Cycle Breakdown Recovery

[Gruffy]

loudlashadjuster said:

Maybe one for Gruffy considering his recent run of terrible luck?

I'm all done with bad luck. From now until the end of the year all traffic lights will be green, the wind will blow whichever direction I point my wheel and all the dangerous numpties will stay off the road while I'm out riding.

To me, insurance only seems worth it for catastrophic situations (financially or otherwise). I can't think of many places in the UK where I wouldn't be able to arrange some kind of rescue if it came to it.

[anonymous-user]

AndrewEH1 said:

If you are ever going on a ride too far to push back carry as a minimum:

Spare mech hanger (that fits your frame!)
Spare gear cable
Couple spare split links
Spare brake pads
2x spare inner tubes
pump
multi-tool that can do every bolt/screw on your bike
A little duct tape
10x zip ties

Should see you out most situations you might find yourself in and weights hardly anything!

I've never needed most of those in the last 40 years, massive overkill!!

[AndrewEH1]

Jimboka said:

I've never needed most of those in the last 40 years, massive overkill!!

Mainly for off trail-centre riding in the middle of nowhere!

[Kermit power]

Jimboka said:

AndrewEH1 said:

If you are ever going on a ride too far to push back carry as a minimum:

Spare mech hanger (that fits your frame!)
Spare gear cable
Couple spare split links
Spare brake pads
2x spare inner tubes
pump
multi-tool that can do every bolt/screw on your bike
A little duct tape
10x zip ties

Should see you out most situations you might find yourself in and weights hardly anything!

I've never needed most of those in the last 40 years, massive overkill!!

You do, of course, realise that you're now going to need every single one of them on your next ride, don't you?

[bakerstreet]

colin_p said:

Phone the Wife.

This could be quite expensive and time consuming if you don't already have a Wife.

I'm not really helping here.

Pretty much this

I'll tighten things up and obviously sort punctures myself, but I certainly don't carry a rear mech hanger or spare gear cables.

I must confess I did call her out when I had a puncture once. It was sub zero and my third of the week. It was also very dark and I was fed up

[daddy cool]

SixPotBelly said:

How many times in the last decade have you had a mechanical so bad you've had to resort to calling a taxi though? £150 pays for a lot of taxis...

Its £15, not £150...

[JustinF]

So they'll get my broken bike to a train station, would be quite handy if the nearest station wasn't 5 miles away.

[loudlashadjuster]

daddy cool said:

Its £15, not £150...

...per year...

[SixPotBelly]

daddy cool said:

SixPotBelly said:

How many times in the last decade have you had a mechanical so bad you've had to resort to calling a taxi though? £150 pays for a lot of taxis...

Its £15, not £150...

loudlashadjuster got it. There are ten years in a decade...

[Mr Will]

AndrewEH1 said:

If you are ever going on a ride too far to push back carry as a minimum: ...

You can cut that down a lot without risk:

Spare mech hanger (that fits your frame!)

• remove the mech and shorten the chain instead

Spare gear cable

• You can ride just fine without one set of gears

Couple spare split links
Spare brake pads

• You can ride just fine without one set of brakes

2xspare inner tube

• One is sufficient

pump
multi-tool that can do every bolt/screw on your bike
A little duct tape
10x zip ties

• a couple is enough.

You are also missing:
Glueless patches
Chain tool
Tyre-boot

[walm]

Mr Will said:

You can cut that down a lot without risk:

Spare mech hanger (that fits your frame!)

• remove the mech and shorten the chain instead

Spare gear cable

• You can ride just fine without one set of gears

Couple spare split links
Spare brake pads

• You can ride just fine without one set of brakes

2xspare inner tube

• One is sufficient

pump
multi-tool that can do every bolt/screw on your bike
A little duct tape
10x zip ties

• a couple is enough.

You are also missing:
Glueless patches
Chain tool
Tyre-boot

Mech hangers are tiny and (usually cheap) - I reckon worth it just to avoid the insane ball ache of shortening the chain.
Agree on one tube with those awesome sticky patches as backup.
Chain tool should be on your multi-tool.
Totally agree on the gear cable and brake pads. (Just make sure you know how much life in your pads and replace early!)
Tyre boot looks awesome!!

[daddy cool]

SixPotBelly said:

loudlashadjuster got it. There are ten years in a decade...

[SixPotBelly]

haha. Love the gif!

[Kermit power]

Mr Will said:

You can cut that down a lot without risk:

Spare mech hanger (that fits your frame!)

• remove the mech and shorten the chain instead

Spare gear cable

• You can ride just fine without one set of gears

Couple spare split links
Spare brake pads

• You can ride just fine without one set of brakes

2xspare inner tube

• One is sufficient

pump
multi-tool that can do every bolt/screw on your bike
A little duct tape
10x zip ties

• a couple is enough.

You are also missing:
Glueless patches
Chain tool
Tyre-boot

Converting to a singlespeed is fine on a road bike or hardtail, but I'm not sure the chain length is static on a full suss bike, is it? A mech hanger is so small and light anyway that it's not going to hurt to carry it.

[Mr Will]

Kermit power said:

Converting to a singlespeed is fine on a road bike or hardtail, but I'm not sure the chain length is static on a full suss bike, is it? A mech hanger is so small and light anyway that it's not going to hurt to carry it.

That's a fair point, which I hadn't considered. I also assume they are far more likely to get damaged while mountain-biking.

[james7]

Mr Will said:

You can cut that down a lot without risk:

Spare mech hanger (that fits your frame!)

• remove the mech and shorten the chain instead

Spare gear cable

• You can ride just fine without one set of gears

Couple spare split links
Spare brake pads

• You can ride just fine without one set of brakes

2xspare inner tube

• One is sufficient

pump
multi-tool that can do every bolt/screw on your bike
A little duct tape
10x zip ties

• a couple is enough.

You are also missing:
Glueless patches
Chain tool
Tyre-boot

Dont laugh but I carry:-

2x 700c tubes
2x 29er tubes
1x 26" tube
1x shock pump
1x mtb pump
1x road tyre pump
2x split links for mtb
2x split links for road bike
Ass saver
Mech hanger
Cable ties
Chain tool
Split link remover tool
Allen keys screwdriver bits etc
Puncture repair kit
Glueless patches
Money

The only thing not on my list is some tape.I will put some in later as I feel I dont carry enough now

[AndrewEH1]

james7 said:

Dont laugh but I carry:-

2x 700c tubes
2x 29er tubes
1x 26" tube
1x shock pump
1x mtb pump
1x road tyre pump
2x split links for mtb
2x split links for road bike
Ass saver
Mech hanger
Cable ties
Chain tool
Split link remover tool
Allen keys screwdriver bits etc
Puncture repair kit
Glueless patches
Money

The only thing not on my list is some tape.I will put some in later as I feel I dont carry enough now

No need to carry that, maybe check before you go out riding and leave it in the house/car. If your suspension somehow breaks no amount of pumping with fix it!

Also, dump the tubes/links/pumps that aren't for the bike you are riding!

[james7]

AndrewEH1 said:

No need to carry that, maybe check before you go out riding and leave it in the house/car. If your suspension somehow breaks no amount of pumping with fix it!

Also, dump the tubes/links/pumps that aren't for the bike you are riding!

I have had to use the shock pump once though.
When I first bought the bike and not touched it since.
I will never remember to take the right bits with me so I just carry the lot around.
I was trying to think of a way of carrying a workstand just incase things get serious

[richardxjr]

This suits my FiL perfectly, so thanks jesus the OP

He's over 70, not terribly mechanically adept, and is taking to solo road/sustrans riding around north Scotland.

[Kermit power]

Mr Will said:

Kermit power said:

Converting to a singlespeed is fine on a road bike or hardtail, but I'm not sure the chain length is static on a full suss bike, is it? A mech hanger is so small and light anyway that it's not going to hurt to carry it.

That's a fair point, which I hadn't considered. I also assume they are far more likely to get damaged while mountain-biking.

Indeed they do!

A couple more things too.

Firstly, yes, you can shorten the chain, but you can only lengthen our again with an extra quick link, which isn't ideal.

Secondly, a single speed setup might get you home, but a spare hanger lets you get back on with the fun!