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garywashere
Posted: Thu Feb 25, 2016 9:53 am Reply with quote
Joined: 04 Oct 2013 Posts: 226 Location: Shelbyville

Show the fuck up Joe shared this link with me recently: https://maxthecyclist.wordpress.com/2016/02/22/the-bikepackers-toolkit/ This plus Donovan's first aid kits made me think about what things I've been bringing and not been bringing on longer solo and non solo rides.

Any thoughts on other stuff that's good to include that's not mentioned in that article or might not be thought of?


Cats
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caustic meatloaf
Posted: Thu Feb 25, 2016 11:24 am Reply with quote
Joined: 06 Dec 2010 Posts: 1235537 Location: a hammy melange...

Before any bikepacking trip, I do a full tuneup on my bike, where I basically take every item off the frame, clean it thoroughly with Miracle Red, check my spokes and bearings, and completely re-assemble it clean.

That right there will take out the need for wrenches and that kind of shit.

All I pack for repairs is a tube, a couple levers, and a pump.

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Monie
Posted: Thu Feb 25, 2016 11:35 am Reply with quote
cougar Joined: 07 Apr 2007 Posts: 1001619 Location: Seattle

caustic meatloaf wrote:
Before any bikepacking trip, I do a full tuneup on my bike, where I basically take every item off the frame, clean it thoroughly with Miracle Red, check my spokes and bearings, and completely re-assemble it clean.


Best to do this the night before a trip at 1am so it all is as fresh as possible.
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J_Dada
Posted: Thu Feb 25, 2016 11:36 am Reply with quote
Down 2 FUNK Joined: 14 Oct 2012 Posts: 1274

I don't wash underwear, I just buy new ones when they get dirty.
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blasdelf
Posted: Thu Feb 25, 2016 11:39 am Reply with quote
BAD NAVIGATOR Joined: 01 Mar 2010 Posts: 1505

caustic meatloaf wrote:
Before any bikepacking trip, I do a full tuneup on my bike, where I basically take every item off the frame, clean it thoroughly with Miracle Red, check my spokes and bearings, and completely re-assemble it clean.


this is pants-on-head retarded, you're much more likely to fuck up the re-assembly

don't start a big trip on a bike that hasn't been ridden equally hard in its current form
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blasdelf
Posted: Thu Feb 25, 2016 11:46 am Reply with quote
BAD NAVIGATOR Joined: 01 Mar 2010 Posts: 1505

garywashere wrote:
Any thoughts on other stuff that's good to include that's not mentioned in that article or might not be thought of?

some people carry a spare cleat bolt

a really big one is replacement brake and shift cables

this fuckin guy packs useless housing ferrules and cable crimps but not the functional part they require?

the cone wrenches, replacement loctite, and shop lockring wrench are also ridiculous
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Andrew_Squirrel
Posted: Thu Feb 25, 2016 11:47 am Reply with quote
Joined: 01 Mar 2010 Posts: 2098 Location: Greenwood

That's a pretty good list, mine is fairly similar minus many of their items.

Additionally I typically carry these items for unsupported rides far away:
- Disposable rubber gloves
- Spare hardware for clipless cleat plates
- A foot of shock cord
- Strip of Gorilla tape
- About 10x more zip-ties of various sizes
- 1 extra of shift cable, brake cable & straddle cable (for cantilevers)
- Couple safety pins & a paper clip.

I also carry this baby wrench which I use fairly often for working on my R+E Big Squeeze Cantilevers & front rack:


My Crank Bros multi-tool comes with a dual 8/10mm socket that slips on top of a allen key which is also useful for tightening my fender & front rack hardware. I'd say its highly likely the average cyclist would lose them immediately but I've managed to keep them around for a couple years now.


Instead of carrying a simple knife I picked up this bare-bones Skeletool which has needle nose pliers onboard but not much featuritis & redundancy with the crank bros tool.


I'm also a big fan of the P-38/P51 can openers. So small but they can open a can incredibly fast with a little practice. Weighs nothing but very valuable if you find yourself in a convenient mart in the middle of nowhere with mostly canned food.
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caustic meatloaf
Posted: Thu Feb 25, 2016 12:06 pm Reply with quote
Joined: 06 Dec 2010 Posts: 1235537 Location: a hammy melange...

blasdelf wrote:
caustic meatloaf wrote:
Before any bikepacking trip, I do a full tuneup on my bike, where I basically take every item off the frame, clean it thoroughly with Miracle Red, check my spokes and bearings, and completely re-assemble it clean.


this is pants-on-head retarded, you're much more likely to fuck up the re-assembly

don't start a big trip on a bike that hasn't been ridden equally hard in its current form


DISAGREE. when I was actually riding and didn't have a car, I'd disassemble and reassemble my paramount every weekend.

I'd say that if you know your bike, you'll know what can go wrong with it, and prepare accordingly. regular inspection reduces breakage.

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walker
Posted: Thu Feb 25, 2016 12:10 pm Reply with quote
Joined: 05 Aug 2015 Posts: 1855 Location: beastcake

blasdelf wrote:
garywashere wrote:
Any thoughts on other stuff that's good to include that's not mentioned in that article or might not be thought of?

some people carry a spare cleat bolt

a really big one is replacement brake and shift cables

this fuckin guy packs useless housing ferrules and cable crimps but not the functional part they require?

the cone wrenches, replacement loctite, and shop lockring wrench are also ridiculous


not just ferrules, but separate brake and shifter ferrules.

I didn't even know there was a difference, beyond how hard you have to squish.

Also, "A small pair of locking pliers like the Leatherman Crunch can replace all of your individual crescent wrenches."
what is maxthecyclist doing with all those crescents?



But there are some good gems in there.

PS: I never really tour.
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Andrew_Squirrel
Posted: Thu Feb 25, 2016 12:11 pm Reply with quote
Joined: 01 Mar 2010 Posts: 2098 Location: Greenwood

caustic meatloaf wrote:
I'd disassemble and reassemble my paramount every weekend.

Sounds like a great way to prematurely round out all of your bolts nuts and tool interface surfaces
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bigbielawski
Posted: Thu Feb 25, 2016 12:12 pm Reply with quote
Joined: 23 Feb 2013 Posts: 111 Location: Montlake

Instead of carrying a dollar, Park tools makes an adhesive tire boot that you can slap on. Paul taught me this on the way home from Ben Country last year!

After my ride last weekend, I will also be carrying spare cables for longer rides/trips.
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caustic meatloaf
Posted: Thu Feb 25, 2016 12:22 pm Reply with quote
Joined: 06 Dec 2010 Posts: 1235537 Location: a hammy melange...

Andrew_Squirrel wrote:
caustic meatloaf wrote:
I'd disassemble and reassemble my paramount every weekend.

Sounds like a great way to prematurely round out all of your bolts nuts and tool interface surfaces


Surprisingly, I never have! The parts I've had to replace due to wear:
1)Seapost (broke on a ride into work in '10)
2)Stem (broke on a ride into work same year)
3)Saddle (rails broke on a .83 ride '11)
4)Chainring bolts (stress cracks on all 5, had to replace them all '10)
5)One spoke, which broke when coming back from BC7 ('12?)

Most of those were in the first 10,000 miles of owning the bike. After I instituted my weekly inspection and cleaning, I never had another break. I originally laced up the cables in '09, and I'm still using the same set today.

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garywashere
Posted: Thu Feb 25, 2016 12:27 pm Reply with quote
Joined: 04 Oct 2013 Posts: 226 Location: Shelbyville

Oh good call on the spare cables. Never would've thought about that.

I have a little ~4" long adjustable/crescent wrench that opens up to about 15mm but is nice and tiny. It's come in handy sometimes and is definitely less cumbersome than carrying around 4 wrenches

Also just ordered one of them kevlar spoke dealies today. What a world we live in
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wang
Posted: Thu Feb 25, 2016 1:06 pm Reply with quote
Joined: 25 Jan 2012 Posts: 884

caustic meatloaf wrote:

DISAGREE. when I was actually riding and didn't have a car, I'd disassemble and reassemble my paramount every weekend.

I'd say that if you know your bike, you'll know what can go wrong with it, and prepare accordingly. regular inspection reduces breakage.





That said, I hope no new riders see your post and think it is a good idea.
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ba3bous
Posted: Thu Feb 25, 2016 1:13 pm Reply with quote
Joined: 24 Aug 2014 Posts: 292 Location: NYC

I'm personally fond of the Topeak Alien II multitool.
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jeff
Posted: Thu Feb 25, 2016 1:21 pm Reply with quote
SOC pussy Joined: 05 May 2006 Posts: 4501

caustic meatloaf wrote:
Andrew_Squirrel wrote:
caustic meatloaf wrote:
I'd disassemble and reassemble my paramount every weekend.

Sounds like a great way to prematurely round out all of your bolts nuts and tool interface surfaces


Surprisingly, I never have! The parts I've had to replace due to wear:
6) Bike wall mount in my house. Thing just went to shit from over use!


#FIFY
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caustic meatloaf
Posted: Thu Feb 25, 2016 1:34 pm Reply with quote
Joined: 06 Dec 2010 Posts: 1235537 Location: a hammy melange...

jeff wrote:
caustic meatloaf wrote:
Andrew_Squirrel wrote:
caustic meatloaf wrote:
I'd disassemble and reassemble my paramount every weekend.

Sounds like a great way to prematurely round out all of your bolts nuts and tool interface surfaces


Surprisingly, I never have! The parts I've had to replace due to wear:
6) Bike wall mount in my house. Thing just went to shit from over use!


#FIFY


ha! all I had was a hook in the stairwell! BACK IN MY DAY, we didn't use "bike stands", we just flipped it upside down and went to town on that puppy!

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joby
Posted: Thu Feb 25, 2016 1:44 pm Reply with quote
goes to eleven Joined: 25 Jul 2005 Posts: 3899 Location: The Cloud

caustic meatloaf wrote:

DISAGREE. when I was actually riding and didn't have a car, I'd disassemble and reassemble my paramount every weekend.

Ah yes, the Joe-not-getting-laid years.
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blasdelf
Posted: Thu Feb 25, 2016 4:51 pm Reply with quote
BAD NAVIGATOR Joined: 01 Mar 2010 Posts: 1505

Andrew_Squirrel wrote:
I also carry this baby wrench which I use fairly often for working on my R+E Big Squeeze Cantilevers & front rack:


the Park MT-1 gets you a bunch of cheap+light redundancy

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Bo Ttorff
Posted: Thu Feb 25, 2016 5:05 pm Reply with quote
GO SEAHAWKS!! 12 for LYFE Joined: 20 Jul 2011 Posts: 3092 Location: King County

Those leatherman skeletools are on closeout at home depot sodo
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walker
Posted: Thu Feb 25, 2016 5:19 pm Reply with quote
Joined: 05 Aug 2015 Posts: 1855 Location: beastcake

blasdelf wrote:
Andrew_Squirrel wrote:
I also carry this baby wrench which I use fairly often for working on my R+E Big Squeeze Cantilevers & front rack:


the Park MT-1 gets you a bunch of cheap+light redundancy



also happens to be one of the better shivs on the market
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TorreyK
Posted: Thu Feb 25, 2016 9:52 pm Reply with quote
Joined: 02 Sep 2009 Posts: 1116 Location: White Center/Burien

my biggest, somewhat irrational fear is that my seatpost binder bolt will break (spontaneously or during adjustment) while on tour. i'm inclined to pack a spare just in case my nightmares ever come true. clydesdale concerns.

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donavanm
Posted: Thu Feb 25, 2016 11:38 pm Reply with quote
Joined: 14 Jun 2012 Posts: 1342

TorreyK wrote:
my biggest, somewhat irrational fear is that my seatpost binder bolt will break (spontaneously or during adjustment) while on tour. i'm inclined to pack a spare just in case my nightmares ever come true. clydesdale concerns.


Which a 20mm(?) M6 or M5 and nut can replace in pinch. Speaking of I was actually chatting with show up joe about this on tuesday. Personally I have qyite a few unoccupied brazeons. I make a point to keep a couple of nut + bolts of various lengths installed there. Costs me "nothing", but I have a selection of M5/M6 nuts and bolts hand on every bike.

Edit: just atarted reading the thread. To echo earlier sentiment, some of this stuff is smart like carrying a multitool with chain breaker. Some, like "[breaking] into my hub bearings for some good old fashioned repacking", is just fucking nonsense.

Second edit: O.M.G. A spare single speed cog "to swap onto my Juice in the event I wear through my current cog in the middle of a longer trip." What kind of self indulgent velocisurvivalist fantasy is this. Please to show anywhere on a map where youre can ride a couple thousand miles to "wear through a cog" and not pass a shop or town with postal service to resupply. This entire fucking post is mastabatory bike mall ninja nonsense.
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tehschkott
Posted: Fri Feb 26, 2016 2:42 pm Reply with quote
daywalker Joined: 09 Nov 2007 Posts: 6108 Location: Hatertown

Andrew_Squirrel wrote:
caustic meatloaf wrote:
I'd disassemble and reassemble my paramount every weekend.

Sounds like a great way to prematurely round out all of your bolts nuts and tool interface surfaces


No shit. It's not an Mini-14. It's not designed to be completely disassembled every... oh I see what you did there. You mean you disassembled your bike before every weekend ride, and you don't ride. No rides = no disassembly.

Shut up Joe.

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garywashere
Posted: Fri Feb 26, 2016 6:04 pm Reply with quote
Joined: 04 Oct 2013 Posts: 226 Location: Shelbyville

Bo Ttorff wrote:
Those leatherman skeletools are on closeout at home depot sodo


FYI They're not there today.
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Andrew_Squirrel
Posted: Fri Feb 26, 2016 6:11 pm Reply with quote
Joined: 01 Mar 2010 Posts: 2098 Location: Greenwood

blasdelf wrote:
Andrew_Squirrel wrote:
I also carry this baby wrench which I use fairly often for working on my R+E Big Squeeze Cantilevers & front rack:


the Park MT-1 gets you a bunch of cheap+light redundancy



Oh yeah, I used to carry that one around but found the allen keys were sometimes just a hair too short to reach certain bolts. The box wrenches also sometimes had difficulty spinning because of the bits around the edge. It's a fantastic tool when its not bumping into adjacent bike parts.
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Bo Ttorff
Posted: Fri Feb 26, 2016 6:46 pm Reply with quote
GO SEAHAWKS!! 12 for LYFE Joined: 20 Jul 2011 Posts: 3092 Location: King County

garywashere wrote:
Bo Ttorff wrote:
Those leatherman skeletools are on closeout at home depot sodo


FYI They're not there today.


Dang, must have sold them all. They were going for like 15 bucks
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jimmythefly
Posted: Sat Feb 27, 2016 11:07 am Reply with quote
Joined: 10 Jan 2007 Posts: 1491

Andrew_Squirrel wrote:
blasdelf wrote:
Andrew_Squirrel wrote:
I also carry this baby wrench which I use fairly often for working on my R+E Big Squeeze Cantilevers & front rack:


the Park MT-1 gets you a bunch of cheap+light redundancy



Oh yeah, I used to carry that one around but found the allen keys were sometimes just a hair too short to reach certain bolts. The box wrenches also sometimes had difficulty spinning because of the bits around the edge. It's a fantastic tool when its not bumping into adjacent bike parts.


Seconded.

Maybe a nice tool to just leave zip-tied permanently to your bike somewhere for emergencies. Or if you are into minimalism.

But if you are consciously carrying tools and spares to fix things on your bike on any overnight tour, might as well bring something a bit less annoying to use in practice.
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bobhall
Posted: Mon Feb 29, 2016 11:36 am Reply with quote
Joined: 28 Jul 2006 Posts: 460

Agree with Fred. Packing a lockring tool & cone wrenches but not a spare tube seems crazy. Sure you have plenty of patches, but what if your valve breaks?

Converting your drive train to a single speed is pretty easy with only a multi tool and some zip ties. I broke a shifter cable way out in the middle of Oregon and was able to put my bike on an easy gear for climbing:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/bobhall/21199249088/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/bobhall/21376283852/

Just tie a knot in the shift cable so it won't pass through the cable stop, then lock off the cable on an easy gear on the cassette. Use zip ties to bundle the excess cable. I rode 70 miles like this until I finally got to a bike shop in Sisters, OR.
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