Replacing a lost toolkit
 

The seat bag toolkit went missing on my bike after 30-odd years.
Unfortunately, I noticed only after getting a flat tire 8 miles
from home. As penance for my inattention I elected to walk, despite
half a dozen offers of help from other riders and one motorist. The
exercise is one I'm not eager to repeat 8-)

Beyond the obvious (tire levers, patch kit and spare tube) what have
folks found worth carrying to fend off routine trouble? My kit
acquired quite a bit more, including a chain tool, spoke wrench and
freewheel tool, along with hex keys. I don't think any of the first
three have ever been useful on the road, but they don't weigh much
and they're far easier to find if they're on the bike. Has anybody
ever had use for them, or other "shop" tools, on the road?

Suggestions for a seat bag would also be welcome. For the moment
I'll put the tools and spares in the pannier baskets, but that's
dangerous as they can be removed and forgotten. Much better to have
necessities permanently living on the bike.

Thanks for reading!

bob prohaska

Replacing a lost toolkit
 

On 8/16/2019 6:12 PM, bob prohaska wrote:
The seat bag toolkit went missing on my bike after 30-odd years.
Unfortunately, I noticed only after getting a flat tire 8 miles
from home. As penance for my inattention I elected to walk, despite
half a dozen offers of help from other riders and one motorist. The
exercise is one I'm not eager to repeat 8-)

Beyond the obvious (tire levers, patch kit and spare tube) what have
folks found worth carrying to fend off routine trouble? My kit
acquired quite a bit more, including a chain tool, spoke wrench and
freewheel tool, along with hex keys. I don't think any of the first
three have ever been useful on the road, but they don't weigh much
and they're far easier to find if they're on the bike. Has anybody
ever had use for them, or other "shop" tools, on the road?

Suggestions for a seat bag would also be welcome. For the moment
I'll put the tools and spares in the pannier baskets, but that's
dangerous as they can be removed and forgotten. Much better to have
necessities permanently living on the bike.

Thanks for reading!

bob prohaska


Here's a big +1 on allen keys and small screwdriver, not so
much for my own bike as for riders one meets stopped along
the way.

--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org/
Open every day since 1 April, 1971

Replacing a lost toolkit
 

On Friday, August 16, 2019 at 7:12:57 PM UTC-4, bob prohaska wrote:
The seat bag toolkit went missing on my bike after 30-odd years.
Unfortunately, I noticed only after getting a flat tire 8 miles
from home. As penance for my inattention I elected to walk, despite
half a dozen offers of help from other riders and one motorist. The
exercise is one I'm not eager to repeat 8-)

Beyond the obvious (tire levers, patch kit and spare tube) what have
folks found worth carrying to fend off routine trouble? My kit
acquired quite a bit more, including a chain tool, spoke wrench and
freewheel tool, along with hex keys. I don't think any of the first
three have ever been useful on the road, but they don't weigh much
and they're far easier to find if they're on the bike. Has anybody
ever had use for them, or other "shop" tools, on the road?

Suggestions for a seat bag would also be welcome. For the moment
I'll put the tools and spares in the pannier baskets, but that's
dangerous as they can be removed and forgotten. Much better to have
necessities permanently living on the bike.

Thanks for reading!

bob prohaska

Besides a spare tube and a patch kit with tire levers I have a nice multi-tool that includes a chain tool and spoke wrench. I also have a freewheel removal tool that I only carry if I'm going on a really long ride. I have an old Pocket Rocket tool that holds the freewheel removal tool and can be put onto any round post such as found on a chain-link fence, to use the freewheel tool. You can see images of the tool and how it's used here.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/738325...57710358232441

Cheers

Replacing a lost toolkit
 

On 8/16/2019 4:12 PM, bob prohaska wrote:
The seat bag toolkit went missing on my bike after 30-odd years.
Unfortunately, I noticed only after getting a flat tire 8 miles
from home. As penance for my inattention I elected to walk, despite
half a dozen offers of help from other riders and one motorist. The
exercise is one I'm not eager to repeat 8-)

Beyond the obvious (tire levers, patch kit and spare tube) what have
folks found worth carrying to fend off routine trouble? My kit
acquired quite a bit more, including a chain tool, spoke wrench and
freewheel tool, along with hex keys. I don't think any of the first
three have ever been useful on the road, but they don't weigh much
and they're far easier to find if they're on the bike. Has anybody
ever had use for them, or other "shop" tools, on the road?

Suggestions for a seat bag would also be welcome. For the moment
I'll put the tools and spares in the pannier baskets, but that's
dangerous as they can be removed and forgotten. Much better to have
necessities permanently living on the bike.

Thanks for reading!

bob prohaska

Last year I finally had a broken chain while out on a ride and got to
use my chain tool for the first time in about 30 years. Well that's not
quite right, I have used it to help other people when their derailleur
broke and turned their bike into a one speed so they could limp to a
shop or to home. On a long tour I would take a freewheel tool and spare
spokes, but never used either.

As to seat bags, the ones I have been using are these
https://www.amazon.com/BV-Bicycle-Strap-Saddle-Cycling/dp/B00A3W8FFM?th=1&psc=1

The large size is just large enough to fit a small high-pressure pump if
you choose the pump carefully. I think that I paid less than $11.99 when
I bought mine (I bought several a few years ago) but $11.99 is not too
bad. A comparable quality bag from Trek or Specialized would be at least
2x the cost.

Replacing a lost toolkit
 

On Fri, 16 Aug 2019 23:12:55 -0000 (UTC), bob prohaska
wrote:

The seat bag toolkit went missing on my bike after 30-odd years.
Unfortunately, I noticed only after getting a flat tire 8 miles
from home. As penance for my inattention I elected to walk, despite
half a dozen offers of help from other riders and one motorist. The
exercise is one I'm not eager to repeat 8-)

Beyond the obvious (tire levers, patch kit and spare tube) what have
folks found worth carrying to fend off routine trouble? My kit
acquired quite a bit more, including a chain tool, spoke wrench and
freewheel tool, along with hex keys. I don't think any of the first
three have ever been useful on the road, but they don't weigh much
and they're far easier to find if they're on the bike. Has anybody
ever had use for them, or other "shop" tools, on the road?

Suggestions for a seat bag would also be welcome. For the moment
I'll put the tools and spares in the pannier baskets, but that's
dangerous as they can be removed and forgotten. Much better to have
necessities permanently living on the bike.

Thanks for reading!

bob prohaska

I replaced all the "screwdriver" headed bolts on the bike to internal
wrenching and discounting the stem bolt have 5 (I think) allen
wrenches in the tool kit. Depending on the bike the stem clamp bolt is
either internal wrenching or conventional hex so I carry one more
wrench. If the bike has fenders there are probably one or maybe two
more small "hex" headed wrenches.

I carry a patch kit and one or two inner tubes and a pair of "orange
plastic" tire tools that are simply the best I've come across for
removing and replacing tires.

And the most important tool of all - a hand phone so that if all else
fails I can call Mama to come and get me (:-)

This is basically what I have actually needed over the years. I broke
a spoke once, on the driven side of the rear wheel so wrapped the
spoke around the next spoke, loosened up the brake shoes and rode
home.
--
cheers,

John B.

Replacing a lost toolkit
 

On Friday, August 16, 2019 at 5:15:41 PM UTC-7, sms wrote:
On 8/16/2019 4:12 PM, bob prohaska wrote:
The seat bag toolkit went missing on my bike after 30-odd years.
Unfortunately, I noticed only after getting a flat tire 8 miles
from home. As penance for my inattention I elected to walk, despite
half a dozen offers of help from other riders and one motorist. The
exercise is one I'm not eager to repeat 8-)

Beyond the obvious (tire levers, patch kit and spare tube) what have
folks found worth carrying to fend off routine trouble? My kit
acquired quite a bit more, including a chain tool, spoke wrench and
freewheel tool, along with hex keys. I don't think any of the first
three have ever been useful on the road, but they don't weigh much
and they're far easier to find if they're on the bike. Has anybody
ever had use for them, or other "shop" tools, on the road?

Suggestions for a seat bag would also be welcome. For the moment
I'll put the tools and spares in the pannier baskets, but that's
dangerous as they can be removed and forgotten. Much better to have
necessities permanently living on the bike.

Thanks for reading!

bob prohaska

Last year I finally had a broken chain while out on a ride and got to
use my chain tool for the first time in about 30 years. Well that's not
quite right, I have used it to help other people when their derailleur
broke and turned their bike into a one speed so they could limp to a
shop or to home. On a long tour I would take a freewheel tool and spare
spokes, but never used either.

As to seat bags, the ones I have been using are these
https://www.amazon.com/BV-Bicycle-Strap-Saddle-Cycling/dp/B00A3W8FFM?th=1&psc=1

The large size is just large enough to fit a small high-pressure pump if
you choose the pump carefully. I think that I paid less than $11.99 when
I bought mine (I bought several a few years ago) but $11.99 is not too
bad. A comparable quality bag from Trek or Specialized would be at least
2x the cost.

A freewheel tool? You have a freewheel? And you have a chain you can cut and connect?

Meanwhile, speaking from the present, a spare quick-link and a chain tool might come in handy once every few years, unless you are Joerg, then it would come in handy three times a day. A cassette lockring tool is useless without wrench -- but I HAVE found adjustable wrenches on the road. The trick there is to tighten your cassettes before you leave. I have a spoke wrench on my keychain. I've used that a number of times. It's a keeper, assuming I'm on wheels with external nipples, which I am.

Super important things: whatever hex wrench fits your cleats. It is usually the size NOT on your pocket tool. The usual pocket tool has standard sizes for seat clamps, HS compression caps, stems, etc., etc. Can't go wrong there. If you have something unique, like torx bolts, then you'll need that tool.

Make sure the tube in your pack fits your rim. I've been on too many rides with the aero guys who have a spare tube with a 40mm stem when they're riding 50mm rims. You can usually make an undersized or oversized tube work, within limits -- but you can't fake it with a too short stem.

I keep a dollar for a boot, but that's usually in my pocket -- or a Cliff Bar wrapper. Personally, I take a granite surface plate in case my frame goes out of alignment. It's heavy, but when I want to be sure my frame is straight, it's great.

Actually, the one weird tool I wish I had once was the pre-load cap tool for a Shimano Hollotech crank when my son got massive chain suck and jammed the chain between the stay and the ring. It was really, really stuck, and I was going to pull the crank. I tried to back out the cap with a screw driver and just munged it up. I eventually got the chain loose, but not without marring the stay.

I had an old square drive crank come loose while riding out the Gorge and actually found a maintenance guy at the Falls with a deep 15mm socket. It was a miracle-ette! https://www.flickr.com/photos/132716...4/24011520264/ I wasn't carrying my peanut butter wrench since I wasn't on the track bike.

-- Jay Beattie.

Replacing a lost toolkit
 

On 8/16/2019 4:12 PM, bob prohaska wrote:
The seat bag toolkit went missing on my bike after 30-odd years.
Unfortunately, I noticed only after getting a flat tire 8 miles
from home. As penance for my inattention I elected to walk, despite
half a dozen offers of help from other riders and one motorist. The
exercise is one I'm not eager to repeat 8-)

Beyond the obvious (tire levers, patch kit and spare tube) what have
folks found worth carrying to fend off routine trouble? My kit
acquired quite a bit more, including a chain tool, spoke wrench and
freewheel tool, along with hex keys. I don't think any of the first
three have ever been useful on the road, but they don't weigh much
and they're far easier to find if they're on the bike. Has anybody
ever had use for them, or other "shop" tools, on the road?
[snip]

bob prohaska

* I make it two tubes, patch kit and levers (I really hate walking home;
I've needed the second tube more than once. I haven't patched on the
road in years, but the kit is tiny, so worth its space.)

* Add a folded-up Tyvek bib number that they hand out at bike events.
These things make really great tire boots for catastrophic tire failure,
weigh essentially zero and take up zero space in the bag.
(I used one for a sidewall cut big enough to put my pinkie through,
folded several layers thick, it held at ~90 psi for 30 miles).

* One pair superlight (flimsy) reading glasses, so I can see those d**n
Michelin wires and pull 'em out of my tire.

* Mini-tool with hex keys, etc. (and on longer rides, the mini that
includes a chain tool and spoke wrench). A few suitable quick-links
weigh nothing and would be handy if needed, but I haven't started
carrying them. I /have/ broken a chain /once/ in 40+ years of cycling.

* CO2 inflator, and often a pressure gauge, even though I carry a mini pump.

I really don't flat that much, but flats seem to rove in packs. Also,
the fierce, casing-destroying flats seem to attack the most when I've
just fitted a brand-new expensive tire. Sigh.

Mark J.

Replacing a lost toolkit
 

sms wrote:
On 8/16/2019 4:12 PM, bob prohaska wrote:

Beyond the obvious (tire levers, patch kit and spare tube) what have
folks found worth carrying to fend off routine trouble? My kit

Thanks for reading!

bob prohaska

Last year I finally had a broken chain while out on a ride and got to
use my chain tool for the first time in about 30 years. Well that's not
quite right, I have used it to help other people when their derailleur
broke and turned their bike into a one speed so they could limp to a
shop or to home. On a long tour I would take a freewheel tool and spare
spokes, but never used either.


Are modern chains riveted, since master links can now be had for
derailleur chains? My present chain didn't require a tool. It was
already close enough in length, I just put the master link in.

As to seat bags, the ones I have been using are these
https://www.amazon.com/BV-Bicycle-Strap-Saddle-Cycling/dp/B00A3W8FFM?th=1&psc=1

The large size is just large enough to fit a small high-pressure pump if
you choose the pump carefully. I think that I paid less than $11.99 when
I bought mine (I bought several a few years ago) but $11.99 is not too
bad. A comparable quality bag from Trek or Specialized would be at least
2x the cost.

That looks like a workable option and not very different from the bag that
went missing. I'd prefer to buy from a LBS if the cost penalty isn't too
outrageous.

Thanks for posting!

bob prohaska

Replacing a lost toolkit
 

On 8/16/2019 8:35 PM, bob prohaska wrote:
sms wrote:
On 8/16/2019 4:12 PM, bob prohaska wrote:

Beyond the obvious (tire levers, patch kit and spare tube) what have
folks found worth carrying to fend off routine trouble? My kit

Thanks for reading!

bob prohaska

Last year I finally had a broken chain while out on a ride and got to
use my chain tool for the first time in about 30 years. Well that's not
quite right, I have used it to help other people when their derailleur
broke and turned their bike into a one speed so they could limp to a
shop or to home. On a long tour I would take a freewheel tool and spare
spokes, but never used either.


Are modern chains riveted, since master links can now be had for
derailleur chains? My present chain didn't require a tool. It was
already close enough in length, I just put the master link in.

As to seat bags, the ones I have been using are these
https://www.amazon.com/BV-Bicycle-Strap-Saddle-Cycling/dp/B00A3W8FFM?th=1&psc=1

The large size is just large enough to fit a small high-pressure pump if
you choose the pump carefully. I think that I paid less than $11.99 when
I bought mine (I bought several a few years ago) but $11.99 is not too
bad. A comparable quality bag from Trek or Specialized would be at least
2x the cost.

That looks like a workable option and not very different from the bag that
went missing. I'd prefer to buy from a LBS if the cost penalty isn't too
outrageous.

Thanks for posting!

bob prohaska


Single speed chain and classic 4, 5, 6, 7 speed chain rivets
are easily removed and re set[1].

Eight, 9, 10, 11, 12 speed chain has rivets flush with the
outer plate face, the plates are thinner and harder, and
the fit between rivet and plate is tighter. Setting a rivet
not only takes more push but the rivet must be exactly
centered and uniform. Prior efforts included tapered-guide
replacement rivets before even the the most notable victim
of "We Didn't Invent That" disease capitulated to the
superior snaplink.

With modern two-pivot-spring changers, wrap the chain around
largest front and rear sprockets, add 2 rivets ( or three,
as needed, to end with a complete link) then pass it through
your changers and join it. Older lower-spring-only changers
usually want more chain, as much as you can add without
excessive sag in small-small, although various setups do vary.


[1] taking care to leave the moved rivet still hanging in
one plate, not fully removed.

--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org/
Open every day since 1 April, 1971

Replacing a lost toolkit
 

On Fri, 16 Aug 2019 18:12:27 -0700, "Mark J."
wrote:

* One pair superlight (flimsy) reading glasses, so I can see those d**n
Michelin wires and pull 'em out of my tire.

In my handkerchief pocket, I carry a slim-but-sturdy pair of 3.5
reading glasses that came in a case that looks as though it held a
toothbrush. I shop during nearly every ride, and I need to read
ingredient lists printed in black on navy in six-point type.

I do have a flimsy folding pair (3.0) that I carry in my jeans pocket
while walking or driving.

Neither can be bought; you have to luck into them. (If you keep
looking, sooner or later you get lucky. Usually later.)

--
Joy Beeson
joy beeson at comcast dot net
http://wlweather.net/PAGEJOY/