Basic tools for touring

[classic33]

There's a thread in another forum about knives being confiscated from cycle tourists at ports. Didn't happen to me last time: we were waved into the security post, made to park up and walk through a scanner arch, then told to ride on. No-one checked the bikes at all. (Previous times, we've been directed to bypass the security shed.)

Access to the car decks, whilst sailing, is restricted to crew only. Has been for a few years now.

 

[mjr]

Access to the car decks, whilst sailing, is restricted to crew only. Has been for a few years now.

But they don't stop us taking the knives from our bags with us, or setting off the pannier bombs by remote.

 

[classic33]

But they don't stop us taking the knives from our bags with us, or setting off the pannier bombs by remote.

Same with any vehicle on a ferry though. The OP is flying though.

 

[mjr]

Same with any vehicle on a ferry though. The OP is flying though.

When I went through the same security shed in a car this year, they checked the car.

 

[PaulSB]

The way I have always viewed the question of what kit to carry is this. What do my abilities allow me to repair? My mechanical knowledge is extremely limited and so I carry:

Tubes x 2
Tyre boot
P******e repair kit
Tyre levers
Pump
Multi-tool with chain breaker
Quick link x 2
Zip ties
Latex gloves
Spare cleat screws
Spare screws, nuts bolts for rack

I have twice lost a cleat screw when touring and also twice lost a fixing screw from my rack.

My bikes are very well maintained by my LBS. The tourer is always serviced ten days ahead of departure. In 40+ years of cycling I have once suffered a mechanical which almost halted me - bottom bracket failure. I somehow limped seven miles home, pushing, pedalling, freewheeling.

I understand many people like to cover every eventuality but can't imagine the need for or myself carrying more than the above. Other than the tools required to reassemble your bikes I would leave the rest at home. Japan is a modern country and if disaster strikes help would not be far away.

If your bikes are thoroughly serviced before departure you're unlikely to need anything more than a spare tube.

 

[Blue Hills]

Intrigued by the "bottom bracket failure" paul. I thought they usually degraded gradually in a non critical way, still perfectly rideable albeit with reduced efficiency. What happened, what sort of BB?

 

[MichaelW2]

Have you used it?

Is it easy to use?

Can only be used on steel frames with an integrated hanger as I understand it - but then that's all I have these days.

Is there any chance of damaging the hanger, particularly if you are prone to tighten things a lot?
.

The NBT2 is the next best thing to a Pamir Hypercracker which is out of production and an essential tool.
NBT2 has very little leverage. It works poorly with horizontal dropouts esp if the front edge is poorly defined and slopes a bit, and you need take care not to bend your QR skewer. It should work better with vertical dropouts . No ides if it is ok with aluminium frames.

 

[Andy in Germany]

The way I have always viewed the question of what kit to carry is this. What do my abilities allow me to repair? My mechanical knowledge is extremely limited...

...

I understand many people like to cover every eventuality but can't imagine the need for or myself carrying more than the above. Other than the tools required to reassemble your bikes I would leave the rest at home. Japan is a modern country and if disaster strikes help would not be far away.

If your bikes are thoroughly serviced before departure you're unlikely to need anything more than a spare tube.

I'm in the fortunate position of travelling with the Elder Son who is currently four months into his training to be a bike mechanic, so we could carry an entire bike workshop and between us we'd be able to fix most things.

It also means that we can get the bikes in good fettle before we go and make sure any dodgy looking bits are replaced.

On the other hand, although Japan is (in theory) a modern country, it is about 70% mountain and jungle, and that's the bit we're going to be heading for as much as possible, meaning we'll be halfway up a mountain if something does go wrong, so we'll need to be prepared.

 

[PaulSB]

I had no idea Japan's terrain and country was like that.

 

[HobbesOnTour]

I'm in the fortunate position of travelling with the Elder Son who is currently four months into his training to be a bike mechanic, so we could carry an entire bike workshop and between us we'd be able to fix most things.

It also means that we can get the bikes in good fettle before we go and make sure any dodgy looking bits are replaced.

On the other hand, although Japan is (in theory) a modern country, it is about 70% mountain and jungle, and that's the bit we're going to be heading for as much as possible, meaning we'll be halfway up a mountain if something does go wrong, so we'll need to be prepared.

This trip is sounding better and better!

As a matter of interest, will ye be there for the Rugby World Cup next year?

 

[HobbesOnTour]

On the assumption that you need to remove the cassette to replace a broken spoke, there is an alternative in the Fibre Fix "spoke" - in reality a kevlar string solution which can be used without removing the cassette.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eF8R7psdtN4


Small enough and light enough not to irritate too many people

 

[Blue Hills]

On the assumption that you need to remove the cassette to replace a broken spoke, there is an alternative in the Fibre Fix "spoke" - in reality a kevlar string solution which can be used without removing the cassette.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eF8R7psdtN4


Small enough and light enough not to irritate too many people

Yes have heard of it. Sounds like a nice idea as have never yet sorted a spoke myself at home, let alone on the road.

Have you used one?

If so does it work?

 

[HobbesOnTour]

Yes have heard of it. Sounds like a nice idea as have never yet sorted a spoke myself at home, let alone on the road.

Have you used one?

If so does it work?

I have one here, somewhere, but have never used it on the basis that I'd rather not feck around with my good wheels! Picked it up at an expo type event.
Just today I picked up a new rear wheel for my commuter bike which means that I now have a spare wheel with a kaput hub to practise my wheel building/adjustment skills. So I imagine that sometime over Christmas I'll be playing with it.

Everything I've read about it says that it can be used without removing the cassette, and that's clear enough for the non-drive side, but as for the drive side? Not sure how easy that is in practise.

 

[mjr]

Intrigued by the "bottom bracket failure" paul. I thought they usually degraded gradually in a non critical way, still perfectly rideable albeit with reduced efficiency. What happened, what sort of BB?

Anything with bearings has the potential to fail catastrophically if something near the bearing (cage, cup, cone) corrodes and the first time you notice is when a bit chips off that the bearings proceed to smash into/through other things or jam up against... But happily that's much rarer than going a bit grindy and rough first.

 

[classic33]

I'm in the fortunate position of travelling with the Elder Son who is currently four months into his training to be a bike mechanic, so we could carry an entire bike workshop and between us we'd be able to fix most things.

It also means that we can get the bikes in good fettle before we go and make sure any dodgy looking bits are replaced.

On the other hand, although Japan is (in theory) a modern country, it is about 70% mountain and jungle, and that's the bit we're going to be heading for as much as possible, meaning we'll be halfway up a mountain if something does go wrong, so we'll need to be prepared.

"Niitakayama nobore!"
Mod Note:
Translation of the above Japanese text: Climb Mount Niitaka!
Interesting link here.