[phoehn9111]

OK, so I have graduated this year to not wearing a camelback on B+
group rides. I am now using two 25 oz bottles\cages as per the general
concensus. Would there be any basis to packing my C02, inner tube
and tool kit in each of the three rear pockets in my jersey? Any ideas
on how this could be made to work, or is this also a faux pas?

 

[plume]

I don't see where else they would go minus a seat bag? I use a seat bag and jersey pockets. I have enough "camel bak time" on the mountain bike. Any chance I get to NOT carry a back pack I take.

Also I carry a co2 and pump just in case the co2 fails. don't forget a chain tool either.

 

[phoehn9111]

But, what I mean is how can you make sure the stuff isn't just bouncing out
of the pockets all the time, like any ideas on how to secure it. I know, rediculous.

 

[jupiterrn]

No not ridiculous. The elastic at the tops of the pockets and the angle at which you are sitting are usually enough to keep things from flying out. I carry most of the stuff you mentioned in a seatbag and my camera and stuff like that in my jersey pockets.

 

[funknuggets]

I ride all the time. If I ride longer, I may take an extra tube or another CO2... .but here is what I take... on ALL rides.

Cell phone.
A few dollars
spare tube(s)
Co2(s)
tire tools
food (gu or powerbar) ... ride dependent.

I MIGHT take a multi-tool. But rarely... like once a year do if Im doing something where I will be way out... like 200k ish.

 

[Cory]

What's wrong with using a seat bag?

You can carry anything you want anywhere you want--who's going to know, and anyway, who'd care, and if anybody did care, why would YOU care what they thought? Jesus Christ, it's a bicycle jersey, not a shrine.
Having said that, though, I use a seat bag because I don't like stuff bouncing around in my jersey pockets. Sometimes I take a handlebar bag, too, depending on the length of the trip and the weather.
Has cycling really become so fashion-forward that people worry they may have the wrong things in their pockets, or be carrying their patch kit in a socially unacceptable manner? Seemed to be headed that way last time I paid attention, but I haven't paid much attention lately...

 

[ericm979]

I use a small seat bag for tube and tools. Pump goes in a bracket on the bike.

I prefer to have that stuff on the bike because that way I can't forget it. Walking home because I forgot my pump is something I only have done once.

It also leaves more room in the jersey pockets for clothes and food.

I leave my seat bag and pump on the bike for races and no one's ever said a word to me about it (back in the 80s guys would yell at anyone who showed up at the start line of a crit with a frame pump on their bike but that's because they would fall off and cause a crash. Modern mini pumps are held on more secure and I race masters where there's less yelling).

If you really like your camelback, use it.

 

[Dr_John]

Similarly to others, here's what I carry in a Specialized mini wedgie seat bag, which has worked very well for me:

1) Spare tube
2) Two CO2 cartridges and Innovations Microflate Nano inflator
3) Two tire levers
4) Topeak mini 6 multi-tool
5) Park Tools tire boot
6) Park Tools patches
7) tape
8) small cloth
9) $40

And there's room to stuff more stuff in there if I need to. Sometimes extra gel packs.

I carry my cellphone in a pocket.

I like my pockets as free as possible so I can carry a lot of food, extra water, etc. in them on long remote rides

 

[Kerry Irons]

Chain tool?

don't forget a chain tool either.

It must be just me, but in over 40 years and 300,000 miles of road riding, I've not had a chain failure. Based on that, I don't carry a chain tool. YMMV

 

[Bill Silverman]

I've gotten by with a teensy saddle bag with these essentials:

spare inner tube
tire levers
CO2 inflater and extra cartridge
5mm allen wrench
10 dollar bill

Depending on whether you're riding in a group or riding solo, you might want to stuff one or two other items in your jersey pockets. I usually throw in another CO2 cartridge, my cell phone, house keys, and a pack of Gu or a Clif Bar. I figure if I'm in real trouble I could always call my wife on the cell phone to bail me out.

 

[Dajianshan]

Got's to be safe:

1) Identification (Ya know...just in case)
2) Park Tool mini 6
3) Park Tool Tire levers and patches
4) Mini-Pump
5) Money
6) Cell Phone
7) Cat Eye Light
8) Inner tube

 

[fakeplastic]

yeah... i throw in a couple little strap-on lights from knog in case i'm out after dark unexpectedly.

 

[phoehn9111]

Hard to find a good hooker for $40.00, much less $10.00.

Thanks for the input, I am going to use a cylindrical plastic can with a screw on lid in the center pocket. I agree that it would be more proactive to keep one's chain lubed and fresh and the risk of chain failure would be fairly minute. I just can't get with the idea of a seat
bag, at least on my fast bike, but I will get one for my steel tourer.

 

[rkb]

Multi tools are worthless.

Especially those Swiss Army-ish jobs with 17 tools. Ok, yes they look cool and I have lingered in the multi tool section for a while. But, give this some thought when you pack your seat bag.

Two wrenches, only two, a 5mm and a 4mm Allen wrench.

5mm-
headset preload cap
F/R derailluer cable bolt
F derailluer clamp band
R derailluer fixing bolt
F/R brake cable bolt
F/R brake caliper bolt

4mm
stem bolts
stem faceplate bolts
seatpost clamp bolt
brake pad bolts

 

[John Nelson]

You're going to put a can in your jersey pocket?

It's very rare for anything to fall out of a jersey pocket unless it wasn't stowed well in the first place. And that mostly happens when you hastily stuff gloves or arm warmers in the pockets while moving. At any rate, those are the most common two things I see lying by the side of the road.

 

[zac]

Yeah, forget the chain tool...like Kerry, I easily have +300k over 35 years in the saddle and have only had ONE chain incident. That is what a cell phone is made for. And that was my fault, not a chain failure.

I do carry a multitool, you never know when you are going to knock your bars or saddle out after a crash, the 3/4/5mm hex is just plain necessary.

I will give a plug for the Park tire boots. Started using them last summer, and this Spring I got a chance to finally use not one but two of them on the road and they do work...very well...much better than other alternatives (and I have tried many).

ID, med card, old MV license or photocopy of same, Road ID, whatever you choose...a must.

•Inflator: I use CO2, so 2 or 3 threaded 16oz cartridges (depending on ride) with just the Proflate head...I prewrap the cartridges with cloth med tape, (you will appreciate that fact in the summer when a cartridge freezes to your hand, also can be used for wounds, see below
•spare tube(s) (pretalc them and keep them in a ziplock bag to protect them)
•two tire levers (in the heat of the summer or dead of winter) very sweaty hands or numb fingers are often incapable of starting the tire off the rim.
•multi-tool (I think it is a workforce one)
•patchkit (the Park mini one is perfect)
•tire boot(s) (as mentioned the Park one is good)
•presta to schrader adaptor (just in case you need a gas station pump)
•Money: I keep $100 rolled up in my bars for emergencies, also a Credit Card, and cash.
•Cell Phone, and knowledge of LBSs, icecream stands (bananas, water refills), along my routes.
•sterile gauze pad and small packet of bacitracin and two ibuprofens (med tape on cartridges comes in handy here, if needed)
•house key
•cell phone (one with mapping is great, GPS is a bonus)
•plastic ziplock bag. I keep my stuff in small zip bags, partly to keep them dry on wet days, but I always keep my cell phone in one in my back pocket.

I fit all this into a the small Trek saddle bag (except for the cell phone). On much longer rides, I have a mid size bag that I use with extra tubes and cartridges.

HTH
zac

 

[ericm979]

I've ridden at least 60,000 miles and never had a chain issue. I do have a multitool that has a chain tool on it, and it's been used-- by a friend whose chain developed a stiff link during a rainy century.

The tool is a very small and light one that is no longer made. I went years carrying just a couple allen keys as tools.

Tires that you have to throw out because they got sliced can make good boots. Just cut a section out and cut off the beads.

Recently someone told me that they make boots out of old race numbers. They're made from Tyvek which is pretty tough. I haven't tried one yet but it ought to work well and it's even smaller and lighter than a boot cut from old tire.

 

[zac]

I've ridden at least 60,000 miles and never had a chain issue. I do have a multitool that has a chain tool on it, and it's been used-- by a friend whose chain developed a stiff link during a rainy century.

The tool is a very small and light one that is no longer made. I went years carrying just a couple allen keys as tools.

Tires that you have to throw out because they got sliced can make good boots. Just cut a section out and cut off the beads.

Recently someone told me that they make boots out of old race numbers. They're made from Tyvek which is pretty tough. I haven't tried one yet but it ought to work well and it's even smaller and lighter than a boot cut from old tire.

As I said, give the Park Tire boots a try: Couple of things with tyvek or old tires, or dollar bills or whatever, they are not adhesive, so the tire will buldge as the tube pushes through the cut, or the boot itself will cause the buldge. While you will get home, you are constantly worried about the blowout, and the thump, thump, thump....

The Parks are adhesive and very thin and tough. As I said, I was pleasantly surprised how well they worked and held up. To the point were they held a significant side to tread gash together with barely a noticeable change in texture on the outside.

Sure other things work, but I am old and tired of jury rigging a cut tire. These things are cheap and they work as advertised. Talking to someone who has gone through 2 tires in the last couple of weeks...argh.

zac

 

[crj]

+1 on Park boots. I too suffered a side gash and was amazed at how well it worked without a bulge.

 

[funknuggets]

I ride ~6K miles a year give or take 1k, I have... broken ONE shimano ultegra chain when climbing, out of saddle. I got a slight warning... it gave a click click click, phantom shift, then gone... very nearly causing an octave raising experience. Even so... I feel they are not worthwhile on a ride and would never carry one. Luckily I was only 2mi from home.

Bah... if you make sure and keep your stuff in good shape and replace your chains every once in a while you will be fine. I keep my chains pretty clean and rarely have the need to take them off. I believe its those that take their chains off frequently that will find a higher probability of chain failure.