I’ve said it once before, but it bears repeating now: adherence to Rule #29 carries with it the ultimate mission of the aspiring Velominatus, which is to geek out endlessly over the minimum amount of gear which yields maximum security in the event of a mechanical incident while riding.
The goal here is twofold. First, with no European Posterior Man Satchel dangling off the back of your bike like an elephant’s nutsack, pocket real estate is at a premium; filling them up with unneeded tools seems wasteful. Second, sagging pockets are as distressing as an EPMS, so care must be taken to ensure the pockets stay as light as possible.
Minimalist multi tool, lightweight inner tube or tubbie goo, and tire levers are all obvious choices; one is left only to endeavor to find the lightest model of each which still functions reliably (a lifetime can be devoted to this task). But that leaves us with the delicate matter of how we choose to resupply the air which provides a simple yet critical element to repairing the most common mechanical of all, the flat tire. The question in this case is, of course, whether to choose a chuck and cartouche c-oh-duex or minipump. Ignoring the obvious utility of being able to challenge someone to a mini-pump duel in the event of irreconcilable difference of opinion on critical matters of La Vie Velominatus, both means of air resupply have their merits.
Dictum 1 above has historically put me in the camp of using a chuck and two C02 cartridges. (One cartouche is not enough, I am much too clumsy to depend on my ability not to bugger the first one up.) First of all, the Lezyne Trigger Drive appeals to my sense of aesthetics; it’s small, nicely crafted, feels great in the hand and can provide hours of fidgeting should it find its way into my pants pocket. I can’t get excited about any particular C02 cartridge, but they are small and simple and I have an inherent appreciation for anything with a thread on it.
Dictum 2, however, does give me some pause; the ensamble is anything but a featherweight. Enter my Lezyne Carbon Roadlite, which was given to me when Lezyne came onboard as Air and Tool Supplier for Keepers Tour 2012. Initially, the pump only accompanied me on wet rides (C02 has a tendency to cause some freezing when discharged in cold, wet weather – very unpleasant). But before long, it began to creep into my thick noggin that the little devil hardly weighs a thing and is more than small enough to fit in my pocket without protruding out of the top, which is most unsightly and considered entirely unacceptable. Today, I find myself reaching for the pump more often than I do the chuck as it lightens my kit a bit, allowing me to consume an additional ale or two without contributing to any overall rider-kit-bike weight gains.
I find myself wondering where others fall in the Great Debate; which path do you walk, Pump or Chuck?
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@scaler911 Road ID wristband?
@itburns
I use the same pump. I find it to be fantastic, although I have yet to have to use it in emergency. In 'controlled testing' I have found it to achieve 90psi in 200 strokes. Not too bad. I am a recent convert from the CO2 world. The following is what I carry when on my tubular wheels. If I need room to stow a jacket or other large garments, the tubular gets strapped beneath the saddle. So far I am really liking this setup. With a proper fitting, high quality Castelli jersey, the weight of the tubular tire causes no sagging issues whatsoever.
@mxlmax
Well, of course. But that doesn't go in my pocket. One thing I did forget is my mini-med kit with a epi pen and IM/IV Benedryl. I get stung by a honey bee and I'll die (like for real die).
CO2 for me. Couple of canisters and a spare tub strapped under the seat. A can of Vittoria Pit Stop for longer rides especially when it's going to be wet or properly hilly when a relying on an unglued tub and air pressure is not going to be an option to get home.
Lezyne bag with 2 cannisters, Crank Bros multi tool (my shit is probably not as together as @scaler911's), Pedros lever to help break the bond, spare contacts and a missing link thingy. Blackberry and credit card/cash in a freebie neoprene case. Plenty of space for a third bottle and some gels if needed.
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@scaler911 I need to get myself a road ID. It did occur to me riding around France that if I had a proper accident that I'd be properly fucked if my phone was damaged or the medics didn't look for ICE numbers.
Both
A multitool isn't an obvious choice for me. You should check your bike before the ride. Or carry with you also a spare chain, just in case.
What you need is air (your choice), a spare tube, two levers, mmmaybe a folded bill, and that's about it.
Lezyne pump as shown above. Used it just this morning and she's a beaut.
One tube. Two levers.
ID, Bank Card, Phone.
No patches, no multitool.
@minion
Last year I punctured at the bottom of a local hill - at the time I had a pump that a) wasn't a Lezyne and b) had no hose.
This being the West of Scotland we suffer from midges - a small biting insect that hunts in swarms and can reduce grown men to tears in minutes. This particular evening being damp and windless was the perfect midge environment and they were soon digging in as I sweated to get the tyre off, replace the tube and get the cover back on - every thirty seconds or so I had to run somewhere else with the wheel to get a few seconds relief from the midges furiously wiping the little bastards off my face and out of my hair, ears, nose and eyes - all the time leaving black road grime war paint stripes.
Whilst this was going on I was aware of being passed by a cyclist going up the hill and then coming down past me again turning and repeating - a club cyclist doing hill reps obviously. Anyway - I started pumping and broke the valve clean off and had to start the process again - I was fumbling because I was being eaten alive.
As I started again the cyclist doing the reps stopped and revealed herself as a strikingly attractive and very fit Velominata clad in black Lycra. She pulled the tyre back over the rim, whipped out a small pump and began pumping against her black clad inner thigh in exactly the attitude that @Minion describes. I stopped feeling the midge bites at precisely this moment.
As she pumped away, she asked me what I was up to - I gibbered to the effect that I was no longer too fat to climb and was looking forward to peaking in two months when I would get my race licence and blow away the field in Flanders. At this point she stopped pumping handed my back my fully inflated wheel and said, "yes the veteran racing scene is becoming more popular these days".
I now carry the metal version of the carbon Lezyne, a CO2 canister, a self adhesive patch, a very sexy multi tool, two plastic tyre levers, a spare tube and a small tube of midge repellent in my pocket. My ego has not yet recovered.
@Boltzmann
I keep a tube and track pump in the boot (trunk if you can't speak the Queen's English) for the same reason - has helped out on a couple of rainy afternoons.