Just bought my first mountain bike the other day. Can the more experienced folk here advise me on what a minimal toolkit contains? I'm not planning on racing or anything extreme, just some pleasant rides through forest trails. I've already got a couple of allen keys, spare tube, tube repair kit, and a couple of tire levers. Is it likely that'd I'd need something like a chain tool, or spoke tool, or are they the sort of items you'd only carry when on long treks? Basically this is all quite new to me, although i have been commuting on a road bike cross for about 18 months.

Hi,

My recommendation would be the following:
Allen keys: 2, 2.5, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 8mm
Tire levers
Spare tube (I don't usually bother with on-trail patching but the choice is up to you )
Pump
Chain tool (A chain link may pop open anytime, or some links may die during crash carnage and you'll need a shortening of the chain to cycle home)
Spoke tool - possibly, I carry it just in case a spoke comes loose or something, it's not too heavy so I figure what the hell, might as well take it with me.

This is just the basics that I take, then there's the typical "lots of water, lots of food, camera, jacket, etc" but they don't fit under the "tools" description. What I'd recommend is getting a home toolkit (I got mine for 40 euros) which, while cheap, actually has decent tools which allow you to do pretty much any repair or installation on your bike except headset pressing. This way you can spare loads of cash and time by not having to go to the bikeshop and you'll have fun on your way to becoming a home mechanic.

I highly recommend the crank bros speed tire lever

Thanks guys. It sounds like i should invest in a chain tool then. Maybe i should just buy one of those all in one toolkits. e.g.
https://www.cellbikes.com.au/images/p.../275_photo.jpg

Mini tools are great for when you're out on the trail, but lousy for when you actually want to do repairs at home.

As for me this is what I carry when we go out on the trail.

I carry a Crank Brothers multi 17 tool with me when I ride. It's got most of what you need to if you have a problem on the trail. There are several comparable brands that offer the same basic features at a reasonable price.

For the home, a good starter kit is the type offered by most the major online stores. It will contain most of the basic tools you need to work on your bike. There are several different branded names, but they are the same kit. Pricepoint, Cambria, Jenson, Performance, etc all offer this for around $45 regularly. Basic starter toolkit at Performance. Granted these are not professional quality tools but they get the job done and like I said, it is a good starter kit.

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Thanks for that.
So what is the purpose of the duct tape?
And i'm assuming the matches are for if you get stuck out on a trail and you need to light a campfire?
Under what circumstances would the zip ties come in handy?

zip ties are great for many situations. zip tie-ing found treasures to your bike, you could zip tie a stick to your arm like a splint if you broke your arm in a crash. you could zip tie cables to your bike if your fasteners broke off.

I can't think of anything for the duct tape.

the matches could be used for a campfire, and the campfire could be used for smoke signals if you got lost or injured or something.

You can even zip tie your bike back together if you break a frame. I've read more then one account in bike magazines of using a stick, jammed into the broken tubes and then using zip ties to hold it together (from the seat tube to the head tube and from a bottle cage to the head tube to put tension on it). It's not something that will take a lot of abuse but it will get you back to your car.

Raiyn has a pretty good tool set (similar to mine) however, I'd add a LED flash light of some kind. I got caught out at night about 5 miles from the trail head one night and it gets damned dark out there. My daughter had a squeeze light on her key chain which helped but holding the light on can cramp the fingers real bad We now carry some kind of flash light in both our packs.

You can see my tool kit here

https://www.pricepoint.com/detail/145...--21-Tools.htm

I bought this and its served me well.

I neglected to mention that I do carry one of these as a flashlight regardless if I'm on the bike or not.

For those wondering what the duct tape is for (I'm really shocked you didn't figure that out): In addition to the obvious emergency repair option it provides (anything from a patch, to a rim strip to use your imagination) it works wonders for medical applications. You can use it as an ACE bandage, to secure a limb to a splint, protect blisters, (or to prevent them in the first place) and to bandage wounds. https://www.ducttapeguys.com/new_intro/index.html

I keep mine on the plastic cards because it keeps it flat and takes up less space in the pack.

My favorite tool is the search button.

But the recommendations above are good too.