krobinson103

Good mini pump
Two tubes
Patch kit
Multi tool
Master link
Chain breaker (walking home 40km SUCKS - been there)
Spare batteries for whatever needs them
Cheap swiss army knife copy
Zip ties
Electrical tape (either will secure a damaged spoke to get home on)
Master Link
Small needle nosed pliers (been in situations far from home when we had to go a long way to borrow one!)
Smart Phone
Garmin
Booster battery for electronics (on brevets or just plain long rides)

I ride up to 24 hours without stopping so I'll also carry food/water/clothes as needed. Its a bit heavy but I care not. Rather have it when I need it.

Machka 

+1

jsjcat

You're right unterhausen,
I saw the thread title and didn't realize that I had ventured outside of my tribe. I just wanted to pick your brains a bit. You guys rock rolling long. No disrespect was intended.

joewein

I carry:
- spare tube
- patches
- pump
- multi-tool (hex keys, plus driver)
- small pocket knife
- USB battery and cables for Garmin and phone
- electrical tape on frame
- zip ties
- rubber bands
- small plastic bags
- shower cap for Brooks saddle
- camera
- spare battery for camera

but not:
- CO2 (I got a pump and I'm not racing)
- spare tyre (I can make a tyre boot)
- master link (I replaced my last chain after 19,000 km)
- chain breaker (ditto)
- spare spokes (20" with 32 spokes = bullet proof)
- spare shift or brake cables (swap them before they wear out)
- chain oil (but I have not done more than 48 hours per ride yet)

seajaye

even though i am relatively new to randonneuring, it seems these items (minus the tire) take up very little space, and can be a lifesaver. and your logic, taken to the extreme, seems to suggest that the safest option is to replace all items right before a brevet. but at some point, all parts wear, and anything can happen. at the same time, i most likely wouldn't want 12,000 miles on my chain when rolling out for practically any ride!

case in point: i went out on a 35 mile group ride the week before a 200k brevet. everyone was on 'fast' road bikes, cross bikes with slicks, etc. i chose to ride my loaded brevet bike because i wanted to try to keep up with faster riders on a heavier bike. about 20 miles out, one of our group broke her chain standing on a climb. i was able to save the day with a chain tool and the appropriate-speed master link. that was only 20 miles! imagine what can happen over a much greater distance. it's not always easy, practical, or even financially possible to swap out wear parts to keep them as fresh as possible before rides...

contango 

A folding tyre can fit onto a bike quite easily. I rode a brevet with a guy who used 700x25 Durano Plus tyres and had a folding tyre wedged between the two bottle cages, held in place with a cable tie. Ironically about 10km into the 200k ride he broke his chain and didn't have a chain tool. Luckily the group we were riding with had the parts to get him going again, although his bike rattled a bit for the remaining 190km.

joewein

Yes, but I hardly stand on climbs. That's what low gears are there for and my knees are thanking me. I know other people break chains -- they're probably more into low-cadence high-torque grinding or they put out a huge number of watts in a race. I don't. That's why my chain made it that long.

YMMV, likewise for the tyre. Where I live, the roads are relatively well maintained and clean. Brevets here don't generally include gravel sections. With 2 ordinary punctures in about 20,000 km, 2 tyres and a patch kit seems more than enough to deal with the risks.

So if you stand on the pedals more and punch out more power and your roads are rougher, don't follow my advice

devianb

1 new inner tube
1 plastic tire lever
2 12g Co2 canisters with inflator
1 pair of nitrile gloves
2 paper towels

ronocnikral

I gave up on CO2. The cartridges take up a lot of space. And when I was changing a flat in the dark, after a long day of riding, I screwed it all up and ended up with another flat. And then I was out of CO2. I had a lot of flats that day. Those were the days I only carried Co2. Now, I only carry a pump.

I also don't carry spokes and/or fiber fix. I build all my wheels myself. Sure, a spear shaped asteroid from space could land right between my spokes, but a spoke or fiber fix would not be sufficient to repair that.

I also carry some line "splicers." Mainly because I travel with an S&S coupled bike. And if someone's shimano cable isn't compatible with my campy.....(happened one time).

raqball

I carry a limited amount of gear but the longest ride I go on is a century..

2 tubes
2 tire levers
1 Co2 with inflator
Small frame mounted pump
Patch kit
5ea $1 bills
Cell phone

donalson

if the rear derailleur has an adjustable cable tension knob you can take a very short bit of cable end (shifter end with the nib still attached to the cable)... insert so the nib touches the adjuster and clamp down the cable to the clamp bolt, with the adjuster you can dial in exactly what gear you want the rear der to stay in... on my touring bike (MTB rear der) that wouldn't work because I lack the adjuster... but I have done it for giggles to try out SSing and it worked well.

if you wanted to be super prepared... next time you install cables get the double ended cables (campy at one end/shimano other) and keep about 2" worth of the end you dispose of... but that honestly is likely over-thinking a cable snap lol

joewein

While it's good to think about what tools and spare parts to carry, I think what clothes you bring along often makes a bigger difference about being able to stick to a ride plan than the spare parts you carry. The weather changes much more frequently than parts break, at least in a well built, well maintained bicycle. After some lessons learnt the hard way, I now often bring along an extra layer on long rides (especially ones that involve altitude or night time riding) compared to what I think I will definitely need.

Weatherby

I agree. Flats, broken chains,and the occasional broken frame or seat post are the only real show stoppers for the unprepared.

For clothing which goes beyond the intent of the thread but I'll bite, I take one layer down if I am going more than a certain distance. Like yesterday, it was 52F when I set off and about 38F when I got home at around 9:30 pm. I had a water resistent shell tucked into my rear pockets and my Filson Merino gloves (non-cycling, but they are very light, warm, and roll up easily). I find I need much more clothing at night because there is no sun and I tend to rider slower, both of which mandate more layers. Also, the relative humidity increases and that dampness will also sap the heat from my old bones. Also, acclimation to cold helps a lot. Riders from LA probably think 60F is tights and thermal gear weather whereas in Scotland, they would be breaking out the summer clothing.

norcalscot

As I haven't seen anyone mention it before, I though I'd throw in one non-bike tool I carry when I go out on 'long' solo rides. I carry a water filtration device if I'm going on a route where the distance between places where I can get water or fluids is more than 3 hours. I live near the Sierras in California, and there are a few rides I can do around here where you can't depend on access to potable water. Carrying the water filtration device opens up a number of new rides that weren't possible previously without much more pre-planning or support.