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.

So did the tookit lovingly documented in

http://wlweather.net/PAGESEW/BIKE_KIT/BIKEROLL.HTM

I was foolish enough to rely on bungee cords to hold it to the outside
of a pannier. It *still* hasn't regenerated.

One of the Rema boxes was a first-aid kit; I forget what was in the
other. Used to be the original contents, plus chalk and whatnot, but
the picture shows a Park Tools patch kit.

The tool between the combination wrenches and the patch-kit pocket was
a pair of "gas pliers", miniature slip-joint pliers that I saw for
sale only once in my entire life.

Those are double-ended offset screwdrivers in the pocket between the
tire-lever pocket and the leftover-space pocket.

---------------

24 October 2019

Today I discovered that I still have a patch kit in my tool bag, and
it reminded me of this post. A patch kit is of little use when one
has no tire irons -- and little tubes of glue, even when factory
sealed, don't last forever.

When my maximum radius is ten or fifteen miles, a cell phone is
sufficient for taking care of flat tires. But there are two spare
valve caps and a tube of wound disinfectant in there too, so I guess
I'll continue to carry it. And I used the other extra item yesterday,
when I left my debit card in my other pants.

(All the fun goes right out of a shopping trip when I have no debit
card, even though I had more than enough cash for more than I can fit
into my panniers.)

Other items in the bag:

Hah! There *are* tire irons, wrapped up in a paper towel so I'd be
forced to get a towel out before getting my hands too dirty to put
into my pocket. To the mushroom basket in the newly-cleaned bike-
accessory cupboard.

Hmm . . . I didn't take everything out of the mushroom basket when I
cleaned. There are no doubt some more surprises. I did take
everything out of the old Bell Biker and the basket of reflectors.

A pair of old black knee hose puzzled me for a moment. Those are to
hold newspaper sleeves in place if I need to put windbreakers on my
feet.

A sun visor to wear in glaringly-illuminated big-box stores. I never
remember to take it in with me because it's so inconvenient to open a
drawstring bag looped to the rack and bungeed down. I've been looking
for a saddle bag, but all I can find is under-saddle bags. I'm not a
waxed-cotton fan, but I even looked at Rivendell. Not only are the
bags waxed cotton and absurdly expensive, all of them are meant to
substitute for panniers.

Just checked again. They do have an extra-small bag for $78, but it
requires saddle loops; I need one that can hang from the rails.

Perhaps my new saddle will have loops.

A sample bottle of Eucerin dry skin lotion for cleaning grease off my
hands. I also carry a lip-salve box of A&D Ointment in the right rear
pocket of my jersey.

A pencil and a cable tie, recently added.

A ten-millimeter Craftsman combination wrench.

A six-inch Crescent brand crescent wrench.

A bobbin of nylon thread in a "pill pouch" plastic bag. I used to
carry a bobbin of WWII linen button-and-carpet thread, but haven't
seen it in thirty years, and have no idea what became of it. (We once
used a good bit of the linen string to tie down a trunk lid.) I was
very glad to find this small spool of strong thread even though I'd
have to multiple it to use it as string.

I've also found that newpaper sleeves are good for tying things
together, and keep a few neatly-folded sleeves between the layers of
newspaper in my insulated pannier.

Two sweat rags, one with a brass safety pin stuck into it and two
paper clips strung on the pin. I just fetched a matching pin and
added it, in case I need to pin my pants.

A sweat rag is a sixteen-inch square torn from an old pillow case. I
once tied a white one around my ankle to replace a safety pin that had
fallen out. It worked very well, but people kept asking how I'd hurt
myself.

These rags are both chambray, in memory of the time I was riding on a
sidewalk that ducked under Pike Lake and didn't come up on the other
side of the driveway. By then it was miles to the previous
intersection, and only a few feet to the end of the flood, so I waded
through, then used a chambray sweat rag to wipe off sand and dry my
feet before putting my shoes back on.

I see that Wikipedia confuses Chambray with Cambric. Cambric is a
very fine fabric akin to batiste; Chambray is what "blue collar"
shirts were made from.

Now the bag, somewhat neater, is back on the bike.

Once I saw folding pliers so cute that I bought them without, at the
time, a reason. I put them into the folding-scissor pocket of my
wallet so they wouldn't get lost on the way home, and they have been
there ever since. I used them just yesterday, when the jump ring
holding my tape measure to my key ring gave way to my habit of using
the tape measure as a handle to pull the keys out of my pocket. I
couldn't persuade the lobster-claw clasp to enter the thick, small
link of the chain, so I mangled the jump ring.

25 October 2019

I also remember unfolding the knife blade in one handle of the pliers
once. I should review the other tools in case I need one sometime:
A wee teeny philips-head screwdriver, a slot-head screw driver, and a
nail file.

I've got fingernail clippers on my key ring, so I don't think I'll
ever need any of those things.

Also on the key ring: a bike key, a house key, a safety pin, a pocket
knife, a keychain knife featuring a screwdriver/cap lifter suitable
for cleaning my cleats, folding scissors (after the bike key, my
most-used tool), and a bunch of frequent-shopper cards.

The safety pin is in memory of the time I tried to take a nap on a
very narrow bench in the warming bus and my car keys fell out of my
pocket. My husband, who had come to the fire on an engine, lent me
his, and the firemen who cleaned the bus on the fillowing day found
mine. Since I have better pockets now, I don't actually pin my keys
in, except for the church keys. Changing a couple of dozen locks
would be *very* expensive.

In addition to the pliers and a larger pair of scissors, my wallet
contains a sewing kit that includes a single-edge razor blade.

Sunday, 27 October 2019

And there's a band-aid in my notebook. Also two copies of my list of
medications, a list of phone numbers, and a slip of paper with my
name, address, and phone number on it. That last saves spelling
things phonetically.

I carried a knife to church today. I don't usually bother with my key
ring, but just carry lipstick, A&D, sunscreen, golf pencils, church
keys, cell phone, and my pocket purse. The church has a
fully-equipped kitchen where I can find knives and scissors. Today I
wanted to pick some peppers on the way home, so I took the knife I
carry in my slopping-around pants. Half the blade is scalloped for
cutting tough weeds and pepper stems.

Everything I carry contains a few sandwich bags in a "pill pouch" bag,
which fits nicely among business cards and plastic cards. And in
snack bags tucked between the layers of my insulated pannier are
larger bags, including gallon bags for when I go to Duck Down and
Above and want to take the box off something that isn't individually
wrapped. I think I'll put some two-gallon bags in there too, if I
ever get another Wednesday e-mail telling me what's available on
Friday.

There are also twist-ties in my wallet and in the snack bag of bags,
but I no longer bother with them in my notebook; they tend to fall out
or get in the way.

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