Bicycles Asked by kostas on October 10, 2020
While commuting or touring I use a off road trekking bike with racks, a water-proof bag and some tools in case of flat tyres.
In my day trips I prefer my fitness bike and I want to be “fast and light” so I have no racks and bags. In my saddle minibag I have only a multitool and a tube. What else should I carry (e.g a pump) and with which way?
In my opinion, minimal set of what to carry:
Basically, the most likely problem on the road is getting a single flat. The next most likely is getting two flats (running through some glass that gets both tires or not getting the first flat quite fixed right). So you need to be able to handle a flat and preferably two. If you have a few small bills (or an energy bar wrapper) you can use one to temporarily patch the tire if there's a big hole in the tire itself.
I like having 1 tube and a patch kit because swapping a tube is faster (especially with slow leaks) and it's possible to get a flat you can't really patch (too big, valve stem sheared off while pumping, etc).
After that everything else is much less likely to go wrong. Brakes having an issue or the saddle sliding back are possible. Running out of energy is possible. But those other non-flat things are unlikely enough that being able to call a friend or taxi or something like that is a sufficient backup plan.
That's a small enough set of things you can carry it in a jersey pocket or saddle bag. Pump can mount next to the water bottle cage or might fit in the bag.
Correct answer by freiheit on October 10, 2020
Not much point in carrying a spare tube if you aren't carrying a pump. On road rides, I carry
It all comes down to whether you want to be prepared for 90% of the situations you're likely to encounter, or 95%, or 98%. Each step up that preparedness ladder requires that much more stuff.
Answered by Adam Rice on October 10, 2020
Multi-tool, 1 tube, patch-kit, tire levers, CO2. Anything else fits nicely in jersey pockets.
Whether you use a CO2 or a pump depends on how likely it is for you to get a flat. If it happens rarely and you're good at finding cause of flats-- CO2 is better.
Answered by Angelo on October 10, 2020
Answered by Daniel R Hicks on October 10, 2020
I'd bring a spare tube and a CO2 inflator; these are light and small, and you might even be able to fit a spare cartridge or two. Actual pumps are bulkier, and the smaller pumps without a hose tend to do a terrible job, particularly with the slightly more fragile Presta valves you find on road bikes. (I'm assuming from "fitness bike" that you're talking about a road bike.)
You already have the saddle bag to carry all this in.
That multitool is pretty vital, so hang onto that. One that has a chain tool would be best.
You'll want a pair of tire levers to get the tire off the rim. There are some multitools that have these built into the tool housing, but I've found they don't work as well as decent standalone tire levers.
It makes sense to bring along a patch kit in case you have more than one flat. Something else to boot the tire in case of a sidewall puncture can be handy. You can use a dollar bill or an energy bar wrapper for this, though. You can also bring duct tape wound around a stubby pencil for this: It takes up little room, and you've got duct tape with you. (A million household uses!)
Of course, as one of the commenters has pointed out, you'll want a water bottle and a bottle cage. How many bottles you bring depends on your carrying capacity. You can toss some energy bars in a jersey pocket as well.
Answered by Goodbye Stack Exchange on October 10, 2020
On my road bike for a 45-50 mile ride, I'll end up with:
When I'm mountain biking and farther from home, I have a larger hydration pack, and also carry:
Answered by rally25rs on October 10, 2020
All mountain riding needs additional support than just what is listed above. I have used each item below for myself or more often, others during Tahoe back country rides:
Answered by Donald on October 10, 2020
All the answers above are good. I also carry these items permanenetly on each bike that I ride regularly. So yes I have 4 sets.
Additional items since 2017
Answered by Criggie on October 10, 2020
Here's my toolkit. A mini pump is carried separately external to the toolkit because the mini pump does not fit into the limited size toolkit. When I ride a fatbike, I carry its fat spare tube in a bottle holder, not using the spare inner tube in my toolkit.
The toolkit is 20 cm x 10 cm x 4 cm leather container originally intended for a lux (light) meter. I reused it for my bicycle emergency toolkit, realizing it has a very useful size and is durable. The leather container has a zipper closure mechanism.
Total weight: 685 g
The mini pump I use is Quickex Quicker Pro, no longer sold (unfortunately, as it as a double action two-chamber pump allowed very quick inflation for its size). It weighs 181 g.
When riding, I also always have a mobile phone with me. The mobile phone case has a credit card pocket where I always keep a credit card.
The total weight with mobile phone, pump and toolkit is about 1 kilogram. I carry them in a shoulder bag.
Answered by juhist on October 10, 2020
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