UKC

My wife heads off on long bike rides, reasonably poorly equipped for any problems. Her Alpkit handlebar bag has some patches but rarely a pump, a cheap fold out tool. I'd like to get her some bits for a more reliable setup should she have a problem.

Anyone recommend a better selection of kit. I was thinking a better quality tool, CO2 cartridges and adapter. Her wheels won't take tubeless, so I did think about new wheels.

I don't ride tubeless either, I have the following bits in my saddle bag on all rides:

-Lezyne minipump max 11 bar. Does really well

-BBB folding tool size S. Has all the hex keys you'd need to swap tubes on most bikes and do a lot of other things, such as derailleur adjustment etc. 

-Tyre levers

-Patch kit

-Spare tube(s) (depending on ride length 1 or 2)

I have thought about tubeless but it has always seemed a bit of a faff to me, and I honestly have never thought my tubed tyres were under-equipped -  and I ride quite a bit of gravel and single track. 

I don't get the appeal of CO2 inflators, if you have persistent issues then you'll run out of cartridges fairly quickly.  With a pump and a set of patches you could handle over a dozen punctures before running low on rubber.

I carry instant patches, real patches and glue, tyre levers, pump, hex keys, adjustable spaniel, chain tool and leatherman.  Decent tyre levers make a big difference if you have tight tyres.

adjustable spaniel

I don't think this is common practice though

Phillip:

How competent is your wife, will these tools be of use to her?

Minimum for me (for non tubeless) would be multitool inc chain tool, spare link for chain, spare inner tube, patches, tissues, zip tie, pump, good quality tyre levers.

I think CO2 is useful in a race or similar situation but not for everyday riding.

Agree, with all those; particularly the chain tool and chain quick links.  Note that the chain quick links need to be the correct type for the chain ie 11spd, 10spd, 9spd.

other than that I normally take both glue and glue less patches, and a tyre boot (essentially a tyre patch).  Plus disposable gloves to limit the mess.
 

Always mused about a spate rear mech hanger…
 

I was amazed and impressed when a mate recently pulled out a universal emergency mech hanger a while back and popped it onto one of our bikes.  It just jams under the QR, not perfect but gets you home.
https://www.planetx.co.uk/products/jobsworth-emergency-rear-derailleur-hang...

far from essential if you have a repair kit or a spare inner tube but I bought what Decathlon call a 'Universal Puncture Repair Spray' which fixes punctures without having to change the inner tube, probably not very ecological but a quick fix when the weather is grim - see https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/universal-puncture-repair-spray-nozzle/_/R-p-... . Interestingly its only €5 in France.

I see someone has recomended disposalable gloves, a largish piece of cloth (cotton works well) is also useful to clean things (including your hands) 

I like a pair of long nosed pliers for changing with my brake pads, awkward valves, bending stuff etc. Not a particular shiny Christmas present though. 

A Mini Fumpa.

It turns fixing a flat into an entertainment.  It starts with "What's that?", followed by "Where can I get one?".

No hand pump effort.  No CO2 "I've got one shot at this...."

I've had a minifumpa for a few years.  Inflates about 2.5 road bike tyres to about 80-90 psi.  Being air, they don't deflate again overnight.

Nanofumpa is new - don't know much about them.

https://www.fumpapumps.co.uk/collections/fumpa-pumps

I'd add a spoke key and valve tool/ spare valve - both take up no space and weigh next to nothing. If you bend/ snap a valve when changing a tube/ pumping a tyre up then it's easier to change the valve than the whole tube. 

I've also had gear cables snap more than once - so again a spare weighs nothing - but as with a spoke key and chain tool some practice at home beforehand is better than fumbling around trying to work out what to do/ how to do it when a long way from home

We have something like that. Amusingly I've seen her go out with repair patches and an electric pump, but no tyre levers.

I've just spotted the Alpkit 20 in 1 is on offer. Will pop that in for her. If nothing else it can go in my bike packing kit. I do ride tubeless, and have a decent amount of tools when I go out with the kids, but she won't usually take my stuff she wants her own compact setup.

This is all about pragmatism. Short of taking a workshop full of tools and/or spare bike, then you can't cover every eventuality. For day rides I try to make sure I can tighten anything that gets loose, break and re-make a chain and fix punctures. I mostly ride road and gravel, for a MTB you might want to add more.

For tightening things and breaking a chain I have a crank brothers m17 or 19 I think.
It will do all the bolts on my bike, including thru-axles and spokes, and the chain tool is usable. Take a quick link appropriate to your chain and you can at least shorten it as a fix to get you home.

For fixing punctures, I take a tube, stick-on lezyne patch kit (which includes a boot) and a pump. If you want a bigger boot then just cut an old tyre to the length you want. I don't mess about with CO2 - my pump doesn't run out and besides, pumping up the tyre is the least annoying and time consuming part of the process. I don't try to patch a tube at the roadside - just whip out the old tube, check for sharp things in the tyre and stick the new tube in. If I puncture again, then I patch it. If I don't, then I patch it properly with vulcanising solution at home. A decent pump makes a big difference - I have a Topeak Racerocket which is great. You can achieve a decent pressure and having a short hose to connect to the valve means you have less chance of breaking the valve. If you want, then add decent tyre levers or even better a tyre glider (google it). I ride clinchers with tubes.

One thing to consider, particularly in winter, is some emergency lights. As small as possible, just for being seen whilst you get home. I have a set which attach with a velcro strap and run on button cells, meaning they are tiny, and I don't have to worry about them losing charge. I never aim to use them, but often take them just in case my main lights fail.

Other than that, duck tape, sturdy zip ties and some wire are helpful, but I don't usually take them. It's not foolproof though - if your freehub breaks then you'll be walking home, regardless of how many tools you carry. Maybe a super-light windproof vest for while she's waiting to be picked up might be helpful.

Finally, none of the tools really help if you don't know how to use them, or don't know how your bike works. If she's a keen cyclist, then maybe a maintenence course might be the best present you could give her!

Some great ideas so far! I'd add a 40g bar or mintcake and pack of handwarmers. Just a 'stocking filler' but getting delayed, dealing with a puncture (or worse) in winter can leave you chilled and a bit under-coordinated. The small mintcake can practically live with your tools, has a long shelf-life, doesn't burst and is compact, yet enough to make a difference to how you feel and replace the 'cost' of the stop. The handwarmers can be enough to get your fingers working if the stop is as inconveniently timed as it usually is.

New phone.

First is a phone and credit card for a taxi/train home

Next up puncture repair kit, spare tube. Then a chain tool and a selection of suitable hex keys and spanners, most multi tools will do.

Knowledge

Knowing how to bypass rear mech by taking links out of the chain is v useful, locking you freewheel with a bit of wire or spoke is pretty desperate but works.

I couldn't fix a broken crank arm but managed a 7mile ride home one legged. 

A very small Pac a Mac. Scrunched down it fits in a standard saddle bag. Always good for unexpected change in the weather and you're a long way out.

How about a voucher to spend on a bike mechanic training session ( no point having a tool kit that you can’t use ) ?

That is brilliant. Know a couple of people who had long pushes home when the hanger broke.

Does your wife regularly get punctures? I used to get loads commuting, loads of thorns and other spiky vegetation on my normal route, but since converting to tubeless about a year ago I haven't had any problems. Sometimes I'm aware of sealant bubbling after I've got a hole but it always reseals before there is a big enough pressure loss to really notice. I have once had to use a tubeless repair kit and even that was easy. So a full tubeless wheelset could be a great present, no that cheap mind

Thinking of things I carry on long audaxes and multi-day races:

Tubes x 2

Spare valve cores & removal tool

Pump

Levers x 3 (none of them green - made that mistake before!)

Self-adhesive patches

Proper vulcanising patches

Zip ties

PVC tape

Multi tool (one with screwdriver bits & knife/scissors as well as hexs)

Chain tool & spare links

Spoke key & maybe spare spokes & nipples

Crank extraction tool (to free jammed chains etc - Shimano Hollowtech cranks so this is actually just a light bit of plastic)

Spare gear cable

Spare mech hanger

Spare cleat

Power pack & cables (for phones, lights, head unit etc)

Maybe a whole spare tyre

Fantastic post full of great advice, some of which is not so well known, but deserves to be. My highlights based on stuff I do too:

Agreed, but a CO2 canister is useful for those riding tubeless.

this, a million times

emphasis on the *decent*.... because crap ones are really crap

I keep a strip of duct tape taped under my saddle, very useful for fixing rips in tyres

Bulky but can be worth its weight in gold.

Finally, I would add:

* gear cable

* tubeless repair kit for those riding tubeless.

In fact I would add to the last statement and say that going tubeless is one guaranteed way to having fewer 'mechanical stops' in general, as puncturing is a much less frequent occurence.

I use a CO2 inflator for commuting. I work in a University, so we have bike repair stations around campus. The inflator is usually enough to get me to one of those stations, and isn't too big when I also have a bag full of spare clothes and a laptop. Additionally, it's a 4 mile ride and on a train line, so it if the worst comes to the worst I can walk it or hop on the train.

For longer rides, I completely agree - I would rather have a pump!

Give her a One-Year Written Undertaking:

'I Hereby Pledge to come and get you no matter what and without moaning or passing judgement'.

• Patches/glue (tyre levers depending on bike)
• Tyre boot
• Lezyne micropump miniHP (road) / Blackburn Mountain Air (MTB - higher volume pump)
• CO2 and a couple of cartridges*
• few hex keys + mini chain breaker (road bike) / Topeak Mini 18+ multi-tool (mtb)
• Spare tube - 2 if very long ride
• Spare rear mech hanger (MTB)
• chain links
• Leatherman (MTB)

Might take a few more bits if it's a long day mountain biking somewhere remote, but otherwise, if I can't fix it with that, then I'll be on the phone.

* - you can get some hybrid pumps that will use CO2 but also allow you to pump if you run them out, e.g. I've got a Genuine Innovations second wind pump that does this, but it's a bit long and needs a bracket on the bike, so I only really use it strapped to a bag when touring.

Cheers Alun. I will defer to your knowledge around tubeless - I've not taken the plunge. I don't commute by bike any more, but when I did I had schwalbe marathon plus tyres and I don't recall ever getting a puncture. 

Regarding tyre levers, I find the blue park tools ones light and strong. If you swap out a gear cable, what do you do with the long dangling end? Do you just tape it to something? 

Most of my riding is road or gravel, and I've had 2 punctures in the last maybe 7 years. In fact, the last time I did puncture my spare tube was useless as it had been folded in my saddlebag so long that it had perished at the folds! For those bikes I have decent quality tyres, but always light and supple (28mm Conti GP 5000, 38mm Teravail Washburn) and for the last 2 years I've been using latex tubes. Either I don't ride enough, or Dick Dastardly has been doing his work in the UK. I did have a complete blow-out, but that was on our 25kg Dutch bike with a kid in a bike seat on the back and was... err... not patchable. In Germany, if you are a member of the ADFC (basically German CTC equivalent), they offer a roadside assistance service as part of the membership.  

One thing I forgot to mention that I do take is a teeny-tiny lock. It's just a small combination padlock and very thin (think marginally thicker than a brake cable) plastic coated cable ca. 60cm long. It weighs nothing but certainly gives piece of mind when I pop into a shop for 10 minutes in a longer ride. 

Why, just take some links out of the chain and ride single speed. 

Have to admit, although it now seems obvious, they never thought of it, (nor would I even though I carry a split link and a chain splitter). 

What mechanicals is your wife comfortable fixing on the road? Perhaps as a Christmas present, a course on bike maintenance if she lacks confidence.