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

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

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

On Friday, August 16, 2019 at 7:49:44 PM UTC-4, Sir Ridesalot wrote:
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

Addendum.

I just looked at some of the ads in my March 1982 BICYCLING magazine and on page 157 see that the thing I called a Pocket Rocket was called a "Pocket Vise". No wonder I couldn't find any images of it on the web. Here's what the blurb in the magazine says about the Pocket Vice.

"We tested the Pocket Vise on a number of freewheels and found it works. We did notice that careless use can mar a stem, and with bikes that have stems that are not fully tightened, the removal of a stubborn freewheel can twist the stem in your head tube. The vice is guaranteed against breakage, and is cast aluminum so that it probably won't.

The Pocket Vise retails for $6, from Cycle Sports, P.O. Box 18937, Seattle, WA, 98118."


It sure is a handy thing to have if you break a spoke on a tour or long ride and you have a spare spoke with you.

In all the years I've had mine it never occurred to me to use it with the stem of my bike as the lever for it.

Cheers.

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.

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.

On Saturday, August 17, 2019 at 3:01:47 AM UTC+2, jbeattie wrote:


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.

Did you loosen the pinch bolts first? It is standard procedure for a friend of mine who put a triple crankset on a frame not suitable for that. As a result he drops the chain regurarly between the small ring and bottom bracket and gets really stuck.

Lou

On Friday, August 16, 2019 at 11:57:33 PM UTC-7, wrote:
On Saturday, August 17, 2019 at 3:01:47 AM UTC+2, jbeattie wrote:


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.

Did you loosen the pinch bolts first? It is standard procedure for a friend of mine who put a triple crankset on a frame not suitable for that. As a result he drops the chain regurarly between the small ring and bottom bracket and gets really stuck.

Lou

Yes. I was surprised that my little screw driver couldn't spin the cap. BTW, another problem with super-small tools is generating 12Nms for bolts like seat clamps and crank pinch bolts, but I've managed to get them tight enough to get home. I changed my saddle angle on a ride the other day, and that bolt has a 16Nm and will shift if not tight. I put a nice welt in my hand with the little pocket tool, and when I got home and used a torque wrench, I was probably at 10Nm with the pocket tool, if that.

-- Jay Beattie.

On Saturday, August 17, 2019 at 4:30:04 PM UTC+2, jbeattie wrote:
On Friday, August 16, 2019 at 11:57:33 PM UTC-7, wrote:
On Saturday, August 17, 2019 at 3:01:47 AM UTC+2, jbeattie wrote:


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.

Did you loosen the pinch bolts first? It is standard procedure for a friend of mine who put a triple crankset on a frame not suitable for that. As a result he drops the chain regurarly between the small ring and bottom bracket and gets really stuck.

Lou

Yes. I was surprised that my little screw driver couldn't spin the cap. BTW, another problem with super-small tools is generating 12Nms for bolts like seat clamps and crank pinch bolts, but I've managed to get them tight enough to get home. I changed my saddle angle on a ride the other day, and that bolt has a 16Nm and will shift if not tight. I put a nice welt in my hand with the little pocket tool, and when I got home and used a torque wrench, I was probably at 10Nm with the pocket tool, if that.

-- Jay Beattie.

If I carry allen keys than only proper ones instead of those midgets things on a multitool. 4,5 mm get 90% of the jobs done.

Lou

On 8/17/2019 2:57 AM, wrote:
On Saturday, August 17, 2019 at 3:01:47 AM UTC+2, jbeattie wrote:


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.

Did you loosen the pinch bolts first? It is standard procedure for a friend of mine who put a triple crankset on a frame not suitable for that. As a result he drops the chain regurarly between the small ring and bottom bracket and gets really stuck.

Could he use one of these?
https://www.rei.com/product/670913/t...-chain-watcher

It's worked well on our tandem for a long time.

--
- Frank Krygowski