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m Zip ties - for binding broken spokes, patching together broken chains, etc.
m { ct tape - for patching c ts in tires
m ©dj stable wrench
m îeedle-nose pliars
m poke wrench
m  be
m 3nife
m Jhain tool - "It has saved my b tt more times than I can co nt."

½

 

m 3leenex/toilet paper
m ©spirin
m eading glasses - "Yo need these if yo are over fifty. Try to fix a chain if yo can¶t see!"
m arge hankie - for mopping sweat, wiping hands, binding p wo nds, etc.
m ^nergy food - 3ashi Bar, Jlif bar, gel shots, etc.
m Joffee card
m Bottle opener
m uirst aid kit/band-aids
m  nscreen
m Tampon - "sometimes Mother îat re catches me off g ard"
m {isposable poncho
m ©sthma inhaler
m Injector for bee stings

£
 
£ 

m iPod
m {igital Jamera
m Ñandheld GP device
m Garage door opener
m èB th mb drive - "for carrying work doc ments back and forth"
m pare batteries - for headlights and tail lights

|

  
  
 
By {avid uiedler, ©bo t.com G ide

 

m bike eq ipment
m bike maintenance
m bike accessories

When yo
re o t on a bike, yo sho ld be as self-reliant as possible. Ñere are the seven items to carry with yo that will
help yo fix the most common problems yo
ll enco nter when yo
re riding. The good news is that these will all fit in a
little pack that attaches nderneath yo r seat. ©nd, if yo don
t already have these items, yo can find them all pretty
reasonably, witho t it costing yo an arm and a leg.

‰ 


 ·

 

If yo
re going to be o t and abo t, the most likely problem yo
ll have with yo r bike is a flat tire. o bring along another
t be specific to yo r bike. They are fairly compact, easy to change o t, and yo
ll be back riding in no time. îever changed
a flat tire? Ñere are easy instr ctions on how to change a flat.


 





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c
 îext Jhile "©cross the ©ndes" To r pecial all-incl sive price -
$3295www.mo ntainbikeadvent res.com
   

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 ½
 

·
 


In addition to a spare t be, yo
ll want to carry a patch kit as well. B t isn
t that red ndant, yo ask, when yo
re already
carrying a t be? îot really. M rphy
s aw means that yo
ll get a second flat in the new t be j st as soon as yo
ve
replaced it. Pl s, yo are really carrying these items to be able to help cyclists who might need it, j st as m ch as for yo r
own good, right?

"The patch kit [I carry] is for other riders that my need help," says Pennsylvania cyclist Brad Morris. " ckily I have sed
the patch kit 6 times, while still need to se the t be."

Pl s, patch kits are typically q ite small and are a nice "one-size-fits-all" ins rance policy against tire problems.

*  

·
 


If yo
re going to fix a flat tire, yo
ll need tire levers. These small tools slide nder yo r tire and help p ll it off yo r rim
so that yo can remove the t be to patch it or replace it with a spare. They fit easily in yo r po ch or jersey pocket, and
yo really don
t want to be witho t them.

† ½
  
!
 ·

 

Whether yo carry a patch kit or spare t be, if yo r tire goes flat, yo will need to find a way to get air back into it. That
s
where a nice little p mp comes in. ès ally clamped to yo r frame, these mighty little d des will p t eno gh air in yo r tire
to get yo back on yo r way.

ome riders prefer to carry JO2 cartridges - little battery-sized cylinders that deliver a b rst of press rized gas and refill
t bes in a fraction of a second. They are lighter, b t req ire a bit of practice to se, else yo can blow o t the t be yo
ve
j st replaced. Pl s, they cost abo t a dollar a piece, for what is typically a one time se.

o  "

·


uor any n mber of potential fixes or adj stments yo might face on the road, a m lti-tool is a handy gadget that yo
ll
want to take along no matter how short or long yo r ride. © m lti-tool typically comes eq ipped with a dozen or more
individ al tools in vario s sizes, incl ding ©llen wrenches, hex bolt wrenches, screw drivers, a chain tool and more. T cked
neatly into one small package, it
s like a portable tool box for fixing yo r bike - in more ways than yo can ever imagine.
Pl s, many come o tfitted with a bottle opener too, when the sit ation becomes partic larly severe.

 ½ 

·
 
 

Ñow did we ever get by in the days before cell phones? uor calling home to get picked p in case of breakdown, for calling
yo r b ddies who may be ahead of yo or behind yo on the ro te d ring those longer rides, or for j st calling ahead to
order a pizza at yo r favorite place, there is no reason not to carry a cell phone if yo
ve got one.

There
s at least one rider I know of for whom a mobile phone is all the eq ipment and tools needed on a ride. In case of a
breakdown, he calls the bike shop (free service with p rchase of a bike) to come get his wheels and then rings a cab
company to send him a taxi for a ride home.

   
 # $# 



·
 
 
This is one of those j st-in-case items that yo bring and hopef lly never se. Take along a few dollars for drinks and
snacks along the way. ©nd, in case of a split in yo r tire, a dollar bill can be laid along the split inside yo r tire to keep
yo r t be from b lging o t too badly ntil yo can get it repaired. ©nd, be s re to bring along copies of yo r identification
and ins rance cards. God forbid yo get into an accident, b t in case yo do, yo
ll definitely want and need these items.
Tip: on the backside of these doc ments, write down yo r list of emergency contacts as well as any special medical
instr ctions or allegies to medicine yo might have.

Readers Respond:


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m^verything ^lse That Yo Might Want to Jarry On Yo r ide

&
 

mThe èpdated Ten ^ssentials ² Ten ^ssential Items to Jarry Jlimbing

meview - Bell {el xe Patch it Bicycle T be epair 3it
mÑow to Patch an Inner T be
mImp lsive pending - Ñow to ©void Imp lsive pending
mÑow to Patch an Inner T be

{
  
Bicycling G ide
 î

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