain is the hardest thing to get off your skin. Would make great ink for tattoos.

The bicycle operator always seems to break down more often than my bike.

Sorry, that is between me and my wife.

My last gotta-stop-and-fix-it roadside repair was about a year ago. Our tandem dumped the synchro chain when we were riding on rough pavement (and I had not properly adjusted the chain tension for a long time - it was too loose). Luckily, because I had replaced the stock tension adjuster/idler with an very nice T-cycle adjustable idler (this is a recumbent tandem), I was able to remove the toothed pulley with a hex wrench, adjust the mechanism to increase tension a smidge, and then replace the chain on the front ring and pulley (making sure to have both cranks in phase) and then replaced the pulley and Off We Go!

my sore back or a bump in the wheel because i was too quick putting the tube in

Good tip. Haven't had to do a chain thing out on the road yet, but definitely see what you're referring to. Thanks.

It's been awhile but my grandson and I did tech support for a cross state ride in Missouri.

1. By a large margin was flat tires. We ran out of replacement tires and had to buy some additional spares at a local shop.
2. Broken spokes.
3. Surprisingly was bottom bracket issues. That, however, was before cartridge bearings became as common as they are now. We had some bottom brackets with us and used them all.
4. We replaced several shift cables.

One fellow came to me with both shift cables positively "hairy" where they exited his shifters. I don't understand why they hadn't broken. I asked him "When you signed the form that said your bike had been serviced prior to the ride, what did you think that meant?"

Sorry, but for a properly maintained bicycle, punctures are far and away the most common problem you will encounter on the road. In my own case, I have not even had a puncture for more than 3 years. I will enumerate some of the (rare) problems I have had. Broken spokes: they happen, but often do not stop you from finishing your ride. I even finished a race once with a broken spoke and had a good result. Chains: I have never broken one on a ride, maybe because I don't let them wear out. I once had to cut a ride short because the cleat for my clipless pedal broke. Didn't want to make my ride companions have to wait for me. I had a rear wheel lock up due to a maintenance issue once in 20 years of commuting. My own fault. The main point is, if you take proper care of your bicycle, flat tires are your biggest problem, and even then, those problems are rare

I thought that's why bike shorts were black.

Exactly, the biggest problem often seen is poorly maintained bicycles. Take care of your bike and it will take care of you