I was out on a training ride last week by myself and rolling through a not so nice part of town. It was getting a little late but there was still plenty of daylight. Of course in this not so nice part of town I flat. And as I was taking out my one tube, one C02 and 1 tire lever I realized that I was one small mishap away from being stuck in a place that I didn’t really want to be. Of course I had a phone too…but anyone who could pick me up was at least an hour or so away.
It got me thinking - what do you carry every ride? I usually ride with folk and don’t carry much (I am sure someone else will have it). As someone who is an ambassador for this sport that isn’t fair to the others, and probably not too smart.
Also - I probably take my road and tri bike out equally (esp with the weather getting better). Does anyone have a set up that they easily take from one bike to the other? Seems like that would be the easier then inventorying two set ups. I hate messing with the velcro straps and have seen some set ups like topeak has that you can buy clips for under the saddle and just move the bag to which ever bike.
I have a kit for each of my bikes. Yes, it’s a lot of work at first (do one at a time), but once it’s done, each bike is ready to go without any swapping. I do this becuase my memory is so bad that I would get myself stranded for sure due to leaving the tools on the last bike I rode. I typically carry 2 ea. CO2, a multi tool, tube, tire levers (1 or 2 max) and a patch kit (in case I flat a few times). On my road bike (and soon on my tri bike) I take a pump too. Obviously for races I scale it all back (I leave the pump clip on…somehow I doubt it’s the pump clip keeping me from victory!) but I spend far mroe time training than racing. Also, if you are a big guy, I recommend a chain tool (or multitool with a chain tool in it). I rarely use the chain tool on the road (seems to be used much more often offroad) but when you need it, you need it. If I am headed out long distance, by myself, out of civilization, I’ll drop an extra tube and CO2 in my jersey pocket…right next to my cell phone!
Tom’s list is pretty spot on, the one change I’d say is that if you can get ahold of the Maxxis tire levers (the orange plastic ones) they are the bees knees. I love mine, I find them easy and fast to hook and slide and I can clear a tire even under pressure pretty darn quick with them. Some cheap tire levers aren’t worth it. One other note, if you want to cut down on bulk you can forget the levers altogether and just use your quick releases handles, especially if you has smooth ones like the Shimano Ultegra type.
Here’s a feature I wrote about just this topic: http://www.bikesportmichigan.com/features/flatkit.shtml
That’s pretty much my bike bag too, except I have two tubes. I put my cell phone, a few $$, my drivers license, insurance card and debit card in a plastic baggie that goes in my jersey.
Cell phone in pocket. Full-sized pump under top tube, secured with velcro strap. Saddle bag (three velcro straps) with spare tube, patch kit, tire lever (singular), two tire boots, spoke wrench (yes, I once used it for a stranger’s wheel on the road), zip lock bag with some money. It takes all of 1 minute to switch between road and tri bike. “I hate messing with the velcro straps”? HTFU.
I just don’t understand the fascination with CO2 inflation on training rides.
To your kit I add two 9" zip ties, a $10 bill (doubles as a tire boot and to pay for the burrito stop on long rides), a couple of band-aids, a travel size dental pick to pull glass from tires (very handy), a multi-tool, a spare Wipperman “Connex” easy-link and a moist towelette to clean up my hands after a tire change.
I have used the zip ties to help out strangers who have lost water bottle cage bolts and velcro straps of all sorts.
We get rather adventurous and end up tucked away in mountains and canyons without cell service.
Road bike:
Frame mini pump.
Two tubes.
Three tire levers
very, very small swiss army knife. Yes, I’ve used it.
Park multi tool (the one with chain breaker and spoke wrench. Yes, I’ve used both)
Patch kit includes: -patches, not the cheap glueless ones picured above. -glue (unopened. If I open it on the road it moves into the garage for home-patching. glue dries out when opened so I always make sure the tube on my road bike is unopened). -Park Tire Boots cut to size. A life saver. I can boot a tire three or four times over it’s lifetime; good as new. -presta valve adapter for a gas station pump. -sandpaper -very small corner of a rag -SRAM powerlink
I carry a ziploc bag with 2 co2 cartridges, a tube, tire levers, mini inflator and an allen key in it. It goes in one jersey pocket. 2nd pocket holds cellphone, ID, credit cards, cash and housekeys. 3rd pocket holds clif bars and/or gels.
I mostly ride in urban or suburban areas so I don’t need to carry much.
Patch Kit - I have trouble patching my tires at home…its hard to trust myself on the road…does anyone carry two tubes? or is this another HTFU
Small Multi tool - seems kind of optional. Any reccomendations?
Keep patching! You’ll get it. It’s a very, very valuable skill to have.
Use small round patches, big ones are overkill.
racing multitool:
Adventure rides:
*I carry two tubes in training so that I don’t have to patch on the road. I put the punctured tube in my jersey and finish the ride, leaving me one spare in my saddle bag. Once home I patch the tube in the comfort of my garage, and it goes back into the rotation. I use a silver sharpie to circle the hole once I find it with my pump.
OK…I like this! Outside of what I already have going these are the additions that seem to make the most sense for me.
Frame pump…make sense for training rides…reccomendations?
Patch Kit - I have trouble patching my tires at home…its hard to trust myself on the road…does anyone carry two tubes? or is this another HTFU
Small Multi tool - seems kind of optional. Any reccomendations?
Tire boots - easy to stash…makes sense - never had to use one…but know how…is cash just as good as the commercial ones?
Anything else?
Zefal hpX:
They sell tire boots? Is this like “how do you make flat coke”? Take a worn clincher, cut out beads, cut it into pieces. Voila! tire boots for a lifetime.
My supplies are the usual of the previous posters. Although I prefer to carry two tubes on longer rides instead of patching, I’m just hopeless at it. Given my riding is almost entirely within a reasonable range of civilization, I don’t worry too much about being completely self-supporting.
My one unusual thing is that most of the supplies are loaded in an old water bottle. My road bike has a seat tube cage, a down tube cage, and two behind-the-seat cages, so I put the supply bottle on the down tube and still have plenty of space for liquid. The only supplies that don’t go in there go in a bento box - cell phone, ID, cash, and credit card because they come off the bike after the ride, and spare tubes because my road bike is a 700 and tri bike 650, so I don’t want to be caught with the wrong tubes. Everything else lives in the bottle and the bottle just gets moved from one bike to the other as needed.
Frame pump…make sense for training rides…reccomendations?
If it’s a full size frame pump, secure it to the frame with a Velcro strap. For a mini pump, I like MTB pumps even for a road bike because they’re easier to operate. The models that operate like a floor pump look pretty cool but I’ve never actually used one.
Patch Kit - I have trouble patching my tires at home…its hard to trust myself on the road…does anyone carry two tubes? or is this another HTFU
The bike shop should have some of the temporary pressure seal patches. Easy to carry and you can help someone else out without giving away your tube.
Tire boots - easy to stash…makes sense - never had to use one…but know how…is cash just as good as the commercial ones?
I cut mine from an old tire.
Another tip: I wrap my tube in an old sock to keep it from rubbing on the rough fabric of the seat wedge. The material of most bags is rough enough to wear a hole in a tube over time and distance. The sock is also handy for wiping off hands.
Google and Wikipedia failed me - what is a tire boot? Sounds like something I should know - both what it is and how to use it.
A tire boot is typically a cross-section of the casing of an old, discarded tire, about half an inch across. Cut the beads off, and peel off the tread (optional). What you want is the casing.
The tire boot is used when one has a cut tire, often in the sidewall, from a piece of glass or other sharp object. With such a cut, the inner tube would blow right through the tire when inflated and you’d then have two blown tubes. The tire boot is inserted between the tube and the tire at the cut location before inflating.
The prototypical tire boot replacement materials are a folded dollar bill (but remember to remove it, as it’ll eventually get shredded) and the old Power Bar wrappers.
