Cut the beads off of an old tires and then cut the casing into small sections (1 to 2"). These make excellent tire boots, useful for fixing tire splits, rim tape failure and large holes in the tires. Carry a couple of these with your spares. Make sure you carry boots that a the same width of smaller than your tires.

or one can singe the end of straws to seal and make them water proof, moisture proof, ... could also be used for carrying matches, fire starters, etc,

well said, ...

I wrap about 6' of duct tape around the barrel of my CO2 inflator. It fake up almost no additional space and is always east to find

So many great tipps, but I couldn't find one answer: How do you guys handle rain?

I don't mean riding in the rain, I mean the effect of rain on your bike. It always bothers me keeping my bicycle out in the rain, for fear of lube washing off and rust. But is it worth the hassle (and weight, about 750g), to pitch a rain cover every night?

How do you do it, do you keep your bicycle dry whenever possible, or should a bike handle a bit of water?

Dry it off and lube it up when the sun shines!

Yep, same as riding when it rains, or when I wash it. It's gonna get wet, relax and lube it afterward.

Okay, that's fair. Do you lube just the chain, or also the ball bearings, on a regular basis?

Yea, the chain is a good place to start. Be sure to wipe the chain clean of all excess oil after you lubricate it. Bearings are unlikely to require any lubrication unless they have been submurged. Lightly lubricate the pivot points on the derailure and put a little lubricant at the orifices of your cables. A little oil goes a long way. Over lubricating just attracts dirt and grit.

I bought a bike that's PAINTED and to my knowledge there's no bare metal anywhere.

My approach is to lube it really good every week to ten days and then just run it 'til it wears out and replace it.

Want to carry salt and pepper but don't want to bring individual shakers or the packets you grab from restaurants are always saturated by moisture? Use a clean contact lens case. Your salt and pepper will always be together and it never gets ruined by moisture. You can ask waitresses at restaurants to refill them for you when you run low.

The best garbage bags I've found are turkey bags. They're practically indistructable, don't leak oder and are just about the right size for 1 person up to a week or more in the back country . Thats what I use anyway.

What is a turkey bag? And where can you get one? I like to carry a couple of durable, light weight bags when touring. There is always a good use for them.

Turkey oven bags..that you cook a turkey in...but marijuana dealers probably buy most of them..pretty much a standard way to store/sell a Pound..lol

Something I learned in the military....

buy a pancho liner. They are made of silk and are extremely light and warm.

Cuz they're practically indestructible and don't leak odor!
You've already sold me!

Course waxed nylon thread is a good alternative to zip ties for securing housing or cables. I already carry some with the awl I use for bag repair and modification.

I was determined to carry my DSLR on my one week tour last year but could not find a handlebar bag and mount system (at least not one I was willing to pay for) that would work with the secondary "cross" brake levers on the bars. My solution: a Lowepro fanny pack camera bag and a cam strap. I ran the cam strap across between the front end of the drop bars, threading it through the tripod straps on the bottom of the fanny pack. This supported the bag and the remaining part of the loop ran across the back side of the bag and held it away from the brake levers. The cam strap helped to absorb the road noise and I felt much better about the camera being in a dedicated camera bag. If this explanation makes no sense and you are interested in how it works, drop me a note and I can make the effort to post a pic.

The the nicest thing about this setup was it only took seconds to unclip the bag from the bike and pull the belt straps out to use it as a fanny pack so I did not have to walk around with a handlebar bag in my hand. I also left the cam strap on the bike and re-routed it through the front wheel as a quick theft deterrent.

I love this thread, hope to see more replies about things people do on tour, it's very helpful. My two favorites that I've used are the velcro strap parking brake and the tube being used as a hose pipe. I added a small hose clamp and carry it in a small nylon bag, use it to wash off the bike and can be used to shower with.

There's a lighted cap for the malgene bottle fire fly works great and doubles as safety light it has blinking mode.

Got a zipper that sticks on your tent or whatever? Just rub some chapstick on it.

No special treatment for the bikes. Just use a motel "give away" shower cap to cover the saddle.

I've always used an extra produce bag from the store. What you do is put an extra bag in the bag you have the produce you're buying. Now you have a nice bag that hasn't been unfolded. Easy to pack away till needed too.

I think its great fun that you call it a "hobble" because that is what I started calling it. Here is mine: