What to pack when riding my first road bike

[TrevA]

Regarding Di2, it's usually not the end of the world if it fails (usually it fails because the battery has gone flat). You'll just be stuck in one gear, so unless it's hilly or the gear you are stuck in is not ridiculously small or large, you should be able to pedal home.

Problems can be avoided by keeping the battery charged. You could carry your charging cable and a small power bank.

[thelawnet]

if stuff is small and light it is better to carry it and not need it than the other way about.

Fetishistically choosing to leave ~50g of stuff at home is just daft.

Which is all fine and good if you know how to use the tool, fit the part but pointless otherwise. As a teen I had a tool roll under the saddle that contained more spanners, keys etc than I could ever have found useful (it must have weighed a full kg at least!). One day, unbeknownst to me, I managed to lose the whole lot, only discovering the loss when I got home. After that I only carried the essentials for a puncture and that was more than enough for my road bike riding for over 30 years.
I only added to that when I started riding mtb's and then when I started touring. I have had chains break so I carry the gear that should get me home for that, likewise multiple punctures. A decent multitool will get me sorted with the majority of potential issues. If I broke a spoke on a day ride, well its a day ride, that's where the twenty comes in or maybe International Rescue!

Not sure anyone here has suggests a full set of spanners at any point.

I have a Topeak Mini 18+ tool. It has 2*2mm, 1*2.5mm, 1*3mm, 2*4mm, 1*5mm, 1*6mm, 1*8mm, 1*10mm, a chain tool, a flat & philips screwdriver, 14g/15g spoke wrenches, some horrible tyre levers, a t25 torx key, and a pad spreader.

I'm not really sure I could necessarily use all of these tools on my bike at all, and some others I doubt you'd use on the road unless you were on a world tour or something, because you'd have better ones at home.

I think 8mm is for chainring bolts, pedals, 10mm maybe for freehub body. I'm not sure if I have 6mm bolts on my bike (probably with cable brakes, not so much with hydraulic). 4mm & 5mm are the main ones. 2.5mm, 2mm, 3mm, maybe MTB grips? Perhaps bleeding ports on hydraulic brakes. But not necessarily something just 'on a ride' with a road bike.

The philips screwdriver ok for derailleur screws, flat not so much. Tyre levers completely horrible, torx key probably not. Pad spreader not really necessary in any case but in any case a bit useless without a pair of pliers.

So probably I'd only really use the 4mm, 5mm, chain tool, philips screwdriver, maybe spoke wrenches. But the 'multi' is not really realistic, because multi tool is just for emergency really.

I think Topeak make even more ridiculous tools with 31 functions.

This is rather more streamlined (4,5,6,8mm, screwdriver, chain tool, no horrible tyre levers from hell) and is always there in case of emergency https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/tools/pedro ... ulti-tool/ The same manufacturer's tyre levers might complete your toolkit along with a tube and pump.

[ndwgolf]

Fix the pump to the bike or as I have seen on a few occasions people put the pump in there shirt pocket?
Neil

[mjr]

Fix the pump to the bike or as I have seen on a few occasions people put the pump in there shirt pocket?
Neil

Bike. Never put anything harder than your spine in a jersey pocket IMO. Food, clothes and similar only.

BTW, if it's raining and I'm in or near a village, I find there's often a bus shelter or church litchgate around for making the repair in the dry.

[cyclop]

I,ve never taken co 2 cartridges,always a pump and always the most excellent zefal aluminium pumps,a joy to use.

[hamster]

Most punctures can be prevented with decent tyres, and checking / topping up the pressure regularly.

You don't live in Hampshire, clearly! For me, nice road tyres typically last 1000 dry miles until destroyed by flint cuts. Off road, cuts 1 cm long are not unusual. Cheap tyres, expensive ones are similarly vulnerable.

[hondated]

There are one or two things that very occasionally break which might stop you unless you are prepared, so you could usefully add to the items mentioned above.

1) chain breakage; not that uncommon with modern super-skinny chains. It is not a bad idea to carry a spare quicklink that will fit your chain (eg a KMC one). If your multitool already includes a chain tool you can use this to remove a broken link and then rejoin the chain using the quicklink.

2) spoke breakage; modern wheelsets have fewer spokes (yours may have 18F and 24R, something like that) and this both increases the risk of spoke breakage as well as making the consequences worse, i.e. if a spoke breaks the wheel goes quite a long way out of true. If this happens the immediate objective is usually to get the bike adjusted so the wheel will run through the frame/forks/brake and you can ride home. The brakes can be adjusted (eg using the QR) but beyond that it is usually a question of adjusting a few spokes to allow the wheel to clear the frame/fork. Thus a spoke key that fits your spoke nipples is a good idea. Often multitools include spoke keys, but they fit so badly they are nigh-on useless when you need them.

3) tyre gash; occasionally you will run over something that not only gives you a puncture, it gashes the tyre open so that even with a new tube in it, it might not be safe to ride on. To deal with this it is a good idea to fit a 'tyre boot' of some kind. A piece of lightweight but strong fabric will reinforce the tyre and get you home (or better). I carry a piece of fabric cut from an old umbrella; three or four layers of that will reinforce the tyre so that you can ride home. This weighs virtually nothing and packs down very small.

You could ride a long way without needing any of this stuff but to carry means of addressing the above might add an ounce or two to a seat pack, i.e. not much.

cheers

Tyre gash never considered that
Must admit I have become a little paranoid on this matter.
I now have a saddle bag with two tubes, lever, collection of quick links for various bikes a spoke key all sizes.
As if that isn't enough I have now fitted a bar bag on three bikes and that contains another tube, a chain breaker tool, hand cleaner and a bit of rag, reading glasses mobile phone with Strava on, tube repair kit Alan key set and a mini pump. Oh and I carry another mini pump in my rear jacket pocket.
Got to say though that on one of my last rides when my rear mech went wrong it somehow felt reassuring before I found the issue to have so much available to hand to resolve any issues I may have.
Particularly when I got back home and told my wife I thought I might have to ring her up to collect me and she said I wouldn't of known how to get to you

[hondated]

+1 for the cash. Also, the new plastic banknotes can be used as a tyre boot !

Thanks what a good idea

[mjr]

Particularly when I got back home and told my wife I thought I might have to ring her up to collect me and she said I wouldn't of known how to get to you

One advantage of smartphones is now my wife or I can click "share position" in OSMand and text it to the other with complete accuracy. We have very different ways of describing locations...

[hondated]

Particularly when I got back home and told my wife I thought I might have to ring her up to collect me and she said I wouldn't of known how to get to you

One advantage of smartphones is now my wife or I can click "share position" in OSMand and text it to the other with complete accuracy. We have very different ways of describing locations...

Thanks mjr I will have a look at that. Only problem is we're both technologies

[Vorpal]

Particularly when I got back home and told my wife I thought I might have to ring her up to collect me and she said I wouldn't of known how to get to you

One advantage of smartphones is now my wife or I can click "share position" in OSMand and text it to the other with complete accuracy. We have very different ways of describing locations...

Thanks mjr I will have a look at that. Only problem is we're both technologies

Google maps will do the same thing.

[mjr]

One advantage of smartphones is now my wife or I can click "share position" in OSMand and text it to the other with complete accuracy. We have very different ways of describing locations...

Thanks mjr I will have a look at that. Only problem is we're both technologies

Google maps will do the same thing.

While also demanding that you let it tell Google your location... which then results in a stream of "How was (place you visited)?" notifications asking for reviews that my wife calls creepy.

[1066enthalpies1939]

Guys I have just bought a new Trek Madone SLR7, and would like to know what you guys would recommend me taking with me in case if puncture or Di2 issue.
I've been riding my mountain bike for over two years now, mainly on the road and haven't really taken anything with me. I have heard that road bikes are prone to punctures so I guess spare tubes and a pump will be essential........anyway any advice will be much appreciated
Neil

I went through a learning curve with what to take on a bike ride, I use to carry the kitchen sink. #
IMHO this what I would suggest taking with you are bike ride

Mini track pump, will easy pump tyre up to say 80 psi with not much effort.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Oxford-Unisexs ... track+pump

Inner tubes x2
4-inch strip on tubular tyre tread, this will be durable emergency tempory repair for any gashs in your tyre, Obtainable from maybe ex-racing cyclist who as discard tubular tyre.

Tyre levers x2, this type will remove the tightest tyre rim combination, they double as bottle opener and wheel nut spanner

https://www.lezyne.com/product-tirerepr ... berlvr.php
Puncture repair outfit

Topeak Alien II Multi Tool - Will deal most problem on the bike

https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/top ... uDEALw_wcB

I never need one but

Buddy Spokey Spoke Key of the correct size, it is light, and they do the job.

https://www.evanscycles.com/buddy-spoke ... F8EALw_wcB

[Vorpal]

Thanks mjr I will have a look at that. Only problem is we're both technologies

Google maps will do the same thing.

While also demanding that you let it tell Google your location... which then results in a stream of "How was (place you visited)?" notifications asking for reviews that my wife calls creepy.

You can change your locations settings just to share your location with another person, or until rescued.

[NUKe]

What you take will depend on how you could get home if you couldn’t fix the puncture. If you have a partner willing to pick you up then very little, If on the other hand it’s a must that there is only your own steam to get you home. Then a minimalist kit would be spare inner tube, tyre levers 2 or 3 just make sure you can get the tyre off. A mini pump you could also add C02 inflator and cartridges, but you will still need a pump, Patch kit either self-sticking or traditional. A good multi tool with a chain breaker + a spare link will usually cover most eventualities, unless you are going to the back and beyond.