What are your essential long ride tools?

I am trying to put together a very small set of things to condense into a "leave on the bike kit."

Have air pump attached to the rear carrier. I usually bring electrical tape, long zip ties, a crescent wrench, a small pair of vice grips, and the 2 important allen wrenches. Also a small tire patch kit, a balance meter, and a small volt and ohms meter. Plus have my knife on me usually in my pocket.

My charger and psu have a case which slides into my backpack which has a padded area in it for any rides over 20 miles. So keep most of that in my backpack now. Want to keep most of it on the bike other than the charger and psu.

What are your must haves if you are going over 20 miles? I've been doing 30 to 50 a day since it has been warming up. Want to be prepared for as much as possible even though it has been performing rock solid for me.

Include tire levers, patch kit, brake cable and shoes, cable crimps, chain tool, spare quick chain links or pins if Shimano, and extra bit of chain, instant tire repair patch (for tire not inner tube). More than sixty miles I'm bringing a well-padded charger. Pocket knife and bike multi-tool.

A spare inner tube, is alway a must. Along with the other stuff you have.

Dan

Condoms...

Always carry some cash. You never know when you'll need it. And if for some crazy reason your tire gets ripped (not just tube), a dollar can be used as a temporary patch.

I also like to carry my mini pocket tool that can handle all the little allen connections if necessary. A bike chain tool might be nice in some cases too.

I love my leatherman for all kinds of stuff and electrical tape and ziplock ties come in handy as well some alligator clip wires for positive and negative, which you can use to series wires together in a pinch just to get home.

Cellphone, a condom, and a couple twenties.

Spanners for front and rear wheels. Bike multitool (smaller spanners, allen keys, screwdrivers and suchlike). Puncture repair kit (including a couple of spare fuses). Pump, spare inner tube, tire levers. I use reusable cable ties, so I don't need those, but I carry a couple of silicone elastic thingies. small rear light, small front light (in case I'm out after dark without expecting it). Bike lock. £50 folded up very small, in a waterproof plastic bag, hidden somewhere very secret.

I put it all in this:

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-U9NpZ9XL3AE/Uz3j2phprzI/AAAAAAAABJA/oB8-U0kjyRs/s1600/bag1.jpg

which is a woman's makeup case that ladysolly got for free with something, labelled "Jaeger", a premium designer label, and with a price tag of £105.

Bike spanner and ties, Plus a plastic bag to carry anything I can't put back on again. Mobile phone and typical amount of cash($500). Slime and a pump if I were to go out of phone range.



I usually carry a 2m/70cm/446 radio with fm broadcast band for tunes. Walkers in the uk often carry 446 radios and I can hit a repeater from most hilltops if the mobile fails me.

Water.

Mobile phone games.

Smoke.

I might end up sitting on that plastic bag. I want to be comfy while I wait for recovery lol

Longest I take is 20 miles and I don't take anything but myself. Once had a flat a little over a mile from home and walked it home. Much farther than that I'd just call my wife to come get me or take a cab, or flag down someone with a pickup and give them $20 to take me home. If it was just a flat I may just ride home on the flat tire. They're cheap. I'm rarely more than 10 miles from home, and those times there's always someone I can get a ride from.

friendly1uk said:

Bike spanner and ties, Plus a plastic bag to carry anything I can't put back on again. Mobile phone and typical amount of cash($500). Slime and a pump if I were to go out of phone range.



I usually carry a 2m/70cm/446 radio with fm broadcast band for tunes. Walkers in the uk often carry 446 radios and I can hit a repeater from most hilltops if the mobile fails me.

Water.

Mobile phone games.

Smoke.

I might end up sitting on that plastic bag. I want to be comfy while I wait for recovery lol

Click to expand...

Oh yeah... i always carry plastic bags folded into a neat little triangle. VERY useful when you need one. And I like to keep a set of nitrile gloves in the same bag. That little nylon pouch gets thrown in whatever pack/pannier that I have one me.

Have never done a really long ride on an ebike... maximum has been about 50 miles on ebike.
Did do a 600+ mile ride on a standard bike couple years ago.
What I carried on that ride (and still carry on most rides):
6" crescent wrench
Bike multi-tool with screwdrivers and socket drivers
Leatherman multi-tool
Chain tool
Tire levers
Spoke tool
Small patch kit
Spare tube
Small pump (Lezyne 'Pressure Drive' http://www.lezyne.com/product-hpumps-hp-pressdrive.php#.U0xcDRYk5UQ ) -or- a C02 inflator
Couple zip ties
Cell phone
Money (quantity varies depending on how flush or how tapped I am at the moment) :wink:

It sounds like a lot, but assembles into a very small zip-up package (originally from Sennheiser headphones), about 7" x 4" x 2".
Except for the spare tube... I just carry that in a zip-lock bag.

What I found on the long (600 mile) ride: a long ride is just a series of daily rides. Kit that will get you through a day on the road will probably get you through a week.

Some great stuff here. As far as condoms.... I'm not a sailor man..... Con doms? Really Man? hehe (Austin powers reference)

I ordered a cheap cover for the bike. I'm 'hoping' it rolls or folds down good and small to fit somewhere on the bike at least.

Btw has anyone made a raincoat that you can wear to cover your bike as well? Thought I had seen something years ago. So just your face would be exposed. Still get some splash back if it was raining too hard, which would stop me from riding more than likely in fear of the motor getting too wet.

I have a double-ended Allen key taped to the bike frame...

Punx0r said:

...double-ended Allen key taped to the bike frame...

Click to expand...

Smart.
A double-ended Allen key (5mm / 6mm) would handle about half my bike adjustments.
One one of my rides (a BikeFriday Tikit), would probably handle 75%... bike was designed around that tool I think.
If I had to pick one tool, that might be it.

What would be the next tool in priority order?

Crescent wrench?

Mobile phone to call the missus or a friend, to grab my Ute from home and come pick me and the bike up if I break down... No other tools required lolz

KiM

rborger73 said:

Some great stuff here. As far as condoms.... I'm not a sailor man..... Con doms? Really Man? hehe (Austin powers reference)

I ordered a cheap cover for the bike. I'm 'hoping' it rolls or folds down good and small to fit somewhere on the bike at least.

Btw has anyone made a raincoat that you can wear to cover your bike as well? Thought I had seen something years ago. So just your face would be exposed. Still get some splash back if it was raining too hard, which would stop me from riding more than likely in fear of the motor getting too wet.

Click to expand...

This might be of interest my friend
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Unisex-Blue-Plastic-Disposable-Raincoat-Pullover-Poncho-Rain-Coat-/161196365061?pt=UK_SportsLeisure_Cycling_Bike_Lights&hash=item25880d5505
You can get a 'cycle poncho' in more substantial material, but for emergency use this might pack away better.

a spare tube and tools, cab fare and a number to call, MP3 player, sun-glasses, water

Hammer and nails

Jokes and good mood

Duct-tape and a first aid box.
All tools to repair most error prone parts off the ebike everywhere.
Condoms and toiletpaper.

I commute 20 miles a day (35 miles a day on Wednesdays - at night) in the summer, mostly roads and paved trails.

Tools:

I carry one of these, the Topeak Alien II multitool http://www.amazon.com/Topeak-Alien-26-Function-Bicycle-Tool/dp/B000FIE4AE/ref=sr_1_1
There isn't a bolt on my bike that can't be turned with this thing, I replaced all of the ill fitting bolts with stainless steel ones that could be used with this tool,
and a few of them are security bolts and have the tools for those on my keychain.

I don't carry a bike pump and flat kit anymore. Instead I use good tire liners and extra thick slime tubes.
Haven't had a flat in 2,000 miles, but there aren't any goatheads here so YMMV. Lots of broken bottles and crushed cans in the bike lanes though.
(I'm always close to bus lines that allow for bikes to be loaded on the front in case of an emergency.)

I carry a small adjustable wrench that can tighten the axle bolts on the MAC motor, plus a small ratchet and socket for it.
A bag of zip ties and a wire snipper for them for emergency cable repairs. Blue loctite.
A small flashlight that doubles as a head light / handlebar light if needed.
(I run a hub dynamo front/rear light for simplicity.)

Documentation:

I carry a printout of the most current state and local laws regarding 'motor bicycles' in this state...
Yes officer, I am allowed to ride the bike path / noncommercial sidewalks if I pedal with the motor off... etc...
A map of the bike paths, I don't really need it anymore, but I keep a copy to give away to lost bikers. They're free.
The card of a good traffic lawyer that specializes in bike law/traffic accidents.

Rain Bags:

Ziplock bags for phone/wallet/keys in case it pours.
A 'dry bag' consisting of my rain pants, booties and rain-coat that goes into the side of one of my panniers on a suspected rain day.
Another bag with a change of clothes if not a rain day.

Safety:

I keep a reflective vest for night time riding in the summer.
I also keep a pair of 'night glasses' -- simple clear 'shop glasses' ($3 max) for keeping the bugs out of my eyes at night.

Various Locks/Security:

I have a bully alarm remote pager U lock, a Kryptonite U lock, and a cable combination lock that I use together when I must leave the bike unattended.
All important bolts are tamper proof security bolts that require special tools to remove.

Cellphone is good, when all else fails.

For dirt rides, I just carry a pump. Can't carry a kit for a melted motor or broken wheel. Often it's hide the bike near a road, then go get the car. When you trash the dirt bike, it won't roll anymore at all. Never more than a 5 mile walk to the car or home.

My basic tools and emergency kit is pretty complete, yet not that big or heavy to carry. Each item got added when a commute got hairy because I did not have it. My cars are similarly equipped, with spare tire and a few basic tools.

Bike tool, a very tiny light folding allen wrench and small wrench thingy.
A bit of tape, extra wire, and some wire nuts.
A leatherman tool, gets me a knife, some pliers.
Small adjustable wrench
Spoke tool
Chain breaker
Tire levers, and patch kit
lightweight spare tube.
Pump
Some 55 gallon drum size trash bags. Crude tents for me and for the bike. Also some smaller plastic, like to just cover the throttle in a deluge. When it finally rains here, it rains like hell.


All this except for the pump fits into a small bag, about 6x6x3 inches. Not so big it can't be carried on any bike, and easy to move from bike to bike. This is my commute kit. Calling the wife works, but not till she gets off work.

For an expedition, like more than 30 miles from home I carry more.

Water. Not less than 2 gallons if there is no water for 50-70 miles.
Food, just in case it is a 30 mile walk. Can of stew or something. ( the leatherman has the can opener)
Spare tire, in case of the very worst. Generally this is an ok, but very worn tire.
Lights for any unexpected night riding
Spare throttle
Chargers
Spare controller
Change of clothes
Coat or jacket. Just a windshell if it's summer.

In general, when I am riding these distances, I'm really carrying everything. Tent, sleeping bag, cook kit, food for 2-3 days.

Got this to add to my home kit. I monitor while I'm charging via the streaming camera on my tablet. So I can verify that the charger is shut off. I'll run the tablets charger off a different circuit. Can't turn it on with the way my charger works but nice to have a button to push to make it easy if I get distracted with something else or sleepy just a quick button push to shut down. Cheap so I wouldn't depend on it without verification on webcam it was off.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001Q9EFUK/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

rborger73 said:

Got this to add to my home kit. I monitor while I'm charging via the streaming camera on my tablet. So I can verify that the charger is shut off. I'll run the tablets charger off a different circuit. Can't turn it on with the way my charger works but nice to have a button to push to make it easy if I get distracted with something else or sleepy just a quick button push to shut down. Cheap so I wouldn't depend on it without verification on webcam it was off.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001Q9EFUK/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Click to expand...

That's actually pretty cool for the lazy man (me).

But what I really want is a way to put a timer on the DC portion of my charger circuit. That way, I can leave my charger plugged overnight and have them turn on at a specified time or by remote such as this device. I wonder if I could rig it for DC duty

Someone on the board runs a timer to start charging I think. Maybe GGinDc? Mine is a 12s balance charger and needs some buttons pushed so just the off is good for me.

The more I thought about it... on long ride, my most critical "tool" was a credit card / bank card.
Even on shortish weekend rides, might be the same answer.

Used it to charge a place to sleep at night. Used it to withdraw cash for daily expenses (breakfast / lunch / coffee / museums / decadence etc).

On longest ride, carried pocket cash equivalent of couple hundred US bucks each day. Amazing how it kind of melts away...
even being frugal. But given that time on the road is invaluable, what the heck, it does cost something, why be a tightwad if time is limited and some cash is available?

Met a round-the-world cyclist couple years ago. His daily budget was amazingly light. And he did make it all the way.
Left England, returned couple years later. Nice guy.