Question about tire tools and stuff.

[BHOFM]

I have really pushed my luck, 40+ miles from home with no way to fix a flat.

My new bike has a place for a pump so I am going to get one for it. I am going
to carry tire tools and patches.

What about getting the nail, rock, wire, out of the tire? Do you carry small pliers?
A small pick? I thought about nail clippers?

A tire gauge?

I have had a couple pieces of wire that were a little trouble to get out of the tire.

Any thoughts or advice.

I didn't search, it doesn't seem to help so I stopped doing it.

I am planning on some longer rides in the future.

 

[drummerboy1248]

CO2 inflator, spare tube, plastic Park tire tools does the job for me. Patches are just too tedious for a roadside repair IMO. I can patch it at home. Never had anything stuck in a tire that I couldn't work out by hand, but it could happen. I have always been able to bend the tire inward, pushing with a thumb on the other side of the wire or whatever and be able to get a grip on it to pull it out. That's why I carry a cell phone and keep a SAG on call (the wife). She loves those calls as long as there's not a trip to the ER involved.

Of course, I have missed the culprit that caused the flat, pinched the tube, etc and ruined my spare, but only a couple of times in 25 years and was fortunate enough to have other riders with a tube come to the resue. I suppose if I commuted that I would carry more repair stuff.

I don't like the aesthetic of a frame pump on my bike and the CO2 tool works fine for a road bike. I did have an inflator break once, cell battery went dead, SAG driver who couldn't find her way out of a paper bag, and a forced 3 mile march in cleats to get to a phone. But, hey, i was outside on a beautiful day and there was a bike involved.

 

[64Paramount]

BHOFM, I'm sure you've probably already y seen this thread about the stuff riders carry, but here's the link just in case you haven't:

http://www.cyclingforums.com/forum/thread/471308/what-do-you-all-carry

I can usually use the screw driver in the multi-tool I carry to pick things out of a tire when I'm on the road, but at home I like to use the point of an exacto knife or a box cutter. Most of the stuff I pick up is just small slivers of rock or glass, and sometimes I can grab it with a pair of long nose pliers, but a thin sharp pointed blade seems to work best for me.

I carry a patch kit with me because if I don't patch a flat tube out on the road the chances of me patching it when I get home are very slim. This is for two reasons:

First I'm very lazy.

Second a new tube comes rolled up in a very tight little mass about the size of a hockey puck. This makes a new tube very easy to carry in a small under seat wedge style bike bag like I use. Once a tube has been used it just doesn't fold back up into that compact little hockey puck sized thing anymore.

So when I have a flat and I'm in a decent spot to repair it with a patch kit I do so, and my new spare tube can just stay in the bike bag. But if I have a flat and I've got eighteen wheelers buzzing by six inches away, then I'll probably just put the spare tube in and stuff the old one in one of my jersey pockets to be thrown away when I get home.

 

[BHOFM]

I think I would rather patch so I don't need to take the back wheel off. One less toot to carry.
The front is a quick mount but most flats are on the rear I am told, all of mine have been rear.

I think I will go with the nail clipper for now. I am going to get a few allen wrenches together as well.
I think three will fit most of the things. And a small phillips screw driver. I have a small cresent too.

I really don't want to carry a tool shed with me.

 

[tafi]

Advantages of patching at roadside: You don't need a new tube

Disadvantages of patching at roadside: Instead of a tube you need glue and patches and a clean means of applying them; Takes longer and is not as reliable; tube, patch and hands need to be very clean to get a patch to bond at all; no guarantee that the hole/holes will be small enough to patch; patch needs to be tested to ensure reliability.

Advantages of replacing tube: Much much faster, especially since you know you should have a reliable fix.

Disadvantages of replacing tube: You need a new tube

Both operations should be done with the wheel removed and I don't know how you can perform a reliable repair without doing this. Removing the wheel allows you to remove the tyre and check for debris. I would find that very hard to do if it were still attached (or even half attached) to the wheel. Both operations also require the same tools. To remove sharps from the tyre without tools, remove it and flex the tyre casing to open the cut allowing you to pick it out with your finger. I have only ever carried tyre levers, a tube, an inflator and a valve remover (in case I am using extenders in deep wheels).

I would rather patch at home where my working space and hands will be cleaner, I won't be pushed for time, and where I can test the patch before depending on it. Then the patched tube gets talced and goes into the stock of spares.

 

[vjbknife]

In the past I have always carried patch gear and have only once had a problem with roadside patching. But recently I started to carry both patch kit and a new tube; the patch kit is so small I figure why not have it for backup. I also carry a small pump as well as a Co2 inflator.

 

[Froze]

You do need certain tools that's for sure. First get a good set of irons not cheap plastic ones, I've seen them break. Soma steel core irons are the best, see: http://www.biketiresdirect.com/product/soma-fabrications-steel-core-tire-lever?utm_campaign=products&utm_source=bestwebbuys

Then to make tire removal and installation faster you should also consider, as an option, the QuikStik, see: http://www.rei.com/product/546083 this thing once you got the irons started at removing the tire you slip the Quik Stik under the bead and just follow the rim and the tire comes off.

You obviously need a good pump, Topeak Morph and the Lezyne Pressure Drive are probably the best pumps on the market. Don't rely on CO2 inflaters, sure their fast but you can run out of air on the road, with pump you have unlimited air; also with CO2 you have to keep buying carts and tooting back your garbage, yuk who needs that ****?

You need to learn how to fix, and by fix I mean PATCH a tube on the side of the road, it does not take longer; I can patch a tube using glueless patches faster then putting in new tube. Hows that you scream. First there's no need to wait for glue to dry to apply the patch with glueless patches; second I don't have to remove the tube just pull out about half of the tube where the hole is making sure the hole is in the center of the half; third I don't have to hassle getting all the air out of a tube to stick it back into the saddle bag! I use Park Glueless patches because the work fast, work great, last forever, no glue tube to dry out nor have to wait for glue to dry before putting a patch on. You simply buff the tube lightly in an area slightly larger then the patch will cover as you would with a glue on type, then remove the patch from the backing and press on very hard between your thumb and index finger for about 30 seconds.

You need a spare tube just in case your main tube is damaged beyond repair, or it's raining and you can't get a patch to work. Keep the tube in it's box so other things in the seat bag won't puncture it. I buy ultralight racing tubes because their more compact. I have no problems rolling up a tube into a size of a hockey puck but it does take time.

You should carry a mini tool. I like the Park MTB3 but there are other good ones besides that one. In that tool is a knife you can use to dig out debris in the tire. Also a cheap real small folding pliers is great for pulling things out of tires (also great if you need pliers), but I can usually pull stuff out with my fingers.

Once you remove debris from the tire that caused a flat, you may have to put a (Park) Tire Boot over the hole from the inside of the tire if the hole is large. Just cut to fit the hole.

In that vein you should carry a tube of SuperGlue, because once you take debris out of a tire that caused a flat you can use the glue to fill in the hole from the outside.

I had a 1/4th inch cut in one my tires that did not penetrate the cords, but I sealed the cut with SuperGlue, then to be safe I cut a tire boot about 1/4th an inch by 1/2 inch and placed it under where the cut was.

You also should carry some GoJo cleaning pads in sealed pouches so you can clean your hands thus any dirt and oil won't get on your clothes, handlebar tape, hoods etc. also alcohol pads in case you need to clean the tube after you buffed it before you apply the patch.

Cell phone just in case, but I haven't had to use it because I can fix most anything on the road and my wife is my wife not my mommy, so I'm not going to call her to come get me because I've had a flat!

Practice fixing flats at home over and over and over till your confident enough to do it on the road.

Option, most will blast me for this, but I like to ride into remote areas that can be as much as 60 miles from home. So I carry a 180 grm ultralight folding racing tire, that I've folded very tightly and bound with rubber bands to keep it tightly folded in my expandable wedge seat bag.

 

[sitzmark]

For my typical 40-60 mile ride around rural-suburban areas I trimmed back on what I carry with me at the beginning of this season. When I started riding last year I carried a small shop with me. Now with over 8,000 miles under my belt, no mechanical issues, and just 2 flats - one a blowout from boneheaded running offroad - I've switched from pump to CO2, and from patches to tube replacement as my first line of defense. The multi tool , chain tool, etc. are gone as well.

I installed a Genuine Innovations T bracket to my bottle mount and can easily carry up to 4 CO2 carts (usually carry 2). I have a snap-in pump bracket on top of the T bracket, so I can carry my pump if desired. (A 5th CO2 cart can snap in instead.) Usually I strap my tire irons into the pump bracket with a Velcro strap. I carry at least one tube rolled up in my underseat bag I also place 2 patches and a small sand paper square in the tube while rolling. I insert a valve extender with plumbers tape wrapped around it into the center of the tube roll. Last item is my air chuck. So lots of versatility for flat repair. A couple of $ bills are my tire boot and/or emergency cash. (boot saved me on my offroad excursion)

After dumping the tools I carried 4mm and 5mm allens for a while, but not now. Since I clean and adjust after every ride, I'm confident with the condition of my mechanicals before I each ride. I also check fastener torques. So for my relatively short typical ride non-crash mechanical failure should be minimal. If anything, lack of a chain tool is most likely to shut me down. I still carry a snap link. With a boulder or two and a scrounged nail I might be able to fashion a makeshift tool to fully remove a broken link.

There's enough junk - sticks, metal, plastic. - on the side of the road for digging out glass shards, etc. if needed. A pump makes finding the source/location of a flat easier, so not having one requires extra diligence with inspection. For 100+ mile rides in the middle of nowhere I might adjust my strategy, but for rides near population I'm comfortable with my limited resources.