In my last article I talked about what to look for in your pre-ride inspection. In this article I want to illustrate a few useful tools that everyone should carry with them while out on the trails.
Basic Tool Kit:
Tire Levers
Tire levers are a tool that will help you quickly remove the tire from the bead. These are quite helpful when fixing a flat. I would highly encourage everyone to carry a pair. You can pick up a set (of 2) for around $5.
Spare Tube
Carrying a spare tube is good idea just in case you get a flat on the trail. If you don’t want to carry a spare tube you could opt to carry a small patch kit instead. I would recommend carrying both. When buying a tube, however, make sure that you have the right size tube for your tire.
Mini Pump
Carrying a small portable mini pump is good practice. If you get a flat you will need to be able to inflate it before you ride back. Just make sure the pump you buy fits the type of valve you have on your tube. Again if you don’t want to carry a pump, you can carry small c02 cartridges. These will inflate your tube very quickly, but are a one-and-done type deal.
Multi tool
I always carry a multi tool when I ride. Look for one that has a chain break and allen wrenches in 2, 4,5, and 6mm. The chain break is an important tool in the event that your chain breaks and you need to replace on section. This tool will save you a tremendous amount of hassle (if you have it). The 4 allen wrenches should fit all the screws on your bike. You may want to test your multi tool out, prior to riding, to determine if all your allen wrenches fit all the screws. Optional tools you may want to consider would be screwdrivers (both flathead and philip’s).
Small first aid kit
This is just a basic list of tools that I think are essential to carry on all your rides. Having these extra few tools can help you get back on the trail if you encounter a flat tire, or provide basic first aid if you or someone you’re with gets hurt.
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