Recommended utility tool for road bike? - Page 2

03-03-2005, 03:15 PM

How many containers of CO2 do you bring with you? We had a guy have 5 flats
one day. I only bring along 1 CO2 container, but I also carry a Road Morph
pump.

On the other hand, what you said about the group helping out---one day I
completely forgot my Hydrapak (left it in the trunk of the car) and another
guy gave me one of his water bottles for the day. It was MUCH appreciated!

Pat in TX

03-03-2005, 05:05 PM

3 Mar 2005 12:04:07 -0800,
<1109880247.565561.226230@l41g2000cwc.googlegroups .com>,
"gds" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote:

>Over my cycling career of over 100,000 miles I have never
>had to repair a chain on the road.

I always carried a chain tool on tours and never needed one.

Twice in the past three years I did need one while just bombing around
town. I didn't have one the first time so walked to the nearest LBS.
The next time I needed one I had it. That was good as the LBS would
have been closed. I still carry one but have also stopped buying the
cheap chains.

A broken chain is one of the few problems that will really make a
bicycle inoperable so it makes sense to carry one, just in case.
--
zk

03-03-2005, 05:05 PM

3 Mar 2005 12:04:07 -0800,
<1109880247.565561.226230@l41g2000cwc.googlegroups .com>,
"gds" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote:

>Over my cycling career of over 100,000 miles I have never
>had to repair a chain on the road.

I always carried a chain tool on tours and never needed one.

Twice in the past three years I did need one while just bombing around
town. I didn't have one the first time so walked to the nearest LBS.
The next time I needed one I had it. That was good as the LBS would
have been closed. I still carry one but have also stopped buying the
cheap chains.

A broken chain is one of the few problems that will really make a
bicycle inoperable so it makes sense to carry one, just in case.
--
zk

03-03-2005, 06:06 PM

I am not a superstitious person, but I play one in real life. It seems as
though the best way to make sure you don't need a certain tool is to have
it.

03-03-2005, 06:06 PM

I am not a superstitious person, but I play one in real life. It seems as
though the best way to make sure you don't need a certain tool is to have
it.

03-03-2005, 07:02 PM

"jes.sandiegoca" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote in message
news:FzJVd.2079$8k2.380@fed1read03...
> Saw two at my local bike shop. One was $9. It had a flat head and a
> Phillips head and I think a 3, a 4 and a 5. The other was $25 and had a
> chain repair tool in addition to the other stuff. The one thing with this
> one was that the guy said the chain tool might not work for my OCR 1.
>
> Any recommendations?
>
> Thanks,
> Chris
>
>
Well, most of the tools I have looked at or used or tried to use, aren't all
they are cracked up to be.
Some of these combo tools are really useless junk. Anything with pliers on
it, or a crescent wrench, is junk for a bicycle.
Some tools have all sorts of tools at different places on them, but you
can't seem to get any of them to really fit well enough to work on anything.
For example, an allen wrench stub fits the screw head, but you don't have
enough clearance to turn the tool, to loosen or tighten the screw.
The chain tool attachment on one looked to be really neat, but for some
unknown reason, the wrench to turn it is on the same handle with the chain
tool,
which renders that pretty useless.
There are several fold up allen wrench tools, which fold up sort of like a
folding knife, those tools are more useful, but for some unknown reason they
are all missing a allen wrench or two, to fit the seat clamp screw or
something else, or even handlebar stem screws in some cases too.

All I think you need is to buy a "good" set of metric allen wrenches and
only take those that fit all your allen head screws on your bike.
Three plastic tire irons, not just two. Of course a couple of spare tubes, a
patch kit, maybe a CO2 refiller (and three or four cartridges and a "good
tested at home and it works" bike tire pump. Maybe a small tire pressure
gauge, if you can't tell for sure what your tire pressure is.
A philips head screw driver to fit the philips head screws on things like
the reflector and tailight and headlight clamps and
maybe a flat head screwdriver if you have a screw head for it. This could be
a small combo compact model too.
A small strip or roll of duct tape is handy on the rare off chance you break
a spoke or two, you can tape them up enough to let you limp home on the
bike.
You should not have any problems putting all that into an under the seat bag
or small frame bag on the bike.
Having a spare folding tire on long rides is handy too. You never know when
you might damage a tire on a big pothole or something.

03-03-2005, 07:02 PM

"jes.sandiegoca" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote in message
news:FzJVd.2079$8k2.380@fed1read03...
> Saw two at my local bike shop. One was $9. It had a flat head and a
> Phillips head and I think a 3, a 4 and a 5. The other was $25 and had a
> chain repair tool in addition to the other stuff. The one thing with this
> one was that the guy said the chain tool might not work for my OCR 1.
>
> Any recommendations?
>
> Thanks,
> Chris
>
>
Well, most of the tools I have looked at or used or tried to use, aren't all
they are cracked up to be.
Some of these combo tools are really useless junk. Anything with pliers on
it, or a crescent wrench, is junk for a bicycle.
Some tools have all sorts of tools at different places on them, but you
can't seem to get any of them to really fit well enough to work on anything.
For example, an allen wrench stub fits the screw head, but you don't have
enough clearance to turn the tool, to loosen or tighten the screw.
The chain tool attachment on one looked to be really neat, but for some
unknown reason, the wrench to turn it is on the same handle with the chain
tool,
which renders that pretty useless.
There are several fold up allen wrench tools, which fold up sort of like a
folding knife, those tools are more useful, but for some unknown reason they
are all missing a allen wrench or two, to fit the seat clamp screw or
something else, or even handlebar stem screws in some cases too.

All I think you need is to buy a "good" set of metric allen wrenches and
only take those that fit all your allen head screws on your bike.
Three plastic tire irons, not just two. Of course a couple of spare tubes, a
patch kit, maybe a CO2 refiller (and three or four cartridges and a "good
tested at home and it works" bike tire pump. Maybe a small tire pressure
gauge, if you can't tell for sure what your tire pressure is.
A philips head screw driver to fit the philips head screws on things like
the reflector and tailight and headlight clamps and
maybe a flat head screwdriver if you have a screw head for it. This could be
a small combo compact model too.
A small strip or roll of duct tape is handy on the rare off chance you break
a spoke or two, you can tape them up enough to let you limp home on the
bike.
You should not have any problems putting all that into an under the seat bag
or small frame bag on the bike.
Having a spare folding tire on long rides is handy too. You never know when
you might damage a tire on a big pothole or something.

03-03-2005, 09:12 PM

In article <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]>,
Zoot Katz <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> writes:
> 3 Mar 2005 12:04:07 -0800,
> <1109880247.565561.226230@l41g2000cwc.googlegroups .com>,
> "gds" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote:
>
>>Over my cycling career of over 100,000 miles I have never
>>had to repair a chain on the road.
>
> I always carried a chain tool on tours and never needed one.
>
> Twice in the past three years I did need one while just bombing around
> town.

Maybe the herky-jerkiness of city riding puts
more stress on chains?

Anyhow, I definitely would recommend packing a chain tool
to anyone who rides a bike with a triple crankset and
actually uses the granny ring once in awhile. Sometimes
it's the quickest way to undo chain-suck.

cheers,
Tom

--
-- Nothing is safe from me.
Above address is just a spam midden.
I'm really at: tkeats [curlicue] vcn [point] bc [point] ca

03-03-2005, 09:12 PM

In article <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]>,
Zoot Katz <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> writes:
> 3 Mar 2005 12:04:07 -0800,
> <1109880247.565561.226230@l41g2000cwc.googlegroups .com>,
> "gds" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote:
>
>>Over my cycling career of over 100,000 miles I have never
>>had to repair a chain on the road.
>
> I always carried a chain tool on tours and never needed one.
>
> Twice in the past three years I did need one while just bombing around
> town.

Maybe the herky-jerkiness of city riding puts
more stress on chains?

Anyhow, I definitely would recommend packing a chain tool
to anyone who rides a bike with a triple crankset and
actually uses the granny ring once in awhile. Sometimes
it's the quickest way to undo chain-suck.

cheers,
Tom

--
-- Nothing is safe from me.
Above address is just a spam midden.
I'm really at: tkeats [curlicue] vcn [point] bc [point] ca

03-03-2005, 09:33 PM

Thu, 3 Mar 2005 22:12:42 -0800, <q8u80d.c19.ln@bud.garden.local>,
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ] (Tom Keats) wrote:
>>
>> Twice in the past three years I did need one while just bombing around
>> town.
>
>Maybe the herky-jerkiness of city riding puts
>more stress on chains?
>
>Anyhow, I definitely would recommend packing a chain tool
>to anyone who rides a bike with a triple crankset and
>actually uses the granny ring once in awhile. Sometimes
>it's the quickest way to undo chain-suck.

The first time it wasn't actually broken but one side plate splayed
and destroyed the front derailleur too.

The second was standing to cross 16th Ave in tightly timed situation.

Didn't nut myself but had to paddle clear the intersection, ASAP.

Broken chains do suck. It's enough to put me off the zed chains
permanently. Four bucks just ain't that big of a deal.
--
zk