Small Toolkit for Touring

[Psamathe]

3 inner tubes,for 2 weeks in Europe seems way over the top...I cannot imagine how many clothes you take ....God forbid you camp!

Well not too mad - I carry two on a ride to the shops/on a day ride.

I don't like wasting energy lugging stuff around, so I carry no tubes but patches or sealant and telescoping micro-pump to the shops - worst case, I'm either near home and can walk the end or near shops and can buy a tube. I usually carry a tube on a day group ride, mainly because of peer pressure, although I often don't use it because quickly applying an instant patch is faster than removing a wheel and replacing a tube, even on a bike with quick-releases. Maybe two tubes if 100+ miles.

I carry a few of these self adhesive patches. I've no idea if they work, but for an emergency they take up no space/weight and I do have a couple of spare inner tubes as well (when touring, probably on day rides as well as I tend not to get round to unpacking my tool bag).

Have you used the instant patches and do they hold out for a day or two?

Ian

[mjr]

Have you used the instant patches and do they hold out for a day or two?

Yes, often. They're discussed in detail in past topics on here (use the forum search for brands like Slime, Park Tool, Weldtite Red Devils or Revolution) but IMO the current situation is:
· rubber-like ones (examples: Weldtitle, Revolution, Halfords, Wilko, ...) will nearly always get you home. The best ones will hold for months to years, almost as good as a patch can without bonding to the tube like a real patch. It is very difficult to tell if it's a good patch or not, though, and Wilko and Halfords ones seem to change while looking almost the same, probably as they buy the same cosmetic spec but change suppliers to get the best prices.
· tape-like ones (examples: Slime, Park Tool, fwe, ...) will hold easily for a few days and quite often for much longer. The worst of them will bubble and lift and let air out after a day or two, and more likely if applied over a seam and in hot weather.

With either sort, I suspect that the pressure of the tube against the tyre is part of what holds them on, so don't let your tyre go flat if you can help it, unless you're ready to replace the instant patch with a more permanent repair.

Recently, I use Slime Skabs because they're the easiest to find in local bike shops. I think Wilkinsons and Half-odds stock them as well as their variable store brand.

[Sweep]

mm - each to their own,

can't be bothered with all that - wondering how long they will last, to then possible fail on me middle of a later ride and not even a puncture.

Nor could I be bothered to peel them off later for a "permanent" repair.

Far easier to put a new tube in and repair the other at leisure with a patch that will make that tube as good as a new one.

Must admit I do carry a small mini plastic thing of them (red devils?) but never dared/felt the need to use.

[Psamathe]

mm - each to their own,

can't be bothered with all that - wondering how long they will last, to then possible fail on me middle of a later ride and not even a puncture.

Nor could I be bothered to peel them off later for a "permanent" repair.

Far easier to put a new tube in and repair the other at leisure with a patch that will make that tube as good as a new one.

Must admit I do carry a small mini plastic thing of them (red devils?) but never dared/felt the need to use.

My reason for carrying them is e.g. get a puncture but fail to find the cause (maybe it dropped out after making the hole?), put in my replacement inner tube only to find a mile later that the cause had not dropped out and I now have a hole in my spare inner tube .....

For no weight & no space, self-adhesive patches seem to provide an extra safety net and looks like enough to get you to somewhere that sells replacement tubes (which are not expensive in the scale of touring away from home).

Ian

[mjr]

Yes, it's as near nothing as makes no odds (about the same as an extra camera memory card) and means I can now cope with five more punctures before needing resupply. No wondering required: even the worst will last the ride. I don't understand how someone can be bothered to lug extra tubes everywhere but can't be bothered to peel a sticker off - and it's simply untrue to say it's easier to put a new tube in than apply a sticker patch.

[50sbiker]

3 inner tubes,for 2 weeks in Europe seems way over the top...I cannot imagine how many clothes you take ....God forbid you camp!

Well not too mad - I carry two on a ride to the shops/on a day ride.

.
Spares?

[andrew_s]

3 inner tubes,for 2 weeks in Europe seems way over the top...I cannot imagine how many clothes you take ....God forbid you camp!

I also take 2 or 3 spare tubes, and sometimes a spare (folding) tyre too.

I've needed them too.
One time in France, I hit something that wrote off both tyres and both tubes, in one go.
I'd got the spare tubes, and one spare tyre. The worst of the written off tyres got cut up to boot the other, which got me both to Nice airport, and back home on an overnight ride from Heathrow.
Had I gone looking for a bike shop in Nice, I'd have missed the flight, and I got out of Heathrow at about 11 pm Saturday night, so looking for a bike shop after arrival wouldn't have been very productive either.

That was a bit unlikely, but punctures that instant patches won't cope with aren't that rare. For example you could get a normal puncture, and then 2 or 3 snakebikes before you manage to stop.

[mjr]

That was a bit unlikely, but punctures that instant patches won't cope with aren't that rare. For example you could get a normal puncture, and then 2 or 3 snakebikes before you manage to stop.

Where "aren't that rare" means "hasn't happened in 40 years of riding". I've had more complete blow-outs than multiple snakebites. It's worth carrying a tube on tour but having to use it is pretty rare. Carrying tubes to the local shops seems like nearly paranoia to me.

[Sweep]

3 inner tubes,for 2 weeks in Europe seems way over the top...I cannot imagine how many clothes you take ....God forbid you camp!

Well not too mad - I carry two on a ride to the shops/on a day ride.

.
Spares?

In case of a puncture. Why else would i carry them?
Not paranoia mjr, they are in my seatpack all the time along with tools. It would be more trouble to leave them behind.

[mjr]

Not paranoia mjr, they are in my seatpack all the time along with tools. It would be more trouble to leave them behind.

Well, if you've only got or are only talking about one bike, that's a bit different. I don't have duplicate tools on each bike and I think only two of them can use the same tubes, so it's more trouble to keep swapping tubes each time a different bike is used.

[RobinS]

Over the last few years my wife and I have done three tours around Europe, each of three months duration. The tools and spares taken with me and actually used on any tour have been:

One tube,
One small pack patches.
Tyre levers.
Small multi-tool, including screwdrivers, allen keys and some spanners.
Chain lube.

They have shops in Europe - if you use one spare tube you can buy another! Bike shops can cover for any bigger jobs. (In that nine months of touring bigger jobs have been two rear wheel rims breaking up, now have stronger rims, tyres wearing up, will ensure tyres are new before going in future, and one broken gear cable - will prevent this by replacing before each tour in future)

[londonbikerider]

Toolikts are always related to each one's experience, willing to do repairs, and the type of bike ridden in that moment.
For example, if riding a mountain bike, the toolkit would be slightly different from a road bike (i.e. a high-volume pump for the former, a high-pressure one for the latter) so there's no such thing as "the perfect toolkit".

Start by carrying the things you think are useful on your average ride, then make a decision of what is actually needed for the circumstances you ride into, and leave home the extra gadgets. Then plan what may go wrong in the places you will be going, and any bike shops you may find on your way.
For example, I've never broken a spoke in my life, so I never carry spare spokes even when going to long distances. And my wheels are standard handbuilds with 32 spokes so one broken spoke is not going to get me stranded.

[PH]

Re puncture repairs - I might be considered beyond paranoid as each of my bikes has a repair kit, tube, sticky patches, pump and levers always with it. I don't have to think about what to take, I can just get on any of them and ride. I'll choose how to repair depending on circumstance, first choice is to do the full job and a proper patch, if in a group or it's raining, I'll stick a tube in, if I'm rushing for a rain or other time restraint I'll use a sticky patch without removing the wheel. The first choice is the only one that completes the job there and then and I'm not often in such a hurry that the extra few minutes over those that gets me going quicker makes any difference.

[simonhill]

As a sort of aside, which may be of use.

I keep my tools and a spare tube in one of those screw top water bottle size containers. I have 2 bottle cages on my bike and carry the tools in one, the water bottle in the other.

This makes it easy to transfer your basic toolkit to another bike. Also to remove when you leave your bike, if worried about theft.

[st599_uk]

3 inner tubes,for 2 weeks in Europe seems way over the top...I cannot imagine how many clothes you take ....God forbid you camp!

As my tent weighs less than 2 kg and I used to wear Bermuda shorts camping in snow in Northumberland in February, I have space for cycling essentials.

I may take 2 and a repair kit, but not planning on hunting inner tube holes by the side of a road.