Originally Posted by blamester

How far do you intend going?
Make sure the bike is working good before you leave.
Check the weather before you go.
I bring 4/5 mill allen key, pump , sealant ,money and phone. 1hr to 4hr ride.
ride.Less than an hour sometimes I don't bother.

Originally Posted by veganbikes

I would say a multi tool or hex wrenches are more important then chain breaker, rag and tape and certainly the small plastic bit should be well at the bottom of the list if it must be kept. I can multi task with my cash to use as a tire boot. The chain link could be handy I guess but I don't tend to break chains while riding on the road, I can see it more mountain biking or if you are a heavy rider with cheaper components that rides rough. I would ditch the breaker and the wire tool to hold the chain, just drop it off the chainrings and put it on the smallest cog at the back and you will have plenty of slack if you really come into a bad situation.

Basically if you keep the bike in good shape you won't need a lot of stuff. The multi tool I don't use often while riding and with good upkeep on the bike probably won't need it much but if something does happen it is nice to have it. With something like the Spurcycle tool it is light and takes up less space so it is an easy carry and fits your bill quite well. Zip ties aren't a bad idea and don't take of weight or space. Pump or CO2 pick one and be done. If you are prone to punctures go with the hand pump if you are just bringing it in case to ward of the tire goblins or are racing then CO2.

No spoke wrench needed if my wheel is needing truing on the road I did a piss poor job of maintaining my bike or was in some sort of terrible crash that I probably don't want to ride after. Same thing with the rag, I don't need one and If I do need one terribly my jersey, bib shorts, sock, cycling cap...could all be used in an absolute emergency if I could find nothing else. The tape is neat but I so rarely use tape while cycling and if I did I would just wrap a little extra electrical tape when finishing my bars

The surgical gloves can be handy and they don't generally take up much space so I would leave them in but I will probably just grab a leaf if things get greasy.

Originally Posted by PoorInRichfield

Food for thought... if you need your bike to be dependable, especially for commuting, and you're not super concerned with speed and performance, might I suggest trying a solid tire set? I.e., there are a few manufacturers that make tires that have no inner tubes, thus eliminating flats and eliminating the need for many of the tools you'd otherwise be hauling around. For racing and performance riding, these tubes make no sense, but for commuting at relatively low speeds, I think they make a lot of sense.

Here's an example of what I'm talking about...

Originally Posted by Gresp15C

One thing seems reasonably certain to me, is that the best assurance is a decent quality, well maintained bike.

Originally Posted by RGMN

Same thing I've been doing, I've been retiring my multitools and replacing them with a Leznye Storage Drive It's a little lighter but I'm able to customize it with only the bits I need for the specific bike it is one.

Originally Posted by dazz100

Hi
Main aim is to commute 16km each way. I need a reliable ride because I don't want to be showing up at work with the same lame excuse about bike problems.
I am an Engineer so I know the importance of maintenance.
There is an old saying, "If you don't schedule maintenance for your machine, it will schedule it for you."

Dazz

Originally Posted by dazz100

Hi
It's been 40 years since I last owned a bicycle. I have brought a road bike and plan to do casual road and commuting (16km each way). I want to avoid public transport in a Covid 19 world.
So the question I have is what should I carry in my commuting toolkit??

I have been editing this post based on advice below and my own thoughts.

This is my list so far. I have graded each item with stars meaning:
*** shouldn't leave home without it
** Too far away to call a taxi
* Only required for expeditions

The grading is a combination of likelihood of needing it while on the road, weight and distance from home

• *** ID
• *** some cash
• *** mobile phone (in pocket)
• *** Spare tube (I will change to tubeless when my wheels wear out)
• *** small piece of plastic to cover tyre damage from within.
• *** tyre levers
• *** Hand pump
• *** CO2 inflater
• *** first aid (Band Aids etc to treat minor road rash just in case)
• *** latex gloves for handling the chain
• ** spare removable chain link
• ** wire hook tool to hold the ends of the chain when fitting/removing the removable chain link
• ** chain breaker
• ** Rag
• ** A 2nd spare tube
• * cable ties for temp running repair
• * small roll of tape.
• * hex bits to fit all the fasteners on my bike (2mm, 3mm, 4mm, 5mm, 6mm, Phillips)
• * small bit driver
• * spoke wrench

I have looked at multi-tools but they all include tools I will never use on the road. I plan to buy a small cheap light bit driver and just the 1/4" bits I need for my bike. The combination of a small driver and bits is cheaper and lighter than a multi-tool.

I plan to use the bottle type tool container because it will keep the weight low on the bike.

I also plan to 3D print a light tool holder that will have pockets to store all of the above items and stop them rattling around in the container.

Is there anything on my list I don't need?
Is there anything missing that should be on the list?

Dazz

Originally Posted by Aiden white

some sort of tape