I don't carry a tool: never broke a spoke, even touring on cobbles on our tandem. It's all in the wheel build. I do carry 2 Fiberfix spokes though, just in case.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tourist in MSN

My cassette tool took too large a wrench to carry, I filed down two of the flats on it to allow me to carry a smaller crescent wrench. Less than 10 minutes of filing.

Two of my touring bikes do not have spoke holders on the frame. I carry the spare spokes in the seatpost. They are held in with a wine cork. The cork dried out and shrunk slightly so I wrapped some electrical tape around it to make the cork fit tighter in the seatpost.

Brilliant! Thanks for sharing.

Quote:

Originally Posted by staehpj1

Wow, I guess cassette c-r-a-c-k-e-r is a dirty word here

That's weird. So does it also censor the word "crackers" if you want to mention that peanut butter crackers are a light and space-efficient meal solution when touring that don't require any cooking?

I've had to replace spokes twice while on tour, and both times I was easily able to ride to a bike shop after a few minutes with the spoke wrench. I carry the cassette tool and spare spokes, just in case the bike shop is more than a day away and I can find a friendly garage owner with a large wrench. You can make a chain whip out of your bike's chain and a large pair of channellocks. And I've used an 18" pipe wrench on one of the middle cogs. It's smart to carry a spare rim strip, too, if you might be replacing the spoke nipple. It seems like I always get a spare spoke of a different gauge and I always have to replace the nipple.

It's mostly us white people - crackers - who are bike touring.

A couple of years ago I was crossing the Katy Trail in Missouri. A stick popped into my rear wheel taking out one of the drive-side spokes. I had a spare spoke, but not a chain whip or cassette tool. So I loosened up the spokes on each side of the broke spoke to true up the wheel a little and kept pedaling. Nice to have 36-spoke wheels. About 75 miles later a spoke on the opposite side of the wheel broke. Probably putting a lot of strain on it with the three loose/broke spokes 180° away. I rode another 30 miles that way and finally came to a mechanic in Defiance, Missouri right on the Katy Trail.

Now I carry spare spokes, a chain whip, cassette tool, and an adjustable wrench. I'll never need them.

Personally I'd reconsider the lesson you've drawn from your experience:

You're going to carry a couple of extra pounds of speciality tools (presumably forever) that you survived without, managed very well without, and by your on accounting will probably never need again.

I figured the racist meaning was the reason the word is censored but why doesn't it censor the plural then? Also, btw, I think it's a stereotype that cycling is a white and/or male thing. From what I've seen, there is as much diversity among cyclists as among drivers or any other category.

I used to carry spare spokes on tour, but dispensed with them when I started using wheels I built myself from high-ish quality components and with spoke counts which ensured that if one did break, I could retrue and continue on without it. Hence, I have done several thousand miles on a front wheel with a missing spoke. The minimum count for touring for me is 32, preferably 36, and good quality rims laced to a decent spoke tension. And a load that is not excessive...

I carry a chain whip and a cassette tool but not a crescent. My chain whip is homemade from an aluminium bar and the tool for the cassette is made from piece of stainless steel. See the link below. I have had to use it a few times on tours, even with 36 spokes wheels, handbuilt.

https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/...oc_id=6089&v=i

+1
I'd either take a light weight solution or just figure that I can limp along or hitch a ride to the next bike shop. A single broken spoke can be pretty easily ridden on and breaking multiples isn't that frequent of an occurrence. The Unior tool weighs something like a half ounce so I usually take it and a couple spokes along, but I'd rely on limping or hitching to the next bike shop before I'd carry much more in the way of tools. A vise or a crescent are heavy and can be borrowed in most towns and when I or one of my companions has needed a lift for injury or mechanical breakdown we have never needed to stick out our thumbs more than 15-20 minutes. On more remote roads especially in the desert there are way fewer cars, but most of them will stop to help.

Another option for a chain whip is either a piece of nylon rope or 1" web strapping. Both very lightweight, can serve other purposes and work quite well. Just loop around the cassette and your foot and it's done.

Though I generally carry extra spokes, the nice thing about the universal Fiberfix kevlar spoke is that someone else in your party will appreciate it if they came less prepared. Travelling in less populated areas as I do much of the time demands that I can't rely on a bike shop within a day's ride.

Spokes should not break.. if the wheel is assembled correctly. Enough spoke for the job.. handbuilt with care.. no reason to carry tools.
I know well it sounds from left field.. yet I think those touring give too little attention to wheel choices.

But **** happens. We ship our bikes in cardboard boxes, surrounded by forklifts. There are hazards on the road. Those hand built wheels get 20,000+ perfect miles on them and finally something wears out on steep hill braking with a heavy load.

Yeah... your right.

I scored and chewed up my drive-side spokes when the chain derailed.
My previous wheel was immune to scored spokes because they were thick 13/14g. This wheel was built using thinner, std 14/15g spokes. Over the course of several weeks, many spokes broke and I made much use of my NBT2.