On Sat, 04 Jan 2003 17:50:11 GMT, "Gary" <
[email protected]> wrote:
>I am going to be doing roughly 3 - 4 hours of cycling daily as of next week and I am wondering what
>kind of "Maintenance Equipment" I should carry? For example Foot or Hand pump? Puncture Repair kit?
>Spare Tube? I am a novice, and have no idea what to take with me. Someone also said Allan Keys may
>be handy. Also, should I get a kit that packs on the bike? I don't mind wearing a small rucksack.
Hello Gary.
As a novice about to embark on 4 hours of cycling a day I suggest the most important piece of
"maintenance equipment" you should carry is a spare ****. You'll need it.
I admire your enthusiasm but you may wish to work gradually up to that sort of time in the saddle
mate. If you want to spend a good while on the bike each day then getting some proper padded
cycling shorts should be a priority for you, even if you wear them underneath something else. The
seams and fabric of regular trousers, jeans etc are likely to be very painful if you intend riding
for hours daily.
Anyway, to answer your question, different people carry different amounts of maintenance stuff.
Myself I keep things pretty simple, I take a spare innertube, some puncture repair patches, a tyre
boot, a small allen key minitool and a minipump. A bit of cash for emergencies is handy if you're
planning to travel a fair way from home.
The allen keys are useful because the components on most modern bikes (of reasonable quality) use
allen bolts instead of nuts. This means that with just a few allen keys you can adjust or repair
almost anything on your bike. Very handy if you have mechanical trouble while out and about.
These few bits all go into a very small seat pack which clips under the saddle out of the way, my
pump attaches to the bike frame via it's own bracket thingy.
If you want to carry more, like a waterproof or some lunch for example, you can get larger sized
seat packs or a rack which will fix over your rear wheel and allow you to fit pannier bags. I find
wearing a rucksack quite uncomfortable on the bike (sweaty back!) but others seem quite happy
carrying loads that way. You'll have to see if it suits you.
Have a browse around here:
http://www.edinburgh-bicycle.co.uk/catalogue/
Look in the "accessories and components" section and you'l find headings for bags, seat packs,
minitools, minipumps, puncture repair stuff.... all kinds of goodies. It should give you an idea of
what's available and what you may want to carry yourself.
Bob
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