gauvins

Planning the toolkit for extended tour (three bikes + 1 tag along + 1 extrawheel). For now :

o mini ratchet (wera) + bits as required
o tire levers (crank brothers + 1 regular)
o chain breaker (maybe Shimano...)

o cassette tool (wera ratchet will drive)
o sprocket holder (fitted with same chain that we use and several master links)

o cone wrench(es) for shimano xt hubs
o hollowtech crank tool (the small plastic thing used to set the non drive side crank)
o hollowtech BB tool

o patches
o tire boots
o 2 tubes
o 1 tire
o Kevlar emergency spokes (fiber fix)
o spare spokes
o brake and shifter cables
o brake pads
o master links & link pins
o chain lube & grease & loctite
o wrapped in a few rags

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This is overkill for civilized tours, but we expect more remote trips when the little one will not be little anymore and plan for this.

Will appreciate your comments.

Two questions about cone wrench:

1. We ride on shimano xt 780 hubs. I believe having read that they require 17mm wrench. True?

2. I always used cone wrenches in pair. Read somewhere that this is for convenience only and that one can do. Really?

Leebo

Lots of different cone wrenches sizes for the hubs. How would you tighten the locknut with one wrench? Ratchet? For your small metric allen wrenches?

gorshkov

Not sure about that particular model of hubs, but the locknut on most of the shimano hubs I've worked on is 17mm. You typically don't need two cone wrenches, but you do need two wrenches - one to hold the cone and another to loosen the locknut. The latter can usually be any kind of wrench. To find out for sure what you need, overhaul the hubs yourself before you leave.

By the way, where are you going? I have used an older version of Shimano XT hubs for eight years and something over 10,000 miles, and aside from routine maintenance (cleaning out and replacing the grease every couple of years), I've never adjusted or opened them up.

Tourist in MSN

Some Shimano hubs come from the factory with very little grease, especially front. I suggest you use your cone wrenches to (1) find out what you need for size and (2) maybe add a bit of grease. I like Phil grease for hubs. If I recall correctly my XT hubs (older model than you have) take 13, 15 and 17mm. Both use the 17, I do not recall which used the 15 and which the 13.

I like to carry the long arm version of the allen wrenches I need to remove a pedal, most newer pedals take a 6 or 8mm allen wrench in addition to using a 15mm open end wrench. Check your pedals and see what they take.

A huge number of the bolts on my bikes take a 4mm allen wrench, maybe you might want to carry a spare.

On the extra links, be careful to get the right ones. For example there are two sizes for KMC 8 speed chains, I learned that after I bought a chain that did not match my other chains and links.

No spare bolts and washers and nuts? I would get a couple M6 bolts besides the ubiquitous M5. Seatpost bolts are often M6 and if one breaks it will be a pain in the <you know where>. I do not carry a spare seatpost bolt, but I know that my stem cap bolt will fit, if necessary. My M5 bolts are stored on my frame in the back sides of brazeon fittings. One of my spare bolts is countersunk for a shoe cleat, but you probably are not wearing cleated shoes.

Your spare cables, make sure that you do not have a brake cable with each type of fitting on each end - unless you have a cable cutter. I do not carry a cable cutter, but I have electrical tape that I can use to wrap up any excess.

I like a good multi-tool, Alien II and the Crank Bros m17 are ones I especially like. Don't rule out a good big Swiss Army knife too. For the past 10 years the only chain tool I have used was the one on my Alien II.

On the hubs, maybe carry some spare ball bearings that would fit? There have been reports of the later (M770 and later) rear hubs cracking bearings because they used smaller bearings than the earlier steel axle hubs. I am not saying replace the hubs, your hubs will likely last just fine, just carry some spare loose ball bearings of the right size.

I remember reading a story about a young couple in some absurdly remote place like Nepal that ran across a cyclist that had broke or lost his air pump, and he was stranded there without the means to put air in a tire. That couple had two pumps, gave one to the stranded guy. My point is do not only carry one pump, if it fails you are stuck.

My last tour, my oil bottle leaked badly. Fortunately, I had put it in a zip lock that did not leak.

timdow

I just bought one of these so I don't have to carry the cassette tool and chain whip (or other locking device):

Unior Cassette Tool|Bike Touring News

But... as you mentioned above my trips are not in remote places (at least so far). I don't carry anything else needing a ratchet/wrench, so I save the weight of that also.

pdlamb

That looks like overkill; if you're toting along two kids, are you really heading for the middle of nowhere? If you're starting in CONUS or Europe, I think you can save a bunch of those for a later trip when you head up to Alaska or somewhere similar.

I'd skip:
o mini ratchet (wera) + bits as required
-- get a multi-tool instead.

o cassette tool (wera ratchet will drive)
o sprocket holder (fitted with same chain that we use and several master links)
-- the Fiber-fix should get you to a bike shop

o cone wrench(es) for shimano xt hubs
o hollowtech crank tool (the small plastic thing used to set the non drive side crank)
o hollowtech BB tool
-- While I don't have a hollowtech BB, most BBs will give you early warning to get to a bike shop. Get the wheels adjusted right, and you won't need the cone wrenches.

o master links & link pins
-- Uh, pick one. Shimano chain, take a link pin. Otherwise, take a master link. It's probably worth standardizing on one chain system.

Doug64

This is the kit I've used on most extended trips, several in the 2-3 month range. I also carry it on shorter tours when our kids join my wife and I, and there are up to 4 bikes.

I do not use Loctite on bolts; just the opposite I use grease. I found that if you have to replace a bolt that has thread lock on it, trying to get the bolt started is very difficult and can lead to cross threading. This is especially true of rack bolts. Also, again in the case of rack bolts, a broken bolt (very rare) that has not been treated with Locktite can be removed from the backside of the dropout with a pair of pliers. This require sizing rack bolts long enough that there is about an 1/8" protruding. I also believe that a lubricated bolt is easier to get tight. It works for me

The only place I consider using thread lock is on fender bolts that can not be reached without removing the wheel. My wife's bike has one on her rear wheel.

My normal routine is to lube the chains and clean the bikes at least weekly while on tour, which includes checking all the bolts, especially the rack bolts.

TOOL KIT (2 -4 bikes)
• Chain Lube
• Tri-Flow oil
• Small syringe filled with grease (Phil’s)
• 1 ea. Brake and derailleur cables (optional)
• Park CT-5 compact chain tool
• 2 Quick Links for Scram chains
• SAG multi-tool (Leatherman)
• Small 8mm wrench (fits fender bolts)
• SS coupler tool (includes pedal wrench)
• Assorted zip ties
• Assorted nuts and bolts, including spare cleat bolts
• 2 spare presta valve cores
• 1 Ortlieb mounting clip spacer
• Hex wrench needed that is not on multi tool
e.g., 2mm for brake tensioning adjustment
• Fiber-Fix spoke
• 2 spokes, each size (spoke holder or panniers)
• Spoke wrench
• 3’-5’ Gorilla tape rolled on old film canister (also holds spare N & B's)
• Spare folding tire- bottom of pannier (optional)
• 2 spare tubes--bottom of pannier
• Pair nitrile gloves
• Small sponge

Items in Seat Bag
o Bike multi-tool
o Enhanced patch kit
o Tire levers
o Spare tube
o Pair nitrile gloves

robow

Well it's nice to see that there are those that pack even more tools than I,
Well done !

Doug64

They all fit in a 6"x6"x2.5" tupperware container

gauvins

Yesyesyes. Hubs, headsets and build a wheel from basic components.

Always a tough question. The plan is to ride a variant of EV6 next Summer (Saint-Nazaire to Istanbul); the Trans-America the following; and then something more out-of-the-way (maybe Mendoza -> Tierra del Fuego, maybe some stans, maybe China). Too early to tell. We also have plans without kids. A brief stint to Iceland to (literally) break the ice

We could probably do Europe and the USA carrying flat-repair kits and that would be enough. I just don't like the idea of wasting time hunting for the part that is missing, so we'll try to strike a reasonable balance between the probability of using something and the trouble of lugging the tool/part across continents.

Our bikes are fitted with identical components (two LHT and a Troll) in order to minimize the number of tools/parts needed.

And while I am at it -- I have a love/hate relationship with multi-tools. (more hate than love, I am afraid). They usually come with bits and parts you'll never use, yet have to be supplemented with additional items. I have a Crank Brothers Y16 that I use all the time. But it cannot deal with bolts that are difficult to reach. Adding a bit extension or carry hex wrenches to do the job is a possibility, but then why not build from scratch. Topeak has a very nice set (ratchet+bits) that I almost fell for, until I read a review suggesting that the ratchet may not be strong enough to deal with the 40 N-m torque suggested for pedals and cassettes. This is why I went for a bomb-proof mini ratchet (rated in excess of 160 N-m) to deal with fasteners.

gauvins

My initial intuition. But when I talked to the local mechanics, he said something like "loctite fasteners, grease adjusters". I appreciate your point that a loctited bolt might be more easily stripped...

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Great list of tools. Thanks

Tourist in MSN

I always use Blue Loctite on rack bolts, have never had a problem taking them out. But there are other varieties of Loctite that are not intended to be removed.

The racks I use for touring, I remove them at the end of the tour and use different racks around home, thus I have removed the bolts with Blue Loctite fairly often. I also use Blue Loctite on kickstand bolts. Grease works well for all my other bolts. One advantage to grease that was not mentioned above is that it is a viscous liquid, that viscosity makes it less likely that a loose bolt will vibrate loose. But, if you ride across the desert, that grease won't be very viscous anymore, so it might not work that great in all situations.

pataspen

Don't overthink it. A lot of issues can be avoided if the bike is nicely tuned and has new parts before you leave. A lot of parts can be purchased along the way, even in remote places. Keep an eye on your components and replace as soon as you think they are getting close to the end. I have found it's too easy to try to anticipate everything that can go wrong and to bring tools just in case.

Through the years my tool kit has shrunk. For my Alaska Highway tour I brought very little (and needed very little) in the way of tools. I noted in red all the items on your list that I didn't bring.

I don't anticipate adding any tools to my kit for next year's ride to Argentina, although I will probably carry a spare tire once I get to South America.

skimaxpower

Blue Loctite for your friends
Red Loctite for your enemies

djb

I finally bought a teeny tiny tube of blue loctite but havent used it yet.
May I ask how much you put on a rack bolt? Do you put just a little blob at one point, or do you put some all around a part of the bolt, if so, how much of the bolt do you do this to, ie a few mm or half the bolts length?

as I've never used it, I certainly dont want to overuse it. And yes, Doug, I have removed a broken off bolt from behind or whatever using a pair of pliers, so I can see your point.

I am still humming and hawing between using loctite or some really heavy car brake grease I have, really thick stuff that I can certainly see being good for helping with vibration loosening.

when I have taken bolts out of stuff that had blue loctite on them (from some brake levers or shifter units on handlebars) I've noticed there was just a small blob of it, so probably a drop put on the bolt. Is this what you do?

thanks, I'd like to get your experience applying it.

djb

les gauvins, re cone wrenches, I would start by saying that with good quality hubs like yours, if they are well and truly greased, and properly adjusted (have you done this before yourself?) my experience shows that they will not need to be touched for a good long time.
Yes there are lots of variables--specifically how much you are riding in rain, dusty, muddy conditions--this will make a big difference in how the grease inside gets contaminated over time, and the design of the specific hub, ie how well the seals work in keeping stuff from getting to the grease.

when I work on a hub, I always make sure one side is fully locked down always, and only loosen the locknut on the one side to remove the cone and the axle. On front hubs it doesnt matter what side, but the rear hub its always better to have the "locked down" side on the side that is less easily accesible. I think I've got this right about the rear hub, each time I work on a rear hub I have to remember again which one to loosen and which one to leave locked down.

So when reassembling, essentially you will be using one cone wrench to adjust one cone only for the bearing tension, the other is locked down by the locknut and so not moved--you do however have to use a wrench on the opposite locknut to stop the axle from moving when you are doing your slight cone adjustments for the proper tightness against the bearings. I remember doing this sitting on the floor of my appartment, one hand holding a wrench, fingers through the spokes, while the other hand was adjusting the cone and then trying to lock it down....frustrating.

when I finally got a work bench and a bench vise, it was so much easier, I put the locked down nut on that side of the wheel into the vise, so the wheel is horizontal, this holds the axle in place, and then I can simply use one cone and one wrench to adjust and lock down that cone. I always take the wheel out of the vise, hold it vertical while on my workbench and feel with both hands on each side of the wheel, to actually feel for any axle movement and how tight my adjustment was. Then back on the vise if I need to redo.

very easy and much more accurate than wishing I had three hands to hold three tools. Plus I find as well as a more accurate cone adjustment, I can also be very sure the locknut is properly tightened--so in the future it will never loosen and there fore the cone will move--I have seen this in a few friends bikes, especially cheap ones and kids bikes.

but back to the intial idea here, well adjusted hubs in my experience can go 5000, 10000 km and still have very good grease quality--but I havent ridden through mud roads, or deserts or rain for months at a time.

bottom line, for the month long trips I have done, and going from my riding and maintenace experience, I wouldnt take cone wrenches along--but for a really long trip, maybe, and in your case, having multiple riders than can spread out tools is a big advantage.

I would add, that being or becoming much more mechanically experienced with bike repairs/maintenance is a huge plus, simply from knowing how your bike is to begin with, and getting a much better feel for what is really needed and when it needs dealing with.

Tourist in MSN

I put on a drop, then thread it in. Threading it in will spread it over more threads. I really put almost no thought on how much of the threads actually get coated with it. You do not need much and if you get more on, not a problem either.

On the rear I always loosen the drive side when I loosen the cone and lock nut. That is an old habit from when I had to remove the lock nut and any spacers to be able to fit my freewheel removal tool on my old Suntour or Regina clusters, as the removal tools did not fit over the locknuts. Now most of my wheels do not have freewheels on them anymore, but old habits never die.

On the front, if the lock nut on one side is pretty tight, I try the other side. Like you say, does not matter which side, so I just loosen the side that is easiest. Some hubs from the factory have very tight lock nuts so once I get one side loose, I just loosen that loosest side in the future.

djb

re the rear hubs, I'm having a memory blank, but I think the freehub side makes it hard to gain access to the cone, so I keep that one locked down, the lock nut sticks out enough to be held by my vise, and then the other side gives easy access to both cone and locknut.
Dont think Im mixing them up, pretty certain thats how it goes. The freehub sits on top of the vise, and the locknut protrudes enough to be held in place by the vise itself, then I do the adjustment stuff on top on the non drive side.

I like using the vise because it holds the other side so securely, you can be more precise in holding the cone in the right position while tightening down the locknut. Release and check for that little smidgen amount of play that you want, and you are certain its battened down properly, good for another x thousand kilometers of riding.

I will be redoing my Tricross hubs this end of season, its been two seasons now and I figure there must be about 6000km on them, but not a lot of rain riding, so they are probably ok for now, but will do them over the winter just for the heck of it, even if they feel good by finger off the bike.

Gauvins, what has your experience been with the bb you have? Again, depending on the distance you are going, I'm not sure its worth taking a bb tool. If the bb is in good shape, I would think the chances of an issue is pretty small, and if bike stores are around, in my opinion its not worth taking the really heavy tools on a trip. I too way too many tools on my first trip, and soon realized that I didnt need them, and if ever a problem arose, I would just get to a bike store--again, depends on where you are going.

MichaelW

I carry an NBT2 cassette tool. Not as good as a hypercracker and a bit iffy with horizontal dropouts, but small and light.
Replace short waterbottle cage bolt with a long, strong rack bolt (if M5), for spares.
Cone wrenches work hard for a living, so avoid soft steel and get quality ones. Pedal spindle flats can be turned with some cone wrenches.

djb

its interesting, but as far as I can tell, my cone wrenches really only get used to make slight adjustments to cones, which are not themselves hard to turn. Yes, you have to hold the cone securely when you tighten down the locknut, but thats only the one time they get forced. I guess real cheap ones would be bad, but Ive had my pair for decades and they have even survived being used to take off pedals by other members of the family who dont know any better.
Mine are rather thin, so much that I tend to put on a work glove when I do the lock nut tightening part.

MassiveD

I think the claim being made against locktite wasn't that it caused stuff to get stripped or frozen but that the the residue made replacing bolts more likely to be crossthreaded. Never seen that, but maybe it happens. A truly tiny tool is the relevant M5 tap, which will allow you to clean out any threads prior to replacing them, and loctiting them. You could probably hold the tap in a wrench or something for this kind of use. For real tapping a handle is far better.

When it comes to grease vs loctite, one thing that makes me reach for loctite, as well as a high vibration environment is the quality of the threaded elements. The threads in a lot of drops, for racks are very poor, the are often a loose fit, and the bolt has a lot of wiggle room. These are not normally the kinds of fittings that work well in the grease and tighten scenario. Some forks use water bottle mounts for the uppers, and these are normally more precise.

MassiveD

Did I read it correctly that someone is using a ratchet to attach and snug pedals? How does that work. I have two wrenches for that, one is a shop quality wrench, and another is a shorter pedal wrench, that is barely workable if one needs to remove pedals for shipping and is lighter. I use the shop wrench to loosen the pedals, then tighten them with the shorty, if I am going to need to go that route.

gauvins

My pedals are mounted with an 8mm Allen (Shimano trekking)

manapua_man

Deleting some of your items and adding the following gives something closer to what I'll have on extended tours.

crescent wrench
leatherman
tube of epoxy
duct tape


And I very rarely need much more than a ton of patches.

gauvins

These would be to repair a rack? Or for anything and everything (since we are talking duct tape here).