thelawnet wrote:Rather foolishly left home with no tube and a poor quality pump. Garage door cable had snapped and got embedded in the tyre. Phone signal was not good so didn't think to call the approx four or five bike shops within 3 miles.
Anyway £15 plus £7 for the tube was the damage at a random LBS
Could you not have changed the tube yourself? Why not have one saddlebag with your tubes, etc that can be moved from bike to bike?
I actually have panniers permanently attached to this bike. And there was probably a tube + levers in it at one time, just not this time....
This always bothers me. I have a little kit I carry from bike to bike, quite a bit more sophisticated than a puncture kit. But of course the whole blinking thing relies on me remembering to do so. I do keep one spare inner tube on each bike, but of course that's not the same.
ambodach wrote:I have 3 bikes and a trike in regular use. One bike and the trike have the same size tyres but not the same valves on the tubes. Each one has a saddle pack attached permanently with a couple of tubes, repair kit and appropriate spanners and tyre levers. I also have a pump each and CO2 inflators. No idea what it all cost but built up over time and I cannot forget anything.
Maybe cannot forget, but do you have no one who "borrows" bits of your kit?
MJR, mostly pedalling 3-speed roadsters. KL+West Norfolk BUG incl social easy rides http://www.klwnbug.co.uk All the above is CC-By-SA and no other implied copyright license to Cycle magazine.
thelawnet wrote:I actually have panniers permanently attached to this bike. And there was probably a tube + levers in it at one time, just not this time....
Yehbut, could you not have asked the shop if you could have borrowed their tyre levers and pump in order to install and pump up the new tube?
This always bothers me. I have a little kit I carry from bike to bike, quite a bit more sophisticated than a puncture kit. But of course the whole blinking thing relies on me remembering to do so. I do keep one spare inner tube on each bike, but of course that's not the same.
I am very inclined to forget stuff, but with my puncture repair / multi-tool kit I have no problem. The reason is that I take the same rack top bag whichever of my two bikes I am going out on. I leave the kit in it. The bike goes nowhere without the bag.
This always bothers me. I have a little kit I carry from bike to bike, quite a bit more sophisticated than a puncture kit. But of course the whole blinking thing relies on me remembering to do so. I do keep one spare inner tube on each bike, but of course that's not the same.
I used to do this, but once forgot to switch the bag and had to get rescued, the only time ever.
Now I just have a bag on every bike, and a pump on every bike: multi tool, 2x tubes, puncture repair kit, tyre levers, brake and gear cable.
Mine has always: a small Topeak multitool set of three nylon tyre levers a cloth two canisters of CO2 and nozzle spare battery for my Garmin Montana emergency £10 note
Depending on which bike addition/subtraction: two inner tubes - Mercian two inner tubes - Moulton short spanner for the rear wheelnuts - Moulton
As I said, I have one bag that goes on all my rides. And my kit lives in the bag.
But if I had two bags, I would just have two kits as well. A pump, levers, tube(s), patch kit, multitool, in each bag. So you know if you have the bag you have the kit.
I suspect that the use of single compartment panniers without a side pocket is a factor. Saddlebags and rack top bags are typically used specifically to carry 'bike stuff', and things like tools and tubes are unlikely to be removed from such bags. Panniers are usually used to transport various other items such as shopping, and consequently when emptying them it's all too easy to remove tools and tubes along with everything else and to forget to put them back, e.g. when unloading shopping.
My solution was to carry the tools and tube separately in an underseat wedge pack, but that was not without its own problems, because I would then have to remember to remove the seat pack or its contents and stick them in the pannier when I left the bike locked up.
I have my on-bike-tools in a screw top bottle. It fits into my rear bottle cage and then drink in front cage. I can easily transfer between my 2 bikes. Yes, I know this is seen as an old fashioned solution by some, but it works for me.
Bottle is waterproof and can easily be removed if leaving the bike anywhere dodgy. I also have a small underseat bag, but that has cable lock, mini nylon backpack and poly bag to cover the Brooks.
Most expensive puncture repair was in Japan. I had changed a punctured tube, but then wanted to buy a new one. Small shop searched and couldn't find one. The bloke then said "do you want me to repair that one" - I thought this was just a kind offer. Five minutes later when it was patched he charge me £6.
Cheapest repairs are in SE or S Asia. Usually 50p or less for tube removal, repair, replace, etc. Bargain.
I have my on-bike-tools in a screw top bottle. It fits into my rear bottle cage and then drink in front cage. I can easily transfer between my 2 bikes. Yes, I know this is seen as an old fashioned solution by some, but it works for me.
