Took my seat bag off so I could clamp the seatpost in my repair stand and thought "damn, what can I do without to make the seat bag lighter?" I could not think of anything, even tho some I've never had to use--ex.- chain breaker. I know many of us may not even carry tools on shorter rides. But on rides where we feel the need to have tools with us, are there tools you carry that you never use, but don't feel you want to do without?

I have a miniature low profile version a a chain breaker for each of my different bike bags. I've never used it but I'm not going to skip out on it.

Funny thing, sometimes I carry two only because a couple of my multi tools have a chain breaker and my mountain bike also has one stored in the steerer tube.

I like to be prepared. Even if I never used some tools , it's still well worth it to carry them. The tiny weight penalty is a non-issue.

My weight penalty is my gut

I have:

• small CO2 inflator
• 2 CO2 bottles
• House key (because my wife won't let me get smart locks)
• A driver handle for changeable points
• Several driver point in types needed for the bike
• Several allen keys in types needed for the bike.

Probably should get some bacon strips and a tool to insert them. Except for the house key, most all are unused when out riding. I use them more when at home with the bike than anything. Since I don't store my bike in the garage where my other tools are.

I only go out for day trips. So why haul a small shop with me!

Why will you ever need a chain breaker tool out on the road? Or do you also have a new chain that needs to be properly sized too?

Sometimes you don’t know what you need until you need it.

Wrigleys, winning with the product placement.

I've carried the same emergency granola bar for so long it's probably powder.

Never used most of the tools in my mini tool. Back in my tandem days i carried the toolkit provided by the seller. It included tandem length cables, section of timing chain, spare chainring bolts, several spokes, spoke wrench, chain break, presta Schrader adapter. Carried that crap tens of thousands of miles.

Apart from fixing flats (tube, levers, CO2), I can't recall any time in the last decade or so when I've needed a tool (I additionally carry a multitool, small Swiss Army penknife, quick link, cleat bolt/washer). On one bike, I've dispensed with all tools and just carry a tube and levers in my jersey (I have a frame pump on the bike) - I like my chances for getting home alive

I did extract a bee stinger from a friend's face on a ride, using my much traveled Swiss Army knife.

leave the chain breaker at home.
if you think your derailleur might fall apart while you're on a ride, then place an additional quick link in the chain at an appropriate place to shorten the chain enough to turn your bike into a single speed, if needed.
if you think your chain is about to fail, replace it... at home, before you ride.

i carry a small adj. wrench capable of 17mm(handle drilled out decades ago for lightness!), a yard or so of E-tape wrapped on it's handle, a 10/11, and 8/9mm open end wrenches, 6,5,and 4mm allens, a swiss army knife with pliers, phillips, and flat blades, two aluminum tire irons, a patch kit, and two paper towels.
the towels can serve as bandages(with the E-tape), a work surface, or other purposes .

Counterpoint: I had a RD cable break 8 miles from home, with a couple hills I could not manage in 39x12. So I used my chain tool to make my bike into a single speed 39 x 17, and got home. This was in the days before everyone had a cell phone, and no pay phones in any direction for at least 5 miles, so I had to either find a way to ride, or walk.

or you could have wedged a stick into the der, like many of us have done.... i've seen a broken cable get tied around the brake bridge too.
that tie job was because of the infamous "shift cable broke inside the Brifter!" we all should know of.

i walked 7 miles after a double flat once... that event made me buy a small pump, and begin carrying patches and irons, or at least one spare sew-up, religiously.
i ride in regular hiking or running shoes and use old style toe clips.. no cleats to deal with..

Not gonna wedge a stick in a 7402 Dura Ace derailleur, fer cripes sake!

I think of all my saddle bag tools as insurance. And as don't-need-it-if-I-have-it voodoo. I'd rather carry a half a pound of multi-tool than wish I had a screwdriver, hex wrench, chain tool, etc. Same for the spare tube (though I've needed those, alas!). But sure as shootin', if I don't have a tire boot or self-stick patch, I'm going to hit another monster self-tapping bolt that will make the tire un-rideable if I don't have that boot!

wood is softer than aluminum.

How long does it take you to find the right stick -- a nice short one with just the precise diameter?

The problem being, at the place where the cable broke, there are very few sticks, and what there are are softer than wood.

BTW, I solved a similar problem this summer by screwing the high limit screw as far in as it would go, which gave me a 52/36 x 15 or so. But I had to ride that for 20 miles.

EDIT: but given the choice between carrying a chain breaker, and jamming vegetation into my components, I'll take the former.

Every time I look for a stick to get a chain back onto the chainring without befouling my fingers all I find are half-rotted twigs that crumble in my hand.

Clearly we must add small sticks to our tool bags.

Quarters and a water filter straw have been in my saddlebags for years. Never know when you need quarters for filtered water or a straw to drink from a stream or spring.

i change my cables before they break.
around here, there are a selection of sizes and types of sticks, and i have my swiss army knife to custom size one.
I'd advise Maple, if handy.
Alder is too oily, fresh... ok if it's older alder.
Fir has too much pitch.
and Chittum is the source of the original Ex-Lax, so avoid it at all cost.
Elderberry is hollow, so it's a no-go.
cedar might be ok, if well aged.
gene has a wood problem, i guess.

a stick or wrench could also be used to loop and twist a section of the cable, once the broken end is secured.. use the tape to then secure the twister and loop......

a million solutions to a problem that should have been prevented.

i've watched an inner tube get wrapped with E-tape, then re-installed and aired up... it got that bike back to camp.

Wiseass!

Here's the area where the cable broke: all the woody shrubs are on the other side of the fence.

Perhaps instead of the Swiss Army Knife, you could just carry the proper tool -- as Gene does.

Just a thought.

OK, here's my dedicated, ready to go tool kit I take along for rides on my 1971 Raleigh Sports. Not shown, inside the Park Tools Patch Kit, is a 1971 UK New Penny (first year of decimalization, or decimalisation ?) which I keep for good luck (which seems to mostly work).

• 6" Adjustable Wrench (clé anglaise)
• Cone Wrench (for those Sturmey Archer cones)
• Brooks Saddle Wrench (never use it, but fun to have)
• Park Tools VP-1 patch kit
• 4 way screwdriver
• 3 classic tire irons for steel rims
• standard pliers
• extra crank cotter pin (once came in handy)
• Swiss Army Knife (mostly for the cutting blade for cheese and apple slicing on the road)
• small hand pump (US) / inflator (UK)
• multi tool with chain tool and a few Allen wrenches for some newer parts I have installed
• new tube
• Sturmey Archer rear indicator nut which can be used on either side of the axle if required (they can strip before the axle threads)

All this fits in a nice fabric tool bag that fits in my always on panniers.

The whole kit, with the bag, weighs in at 3lbs.

I guess I could remove the New Penny and the Brooks Saddle Wrench, but they are good luck charms.



The full on road kit for the 1971 Raleigh Sports

The 1971 UK New Penny. Worth about 2˘ today in the US.