GP

I carry this:



A Crank Brothers multi tool, a CO2 cartridge and inflator, a tire lever with some duct tape wrapped around it, a safety pin and a ziplock bag with a tube, some glueless patches and a tire boot. If I go on a 50 mile plus ride I put a second tube in my pocket and carry a mini pump. You don't need to carry rim tape.

One lever is good enough for me but some rim/tire combinations require two.

You don't need both a pump and CO2. CO2 is good for when you're with other people and you don't want to make them wait.

joeyduck

I agree with @wphamilton

I was an regular commuter and then I got a new bike and had three flats in two weeks, along the same route.

I actually have less flats now a days and I am bigger than ever (well the beginning of April I was bigger than ever) and I have not had a flat is almost a year (and that was a sidewall blow out).

So it is not since you are too fat.

I carry a frame pump (CO2 I feel are too fiddly without a lot of practice, plus I am cheap), two or three tire levers (depending on tires or lever brand), wrench if wheels do not have a quick release, on tube, a set of patches. That is my tire change kit. It is good to practice at home, sit on the porch with some cold beverage and practice taking off the wheel changing tubes and putting it back on.

I find putting a tube in the tire then a little bit of air to hold shape is a good way to minimize pinch flats when remounting the tire. Make sure you reattach your brakes, we have all made that mistake before. I have also counted and know about how many pumps it takes to get to a rideable pressure, that is a good guide for me personally.

Other things I carry: a multitool that has the rights pieces for your bike, pocket knife, whistle, lighter, pen with duct tape wrapped around it, some cash and latex gloves.

All of this is in a seat bag or my pannier.

wphamilton

We think along the same lines.

Regarding cost.

Patches with levers: $5.79
Topeak or equiv pump: $22
tube: about $6

You're out around $34 to start, not that bad. You can cheap the pump by 5 or 6 dollars but I don't recommend it.

Saddle bags can be had for as little as $8 (or you can carry the tube and patches in a jersey pocket, or wrap in canvas and strap under the seat).

KnurledNut

I ordered a patch kit, Topeak bike tool, and a pump. Thanks for all the excellent advice.

I'm leaving for the bike shop shortly so I can find out exactly what happened and have them show me how to take everything apart.

KnurledNut

I don't know if you are being mean or just left out a couple of numbers, but my brand new (bought last thursday) Jamis cost me more than $120.

mcmoose

While you're at the bike shop, try out getting your tire on/off the rim with your bare hands. Most bike mechanics can do this blindfolded and make me feel stupid and weak (yes, it takes a combination of technique and strength -- and depends on tire and rim size). Anyway, I need to use tire levers -- the shop should have them, and they're fairly cheap ($3-5 a pair).

Don't get discouraged by an early flat. At some point, how quickly you can fix a flat will become a point of pride!

(And I know I'm a horrible person, but I have this urge to let the air out of the tires on your wife's bike.)

Black wallnut 

I think your wife is mean, I'd not put up with such abuse. I doubt your weight has much if anything to due with getting a flat. Get a tube, patch kit and frame mounted pump. The rest can wait. If your wheels don't have quick releases and you don't have or carry a wrench you can do without the tube. A pump and patch kit can get you by. If your tires are real tight and/or you have weak hands then you may also need a tire lever , two or three. as others have I recommend you practice at home fixing flats, changing tubes. Do it enough so that you become proficient at it.

No one stopped to offer assistance on the bike path? That seems surprising to me.

BlazingPedals

In my experience, chain problems are an order of magnitude less likely than tire problems; so a rivet tool and a spare master link are WAY down the list of stuff to carry. And for a beginner, CO2 is a BAD IDEA(tm). If you squirt wrong, you're stranded. Pumps are much better, even if they're a cheapie that can only reach 80 psi. There's much more to changing/patching a tube so that you don't re-flat in short order; but for that, watching an experienced person do it is the best way to learn.

fietsbob

Spare tube & tire tools & a pump are the basics , the patch job can be done to the tube in the wheel , at your liesure , then it's the spare tube ..


Rinse and Repeat.

KnurledNut

Back from the shop...

It was the rim tape. New tape and tube. They also went over removing the wheel correctly and proper use of the levers.

joeyduck

That is great, I have had rim tape problems and it can be annoying. But it is such a cheap and easy fix.

I agree with @BlazingPedals a chain tool is only something if I am going for a long tour. I have only broken a chain once in thousands of kilometers, and it was old, worn and I was mashing hard up a hill with a load of groceries.

Now that you can do that it provides so much more freedom when your wife flats and leave her in the sunset with a "good luck fat a**" in the wind and smirk on the lips and beer on the mind.

BlazingPedals

Hmm... sounds like a great way to drop wife permanently.

caloso

I'm a belt and suspenders type so I carry a CO2 cartridge and a pump, a spare tube and a patch kit. First flat gets a new tube and CO2. It can usually be fixed in under 5 minutes. Subsequent flats get a patch and pump.

Wilfred Laurier

flat tires are the most common mechanical failure
and so imho
the minimum any cyclist should carry
to ensure self sufficiency
is
spare tube tire levers and pump

lately i have been carrying
two spare tubes
tire levers
a pump
and a co2 inflater

and i have an old cheap multi tool
that has just about anything else i could ever need

the last flat i got was from a piece of glass
and it also put a noticable cut in the tire
and just by luck
i had a few cms of adhesive velcro strap
and i successfully used the softer loop part
as a tire boot
and i have been riding the bike just about every day since
and i forgot about the makeshift tire boot until i started this post

but the bare minimum any cyclist should carry is
spare tube tire levers and pump

Johnny Mullet

The first thing that happened to me when I started riding bikes was I got a flat tire on my bike and had to walk home. After that I got a seat bag, a spare tube, a patch kit, and a small pump and don't leave homw without it.

italktocats

try replacing the wife, maybe that helps


i get a few flats a year, but never carried anything to fix it, only once it was enough for not letting me ride home (most times i notice it the next day; flat tire)

italktocats

what about the bike?

joeyduck

I personally prefer to ride mine.

I think one should avoid carrying the bike. Why not ride it? The spare tube, pump and levers prevent carrying of bikes.

Fastfingaz

On a serious note I am surprised at how many adults and men at that! don't know what to do or what they need to fix a flat tire on a bicycle ,,,we were 10-11 years old fixing flats and building bikes out of spare parts that we could find..............but times have changed

italktocats

but i could break down.. never know, always be prepared and have a folder on your back rack

patoot

The late great Sheldon Brown has an excellent page on understanding and repairing flats.

What Every Cyclist Should Know About Flat Tires

SPiN 360

Eh, flats happen.
One time I was at a store, test-riding a bike that wasn't even purchased. Next thing you know, BANG! Good thing it blew just after I had gotten off rather than when I was riding.

This really has nothing to do with whether the bike is brand new or not. You could have ridden over a piece of glass or a nail or something.