Koyote

Quick links ftw.

smd4

You can tell who read bike books in the 70s and 80s by who carries dollar bills in their repair kit.

smd4

My preferred kit includes a chain tool too.

Koyote

You carry all of that on the bike?

bboy314

^this right here. I live in a rural area and often don’t have any cell service for most of a ride. And even if I did, I’d likely be out of range of any nearby rideshare service. The idea of Uber, etc. as an alternative to carrying tools on a ride is something I find pretty laughable.

smd4

Admittedly, it’s less than what some other folks here carry.

rekmeyata

I have two Park MTB 3 multi tools, it does everything I need a tool to do...except I have to carry a small cheap $12 folding pair of pliers. Heck, I use this tool even when I'm at home rather than to go to the tool box and find the right tool, it's my seat bag so grab it and fix it.

SpeedyBlueBiker

Yes, I ride both mtn bikes and road bikes on a regular basis outside of cities both in the US and abroad. Was riding bikes long before there were mobile phones too.
Where did I say, or state, that I clearly made a decision not to carry a few ounces of tools to extract myself from a mechanical problem?? Go back and re-read my post. I merely added another possibility to solve a problem.

MarcusT

I carry everything I need for most scenarios.

TOPEAK Mini 20 PRO
Tube/patch kit
Pump.
Where I ride, there is no Uber, Lyft, etc and taxi cost would go into the hundreds.
I prefer to be independent and tolerate a saddle bag that weighs about about 500 g (1 lb).
Perhaps the discussion should be; Do you ride in cities/populated areas, the country, the wilds?

wolfchild

It's not just about riding in rural or remote areas. Even when I ride in an urban area which has public transit, taxis, uber...I still carry the same tool kit as if i was riding in a rural or remote area. I like to be as self sufficient as possible and I don't care about having to carry a little bit of extra weight...and I also carry my smart phone and bank cards.

MarcusT

Agreed, but those who posted they carry a C/C and nothing else, I suspect they are in well populated areas.
Or have a very accommodating spouse/parent

elcruxio

Just out of curiosity, why the knife and ferro rod?

I typically carry a tool to fix any problem I might realistically need to fix on the road ie. a topeak ratchet rocket and a bit for every bolt type on the bike (there aren't that many), a spare tube, tubeless fix kit, patch kit, a pump of some sort and a pressure gauge. Everything fits into a saddle bag and weighs around 500g depending on the weight of the tube I take.

I need some self sufficiency as getting a mechanical on the islands and missing the last boat would mean either spending the night on the island or trying source a helicopter that can fit a bike. Neither option is something I'd want to try.

wolfchild

I've always been a be prepared outdoors type of a guy with a bit of a survivalist mentality. Carrying a knife, a ferro rod, a tactical flashlight and leatherman multitool is a habit which I've had for a very long time. It's my EDC kit which I always carry with me everywhere.

rekmeyata

Due to where I have always rode, I find myself out in remote areas, sometimes as far as 50 miles from my home and the city; but when I go bike camping/touring I'm mostly in remote areas. I'm also not one to call my wife to come get me if something happens, I will do everything humanly possible to fix the bike and somehow get home. So I can fix most problems, even a broken frame could be fixed, I knew a guy once who used some small fence like boards and duct tape he got from a farmer to repair a rear stay just good enough to get home! Some years ago, I blew a tire that left a 3 to 4 inch tear in the sidewall, destroying the tube too, a boot patch was not going to hold under air pressure pushing the tube through it, though I did use it, but I filled the tire with as much weeds as I could stuff into the tire and rode it home, not fast of course, but I got home without damaging the rim, and the tire stayed on though it felt like I had roughly 20 psi in it and it rode lumpy.

The majority of stuff that goes wrong with bikes is simple mechanical stuff that a few simple tools can handle, obviously you're not going to be able to repair all things, like a hub breaking etc, but those types of things rarely if ever happen.

If you routinely, like before every ride, you do a complete pre-ride check to make sure nothing is broken or looks like it's about to break, check tires for splits or holes, check the cables, etc, which only takes maybe 5 minutes if you're slow, that could save you a huge headache on the road if you catch something before you go. I do both pre and post ride check, just to make sure I take care of anything before my next ride with the post trip, and then double check things before I take off in case I missed something in the post ride.

Believe it or not, I rarely have even a simple breakdown outside of flats, I've used my mini tool more fixing other people's bikes I've ran into on the road than my own, and even those are far and few between, and once I repaired a lady's car with it!! I don't care to stop in a middle of a ride to ask a person dinking with their bike if they need any help, if they say no, fine I go on my way, but I always stop to ask.

t2p

I also have this tool - great tool

can add a small 6 to 8mm hex adapter for 8mm crank bolts