What to take in your emergency kit

[mjr]

I have a Topeak Roadmorph attached to the underside of the top tube.

On the particular bike I'm considering, putting the pump under the top tube results in insufficient clearance to get a water bottle out. I could get a side-entry cage as well but I'm interested in bottle-side fitting too.

 

[Roadhump]

Why?

To be fair, that is a good question and makes me realise that perhaps I only do it because the size of my bike bag means I don't have to worry about the extra bulk. I used to take an extra tee shirt in case I wanted an extra layer and I took the waterproof jacket with me once in case it rained, but then left them in my bag because they cushion my D lock and stop it clanking round. The jacket wasn't that good, it was a cheap one from Sports Direct, has no ventilation and fills up with sweat rapidly so I bought a new one and left that in my bag. Having said that, it could come in handy, such as this morning when I was fooled by the sunshine and went out too lightly dressed and had to turn back and add another layer. I carry extra gloves / mitts because it is a convenient place to keep them, and when the weather is unpredictable it is useful to be able to change to a heavier or lighter pair, depending on how cool or warm it is.

I can't carry the same volume of stuff on my road bike so when using that I have to be better prepared, but on my hybrid, I suppose I can so I do.

 

[si_c]

On the particular bike I'm considering, putting the pump under the top tube results in insufficient clearance to get a water bottle out. I could get a side-entry cage as well but I'm interested in bottle-side fitting too.

I've got a Lezyne Road ABS mini pump, with the flex hose attachment. It's good for getting up to 100psi without much effort and it has a mount that sits under a bottle cage so it's out of the way. The mount is quite compact too so you've no risk of striking the pump with your feet.

 

[mjr]

I've got a Lezyne Road ABS mini pump, with the flex hose attachment. It's good for getting up to 100psi without much effort and it has a mount that sits under a bottle cage so it's out of the way. The mount is quite compact too so you've no risk of striking the pump with your feet.

The plastic under-cage mount snapped. Norfolk roads are that rough. I'm wondering whether to try again and buy a new similar mount, or whether to fix the pump in a different way.

 

[si_c]

The plastic under-cage mount snapped. Norfolk roads are that rough. I'm wondering whether to try again and buy a new similar mount, or whether to fix the pump in a different way.

On a different bike I just used zip ties and a bit of insulating tape. I ride pretty rough roads, including some farm tracks and bridle paths on my road bike, and I don't tend to slow down much when doing so either, so it's a fairly robust way of carrying them. I always carry half a dozen or more zip ties and tape in my saddle bag anyway so even if I need to use it, I can always refix it later.

 

[Salad Dodger]

Only by straps, or in some sort of bracket? If only straps, doesn't it scuff up your frame? (I'm interested because I'm currently looking for how to go saddlebagless and rackbagless on one bike and the pump is too big for handlebar or top tube bags.)

Only secured by the Velcro straps. The pump is a small no-name plastic one (probably from Decathlon, as that's where much of my gear comes from) and the bike is a black painted Rockrider MTB. I haven't noticed any damage to the paintwork, but I guess if you were worried you could put some old inner tube over the contact points on the pump to "cushion" it. This idea has only just occurred to me as I type this.......

 

[nickyboy]

On the particular bike I'm considering, putting the pump under the top tube results in insufficient clearance to get a water bottle out. I could get a side-entry cage as well but I'm interested in bottle-side fitting too.

Interesting...my bottles are 1 litre so about as big as you're going to get. It's a bit of a squeeze to get the back bottle under the pump but as you can see in the photo, it can be done. I guess you have quite a different frame geometry

 

[TheDon94]

In BBB 750ml equivalent tool tube

Tyre levers
Spare house key
Tube
Co2 pump + 2x 16g threaded co2s
Multitool
Chain tool + spare link
Might even be a pair of surgical gloves

Phone in pocket for any non fixable emergency.

What and where can i get one of these?

 

[youngoldbloke]

What and where can i get one of these?

Just Google 'tool bottle' or 'bottle cage tool bottle' - lots available from the usual suppliers. I prefer the zipped version that hinges open, usually with netted compartment to keep things secure. Much easier to access the contents.

 

[froze]

Obviously you are getting a lot of opinions and they're all good you just have to figure out what will work best for you.

Me personally, because I ride into remote areas, some of which have no cell phone service, I carry whatever I think I need that gives me the best chance to repair common stuff and get home without bugging my wife.

So what I carry in both unless otherwise noted (one medium and one large for the touring bike) Topeak Aero Wedge bags (one road and one for touring) is:
Spare folding tire folded very tightly (only in the touring bag).
Spare tube (one I've patched up with glueless patches several times, in it's box to prevent punctures).
Glueless patches (which if done correctly will last the life of the tube, plus no surprise dry glue tube, but to be safe I replace mine at the beginning of each season to make sure the self stick glue is fresh; I also only use Park glueless patches because I know those work and some don't; these go into the Altoids tin).
Glueless tire boot (these do not self stick real long, so if I want a permanent repair I put 1 or 2 drops of Gorilla glue close to the middle of the patch so the glue doesn't spread out and attach the tube to the tire; I also will cut the patch before taking off the backing into thirds and only use a third unless it's a large cut; goes into the Altoid tin).
Small tube of Gorilla glue (great for filling in cuts in tires from the outside as well as the patch explained above).
Soma steel core tire irons (the best irons I've ever used, I have a set in both bags).
QuikStik (great for ripping tires off rims fast).
Var tire lever (only in the touring bike because the steel beaded tires are hard to put on and this tool makes it all so easy to put the last bit on).
Park MTB 3.2 mini tool (this has a lot of tools, some think too many but it works for a lot of problems, plus I've used it to fix other bikes and even a car once).
Cheap pair of small folding pliers.
Presta to Schrader converter (in case I need to use a Schrader pump, or in case the presta grommet wears out you can flip it to Schrader and pump; goes into Altoid tin).
Spare computer battery (button battery goes into Altoid tin), and tail light battery.
Duct tape wrapped around the tube box several times
4 Zip Ties (in the touring seat bag)
2 FiberFix spokes (in the touring seat bag)
4 Butterfly stitches, and couple of bandaids (goes into the Altoid tin).
2 Ibuprofen, 2 Imodium AD, 2 sinus headache, and 2 allergy pills (stuffed into a former glueless patch box and put into the Altoid tin)
ID card, Insurance card, ICE numbers (all go into the Altoid tin).
$50 cash (in the Altoid tin).
House key (in the Altoid tin).
Cell phone (in touring bag)
Meal bar for longer rides.
Small ziplock baggie with mix formula for longer rides.

The small stuff fits into a specially designed Altoids tin sort of like this one but I redesigned mine for my purposes, just use your own imagination to make yours: http://www.instructables.com/id/Bycicle-Survival-Kit-/ I take the Altoid tin out of one bag an putting into another, and the Topeak Aero Wedge bags have a mesh stretch thing on the inside of the lid which fits the Altoid tin perfectly. Everything that is not labeled touring bag I have duplicates of and are in each bag.

It seems like a lot to go into those Topeak Aero Wedge bags but believe it or not it all fits; keep in mind a lot of this stuff is small and goes into the Altoids tin, I love that Altoid tin idea, I discovered it on the internet some years ago myself, it just organizes everything really well into a small box.

 

[Vantage]

Liking the idea of that Altoid tin. The toolkit pocket on my Pendle is a right mess.

 

[youngoldbloke]

Phone
Water
CASH
Spanner

- so what do you do if you have a puncture? Sip of water? Phone home? Phone Taxi? What if there's no signal????? - and what use is a spanner? The only nuts I can find on my bikes are on the mudguard stays

 

[mjr]

- so what do you do if you have a puncture? Sip of water? Phone home? Phone Taxi? What if there's no signal????? - and what use is a spanner? The only nuts I can find on my bikes are on the mudguard stays

I think there's often a nut on your bikes

Seriously, a spanner is a good idea if your brakes or wheels use them. Not everyone's gone to Quick Robbery wheels. It's quite surprising how many new/returning cyclists just assume there's a spanner in the flick multi tool they're carrying when there isn't.

 

[youngoldbloke]

I think there's often a nut on your bikes

'Seriously, a spanner is a good idea if your brakes or wheels use them'.
- very true, but if you aren't carrying much else like Pasydron why bother to take your wheels off? I hope he/she checks their wheel nuts before leaving home. I would consider a number of allen keys that fit the bolts on your bike to be essential (and a spanner to fit your nuts - if required, of course).