I’ve been getting a bit more into cycling around my city for little errands, and after having a couple cases where I’ve had to put my chain back on I’m finally bringing a set of disposable gloves so I don’t have to get so much chain grease off my hands.
Any other things like this that are small but helpful to have around? I typically bring along my lock, a snack, and water. I’m thinking about eventually getting a little bike pump, a spare inner tube, and maybe one of those little bike multi tools, but figured others would be more knowledgeable!
You’ll also want a white front light and a red back light for biking around after sunset.
puncture repair kit that fits in a small box, bike pump in a bracket attached to the frame
If the bike breaks down, the bike breaks down. Not carrying a bunch of stuff around just in case.
a little treat in the basket thing
Instead of a pump you could look into those CO2 cannisters to fill a tyre long enough to get home. You’ll have to flush the CO2 out once you get home because it’s not good for the rubber, but it’s an option.
A second bike
All those tools are a pain in the ass to cary around. You only need to carry around enough stuff to get you home. Not actually fix things. Can you bring your bike on transit where you are? If yes I would just rely on that. Depending how far you are going, you dont really need both sets of brakes or even a chain, you can just coast home. I’ve also on occasion been far away just locked the bike up and come back next day with parts and tools. Gas stations have free air so if there are gas stations you dont need a pump.
You are much less likely to have breakdowns once you learn now to do preventative things like keeping your tires at the correct pressure, having rim tape installed, looking at why you got a flat and resolving the underlying issue.
Best equipment: fenders, rear rack, cheap bright chargeable lights, bike gloves, pedal cages.
Your seat should be high enough that your leg is fully extended in the downstroke. NOT so you can stand flat footed over the seat.
A bottle of anti-flat liquid is a lifesaver, you inject the entire bottle into the tires via the air valves before resealing and repressurizing (just remember to remove the core first you inject it) it prevents 95% of the small diameter punctures like spiky seeds or glass shards for several years but carry a tire sealing kit as well you may need it for larger punctures, if you have an e-bike, having a spare charger for the bike and an usb cable are also good since that way you can use the battery as a power bank for your phone and won’t get stuck without battery
crowbar. you never know when you gotta use the crowbar
also a nice weapon in the case of a sudden apocalypse
Wouldn’t the crowbar also serve as a melee weapon?
also a nice weapon in the case of a sudden apocalypse
A spare tube, a patch kit (learn how to use it before you need it!), a Multitool, and a pump are pretty essential imo.
Yes, spare tube, patch kit, and tools including tire levers are a must! You don’t want to be going somewhere important, get a flat, and have no way to fix it.
I’d add lights, zip ties, and electrical tape. The zip ties and tape can help for temporary fixes like spokes or cables coming loose on a ride.
I’m glad that I’m mostly on the right track, just a few other helpful odds and ends to consider!
You can get portable electric pumps for under $50 now, if you want to go that direction
a direction i highly recommend going in!
Hm. It’s extra weight and something that can break. A small hand-operated pump is adequate?
if you can swing it and use your bike a lot, a set of fenders, a waterproof quick snap rack bag, and a rear rack are all really really useful.
Knipex 15mm Cobra. Works as 15mm wrench in a pinch and as a plier always.
2x tyre levers if you carry all the rest of the tube fixing equipment around to make it that much easier
I carry a small first aid kit on account of what ff somebody needs one. Like pocket-sized hiking, doesn’t do a lot but could occasionally help patch up a scraped knee
4m of dynacord and some attachable magnets. rope is always useful, dynacord is stupid strong and doesn’t weigh much or take up space. The magnet is for key-fishing in gutters. Don’t need that a lot but boy have I made somebodies day twice.
cut down hot glue stick + lighter. The lighter is useful on it’s own, the ability to glue shit together is rarer than the key fishing but boy do you look like a king
If you’re not carrying a small EDC tool like a victorinox swiss card or a gerber mini I’d say that. Lot of useability in a small package you won’t notice in a gear bag on a bike
pocket multitool, i have this one
mostly reiterating what others have said: tire levers, spare tube, pump, zip ties, u-lock & cable. i have never had luck with a patch kit, so i skip the patch kit. front basket, fenders. an “under the seat” bag might be nice for the tools/flat-kit, but if you need to leave your bike parked in public, reconsider. front & rear lights.
I’d recommend figuring out some cargo space first if you don’t already have something setup. Frame bags or handlebar bags are pretty easy to add usually if using a standard style bike.
Tools are very dependent on the specifics of your bike (axle and brakes type mostly). If you have gears, a chain-breaker tool is very useful in case you have issues with the drivetrain. I’ve used mine to save some folks in certain situations by converting their bike to single speed to continue riding.
I’ve been using a small crossbody bag for the stuff that doesn’t directly mount to my frame (it’s a gravel style bike with a million mounting points, which is nice), but yeah, not a long term plan.
I’m trying not to buy a million things at once, but I’ll keep some kind of bike mounted bag to carry the “on the go repair kit” on the list!
Frame bags are very ideal for the toolkit, pump and lock as it keeps these heavier items at a low and central point that doesn’t mess with the center-of-gravity much.
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