Originally Posted by
Maelochs
I carry links in a separate package ... I know myself, and I know I would pull out the tool, drop the links, and be stuck on the roadside in knee-deep grass looking for them for an hour ... probably at night and in the rain. (A selection from the "Been there, done that" line of uncomfortable cycling experiences. )
From the "been there, done that" files...
My first MTB had a pump built into the seatpost. The pump was built for schraeder valves, but had a thread-on presta adapter. On a late-afternoon ride, I flatted at close to the furthest point from my car (of course). Everything went fine until it came time to unscrew the adapter from the pump and thread it onto the valve stem. The adapter slipped from my fingers and dropped into the dirt - gone. I gave up looking when it got too dark to look effectively any more, and started the hike back to my car via 2 miles of technical singletrack and another mile of road.
20+ years later, I sometimes lose small parts on the floor of my garage. Small parts out in world - with a tired body and cold hands - is a recipe for frustration.