Tool Kit for day to day use

[Mattyfez]

I've been guilty of overpacking for 1 day rides.

Now I just carry

2x co2 cartridges with valve head
2x levers
1x tube
1x puncture repair kit
2x allen keys
1x small screwdriver

All that fits into a fairly small saddle bag.

If I break a spoke, I just bend it and fold it out of the way.

There are eventualities you just can't plan for though so pack accordingly to how remote you are, I once ripped a Tyre that resulted in a 4 hour walk back to civilisation, but there's no point carrying everything, so as long as you know your route, you can taylor what you carry.

[landsurfer]

My wife is retired (i'm not bitter .....) and doesn't mind a bit of rescue and the BOY Scouts made me ....shame they don't exist anymore .......
It's a tool kit ....... a bit like sheds ... every mans is different ...but right ...

[reohn2]

My wife is retired (i'm not bitter .....) and doesn't mind a bit of rescue and the BOY Scouts made me ....shame they don't exist anymore .......
It's a tool kit ....... a bit like sheds ... every mans is different ...but right ...

They do though,and the spirit of 'Be Prepared' is everywhere necessity dictates

[landsurfer]

Sorry i keep seeing "scout groups" , mostly run by females with a high proportion of female members , these are not Boy Scouts ????
Notice the Girl Guides are exclusively female ..... still

[Tangled Metal]

All the scout leaders I've met and known have all been men. The beavers are women, cubs women with a mix of men (nearly types "and the odd men" but that sounded a bit wrong somehow).

I guess if you're of the older generation you might see the opening up of the scouts side to girls and female leaders as a negative. However I feel it's more important what the leader has to give. In my youth the cub leaders were all female and were absolutely brilliant. They had all the outdoor skills to teach us including a good grasp of knot tying, fire making, navigation, excellent skills in caring for the well-being of the cubs, etc. Then I moved up to scouts, all Dads of current or of past scouts. Being men they thought they had the skills. Useless! Couldn't light fires even with fire lighters. Had very little control of us and the basics of scouting they didn't have. They would get us lost on hikes, had no idea of shelter building when on camps, they couldn't control the trouble makers and kids kept getting injured on Scout nights. I left shortly after I nearly had several fingers broken when a few trouble makers ran amok. Fortunately I only lost a few nails, torn off my fingers in a mass of blood.

No for scouting gender is secondary to ability and what the individual can pass on. YMMV.

[Tangled Metal]

Actually I.believe guides is not allowed to be closed to boys. There are a rare few boy guides apparently. However it's a sign of how relevant scouts is that so many girls decide to join scouts over guides. That is to the benefit of scouts IMHO.

[gloomyandy]

Whatever you decide to pack, one thing I find very instructive is that whenever I work on the bike at home I always spend a bit of time checking to see if I could do the work with the tools I carry. I find this soon identifies things like useless multitools that do not allow access to some bolts or that don't provide enough leverage to get things undone. It also lets me asses if I want to expand what I carry to cover that job (or find some other way round it, or simply take the risk). So personally I carry a lot more for my winter/touring bike than I do for my summer carbon bike.

On my summer bike I carry 2 spare tubes, tyre leavers, self adhesive patches, multitool, quick links, tyre boot, some cable ties and a tyre boot.

For the touring bike I have a tool roll with individual hex keys, adjustable spanner, spare chain links, quick link, spare bolts, brake pads, spoke key, puncture kit, plus spare tubes, tyre boot, a bigger selection of cable ties. In one of my panniers (only used when on tour) I have spare brake and gear cables, spare spokes, cassette lock ring adapter, another spare tube, chain lube. Oh and I always have a Swiss Army knife when on tour!

Oh and in both cases I have a long strip of gaffa tape wrapped around one of the other tools. This (along with the cable ties) has proven to be one of the most useful items in my kit having been used to "fix" mudguards, make tyre boots, reattach club mates saddle packs and much more!

[reohn2]

Sorry i keep seeing "scout groups" , mostly run by females with a high proportion of female members , these are not Boy Scouts ????
Notice the Girl Guides are exclusively female ..... still

Lie down in a darkened room and concentrate on the phrase 'Be Prepared',it may keep your mind off stern shapely women in uniform

[landsurfer]

Lie down in a darkened room and concentrate on the phrase 'Be Prepared',it may keep your mind off stern shapely women in uniform

lol lol
We often have local Scout troops collecting for funds at our local Morrison's, thats where the all Female thing comes from ....
When i was in the cubs and Scouts (left 2 years after i joined the RAF .... 9 years of madcap games and adventures, the Scouts not the RAF, that was 23 years of madcap fun and games, and some vey interesting injuries and scar tissue ), it was almost an escape from "Gurls", as a teenager at school you where surrounded by them !! Their mad ideas... the control freaks .... Scouts was an escape , a place where boys could be boys without having to watch over their shoulder for a sister or other female telling you what to do ....
I genuinely believe that boys need their own space to develop ( evolve ?) without female interaction..... as much as girls need their space and time ...

[Tangled Metal]

And taken to extremes you get Cameron and Boris! Eton all boys taken to the extreme. Coming from an all boys school myself and seeing the freaks that come from not mixing with girls I question that. It's good to mix.

[reohn2]

Lie down in a darkened room and concentrate on the phrase 'Be Prepared',it may keep your mind off stern shapely women in uniform

lol lol
We often have local Scout troops collecting for funds at our local Morrison's, thats where the all Female thing comes from ....
When i was in the cubs and Scouts (left 2 years after i joined the RAF .... 9 years of madcap games and adventures, the Scouts not the RAF, that was 23 years of madcap fun and games, and some vey interesting injuries and scar tissue ), it was almost an escape from "Gurls", as a teenager at school you where surrounded by them !! Their mad ideas... the control freaks .... Scouts was an escape , a place where boys could be boys without having to watch over their shoulder for a sister or other female telling you what to do ....
I genuinely believe that boys need their own space to develop ( evolve ?) without female interaction..... as much as girls need their space and time ...

Thread drift alert!

[landsurfer]

However Boy Scouts can be used to remove stones stuck in the tread of your 27 x 1 3/8 Dunlop tyres ....
Back on thread i believe .......

[Heltor Chasca]

I've got two tool kits. One that should get me out of most pickles on tour and another 'weenie' for the school run, Audax, utility rides etc. Over the years I've picked up so many bits, gadgets and gifts it wasn't difficult and no extra expense.

[landsurfer]

On Sportives and AUDAX rides my friend "Bernard" carries no tools or spares at all.

"If i break down some fellow cyclist will stop and offer to help, and they will.
Saves so much weight. "

The cad !!!!

[Sweep]

I
But they lack pliers so have a DSL Leatherman-alike multitool that were cheap as chips at £5:- http://www.adverts.ie/hand-tools/dsl-multitool/7392892
Don't laugh,they are very well made and do a good job for occasional use.
If I were on the road continually on an extended tour of more than a month in the back of beyond,a so called "expedition".I'd upgrade the DSL to a real Leatherman multitool )

That tool of yours looks like something I either got from Aldi or TK Maxx - can't remember. Also probably a fiver or so. The pliers are good - fine for pulling cable - so I now use it instead of the pliers I have in the home toolkit. Also carry a swiss army knife so some duplication. No probs - am not a weight weenie - all goes in seat pack.

As a multitool I'd recommend either Topeak Alien II or Hexus II.