What do you carry in your toolkit?

My number one tool is a mobile phone, the only one I own, permanently
carried on my bike, switched off so that no one can reach me; it's
sole purpose is to call the ambulance if I fall over from a heart
attack, or a taxi if I get a flat tyre.

I haven't had a flat wheel for several thousand klicks now, since I
switched to hardcase tyres (Schwalbe Marathon Plus and Botnbrager
Satellite Elite Hardcase) but I still carry a tube to offer to those
less fortunate who cycle with me or that I meet on the road.

I carry a small Park combination headset/ pedal spanner bolted up
behind my water bottle. It also fits the axle cap nuts of Shimano's
Nexus hub gearboxes, so the rear wheel can be taken off to change the
tube.

All the rest of my tools fit in a hardshell spectacles case and
consist of round multisize spoke wrench (never touched the spokes on
my current Bontrager Satellite Elite wheels in over a year, unlike
some accursed Rigida wheels I had once that had to be tightened
weekly); an 8x10mm open spanner for adjusting the brakes; Topeak's
Tool Bar (a tiny multitool with two slide-out aluminium tyre levers as
its sides, and a holder for the 3-4-5-6mm hex keys and Philips driver
bit inside plus a bigger Philips bit in the socket); a stampsized box
of Park's glueless patches; a presta to auto valve adaptor for blowing
up tyres at garages; spare batteries for my rear flasher light, my
Shimano Flight Deck and my Sigma HRM; a couple of sheets of paper
towel, one soaked in Vaseline petroleum jelly for relubing threads
before refitting; a couple of pairs of surgicaal gloves to keep my
hands clean (usually on refitting some lady's chain...). There is also
a minipump on each of my bikes, all of them OEM-sourced from SKS and
all of them pretty useless for the 37mm high pressure tyres I like
(the only pumps I have that works are an ancient Zefal frame pump and
a six-buck Beta pump I bought at a supermarket because it also takes
compressed air cartidges -- I shall replace the lot of them with an
HPX frame pump as soon as I work out how to fix it to my bikes).

I don't imagine the toolkit weighs as a much as pound. It includes
only what I need, even the superfluous bits for the Topeak Tool Bar
are left at home. I have several other multitools and all of them have
more superfluous tools than useful ones, so I leave their weight at
home.

The one thing I cannot fix on the road is a loose crank bolt on my
favourite bike, the Trek with the Cyber Nexus groupset. These are
flathead bolts in a recess, so none of my on-bike tools can get at
them and even a titanium socket and lever I bought are just too
stupidly heavy to carry; I plan to replace the flathead bolts with hex
socket bolts and carrying a long 8mm hex key as soon as I find one in
titanium. (I have an 8mm hex bit that will fit the Tool Bar but I
imagine applying 45Nm to it will rip the little thing apart, though in
fact it doesn't complain about working on the front axle where I
replaced a quick-release with a hex-socket skewer from BBB.)

Best bike tool I ever bought, that Topeak Tool Bar -- and I blew the
money fully reconciled to the suspicion that when it arrived it would
be a toy, but it wasn't, it is really very useful on your modern city
or mountain bike (one of the supplied bits I leave at home is the T25
torx key for MB disc brakes). The only thing that could make it
better, indeed perfect, is a slide-out open spanner 8x10mm on the
blank side (one side opens the compartment for the bits, two sides
have tyre levers, one side is still blank), to use with roller brakes.
(The best but bigger and heavier alternative to the Topeak Tool Bar,
if you have a modern city or mountain bike, is the SKS CTWORX if you
need a chainsplitter or SKS T-WORX if you use quick-release links on
your chain. These two SKS multitools have the correct open spanners
together with the correct hex keys and screwdrivers, and thereby
leaves the Aliens and other expensive multi-multitools for dead.)

What do you carry, and why?

Andre Jute
http://members.lycos.co.uk/fiultra/B...20CYCLING.html

On May 30, 4:53*pm, Andre Jute wrote:

What do you carry, and why?

Park glueless patch kit and a pump. I figure anything that breaks can
wait til I get home to be fixed, or would be something I wouldn't be
able to fix anyway. Plus I don't like things rattling around. Like my
car-key is just my car key. That way no other keys to rattle around
while I'm driving. This is the only manifestation of neat-freakedness
I have. Everything else is a mess!

A catalog of the latest mechanical failures further assures me of my
choice:

Broken seatpost binder bolt (seat slipped down, I stood home).
Broken chain (I used a leaf to hold the chain while I broke off enough
to reconnect with my quick-link).
Broken free-hub (no free, so just keep pedalling home after completing
ride).
Broken free-hub (free both ways, kick-coasted home).

Other than those things (which tools would not have helped), I cannot
remember the last time something broke.

Joseph

In article
,
Andre Jute wrote:

What do you carry, and why?

More or less nothing, but I don't feel great about it, and probably
should change a little. I have a nice little topeak kit (most similar
current product is the survival gear box, but that is larger and has
more stuff) that's presently up the shop with the latest abandoned bike
I'm restoring to use (perhaps only 10 years old, while the current rider
is 15 ish, at a guess), since it's got the only chainbreaker I own.

There's a minipump that should be with that kit that I can't find
anywhere at the moment. Neither stay on my actual use bike because it
lives out in the world with a lock on on it, and I see no point in
having small bits pilfered. I use a floor pump for most things, but
that's been at the shop to see if it's "lifetime warrantee" is actually
worth anything for over a month - time to go remind them again, I guess.
With modern tubes and sturdy, not light, tires I'm generally fine if I
make sure the tires are good when I leave the house. Could be the added
tire weight is less than the pump weight and it works out better in the
end, but if you must have a pump to settle your mind, you'll end up
carrying one regardless. I run wideish tires inflated somewhat more than
Sheldon might have considered optimal, but then, I've never had a pinch
flat.

Since I don't do "cycle garb" there is usually a Leatherman attached to
me, but it's got precious little that's bike-specific, and probably
weighs more than the topeak kit - but my gut outweighs them both by a
large margin, so I'm not going to worry about them for a long time, yet,
if ever. I'm rarely anywhere I could not walk home from (tediously) in
the event of some major trouble, and I use "boring sturdy" parts rather
than "superlight racy" parts, so things tend not to break, despite my
larditude.

One thing I have never been able to understand is the "perceived need"
many folks have for tire levers - a stock item in many toolkits. They
will probably be leaving mine, as I can't remember how it was all fit in
there before, and they are superfluous, IME. While I have not
experienced every tire/rim in the world by a long shot, I have never,
ever, needed levers to get a bicycle tire on or off, from whatever was
on my 5 speed (20 or 24?) though 27 inch street and 26 inch MTB tires.
I've thought levers might be handy with lawn tractor tires (small rim
diameter, large/hefty tire cross section), but managed fine without -
bike tires (large rim diameter, small tire cross section) are as easy as
pie by hand, by comparison.

--
Cats, coffee, chocolate...vices to live by

wrote:
On May 30, 4:53 pm, Andre Jute wrote:
What do you carry, and why?

Park glueless patch kit and a pump. I figure anything that breaks can
wait til I get home to be fixed, or would be something I wouldn't be
able to fix anyway. Plus I don't like things rattling around. Like my
car-key is just my car key. That way no other keys to rattle around
while I'm driving. This is the only manifestation of neat-freakedness
I have. Everything else is a mess!

A catalog of the latest mechanical failures further assures me of my
choice:

Broken seatpost binder bolt (seat slipped down, I stood home).
Broken chain (I used a leaf to hold the chain while I broke off enough
to reconnect with my quick-link).
Broken free-hub (no free, so just keep pedalling home after completing
ride).
Broken free-hub (free both ways, kick-coasted home).

Other than those things (which tools would not have helped), I cannot
remember the last time something broke.

Joseph

Similar.

Puncture repair kit (with glue), inner tube, chain tool and a spare
connex link. A bit more when I'm off road but not much.

Pete

http://pardo.net/bike/pic/fail-003/000.html

Jobst Brandt

In article
,
Andre Jute wrote:

My number one tool is a mobile phone, the only one I own, permanently
carried on my bike, switched off so that no one can reach me; it's
sole purpose is to call the ambulance if I fall over from a heart
attack, or a taxi if I get a flat tyre.

You mean there is no person on the planet whose calls you
are not gratified to answer and are sad to have missed?

[...]

Two tubes, pump, patch kit, multitool, cellular telephone.

--
Michael Press

Andre Jute wrote:
My number one tool is a mobile phone, the only one I own, permanently
carried on my bike, switched off so that no one can reach me; it's
sole purpose is to call the ambulance if I fall over from a heart
attack, or a taxi if I get a flat tyre.

Michael Press wrote:
You mean there is no person on the planet whose calls you
are not gratified to answer and are sad to have missed?
[...]
Two tubes, pump, patch kit, multitool, cellular telephone.

As a guy who stands in line next to vacuous cell conversations on a
regular basis and has so far avoided cell-impaired drivers meandering
across lanes, I just don't want one. I'd rather walk.
--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org/
Open every day since 1 April, 1971
** Posted from http://www.teranews.com **

Michael Press wrote:
In article
,
Andre Jute wrote:

My number one tool is a mobile phone, the only one I own, permanently
carried on my bike, switched off so that no one can reach me; it's
sole purpose is to call the ambulance if I fall over from a heart
attack, or a taxi if I get a flat tyre.

You mean there is no person on the planet whose calls you
are not gratified to answer and are sad to have missed?

[...]

Two tubes, pump, patch kit, multitool, cellular telephone.


Much better to use a cellular telephone than a landline when cycling,
certainly.

Pete

On May 30, 9:03*pm, A Muzi wrote:
*Andre Jute wrote:
My number one tool is a mobile phone, the only one I own, permanently
carried on my bike, switched off so that no one can reach me; it's
sole purpose is to call the ambulance if I fall over from a heart
attack, or a taxi if I get a flat tyre.
Michael Press wrote:
You mean there is no person on the planet whose calls you
are not gratified to answer and are sad to have missed?
[...]
Two tubes, pump, patch kit, multitool, cellular telephone.

As a guy who stands in line next to vacuous cell conversations on a
regular basis and has so far avoided cell-impaired drivers meandering
across lanes, I just don't want one. I'd rather walk.

Me too. I only take one if I know that some unplanned for delay will
cause problems like not being able to pick up the kids from school or
something. Otherwise I'd rather hoof it occasionlly than have
virtually every ride disturbed by telemarketers, bill collectors and
all manner of other people I don't want to talk to or think about.

Joseph

On May 30, 9:53*am, Andre Jute wrote:
My number one tool is a mobile phone, the only one I own, permanently
carried on my bike, switched off so that no one can reach me; it's
sole purpose is to call the ambulance if I fall over from a heart
attack, or a taxi if I get a flat tyre.

Short ride, usually down to the wetlands for a couple loops or
intervals: Topeak micro pump, 2 levers, patch kit, phone. Epic ride:
Pump, 2 levers, patch kit, 23mm tube, adjustable wrench or PB wrench
for rear axle, folding hex keys, chain tool, and phone.