"Gearóid Ó Laoi, Garry Lee" <
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> My must haves.
>
> 1. Repair kit with tyre boot ( canvas).(have used boot once or twice.
> 2. 3 spare tubes. Have got 4 punctures in one morning. On three wheels (mine and wife's)
> 3. Spare tyre if going far. Have used about 4 times on tour.
> 4. Cooltool. Best though not most versatile tool.
> 5. Levers. Metal best.
> 6. Hypercracker. Have used 3 or 4 times.
> 7. 1 Spare Gear and brake wire (have never replaced either in more than 40 tours, but you never
> know)
> 8. A few spare spokes. Have used a few times.
> 9. Spoke key. 10 Saddle spanner (I use Brooks saddles). Have used twice.
> 11. Pump of course. Best I've come across for touring is Blackburn Mammoth Dual. Great pressure,
> fast and fits in pannier.
I agree with all, although I think that THREE spare tubes (AND a patch kit) is a bit pessimistic.
Also, your bike probably has three different sizes of spokes, so I bring one or two of the Fiber-fix
kevlar things instead. Touch wood: I've never had to use them.
I'd add: (12) 6 feet or so of duct tape wrapped around a film can filled with Vaseline (can be used
on both bike and rider), (13) 3 feet or so of electricians tape wrapped around a film can filled
with hand cleaner, (14) 10 feet or so of heavy twine, light nylon cord or similar (because s**t
happens, e.g. if you break or lose a pannier hook, what is your fallback?) and (15) -- the sheer
luxury of clean hands -- 2 or 3 pairs of surgical gloves stuffed into a small ziploc bag.
If you ride clipless, consider bringing an extra cleat and mounting bolts. This falls into the
category of "unlikely to happen, but what will you do if it does?" Less of an issue if you have
Hamlet pedals (SPD on one side, traditional cage on the other).
There are some STI/ERGO users who take along a downtube shift lever in the bottom of the toolkit,
just in case. Especially in the mountains, you'd hate to find yourself with no rear shifting. I use
bar-cons, so I've never really worried about this.
Peter Storey