cyccommute 

Yes. I’ve haven’t been able to find one, however.

cyccommute 

Get caught on a trail taking a whole lot longer than you think you will sometime. Personal experience resulted in me carrying it with me all the time. I don’t need it in town but I’d rather try to remember it so it just stays in there.

wolfchild

I've seen your pics of places you go riding. I would never venture in there without carrying some basic survival kit which included a fire starter, a knife, a water filter and few other items which might become useful if emergency ever occurred.

t2p

we also carry some first aid items - including bandages and advil and tylenol

(unfortunately) we did use the advil and bandages this past summer when we assisted an injured rider that crashed

we are often a fair distance from ‘civilization’ - no nearby roads and or houses - and sometimes no cell phone service

we will often mix in some exploring / hiking - so it’s not uncommon to return just before dark - so we always carry a small light and matches

Eric F 

My basic kits for typical local rides. These get stuffed into my center jersey pocket.

Road…

Includes a $1 bill for tire-booting. That specific one has already proven itself in that capacity, and has stayed in my kit.

Gravel…

For races/events, I add a second tube and a third CO2 cartridge, and will most often use a small saddle bag for this stuff. I also carry a hydro pack that has a mini pump inside.

MTB…

For longer rides where I use a hydro pack, the bag clips to the outside of the pack.

I need to add tire booting material for my gravel and MTB kits.

Maelochs

To all the people who think a person cannot undnerstand why a fire-starter might be useful .... really?> I mean, if you think everyone else is that dim .... maybe it's you?

Pretty obvious why a lighter at least, might be a good idea .... and even more so, by a large margin, would be some first-aid stuff. A tube of superglue for sealing major wounds, alcohol swabs in a foil pack, tape (even duct tape) to wrap wounds ..... and for longer truiops, analgesics and anti-inflamatories for stiffness, soreness, a minor injury, some sort of anti-allergy chemicals, .... basic first-aid stuff ... just makes sense.

But, yeah ... and explanation of why to bring a fire-starter? Really?

Y'all need to lighten up and learn to laugh, folks.

plumberroy

I have carried a knife and a way to start a fire since I was 5 to 7 years old. I was told how to use a knife and build a fire by that time. Anytime I'm on a bike I have some basic first aid kit with me. And have a fairly decent first aid kit in my vehicle at all times. Even though I have never had to do anything other than minor adjustments on a bicycle on a ride. I carry tools to make fairly major repairs. Some of us were taught to be prepared and able to take care of ourselves instead of calling somebody on a cell phone. I come from the time that many people couldn't get a landline little owner cell phone.

bboy314

Seems to be this person’s go-to advice for any topic.

cyccommute 

It’s from Fix-It-Sticks. Mine is a relatively old kit and Fix-It-Sticks no longer uses it.

cyccommute 

I only carry a water filter if I’m going overnight. I do have a packet of PG water purification pack with me in my Camelback

Maelochs

Mr. Cyccommute does indeed ride--and tour in-- some gnarly terrain. I would expect him to be amply prepared (the string spoke ... haven't heard about them in a while. Good one.)

On a related hand to maybe a tentacle .... I am often amazed that people cannot change the tires on their cars and do not carry jumper cables.

Rick_D

Heh, my car's maker determined "runflats>spare and jack" and so mine has neither. Not convinced, honestly, do carry a pump and plug kit and a can of tyre flat goo. Here to tell everybody that every puncture is not necessarily visible while the wheel is still on the car.

Will rethink the whole scheme, next car.

wolfchild

There are cyclists out there and right here who don't carry a spare tube and pump and don't even know how deal with a flat tire when out on the road. Absolutely shocking.

Aardwolf

That's me then.
Except I could change a clincher on the road, not so much tubular which is what I ride.

But I'm cycling in London so Orange Seal fixes flats.
Happened last week - pulled the glass shard out and spun the wheel, sealed instantly (and I do wear a frame pump).
If anything really bad happens I just walk / get on a Tube / hail a black cab.

But I am just collating what tools I would need in a multi tool, so far it looks like 3 allen keys and a small adjustable wrench + Leatherman micra (on key ring).

tcs

I mostly ride a folding bike with IGH. I went through the bike from front to back, top to bottom, including the aftermarket lighting and luggage mounts, noting the various fasteners and adjustments and tool clearance for same.

None of my several multitools did the job. I surveyed the market of multitools I didn't own. I eventually went the ratchet+custom bit selections & some additional discreet tools route.

In addition to the usual stuff, my bike requires an exact length of chain, so I carry a short length of chain as well.



Don't I remember in the early 1980s Shimano introduced a parts group that used a 6mm hex key for everything?

13ollocks

I wrap all the small parts (quick link, spare cleat bolt/washer etc) in a bit of blue masking tape - keeps them from chafing against other things in the saddle bag and makes them much more visible if I drop them.

zandoval 

Ya got some great suggestions. But when I was thinking about this I considered what tool I use the most. Which one do a go for when in the garage, driveway, or on the road. Oddly I always go for this one first and then if needed other more specific tools. Ha...



Park MT-1

Do note that I ride older 70's-80's bicycles. There may be a better tool for modern day bicycles for sure...

Aardwolf

Had to look it up:Would almost work for me - older bikes too.
Could do with a phillips #2 (SunTour Cyclone limit screws)

Frkl

I also use an MT1, even for my most recent bike (ok, my newest is a 2006 frame or something like that). I have just made a conscious decision to keep torx bolts away from my bikes. a big plus is the price, compared to other multitools.

It's great having the spanners on the MT1 which are lacking from most more recent tools and which I need (I actually prefer using standard 8mm bolts in certain places because the heads distribute stress better and because they can be tightened from the side, which is more convenient in certain places). But one limitation is that the spanners are on the same unit as the hex keys, which means if you have bolt/nut combos (eg fenders, some rack fixtures, etc), then you cannot tighten and hold at the same time. So I also carry a small (same total length as the MT1) double-sided 8/10mm crescent wrench.

But this isn't just a problem with the MT1, basically all multitools with everything on one unit require a second wrench if you have nut/bolt combos on your bike. One exception is the Topeak Alien series, which can split in two.

I originally found the lack of a phillips head screwdriver confusing, but it turned out that the few screws on my bikes (limit screws, b-screw, preload/centering screws) are all flat head compatible, and I think the reasoning might have been that in a pinch, a flat head screw driver works in a phillips screw, but a phillips driver does not work in a flat head screw. But just a guess. If the limit screws are the "limiting" factor for adopting this tool, you could swap them out pretty easily. [Edit--also worth noting is that the MT1 screwdriver is not meant for anything that requires a lot of torque, it is too fine and really is basically for limit screws and the like.]

Aardwolf

Yep, I took a closer look at the (original) SunTour limit screws and they are 'flat compatible'.
I've also got a Leatherman Micra on my key ring which has a phillips that fits.

Apparently torx was patented in 1971, I still don't use it.

The historic move to hex bolts did make life easier though:

I do really like the fact that Lyotard Berthet M23 pedals (1950s) take a spanner or a 6mm allen key - the 6mm hex is much easier to use.

Frkl

I think a take-away is that standardization helps a lot in terms of the efficiency of repairs and tools. In *most* cases, I think it matters less what standard you choose than the fact that you choose a standard. edit, i don't have experience with torx, but i think one useful thing might be that you can have m4, m5, and m6 bolts all with t25 heads. so it reduces 3 key sizes to one. Again, just a thought...

the point about the leatherman is a good one, too. I also always carry a pocket knife, so I have a screwdriver and wouldn't have to rely on the MT1, anyway. So it is a bit redundant...

Aardwolf

In theory Torx is a good idea,
from Wikipedia:
..
I think I'm lucky that Torx will never be vintage for me, I've still got a small (inherited) collection of 'multi-way bicycle spanners' from the 60s.

L134 

I have one of those and find that 50% (guess) of the time one of the various protrusions on the tool prevent the useful operation of the needed protrusion or spanner.

cyccommute 

All of what you said is true and Torx screws are better in most all bicycle applications I’ve used them. However, converting all the fasteners to Torx is not really possible so we are stuck with Allen and Phillips. However, I’ve found that getting a JIS screw driver or a JIS screw driver bit for my on bike tools has reduced issues of the screw driver camming out during use. Most all bicycle cross head screws are JIS

zandoval 

Got it... Years ago I modified a Prince Point screw driver for a better fit on my non-European bicycle screws/bolts.

So what would be the most versatile JIS screw driver to have on the bench and on a ride?