sstorkel

Agree! The $20 is for emergency purchases not for tire booting!

vesteroid

I head out on my first ride. I start out in my cul de sac just to get the feel of clipping in and out of the pedals. I am no farther than 400 feet from the house when the front tire goes flat.

Crap!

Well I wanted to learn how to Change a tire so why not now when I am close to home.

I go back into the garage, take off the wheel, and try to figure out how to use the tire irons. I get the old one off no problem, and put the new tube in, and the put on the new tire.

So far so good.

I pump up the new tube to 90psi and it pops.

I don't have any more tubes, nor do I know why I am popping tubes like crazy.

I take it apart again, look for sharps, but find none.

I give up, go to the store I bout the bike from, and ask for help.

They quickly find a really small (less than an eighth inch long) cut in the tire.

They replace the tire and tube for free and I am on my way.

I came home and did about ten miles, with about 400 feet of elevation gain. Averaged 14.8 mph. Kinda darn slow.

All I can say is I learned two things. One check your tire, and two, for goodness sake, don't ride too far forward on your seat, I did that, and don't even want to talk about the rubbing I took.

My wife reminded me this was all my idea as I sit here fussing.

Hill-Pumper

I have several bikes that I ride, so I put this kit together and transfer it as needed. I put it in a Ziploc bag so that I don't lose anything in the transfer.

In the bag I keep the following.
Multi tool
Tire levers
Patch kit
Chain links
Tire boot
Co2 cartridges and filler
Zip ties


Also I keep a Micro pump (pictured) in my Camelbak when I ride my mountain bike, or put it in a mount that is held in place by the bottle cage on the road bikes. The tubes and cell phone I keep in the Camelbak or seat bag depending on which bike I'm riding

goldfinch

I don't bring keys either. Combination lock on the house and the condo. On the MH I have other ways.

goldfinch

I look forward to the possibility of averaging 14.8 mph over ten miles. Just so you know that there are those of us who think that is a pretty darn good speed.

youcoming

I always have the same thing, small saddle bag with two tubes, two C02, two tire levers, in a jersey bag I carry phone, multi tool with chain cutter, money. also some food and always water.

Seve

On top of all the items already suggested, people in this area seem to like this service.

CAA Bike Assist

https://www.caasco.com/automotive/roa...ike-assist.jsp

lenny866

I carry what everyone else does but I carry it a little different. I once had a saddle bag come off and lost all of it's contents. I don't want that to happen with my cell phone and keys.

I use a small saddle bag and a "feed bag" on my tope tube. My cell phone, keys & snacks go in the feed bag. If they fall out or the bag comes off, I will see it. In my saddle bag is a Tube, tire levers, rubber gloves, patch kit, small tools, $20 bill, photo copy of my license with address blocked out (cops can figure out who I am if I'm run over - but the bad guys don't know where I live if they steal my bike then realize I am without a cell phone plus I'm 20 miles from home).

For longer or cool weather rides, I also have a 2nd bag that is expandable - I can take my vest or a layer off and store it or visa versa. I can also store a 2nd tube & a thin scull cap.

I have pump on my frame. I am sure the CO2 ones work great, but I always have something else I want to spend $20 on.

CraigB

I rarely carry keys. I usually take a garage door opener.

Oh, and I forgot - I also usually take a twenty and a credit card (drilled out, of course ).

digger531

I strongly recomend a pump verses CO2 you can always pump more but if you are out of CO2....well you are out. Having never used CO2 I cant say for sure but how much faster can it be. You should pump up and deflate your new tube once its installed aand then reinflate I just cant trust having enough CO2

CraigB

I agree, which is why I always carry a pump, and only sometimes carry CO2 (a belt-and-suspenders approach, I grant you). CO2 is definitely quick and easy. And it can be a real interesting experience for the fingers, too.

volosong

I have three road biikes, (one of which is redundant), and carry the same kit on each.

1.) Depending on the season, (hot or cold weather), and the length of the ride, I'll take one or two water bottles. I have different size bottles, so will take along what I think I'll need.
2.) Under the seat post bottle cage, I'll mount a Lezyne Road Drive pump. CO2 is interesting, but I don't want to generate the landfill waste.
3.) An underseat bag containing:
3a.) three tire irons, (never figured out how to use just two)
3b.) a traditional patch kit
3d.) some glueless patches (they are in a very, very small plastic box)
3e.) a spare tube
3f.) a spare chain quick link
4.) In my jersey back pockets, I'll carry
4a.) in the left rear jersey pocket, in a ziploc baggie; cell phone, driver's license, medical insurance card, emergency contact information, ten dollar bill
4b.) in the right rear jersey pocket; also in a ziploc baggie, small snapshot camera
4c.) in the middle rear jersey pocket; again in a ziploc baggie, another spare tube
4d.) if a ride is more than 50 miles, in a different ziploc baggie, two Gu packets, (but now Gu, a different brand), and two granola bars

Note that I do not carry any spare tools. I make sure my bike is in good mechanical condition at all times. I remove, disassemble, and clean/lubricate my chain, cluster, and chainrings about every 300 miles. On rare occasions, I might carry a single allen wrench if I'm tweaking my seat position. I've been experimenting with different seats lately.

tergal

o.O
not sure if serious

sstorkel

I've had very bad luck with these peel-and-stick patches, which is why I switched back to a vulcanizing patch kit. If the patches get too warm, the glue seems to fail. If you leave them sitting in your seat bag for too long, they're also prone to failure. I've had both Slime and Park peel-and-stick patches fail on me! Gluing doesn't take much longer and it's much more reliable in my experience...

volosong

Thanks for the tip. I've just recently started carrying these. Lezyne has some as does Park. Have only had to use it once so far, and the tube is still holding up. Based on what you said, I'll reconsider using them. Maybe I should only use them for emergency usage?

Also forgot to add that I carry a house key to let myself back into the house when I get back.

CraigB

I also prefer the vulcanizing patch kits. But be aware that those, too, can have long-term problems once the tube of vulcanizing "glue" has been opened. Don't be surprised if out on the roadside, you open up a 2 year old tube only to find it completely dried up.

jethro56 

Is there something special about the patches themselves. Could one use another tube and cut a patch out of it and glue it on?

sstorkel

That seems to be the prevailing wisdom: use them on the road (if you must), but replace them with a vulcanizing patch when you get back home. Gluing only takes an extra minute or two, so I simply gave up on the glueless patches.

Rona

I carry a handlebar bag with a map flap on top. Inside is the patch kit, folded up skirt, container of underarm deo, banana, multigrain bars, an apple, camera, little purse, small windbreaker. Depends a lot on the day. If it's just a trip to the city (25 miles round trip) it's just my purse and a few things. If it's a trip to the sea, it's a lot more food.

CraigB

I wouldn't swear to it, Jethro, but yes, I believe there is something special about the patch itself, causing it to react with the vulcanizing compound.

peteydink

For my 30 mile day rides on GatorSkins I take two tubes, three 16 gram CO2, one steel core tire lever and three hex wrenches in a small seat bag. Wallet, keys, garage opener, gate opener, and cell phone in jersey pockets. One 24oz water bottle.
On the 65 mile ride I'll include a patch kit, pump and two more water bottles.
Normally I like to partially inflate, deflate, and re inflate a tire when using a pump. Using CO2 I'll just inflate very little at first and then inspect the tire and make sure that the tube is not showing as I work my way around the wheel pushing the tire away from the rim. Then I'll complete the inflation.