Cycle repair kit and bag and advice

[Fraz101]

So I’m a relative newbie to road cycling distances.

Today I did my furthest cycle to date on the road (14miles)

As I was out I got to thinking I really should get a puncture repair kit and bag.

I think it would be attached under the seat?

Obviously I’d need to hold,a puncture kit,tube,levers and a pump.

Anything else I should have in there?

Can anyone recommend a bag and kit?

Also my bike is a flat bar giant rapid 1,like I say it’s the furthest I’ve travelled on a bike at any one time, I noticed my hands were going pins and needles a lot,am I gripping the bars too tight?
Or is this a common occurrence? I’m only 38 and relatively fit and healthy so I think it’s something I’m doing causing the blood to not flow to my fingers very well?

[Airsporter1st]

So I’m a relative newbie to road cycling distances.

Today I did my furthest cycle to date on the road (14miles)

As I was out I got to thinking I really should get a puncture repair kit and bag.

I think it would be attached under the seat?

Obviously I’d need to hold,a puncture kit,tube,levers and a pump.

Anything else I should have in there?

Can anyone recommend a bag and kit?

Also my bike is a flat bar giant rapid 1,like I say it’s the furthest I’ve travelled on a bike at any one time, I noticed my hands were going pins and needles a lot,am I gripping the bars too tight?
Or is this a common occurrence? I’m only 38 and relatively fit and healthy so I think it’s something I’m doing causing the blood to not flow to my fingers very well?

In my own case and from what I've read, mainly on here, the most likely cause of the pins and needles is too much weight on your hands, which is caused by poor bike fit. I now have two 'medium' bikes, a Cube and a Giant and I don't suffer the pins and needles on them, whereas on my Pinnacle, which is a 'large' I suffer a lot. According to the size charts for the latter, I am right on the border between M and L and unfortunately I was badly advised by the shop, when I didn't know any better.

[slowster]

Given your relative lack of experience and, I presume, a lack of familiarity with dealing with punctures, my concern would be that you might not use the kit properly if you did have a puncture.

There are various steps that most experienced cyclists would go through when dealing with a puncture, and they are not necessarily obvious to a novice. For example, identifying the cause of the puncture (and how best to do so), avoiding pinching the tube when refitting and thus causing another puncture etc.

Trying to explain these in the written word online is not the solution. I suggest you have a look at these Park Tool videos:

https://www.parktool.com/blog/repair-help/tire-and-tube-removal-and-installation

https://www.parktool.com/blog/repair-help/inner-tube-repair

However, it's even better if you can have someone show you how to do it, and for you then to practice yourself at home (by which which I mean practice replacing the inner tube, rather than patching a tube on the road, since it's usually far easier and quicker to replace the inner tube with a spare, and then patch the punctured tube at home at your leisure).

As for the kit, there's a strong element of personal preference involved when it comes to choosing pumps (traditional large frame fit pumps vs. mini pumps vs. portable track pumps like the Topeak Morph series vs. CO2 inflators) and even tyre levers as well to some extent. You don't mention other tools, and I would suggest you carry some basic tools that fit your bike, e.g. allen keys in appropriate sizes, or a multi-tool like the Topeak Hexus. The Park Tool website contains various other guides and videos that will show you how to fix your bike, and although most of it is concerned with maintenance that you would normally do at home, it may also be relevant to emergency roadside repairs, e.g. using a chain tool to deal with a damaged chain.

[Fraz101]

Thanks for replies.

I’m pretty well experienced with puncture repairs and general bike repairs.

I’ve always cycled,just not the distances I’m starting to cover lately,hence me never needing a repair kit.

For the bike size. I’m 5ft 9” and I have 2 bikes,both Giants and both frame size Medium.

[tim-b]

Hi
A roll of electrical tape and some electrical ratchet ties, 4, 5 and 6mm hex keys, small screwdriver (or a small multi-tool). Energy bar.
You can carry spoke keys, chain tools, etc, but IME they don't get used much
Buy a cheaper bag, have a look at the Planet X website, I think that mine is about 1 litre and under £10
Regards
tim-b

[JakobW]

Lidl/Aldi usually have small seatpack repair kits in store whenever they do one of their cycling gear sales. As others have said, tool kits are a matter of personal preference; do a search on here for a couple of threads to see the range of what people carry. At one end of the spectrum you've got the lightweight roadie who carries all their gear in their jersey pockets - minipump or CO2 inflator, patches, maybe a spare tube and a multitool, and cash or a credit card for the rest (as epitomised by the Rapha repair kit: https://www.rapha.cc/gb/en/shop/repair- ... ct/PUN02XX ). At the other, you've got the kitchen-sink tourer with half a pannier of tools, capable of fixing pretty much anything up to a broken frame. For most, a pump, multitool, and patch kit should cover 99% of problems; my kit also includes a pair of disposable gloves, wet wipes, zip ties, spare bolts, spare brake and gear cable, chain quick link, two inner tubes, and a tyre boot. This all fits happily in the side pockets of my saddlebag (tubes one side - everything else in the other, and I carry a frame-fit Zefal HPX pump), but would all go in a small seatpack or tool roll with no problems. The main problem with moving stuff from bike to bike is remembering to do it so you've got it when you actually need it...

[531colin]

https://forum.cyclinguk.org/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=35438

[NUKe]

For the sort of distances you are doing at the moment, I’d say toolkit should include a spare tube, easier than fixing the puncture on wet day , a multi tool , as you mainly need Allen bolts. Park tool do some quod good instant patches. Which come in a tiny box as a backup to the tube. Pump you can get away with any if it’s just to get you home,


I'm a trendy consumer. Just look at my iPad using hovercraft full of eels.

[gregoryoftours]

If I'm going on a decent distance ride I'll take a spare tube and 2 levers, pump, temporary tyre boot made out of a bit of an old road tyre or plastic milk bottle. Leave the puncture kit for repairs one you get home. A couple of quick links for your chain and a small chain tool to remove the damaged link, 4,5 and 6 Allen keys (or bits with a tiny ratchet driver). Maybe a couple of long-ish re-useable zip ties if I'm very organised.

[foxyrider]

So okay, I can often be found riding 10x your ride but in terms of repair kit I take exactly the same, to wit:

1x inner tube
Multi tool with chain breaker
Quick link for chain
Park instant patches
Pump
Tyre levers

That will - in most cases, get me home or at least to somewhere I can get assistance. I never repair a tube at the roadside unless it's a second visit.

I carry a bit more in the way of cables etc on extended trips but for day rides it's really overkill to do so.

As regards your hand numbness - too much weight is one possibility, gripping too tight can contribute but also the flat bars. )our wrist is turned at an unnatural angle for an extended period of time which compresses the nerve tunnel in the wrist which then in turn causes the numbness (it's nothing to do with blood flow!) rotating your wrists 90 degrees will alleviate the problem but it will return when you go back to the original position. This is one argument for using drop bars or at least multi position bars for riding for longer periods/distances. Your 14 miles is about as far as i'd choose to ride on straight bars.

[Greystoke]

Try some bar ends and ergonomic grips. I wrapped mine in handlebar tape. Solved the problem for me but if you're overstretched it'll not resolve your hand issue.

[Mud-Plugger]

Pins and needles:

Too much weight on wrists and hands. Try a short adjustable stem which will lift the bars up and move your weight backwards slightly: (Double check bar and bar-post diameters first.)

https://www.amazon.co.uk/ZHIQIU-Increas ... table+stem

[rmurphy195]

For your hands - try some cycling gloves with padded palms, see if that helps.

[Cyril Haearn]

I always wear gloves when cycling
Butterfly bars are good, I have a swivel stem, there are many different positions

When I started cycling racing handlebars were compulsory

[Tangled Metal]

I no doctor so don't pay any attention to what I type without fully accepting any consequences of trying this out for yourself at home.

Disclaimer aside my gp told me to bend my wrists 90 degrees and place the backs of my hands against each other with my elbows raised straight out the side. Hold it for a few minutes to have any effect it's going to have. If you get a tingling of the fingers it's a very good chance you have carpel tunnel syndrome. You can lower your arms now!

If you get it in bed then for about £8-10 each you can get a splint to relieve pressure on your nerve but I have no idea if they're usable when not asleep.

If no symptoms it's unlikely to be carpel tunnel syndrome.

Weight distribution is likely. Even if you've not changed your fit there could be a change in you that results in less upwards pressure from pedalling which theoretically (or so forum experts I've read before have said) could put the slight more downwards pressure on your wrist.

Bike fit is the answer but I'm sure you could play around a bit with fit yourself too. Good mitts? New bike? There's possibly a lot of potential things to try I reckon. My personal favourite (worked for me) was to find my hybrid nicked and then getting a drop barred bike to replace it. My numb fingers hardly appears when riding the new bike.