There was a time when every bike tool I owned fit into my mom’s 1970s Carradice bike touring bag. And then I bought a headset press. And then I bought a bench-mounted vice. And then I bought a truing stand.
Still, every time I’m headed on the road with my bike I blow the dust off the Carradice and raid my toolbox for every tool and widget I’ve ever needed when riding other places. I even have an extra Shimano crank preloading cap because a buddy somehow managed to lose his once.
Whether it’s an easter trip with my friends, visiting family for a few days, or Cumberlandworx, here’s a basic Tool Bag Wars breakdown of what’s coming along. Thanks to my friends breaking stuff, losing stuff, and showing up with poorly maintained bikes for the endless inspiration. Thanks to The Clairebarian for taking photos.
Claire suggested we need some black & white photos.
Toe-clip strap handles do double duty assisting with SRAM or RaceFace crankarm removal.
Yes, I should probably give the straps some love.
I bring along one spare brake with a long enough hose to be run as a rear, or coiled up as a front.
That’s all the everything. All our personal bikes, including my #1FG, run on 11-speed chains.
I have what I need to service a SRAM, Hayes, Magura brakes – which covers our three bikes.
If you’ve never needed ISO for a late night or early morning bike service… well… maybe you’ve needed it for other stuff?
The King Grease container is a handy size, I’m now wondering if Stan’s has an expiry date, and the Pro X Regular bottle was more full that the WT-1 we had at home.
I have a couple of ACRE tool rolls, which come stuck with their packs but are overkill for most riders’ on-trail tool needs. I was going to say the tools and bits get “organized” into these but that may be a criminal exaggeration.
#MandatoryKnipex. Would it be tool bag wars without a pair of Knipex pliers? The Estwing hammer was abandoned in a locker at the self-storage place I worked at while going to school. It was old and rusty 20 years ago.
All the things in bag one. The bits on the left are punches. The block tool next to the Knipex is for my Trickstuff Eccentric BB. I can’t believe how many times someone in a group I’m traveling with has needed a headset spacer. The rest is probably self-explanatory.
I always travel with a spacer cog for my single-speed. It’s one of those things you probably can’t buy in a shop. This hinge-clamp friction-mode thumb shifter is the universal key to anyone’s broken shifter woes… as long as they use a cable system.
Chain breaker, quick link pliers, plastic tire levers, rotor straightening tool, brake-line wrench, tire plugs, and every hex-key, torx-key, and screwdriver size I need. Oh, rim-dent puller tool.
I forget the tubeless valve rasp and the back-up quick links.
Full-sized 6mm and 8mm hex wrenches, chain whip, Crombie cassette tool, and a good sized file. Welcome to ACRE bag #2.
I usually carry a couple more common BB tools, but this one covers Claire and Nina. I also have brake pads for everyone but me – I couldn’t get a spare set in time. Yes, I have needed a dropper remote on a trip before.
If I’m going to be trimming zip-ties I have to have my OLFA knife on hand.
Spoke nipples, housing ends, tubeless valve stems & cores, and a couple of long bolts and bevelled washers for disc brake adapters.
This Crankbrothers floor pump had one of those tubeless-inflating tanks but Claire killed it, and the warranty replacement, playing with the actuator handle when she was three-years-old. The pump itself has been awesome.
It probably comes as no surprise to anyone who knows me that I also have at least two rolls of Gorilla Tape somewhere in the truck. Beyond that, I update my travel trunk on a whim while packing or whenever something comes up that I can’t sort tool-wise.
I’m not bringing along extra tires, wheels, etc. But, beyond actual bicycle components, it’s been enough of a shop away from the shop to sort me, and friends and family, out of much mechanical mayhem over the years.
