Planning a 2-week bike trip in the French Alps here’s a photo of the tools I’m bringing. Let me know if you spot anything important I might have missed!
(The inner tubes aren’t pictured, but I’m planning to bring two.)
by randon64619191
Planning a 2-week bike trip in the French Alps here’s a photo of the tools I’m bringing. Let me know if you spot anything important I might have missed!
(The inner tubes aren’t pictured, but I’m planning to bring two.)
by randon64619191
32 Comments
Get a little Chain lube. So you don’t snap the Chain that easily
A TPU tube is good to keep.
I like to carry a spare derailleur hanger. It’s a quick fix at any shop if you have the spare. Otherwise you’ll be waiting a minimum couple of days for it to arrive.
Do you have a patch kit? Plugs for tubeless? Tire boot?
Presta valve core (and tool), tyre patch, zip tie or two, a length of electrical tape wound around eg your pump and an m5 bolt – each of which have saved a ride for me at least once.
Patch kit. Tubes are great, but patches are still very helpful.
I might be missing it, but if you aren’t running tubeless you might want to add one of those tiny patch kits.
Masterlink / quick link pliers
A tube and a patch kit
Derailleur hanger
I highly recommend a CO2 inflator and a couple cartridges. Hand pumps like that are miserable. Keep it as a backup, but pray you don’t have to use it. But if not, practice inflating a tire from flat with that pump. If you have a road bike, it will be next to impossible to reinflate to correct pressure with that hand pump. MTB is usually fine, just really tedious.
Chain lube, patches and glue for patches
spare tube(s) + patch kit for sure
i like to bring some latex gloves so I don’t get my hands too dirty when I’m far away from soap. Dust and dirt washes off with a little water, grimy chain lube does not.
You can cut off most of the packaging around the missing links to save space.
Please try out that chain breaker. I had mine for some time and on the first occasion it broke down. Yours looks a lot like that one.
I ask myself what can go wrong that I’m able to fix myself by the side of the road and what tools and spares would I need. Then I pack those tools and spares.
QR on axles / seat? I carry a small, super slim adjustable wrench but you may not need it. I don’t carry a multi-tool.
If you have the multi-tool then you might not need the knife?
Replacement valve(s), patches, tube, tube scuffer. Valve key thingy.
I’d swap out the multi-tool, chain tool and screwdrivers for a Crank Brothers M17 or M19, which has all those tools, and will weigh less and take up less space. It also includes a spoke wrench, which you’re currently missing.
If you want to be belt-and-suspenders, pack an extra derailleur hanger.
edit – one more thing occurred to me – if you’re using Presta tubes, carry a little Presta-to-Schrader adapter so you can make use of a gas station pump if the need arrises. This one has saved my ass a few times.
How about some cash? If nothing else w/a bad breakdown go get a ‘40’ and take a nap.
Bike
A rifle
Chain pliers for removing and installing links. Wolf tooth makes one that holds the links. I would also get a more reliable pump.
Small pair of slip lock pliers. Irwin makes a quality set in various sizes
Plugs or patches and a boot
A bunch of zip ties and a roll of electrical tape. You never know when and what you might need to McGyver
A patch kit in addition to the two tubes.
Depending on the distance you plan to go, lube your chain before you go or bring a small bottle. Not a necessity, but I a less creaky drive train helps me enjoy the trip more.
I’d also chuck in 5-10 cable ties since you can do crazy fixes with them. If your bike is carbon, YMMV due to rubbing. Then maybe go dor a bit of spare tape around the pump instead.
And I tend to have 1 or 2 M4 screws (usually a longer and a shorter one, whatever fits your racks) in my kit. In case something shakes lose and gets lost, I can replace a screw and keep my rack in place until I reach the next town.
Definitely agree on the valve adapter others have mentioned.
Some electrical tape wrapped around the pump and zipties. you just never know when you might need these things.
I had a a friend whose bag straps got caught in a spoke and snapped and i was able to reattach the straps using the zipties. Worked flawlessly for the rest of the 5 day tour..
In addition to the tube repair kit already mentioned, a few zipties will go pretty far.
The small pumps are real garbage, its harder than peddling for an hour…
A tire boot — which is a rectangle of something thin and flexible but tough, so you can temporarily block a larger slash or hole in the tire casing. I carry a piece of Gorilla Tape (like duct tape but better) folded over on itself. Doesn’t need to be larger than a credit card.
A bike.
Add a spare shifter cable, or at least make sure yours has been replaced in the last year or less.
I would also bring my feet, seems silly not to include them.
A Small wrap of duck tape and a few zip ties can solve a lot of field problems
Like others have noted, if space in your pack is a concern (and budget is not a big concern) there’s smaller multitools (i like crankbros stuff) that can combine your allens, chain tool, and mutli-tool into one, smaller package and add a spoke wrenches and a few standard wrench sizes.
I’d personally swap the pliers for a small adjustable wrench or a few flat (like a cone wrench) style wrenches in the typical sizes on your bike (for things like pedals, hubs, etc. ) . Tire boot is good and takes no space, presta to schrader adapter is clutch, handful of zip ties, maybe a needle and thread if you know how to sew lol.
Cash?