carry tools on long rides

I always carry a tool kit on my bike on longer rides. The alternitive is to carry a fully charged cell phone. 😄

ninjaman said:

When I go on a longer ride (10-20 miles), ought I carry an inner tube and some tire irons, a pump, allen keys, or other things to handle what may go wrong? So far I have not been and I'm wondering if this is stupid of me.

carry some of those self adhesive patches, I learnt this after I had my third puncture on one 90km ride. Both specialised and parks make good ones, there come in a small pack the size of postage stamp

IMO one should carry at least a minimal set of tools on just about any ride (that is unless it's so short it wouldn't be a problem to walk the bike home). One should be able to at least fix a flat tire or tighten a loose bolt without calling the wife (or whomever) on the cell phone to come bail them out.

ninjaman said:

When I go on a longer ride (10-20 miles), ought I carry an inner tube and some tire irons, a pump, allen keys, or other things to handle what may go wrong? So far I have not been and I'm wondering if this is stupid of me.

I always carry tools in my seat bag. I have a park multi-tool that includes allen wrenches, 2 tire irons, and a knife blade that doubles as a screw driver. I also carry a spare tube and a Co2 pump. And of course I never leave home without my cell phone and $20 in the back of my jersey. Worst thing in the world is to be broke down in the middle of nowhere without tools to fix the problem. With a good multi-tool and the above mentioned items you can fix the majority of the problems you will face on the road. After a bad experience on a metric century, broke a cleat off my shoe after 8miles, I now carry a spare cleat on any "event" type rides. Just my 2 cents.

I agree with meehs... I would never ride without tools to any place I am not willing to walk back from.

I always carry a multi-tool, a pump, an extra tube and a patch kit.

I also have 2 full water bottles and I carry emergency energy food on longer rides too... just in case

According to Murphy's Law, a cell phone won't work when needed. You'll be out of signal range, the person you call won't answer the phone, or the person you call will get lost. Learn to fix your bike, carry a spare tube or two, a patch kit, tire levers, and a multi-tool kit. Never forget a pump or CO2 kit.

I never patch on the road, but I carry 3 spare tubes. Patch kit sit on the toolbox at home, so four other patched inner tubes do.

Wrenches.
11/9 mm
12 mm
15 mm x 2

Allen keys - 30 something use victorinox - tire tool - chain tool - some lenght of chain - spoke wrench - First aid kid for road rash - minipump

All that fits in a [censored] bag

Good advice here, ninjaman.

dgregory's got it summed up nicely.

I just keep all my kit in a bum bag (that's [censored] pack to you Americans) and hang it over the bars of the bike so it's always ready to go.

Some cash is always useful (a few coins in a hidden pocket) for when you're out of food, your mobile is out of range, or you need to pay for the bog!?!

'Leeches' are another great brand of sticky patches - I can't recommend these things highly enough - the Specialized and Park ones are excellent too. Throw away the puncture repair kit: patches for holes, a spare tube for the rest. Less time by the road. More time on (or off) it.