Phil (ascentale)@bobjonkman wonders about what's in your kit (as in tool bag)?
Q3. What's in your kit?
(As in tool bag, inspired by https://sfba.social/@goldenmeanie@mastodon.publicinterest.town/113727960267325177 Can you share any photos of it?)
@bobjonkman A3. I’m attempting to recall this from memory as I won’t have my bag in front of me for a little while:
- Topeak mini multi tool
- spare inner tube
- patch kit (glue type)
- tire levers
- piece of old tire (to use as a boot)
- energy bar wrappers (for a lighter boot)
- random bits of trash that I never cleaned out from previous road repairs
There’s got to be more, but this is all I remember at the moment!
Solarbird 
@ascentale @bobjonkman A3: A decent (if old) bike-specific multitool that handles all my absolute requirements for getting going again, a spare tube, some tyre levers, an air dispenser , two air cartridges (one in the dispenser), a tube glue repair kit, and a spare tube.
If those won't do it I'm pretty much out of luck. xD
gene x@moira @ascentale @bobjonkman I feel like such a slacker for having no kit at all. I have tools and stuff but don't bring them with me. I probably should since I almost always have at least my backpack with me
@genex @ascentale @bobjonkman For me the key part is always how to make it into a single pack that can live in my frame so I can ignore it until I need it.
Part of that trick though is "yes, redundancy in tools is okay."
@moira @ascentale @bobjonkman cool thx! I park my bike on the street a lot so would want something that I don't leave on my bike (I do leave a plastic trash bag and/or specific rubber seat cover under my seat for when it's rainy but that's about it "on" my bike)
@genex @ascentale @bobjonkman ah yeah that'd be a problem.
Still, having a separate pack that's a single-hand grab is a lot lower barrier to entry than finding and collecting all the bits before you leave.
@moira @ascentale @bobjonkman definitely - actually I got this tool roll gift thing from a friend a while back. I should just stash that in my backpack if I can find it!
Iris Young (he/they/she) (PhD)@genex @moira @ascentale @bobjonkman yep -- one self contained thing you can shove in whatever you're carrying is the way to go. Keep it with your helmet!
Daniel James@ascentale @bobjonkman #BikeNite #BikeNiteA I made a tool roll as well! Pics with annotations https://thzinc.com/2024/09/04/a-bike-tool-roll-made-from-a-canvas-bag.html
Frank Bennett 🇯🇵@ascentale @bobjonkman A3: My "bag" is a clamshell that fits in a bottle holder. It contains ... let's see ... needlenose pliers, a stubby Philips screwdriver, tire patches, a scrap of sandpaper, a tiny tube of rubber cement, a spoke wrench, tire irons, three hex keys, two wrenches (10mm and 8mm), and a Presta-to-Dunlop pump clip. I also carry a spare tube on tours.
#bikeNite
#bikeNite
Sean Reynolds@ascentale @bobjonkman #BikeNite A3. Aside from a bike tool, I have a spare tube stuffed in the frame of my folding bike (just in case, it's an unusual size, so good to have a spare), a handful of zip ties, and chargers for my lights.
@saltbaygull @ascentale @bobjonkman Oooo, zip ties. Good idea! I should add those. I think I have room for some small ones.
Weldon BradstreetThe entire tool kit I carry when coaching, because students (and other coaches) can break their bikes in creative ways...
Tire levers, patch kit, bike-specific multitool, old Leatherman multitool, chain breaker, and quick link pliers. Not pictured: chain lube, spare innertube, work gloves, and cable ties.
#BikeNite
Daigoro Toyama 
@ascentale @bobjonkman A3: Here's the one for my road bike. I've got a Topeak tool case that holds a multitool, a tire pump, a repair kit and a cafe lock. The lock goes in the left pocket of the tool case. The rest goes in the right one.
My other, do-it-all bike (still) has clinchers, for which I've got a spare tube and a tire lever instead of the repair kit. (Not in the picture.)
Pamela Schure@daihard @ascentale @bobjonkman Very nice and organized. I should look for a small bag instead of having it all rattle around in my front handle bag where it competes with brownies and other snacks. Not a great combo, I’ll admit. #bikenite
@PamelaSchure @ascentale @bobjonkman Thanks. I did think about getting a front handlebar bag, but that would have conflicted with my bar-mounted phone mount + headlight underneath. I do have a small frame bag that sits on the top tube where I keep my keys, masks and energy bars (when needed). #BikeNite
Alex Waggoner@ascentale @bobjonkman A3 I'm still in the process of buying gear so this isn't the most efficient way to do things. I'm definitely looking for ideas. Here's what I have:
15 mm spanner (Yes the actual full-size tool)
3 tire levers
A spare inner tube
A little hand pump
The idea is if I have a flat I can get home and patch it there. #bikenite
Jordan Sissel@ascentale @bobjonkman A3: zip ties, tire levers that combine into a quick-link pliers, CO2, dynaplugs, ratchet w/ screw bits, asthma inhaler, small pump. Also not pictured: spare quicklinks, spare tubes in frame storage, bandaids, nitrile gloves, soap in a tiny spray bottle. #BikeNite
AI6YR Ben@ascentale @bobjonkman #BikeNite A3. First aid kit. Zip ties. Pocket hex wrench tool. Tire levers. Spare tire. Dunno what else I need, I'm new at this too!
@ai6yr @ascentale @bobjonkman you’re the only one with a first aid kit, so probably wiser than most!
@PamelaSchure @ai6yr @ascentale @bobjonkman It was Ben's posts that got me moving to add a first aid kit to my own tourer. It's in a separate bag.
Wulfy—Speaker to the machines@fgbjr @PamelaSchure @ai6yr @ascentale @bobjonkman
Aka
Boo boo kit.
I'm dilly dallying myself whether I should get a tourniquet, but apparently the cheap ones kill and the good ones are like $100+
If I ever have to use one, the poor bastard gets my belt and a leather man and MAYBE they won't bleed out before the ambo gets there.
@n_dimension @fgbjr @ai6yr @ascentale @bobjonkman When I ran a sawmill (remote South Africa) I sourced some kind of bandage that would keep the person alive so I could get them to a hospital - 45 mins away. It looked like a big piece of gauze with a strong wrap attached. The pharmacist in Paris who sold it to me simply couldn’t imagine not having ambulances on hand. So, you are really unlikely to need something as dramatic as a tourniquet unless you plan to be miles away. Gauze and tape go a long way for most injuries.
@PamelaSchure @n_dimension @fgbjr @ascentale @bobjonkman Yeah, my first aid kit here does not include a tourniquet on the bicycle. It's all small stuff (scratches, cuts, and allergies).
@ascentale @bobjonkman #BikeNite A3. Typically:
- folding multitool of allen and torx keys
- stubby screwdriver with changeable tips in the handle
- needle nose pliers (they're just my favorite tool and I can't live without them)
- adjustable wrench
- patch kit
- spare tube
- hand pump
- tire irons
- nitrile gloves
- zip ties
- greasy rag
edd@ascentale @bobjonkman A3. Two Pedro's tire levers, a spare tube, a wrench that was for my other bike's fenders, a multi-tool for minor adjustments, I think a chain breaker now?, and a patch kit. Out of the tool bag is a small pump for emergencies (metal connector this time!). Should cover just about everything that could go wrong outside of a cable snapping. Which... maybe I should put a few spare cables in there...
Mark Connolly moved to @@ascentale @bobjonkman A3. Up until this year my kit consisted of a phone. Started with a flip phone years ago, and now something more modern. I only needed to call a family member for assistance twice that I can remember. 😀🚴♂️
This year I added a tiny multi-tool. It’s so small that I carry it all the time in my pocket, which means it goes with me on every ride.
Gemma ⭐️🔰🇺🇸 🇵🇭 🎐@ascentale @bobjonkman #BikeNite 20250103 A3. Following on my Q&A from last week, the reason why I carry individual long handle Allen wrenches is because the fold up multitools will not be able to reach through the width of my wheels to reach the adjustment screws of my Tektro mechanical disc brake calipers.
Since I have to carry the long wrenches for that, it simply doesn't make sense for me to carry anything but those, and only the sizes that are actually on my bicycle: 3, 4, 5, 6 mm.
Twobiscuits🚴♂️ 
@gcvsa @ascentale @bobjonkman A3 I think this is a really important point: only carry tools that will do the actual job on your bike, ie test whether they will reach all the screws of the relevant sizes.
Ideally a road toolkit (a realistic one for touring) would contain one long, strong handle and all the relevant business ends would attach to it. Even better if it had a single drive dimension for bits and sockets instead of having 3/8" bits and 1/4" sockets.
Topeak make a ratchet set and I have a Wera Zyklop Mini 2.
@twobiscuits @ascentale @bobjonkman Yes, my toolkit would be much different if I were riding more than 10 Km from home, but I never do.
rand ❌👑@ascentale @bobjonkman A3. Ooo, a mini version of what’s in your pack, or your tool box :-)
In a saddle bag, I have always carried:
1. Tire gauge (and frame pump)
2. Tire levers
3. Spare tube & patch kit
4. Various hex wrenches, screw drivers, and a crescent wrench (now replace with this cool wolf tooth multi tool).
5. Bandaids (rarely if ever used).
Recently I’ve added
6. Chain breaker and spare quick link, as I recently broke my second chain in like two years…)
7. Disk brake pads
8. Disk brake spacers
9. AirTag
10. Massive battery (I don’t like having my phone die on me, I don’t know how I rode for years before they existed…)
The second tube is because I had a long ride planned, and if you get a flat you can’t patch, you longer have a spare, and tpu tubes are small).
I need to add a knife! #BikeNite
In a saddle bag, I have always carried:
1. Tire gauge (and frame pump)
2. Tire levers
3. Spare tube & patch kit
4. Various hex wrenches, screw drivers, and a crescent wrench (now replace with this cool wolf tooth multi tool).
5. Bandaids (rarely if ever used).
Recently I’ve added
6. Chain breaker and spare quick link, as I recently broke my second chain in like two years…)
7. Disk brake pads
8. Disk brake spacers
9. AirTag
10. Massive battery (I don’t like having my phone die on me, I don’t know how I rode for years before they existed…)
The second tube is because I had a long ride planned, and if you get a flat you can’t patch, you longer have a spare, and tpu tubes are small).
I need to add a knife! #BikeNite
@rand @ascentale @bobjonkman adding some of these to my list... I do carry the battery pack and forgot to mention it because it's not with my tools, it's just in my bag whenever and wherever I go!
I need to learn how to work with disc brakes. I had rim brakes for so long and could change those out myself, but I have disc brakes now and don't know hardly anything about them.
Bob JonkmanHere I am, a whole week's #BikeNite late in answering my own question... A3: Here's my #BikeBag, what's in the side pouch, the contents of the patch kits, and what's in the main bag. Missing are the lights and odometer, which are in my helmet hanging up in the hallway. The fully loaded bag probably weighs 5kg or 11lbs, at least as much as a bag of potatoes. I should really cut down on what I carry,..
Edit: Full details in the #AltText!
@bobjonkman wow! Look at those levers!
The "fiets lepels" (bike spoons), along with the Simson patch kit, were a present from my grandfather, back in 1972. And I have no idea how long he had them in his bike shed before that...
My grandfather worked at bicycle maker Fongers in Groningen, Netherlands for a while. He had the most marvellous bike shed, full of tools and gadgets. He was riding a "brommer" (moped) when I knew him, and had a setup of bottles and cans all hooked together with hoses and valves that he used to mix the gasoline and oil for the brommer. I'm sure the fumes made the whole thing an out-of-body experience, and my dad always wondered that he didn't blow up the whole neighbourhood.