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.