what tools for transam tour?

[Boab]

i have a park multi tool with a spoke key, tyre levers, puncture kit, one spare spoke, chain lube, my chain has a chain link fitted in it. What else should i carry? I'm thinking there will be bike shops along the route as it's north america, i thought about a cassette removal tool but they seem heavy and i thought if a spoke goes i could tighten up the spokes on either side just a bit to get me to the next bike shop?

was thinking about pliers in case i have to tighten a cable...but again they are very heavy.

What would you take?

[irc]

Cable ties, duck tape (essential), a couple of M5 bolts.

Spare link. Presume your multi-tool has a chain remover. Just in case you mangle a link you can remove it and rejoin the chain with a spare joining link.

Spare SPD cleat if you use them.

Gear cable, brake cable. Very unlikely to be needed but weigh next to nothing.

What size spoke. Front and rear driveside/non drive side may be different lengths. I saw quite a few cyclists with spoke problems. But they were either on racer type bikes or in one case a Dawes Galaxy with a factory wheel. I think if you have good handbuilt wheels you won't get any problems. My rear wheel from Spa with a Sputnik rim took me at 16 stone over?10'000 miles before I had to correct a tiny wobble with the spoke key.

Set of brake pads if you are heavy on the brakes. Bike shops can be hundreds of miles apart. Unlikely to be needed but again not much weight.

[roadvader]

if you think you wish to take a cassette removal tool do this-
get an old chain and make to correct length
get two small bolts say m4 and fit chain to strong piece of alloy bar
get a lock ring remover
get a spanner to fit it and cut some off it for weight saving.

get,get,get!!!

[Boab]

Thankyou all.

I am on a dawes galaxy with new mavic wheels which i had put on. I have schwalbe marathon plus 28's fitted. I am a heavy rider 6'4" at near 18stone I think..and i am solo touring with a full camping rig. I have just had new brakes fitted and a new cassette and chain in preparation for the ride. I will add the cable, brake pads and tape and ties into the kit. In case I do need to fit a new cable, is there some neat little trick to pull the cable tight without pliers or sim?

My tyres got me across europe ok, but I wont be able to carry a spare tyre ...I will have 2 spare tubes with me though.

[meic]

I never have to pull cables tight with pliers.

I just fully slacken off all adjusters and take up the slack in the cable by hand then tighten the bolt.
Then you tighten up the adjusters to the correct settings, I rarely find that there is too much slack for that to work.
If there is then just move the deraileur or brakes by hand to a position where they would be with the cable pulled a little and tighten the cable with them there. So you are using them to tension the cable for you.

[chiwoman]

Not taking a spare foldable tyre I would therefore: take duck tape (roll some round an old credit card so you dont have to carry the whole roll) to hold a split tyre for many miles OR take a very light tyre boot (about the size of a credit card) to hold a split in a tyre till you get to civilisation

[ANTONISH]

If your chain breaks you will still have to remove the remains of the broken link even if you intend to use a chain link to replace it - so I would definitely want a chain tool.
There is a temporary spoke replacement based on a kevlar string. It looks an unlikely device but it can be fitted without removing a cassette. I've used one and can recommend it. SJS sell it at (I think) about £10.
It packs very small and would save you playing about with the tension of the other spokes.

[531colin]

http://www.spacycles.co.uk/products.php?plid=m2b0s72p595

[Malaconotus]

I'm not sure about your tyre choice. An 18 stone rider with full camping luggage needs about 135 PSI in the rear tyre for 15% tyre drop, which is reckoned to be optimal for speed and comfort. Additionally, Marathon Plus have a reputation as a slow, uncomfortable tyre due to the tough sidewalls, and they perhaps offer more protection than you need unless punctures are a real pain. (On a hub-geared, chain-cased bike, for example)

35mm Marathon racers, duremes, supremes etc. would all roll faster, would not need more than the rated maximum PSI, (c.80 should do it for you) and would still offer pretty good puncture protection.

It was my belief that wider tyres were also easier on the wheels, too, but I think someone recently tried to dispel that notion. Is still seems intuitively right to me, though.

[hamster]

I take a Leatherman tool - it covers a lot of the toolkit, plus has knife / bottle / tin opener for cooking etc. - and it has pliers.