essential tools?
 

going on my first longish tour (about a month). what tools should i take with me? for a good 200 miles of the trip i will not be anywhere near a bike shop.

Crank Bros. m17
15/17 cone wrench
tire levers
pump
patch kit
cassette cracker
Leatherman Freestyle multi-tool

That kit will get you at least 75% through a complete teardown. I'd also bring a small bottle of chain lube, and a small tin of grease.

I carry a good multi-tool, Park Tool MTB-3 quite often a Leatherman, primarily for the pliers and the knife. Plus anything additional that might be specific to my bike or needs. If your bike is gone over and in good shape prior to leaving you probably won't have too much if any trouble. Just watch out for Murphy.

Aaron :)

You may not find all multi-tools convivial. I have gotten rid of as many as I have kept. Ones that try to do everything be limited at what they do well.

My current multi-tool happens to have a few hex keys. I use them in a pinch, but I also carry dedicated hex keys because they are easier to handle.

All of my tools fit, carefully packed, into a small sack slung under my saddle: my multi-tool du jour, a small crescent wrench, a small pair of needle-nose pliers, a hex key set, a tire patch kit, a spoke tightener (which I have never used), 3 plastic tire wrenches, and a vial of crazy glue. In my panniers, I keep a spare inner tube, a few feet of duct tape wrapped around a small tube of hand sanitizer, and a plastic bag of small spare parts (bolts, washers, etc.) I also have a Swiss Army knife, which I find I use quite often!

Spoke wrench.
Tire levers.
Patch kit.
Spare tube.
Mini pump
A couple of chain master links.
Chain breaker.
Cassette cracker. (This thing is great: http://harriscyclery.net/itemdetails.cfm?ID=2456 )
Spare spokes.
Small roll of electrical tape.
Chain lube.

and whatever size hex keys and wrenches you need to adjust your seat, tighten your rack/fender screws, adjust your bars and handlebar bag, adjust derailleurs, tighten water bottle cages, etc. On my bike there's probably only a couple or three hex keys I need to do all that.

A decent leatherman is always nice to have, you've got the knife and pliers with screwdrivers as well.

crank bros multi-tool 19
leatherman blast
electrical tape
duct tape
tie wrap
krazy glue
needle & waxed thread
lube 2oz
proofide
shrader adaptor
tire levers
tube patch kit
spare tube
2 kevlar repair spokes

total 28 ounces

This and that from previous lists, plus a bit of Gorilla Tape for booting a blown tire or patching a leaking sleeping pad.

http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?o=1&doc_id=6089&v=i
This assumes you know how to effect any repairs which need the tools...

I like an topeak alien tool this has allens, spike wrenches, tire irons and a chain tool. For a ride that is 200 miles long without being near a bike shop, I wouldn't expect anything to happen but that's when Murphy's Law takes effect.

I would also take a fiber spoke for emergency spoke repairs
tube
pump
4" crescent wrench
patch kit
tire boot

Just make sure everything is in good working order then put a couple of hundred miles on the bike before the tour to shake out any problems.

On my last four tours I only had a couple of flats.

I like the chain whip in that link.

A one month tour in a country with modern bike shops is not so long or remote that you need a huge tool kit. I like to think of what problems you are likely to encounter instead of a list of tools. You always need all the stuff to fix flats and have allen keys, wrenches, and screwdrivers to tighten things as they come loose. The Leatherman and bike multi-tools mentioned above are great for short trips. Breaking rear spokes on a loaded bike is common but unless you know how to use a spoke wrench and cassette cracker why bring them? Better to prevent as I discuss below. Other common bike tour repairs are broken chains or cables but these can be preempted as well.

I suggest these minimum upgrades to your bike unless you know these areas to be sound:

1. New rear rim and spokes. Have them hand built on your existing hub in a skilled shop. Instead of bringing all the tools to repair broken spokes a new quality wheel simply prevents them. I would still have a spoke wrench to touch up the new wheel but a shop can do that too. A spoke wrench in a unskilled hand can do more harm than good.

2. New tires. With new rubber under you it is pretty unlikely you will get a flat in 30 days. Remember to pump them to pressure using a gauge every week.

3. New cables - at least the derailers. New cables installed are not absolutely necessary if you think yours are in good shape but getting them installed at a bike shop insures brake and derailer adjustment.

4. New Chain. This does wonders to a worn bike and reduces the odds that your chain will break but I would always have a chain tool and joiner links anyway.

Hope that helps

Tim

You need to practice with chain tools, cassette crackers and spoke keys before you leave.
Most people use a chain master link and carry a spare.
The best cassette tool (Pamir Hypercracker) is no longer available so we have to make do with NBT2 or Stein tool which lack leverage and are tricky to use.

thanks all! i have confidence in my abilities to handle any repair i may need to. what i'm more worried about is over packing. example: last night i was wondering if a fourth hand would come in handy. obviously not ...

There are a lot of commonalities with previous posts on this list, but it is easier for me to be inclusive.

Patch kit with extra small size patches. These are the ones I use the most.
Tire levers.
Park spoke wrench.
Kevlar Spoke.
Park CT-5 chain tool.
Sram Quick Link.
4 oz chain lube.
12 ml. hypodermic syringe filled with Tri-Flow oil. For derailleurs etc.
Multi-tool. Make sure the hex that fits your shift lever clamp bolt (STI) is long enough to reach. Minor crashes often move shift levers rather than breaking them if tightened correctly. I found out the other day that the one my wife carries does not! Also make sure there is a hex that is small enough to fit your brake centering bolts
SS coupling wrench Wife's bike has SS couplings. Wrench also has a pedal wrench which is necessary if you are shipping/packing bike at end of tour.
Park 8/10 mm open end wrench, CBW-1 Small and fits SKS fender strut nuts.
Small assortment of spare bolts/nuts Including a cleat bolt.
Spare cleat if using Look (nylon) type cleats I've broken three in the last 3 tours. Switching to SPD's:thumb:
2 or 3 one inch pieces of 3/32 heat shrink wire insulation. It make a great cable cap if you loose one or need to replaces a cable.
1 spare derailleur and brake cable. Never used them yet, but there were a couple of times I should have.
2 bar end plugs. It seems like I lose at least 1 per trip.
Small 3x5" sponge. A soft drink cup or a plastic bottle with the top cut off makes a good disposable bucket. Dish soap works well for keeping bike clean. Napkins and paper towels scrounged along the way are great for wiping chains.
1 or 2 pairs of nitrile or latex gloves. good when messing with your chain. Can also be picked up along the way at Subway sandwiches, etc.--Just ask and they will usually give you a pair of vinyl food handlers gloves.

All this fits in a 5x8 plastic box. In addition I usually carry a folding spare tire.
This has been used a couple of times, and I was glad I had it. Sometimes, I'll also carry a Leatherman type multi-tool. The file, pliers and wire cutters have come in handy. This is for 2 bikes and multi-month tours. For shorter tours I don't usually carry spare cables. On longer tours I also throw a pair of nail clippers in my tool box.

May I suggest that instead of bringing something like a cassette cracker to bring a couple fiber fix spokes and a spoke wrench? This saves the need to remove your cassette in the unlikely event of a broken spoke.