Where the hell are you going? This looks pretty too much. But I might be wrong and you are going to travel for a year or so.
Helmutlot2 on
Bit overkill. On this overview you have 3 tools that does the same.
I would bring a multitool or/and a bitdriver set and only bring the add-ons that is on my bike. Of course a chain breaker and extra links. No need for chain checker.
Then I have a leatherman no need for pliers.
MatureHotwife on
I don’t carry a full spare chain. If my chain goes poof it will be because of a broken link. So I only carry a small piece of chain with a quick link on either side. And, yes, a chain breaker too, to remove the damaged link. My Topeak ratchet set has one built-in.
If you’re going on a really long trip it might make sense to bring a full spare chain if you require one that is not easy to find in bike shops on your route.
My trips are typically about 2 weeks so I’m not likely to wear out a chain if it was in good condition at the start.
Rare-Classic-1712 on
A couple of spare chain links and master links live in the kits I keep on my bikes on the go repair kits. For longer trips I bring what I need to replace shift/brake wires and housing – on bikes with cable brakes. My old suntour cutters are great and the lightest cable cutters that I’ve found which provide a good cut. Double ended ferrules allow me to splice in a section of replacement housing vs just replacing the entire length of housing. If combined with some inline barrel adjusters and middleburn cable oilers there’s already some options of what sections to mess with. When looking at your repair kit in the picture I’d include a 2nd spare tube. I’d leave out the chain checker as I can get a good enough estimate of chain stretch by pulling on the chain on the forward section of the chainring. The amount that it lifts away from the teeth is a way of telling chain wear that bike mechanics used to do. After doing that method to thousands of bikes and verify it with a chain checker – it’s good enough for field use. When I get to a bike shop (that actually has chains to sell) I can use their chain checker.
VegWzrd on
spare master link, wolftooth master link pliers, and yes, a chain breaker in my multi tool. Not sure why you need two sets of pliers and three sets of Allen keys also but that’s not what you asked. Also I wouldn’t bring the chain wear indicator unless this is a month+ trip.
Lillienpud on
Chain breaker. I whipped one o’ these out in guatemala on a little jaunt w some locals and achieved instant bike god status.
DecisionSimple on
Yeah none of that. People talk about how tough their bikes are, manufacturers tells us they are so tough, which is why they are so $$$, so…I just see if they are right. I don’t do months long trips though, so if I lost a chain I would just chalk it up to the gods and scratch the ride/trip. A multitool and some zip ties can really do a lot of good!
bikeroaming on
My multitool has a breaker, so yes. Couple of quick links because they weigh nothing.
Cables too. They sit on the bottom of my fork bag, take no space and weigh almost nothing.
Disastrous-Dog-6916 on
Broke my chain on the last trip. Did not bring a chain, because the trip before i brought one, but didnt break a chain. Chainbreaker is a must. Bring one or two chainlocks at least
Next-Stuff704 on
Absolutely not. In 30,000 miles of bikepacking I’ve never needed any of that
wcoastbo on
How many days, weeks or months will you be on the road? Backcountry or near civilization? Solo or with others?
Different situations call for different equipment. Unless you have an internal geared hub or Pinion drive, I’d put a hanger on top of that list.
Edit: why the redundancy on hex sizes?
PHILSTORMBORN on
I’m happy to carry on with one brake if anything happens to the other. If something ever happened to both I hope I’d be able to scavenge a working brake from the two.
I’ve always assumed I could use the rear derailleur limit screws to lock it in a single gear if it broke. Should probably test that.
You might be planning to bike for a much longer period than me.
NeuseRvrRat on
I take a couple quick links, a short section of chain, and a chain breaker. The breaker is integrated in my multi tool.
I also take a shifter cable. If I’m on a bike with mechanical brakes, I take a brake cable. No housing.
salviamasta on
Dead weight
OttawaExpat on
I’d also bring a spare spoke of each size your bike uses.
BoutThatLife57 on
Nah.
halfwheeled on
This is what I take for multi month 3000+ mile tours (I’ve ridden three of these tours in the last 18 months). I haven’t used the spare gear cable yet but have used everything apart from the chain rivet tool.
I have the same set up (simplified) Topeak set that comes with a chain breaker and a knipex plier.
I would add some quick links,a brake/shifter cable and a pair of brake pads if your going in verry remote places
That’s all a ever needed
evanmc311 on
Multitool + couple of chain rescue links is all you need to get you to the next bike shop. Definitely a no on packing a spare brake cable.
49thDipper on
I take it easy on stuff. I don’t shift under load.
Multitool and a quicklink
But tire plugs, patches and some boot material and some sealant
localost on
Take some chain lube!
StitchedRebellion on
Nah, I bring things that’ll hold up till I can get to a bike shop
SeaDan83 on
Chain break tool is a must. Spare master links is a near-must. Spare chain is way overkill (bring a few spare links, not a whole chain). Spare derailleur cable is excellent to have, a spare brake cable is really good to have*, spare housing is (AFAIK) useless to have.
If you need a chainbreak tool, you absolutely need a chain break tool. Nothing else that I know of can come close and there is no way to McGuyver your way out of the situation. You can fix a broken chain with a chain brake tool alone by simply shortening the chain, you remove the damage links and pop a pin and push it almost all the way out, you re-attach the chain and then push that pin back in. You don’t want to push the pin all the way out of the chain as that damages the link on both sides rather than on just one side. Either way, a chain repaired like this will be too short and significantly weaker. If you have spare master links, the chain will be short but no weaker than before (since the chain broke, it probably is already quite weak). Spare links will allow you to keep the original length of the chain – but the chain will still be overall weak, just not weak at least in the repair spot.
Spare shifter and brake cables are very good to have. A broken shifter cable will have you stuck potentially on your hardest gears until you can get it replaced. While you can still ride such a bike, it is potentially very difficult. Not something you’ll want to do for more than 20 or 50 miles IMO**. A broken brake cable will have you down a brake (which is bad, but it might mean that you have to walk down the hills instead of riding, but you can still ride).
Spare cable housing IMO is useless for roadside repair. Happy to hear if there are uses for it, but I can’t think of why you would want spare housing for a roadside repair.
* In my experience derailleur cables tend to break more often than brake cables. Hence why I think its’ a bit more important to have a derailleur cable if you’re going to bring just one cable, having both types (brake and shift cables) is really covering your bases. One nice thing about hydraulic brakes is it is one less spare cable to bring.
** If the derailleur cable brakes and you don’t have a spare – you can use the limit screws on your derailleur to set yourself up as if you had a single speed. You’ll shift by stopping and adjusting your limit screws. So, not a “ride-over” situation, but certainly not one you want to be in.
twowheeledfun on
I just carry a multitool with chain breaker, and stuff for a puncture (tyre lever, tube, pump).
I am unlikely to suffer anything worse than a puncture that would make the bike immediately unrideable, so my plan is just to ride to the nearest bike shop for replacement cables etc. I am usually on routes where I could walk to the nearest car-accessible road, so I could hitchhike or get a taxi if all else fails.
sunrise_parabellum on
Chainbreaker and spare quicklink but have never needed it.
25 Comments
Where the hell are you going? This looks pretty too much. But I might be wrong and you are going to travel for a year or so.
Bit overkill. On this overview you have 3 tools that does the same.
I would bring a multitool or/and a bitdriver set and only bring the add-ons that is on my bike. Of course a chain breaker and extra links. No need for chain checker.
Then I have a leatherman no need for pliers.
I don’t carry a full spare chain. If my chain goes poof it will be because of a broken link. So I only carry a small piece of chain with a quick link on either side. And, yes, a chain breaker too, to remove the damaged link. My Topeak ratchet set has one built-in.
If you’re going on a really long trip it might make sense to bring a full spare chain if you require one that is not easy to find in bike shops on your route.
My trips are typically about 2 weeks so I’m not likely to wear out a chain if it was in good condition at the start.
A couple of spare chain links and master links live in the kits I keep on my bikes on the go repair kits. For longer trips I bring what I need to replace shift/brake wires and housing – on bikes with cable brakes. My old suntour cutters are great and the lightest cable cutters that I’ve found which provide a good cut. Double ended ferrules allow me to splice in a section of replacement housing vs just replacing the entire length of housing. If combined with some inline barrel adjusters and middleburn cable oilers there’s already some options of what sections to mess with. When looking at your repair kit in the picture I’d include a 2nd spare tube. I’d leave out the chain checker as I can get a good enough estimate of chain stretch by pulling on the chain on the forward section of the chainring. The amount that it lifts away from the teeth is a way of telling chain wear that bike mechanics used to do. After doing that method to thousands of bikes and verify it with a chain checker – it’s good enough for field use. When I get to a bike shop (that actually has chains to sell) I can use their chain checker.
spare master link, wolftooth master link pliers, and yes, a chain breaker in my multi tool. Not sure why you need two sets of pliers and three sets of Allen keys also but that’s not what you asked. Also I wouldn’t bring the chain wear indicator unless this is a month+ trip.
Chain breaker. I whipped one o’ these out in guatemala on a little jaunt w some locals and achieved instant bike god status.
Yeah none of that. People talk about how tough their bikes are, manufacturers tells us they are so tough, which is why they are so $$$, so…I just see if they are right. I don’t do months long trips though, so if I lost a chain I would just chalk it up to the gods and scratch the ride/trip. A multitool and some zip ties can really do a lot of good!
My multitool has a breaker, so yes. Couple of quick links because they weigh nothing.
Cables too. They sit on the bottom of my fork bag, take no space and weigh almost nothing.
Broke my chain on the last trip. Did not bring a chain, because the trip before i brought one, but didnt break a chain. Chainbreaker is a must. Bring one or two chainlocks at least
Absolutely not. In 30,000 miles of bikepacking I’ve never needed any of that
How many days, weeks or months will you be on the road? Backcountry or near civilization? Solo or with others?
Different situations call for different equipment. Unless you have an internal geared hub or Pinion drive, I’d put a hanger on top of that list.
Edit: why the redundancy on hex sizes?
I’m happy to carry on with one brake if anything happens to the other. If something ever happened to both I hope I’d be able to scavenge a working brake from the two.
I’ve always assumed I could use the rear derailleur limit screws to lock it in a single gear if it broke. Should probably test that.
You might be planning to bike for a much longer period than me.
I take a couple quick links, a short section of chain, and a chain breaker. The breaker is integrated in my multi tool.
I also take a shifter cable. If I’m on a bike with mechanical brakes, I take a brake cable. No housing.
Dead weight
I’d also bring a spare spoke of each size your bike uses.
Nah.
This is what I take for multi month 3000+ mile tours (I’ve ridden three of these tours in the last 18 months). I haven’t used the spare gear cable yet but have used everything apart from the chain rivet tool.
https://preview.redd.it/ajxxozz3jhbf1.jpeg?width=3232&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4a2848e57000d2bac4e3e035e4b1904350a60b59
I have the same set up (simplified) Topeak set that comes with a chain breaker and a knipex plier.
I would add some quick links,a brake/shifter cable and a pair of brake pads if your going in verry remote places
That’s all a ever needed
Multitool + couple of chain rescue links is all you need to get you to the next bike shop. Definitely a no on packing a spare brake cable.
I take it easy on stuff. I don’t shift under load.
Multitool and a quicklink
But tire plugs, patches and some boot material and some sealant
Take some chain lube!
Nah, I bring things that’ll hold up till I can get to a bike shop
Chain break tool is a must. Spare master links is a near-must. Spare chain is way overkill (bring a few spare links, not a whole chain). Spare derailleur cable is excellent to have, a spare brake cable is really good to have*, spare housing is (AFAIK) useless to have.
If you need a chainbreak tool, you absolutely need a chain break tool. Nothing else that I know of can come close and there is no way to McGuyver your way out of the situation. You can fix a broken chain with a chain brake tool alone by simply shortening the chain, you remove the damage links and pop a pin and push it almost all the way out, you re-attach the chain and then push that pin back in. You don’t want to push the pin all the way out of the chain as that damages the link on both sides rather than on just one side. Either way, a chain repaired like this will be too short and significantly weaker. If you have spare master links, the chain will be short but no weaker than before (since the chain broke, it probably is already quite weak). Spare links will allow you to keep the original length of the chain – but the chain will still be overall weak, just not weak at least in the repair spot.
Spare shifter and brake cables are very good to have. A broken shifter cable will have you stuck potentially on your hardest gears until you can get it replaced. While you can still ride such a bike, it is potentially very difficult. Not something you’ll want to do for more than 20 or 50 miles IMO**. A broken brake cable will have you down a brake (which is bad, but it might mean that you have to walk down the hills instead of riding, but you can still ride).
Spare cable housing IMO is useless for roadside repair. Happy to hear if there are uses for it, but I can’t think of why you would want spare housing for a roadside repair.
* In my experience derailleur cables tend to break more often than brake cables. Hence why I think its’ a bit more important to have a derailleur cable if you’re going to bring just one cable, having both types (brake and shift cables) is really covering your bases. One nice thing about hydraulic brakes is it is one less spare cable to bring.
** If the derailleur cable brakes and you don’t have a spare – you can use the limit screws on your derailleur to set yourself up as if you had a single speed. You’ll shift by stopping and adjusting your limit screws. So, not a “ride-over” situation, but certainly not one you want to be in.
I just carry a multitool with chain breaker, and stuff for a puncture (tyre lever, tube, pump).
I am unlikely to suffer anything worse than a puncture that would make the bike immediately unrideable, so my plan is just to ride to the nearest bike shop for replacement cables etc. I am usually on routes where I could walk to the nearest car-accessible road, so I could hitchhike or get a taxi if all else fails.
Chainbreaker and spare quicklink but have never needed it.