Bikepacking - Spares and Tools

If it can go wrong.... it might go wrong!

When planning my recent 2022 European cycle tour, I obviously gave some thought to things that might go wrong and in particular, things that might go wrong with the bike. In fact this subject kept me up at night as the date of my departure got closer! Cracks had been found in the rear wheel of The Mule when it was being serviced. The wheel was replaced but the discovery shook my confidence in the bike. What other problems would I have? Would I be able to solve problems and repair things on the road?

It's probably as well to assume the worst and, within reason, plan for all kinds of bike failures. You won't be able to fix everything (unless you have a support vehicle carrying every bike repair tool and spare under the sun!) so when deciding what to take, the goal is to make sure you can fix the obvious, more likely types of problem like punctures, or affect temporary workarounds which might just allow you to limp into the nearest town that has a bike shop. Your own abilities to make repairs will be a factor too, of course.

My bike repair skills are limited. I can repair punctures. I can repair a broken chain. I can replace cables. I might just be able to repair a broken spoke but there's no way I'd get the wheel "true" again. I can make adjustments to the derailleur. That's about it. If the bottom bracket bearings go, I need a shop. If the chain and cassette need replacing, I have the know-how but would not be carrying the tools required or the spares and so would need a shop for that too.

So, what did I take with me on the 2022 European cycle tour and what else did I acquire en route?

Spares

2 x butyl inner tubes

I set out with Tubolito TPU puncture-resistant inner tubes in both the front and rear. They're expensive tubes so I took standard butyl tubes to act as spares. The theory was that if I got a puncture on the road, I'd swap out the inner tubes to get the bike up and running again and later, repair the punctured tube at my next campsite, at which point the repaired tube would become a spare.

Chain Quick-Links

Chains don't break very often but it does happen. Luckily, repairing a broken chain is not difficult provided you have a chain breaker tool. My Park Tool multi-tool includes a chain breaker. You then have a choice of a full repair using chain quick-links or a temporary improvised repair that shortens the chain by one link. It will get you to that bike shop, if nothing else. I blogged about repairing a broken chain a while back.

Spokes and Spoke Nipples

Spokes hook onto the hub at one and and screw into a special kind of nut called a spoke nipple at the other. 

A spoke nipple is wide at one end and narrow at the other. The wider end of a spoke nipple is to be found on the inside of the wheel rim so you can't usually see it unless you remove the tyre and rim tape. The narrow part pokes through a hole in the rim and you can see it. It's threaded, and when the spoke end is inserted into it and tightened, it tensions the spoke. 

The tension created by each spoke needs to be balanced otherwise the wheel distorts and appears to wobble from side to side when the wheel rotates. "Truing" a wheel to get that overall balance is quite difficult outside of a proper workshop, however.

I've had spoke nipples shear off at their base a couple of times. On both occasions it happened on the front wheel of my touring bike and with that history I'd considered replacing the whole wheel before heading off into Europe. Ironically, my local bike shop talked me out of it! And guess what the only mechanical failure was that I had in nearly 3,000 miles of cycling? Yes, that's right. A spoke nipple broke!

I took two spare spokes and a few spoke nipples with me. The theory was that if necessary, I could do a rough repair at the roadside and then cycle to a town to get it done properly and the wheel properly "trued".

Spare Tyre

I didn't take a spare tyre with me. But after about 1500 miles of cycling, the rear tyre was very clearly wearing fast. All my luggage is attached to a rack at the rear of the bike so with all that weight concentrated over the rear wheel, this was no surprise. I decided therefore to buy a spare tyre and fit it when either the rear one failed (worst case) or when I judged the time to be right. What I didn't want was to be caught out with a major tyre failure, a long way from a town. So, for a long trip, a spare tyre is likely to be necessary. Whether you take one with you from the start or buy it en route is a choice to make.

Carrying a spare tyre is impractical if you buy one with a rigid rim, but luckily these days you can get foldable tyres which have a flexible kevlar rim. I went into a large Decathlon store in Peripgnan, France and bought a foldable gravel tyre made by French company, Hutchinson. When folded it was easily stowed in the larger of my three bags. I had it fitted by a bike shope when I had my broken spoke/spoke nipple replaced and it ended up doing about 800 miles of the trip, without issue.

Spare Cable

My bike has hydraulic disc brakes but gear selection uses cables. A broken cable can leave you stuck in top gear, which depending on your gear ratios and the terrain can mean your only realistic option is to start walking! So, a spare cable is definitely worth taking.

Tools

I put together a selection of tools, most of which I carried in a simple, lightweight canvas bag stowed in my large Ortlieb Rack Pack.

In addition, I carried a pair of mechanic's gloves which make some jobs easier and keep your hands free from oil, especially if you need to handle the chain, for example. 

A few times, my chain jumped off the smallest cog of the cassette and got jammed between the frame. Freeing it is quite hard and involves grasping the oily chain firmly and pulling. I was glad of my mechanic's gloves on these occasions.

I carry a multi-tool by Park Tool which has most tools you're likely to need, but not quite all. Importantly, it does include a chain breaker.

In the Tool Bag

Here's what I had in the tool bag.

On the top row, from left to right:

1. Special repair kit for Tubolito TPU inner tubes.

2. One under the other in the photo, two packs of self-adhesive puncture repair patches. I've used these once only in the past but was impressed with how well they work and how easy they are to use.

3. Standard puncture repair kit for butyl tubes.

Clearly I was expecting to have lots of punctures and in the event, had none whatsoever!

4. Gorilla tape. This is a heavy duty, self-adhesive tape for general repairs. I used it to cover a small hole in my tent and to sort out an issue with one of my shoes. Useful stuff.

5. Zip-lock bag containing spare spoke nipples, chain quick links and valve adapters that convert a presta value to the schrader type. I thought they might be useful in case I wanted to use a compressed air machine at a filling station. They were never used. Seemed like a good idea at the time.

6. Another set of chain quick links. 

On the second row:

7. Chain lubricant. I really looked after my chain on the Europe 2022 trip. On average, once a week I would thoroughly scrub the oil and grit off the chain using a micro-fibre cloth, soap and water. I'd then  rinse the chain, leave it to dry and then lubricate. The chain performed well and doesn't yet need replacing so regular chain maintenance is definitely worth the effort.

8. A small flat screwdriver with a piece of cork to prevent it damaging the tool bag.

9. A small cross screwdriver with cork protector.

10. A pair of nail scissors with cork protector.  

11. Chain connector aid. I've only used this once but it was really useful! It acts as a third pair of hands for when you're joining the two ends of a chain. I have this one.

12. Spoke wrench for tightening spokes after fitting.

13. Small allen key. This was specifically for the rear derailleur limit screws on my touring bike. My multi-tool would not have been able to tighten these screws and when the chain jumped beyond the smallest cog, it was one of the limit screws I had to adjust to resolve the issue so I was glad I'd thought to take this tool.

14. Pliers. Invaluable and used several times.

That's it! Your needs and priorities may vary, of course.