Even as a Pre-Cambrian Velominatus, the rusty wires in my brain must have made the connection between my machine’s aesthetics and the lack of a saddle bag; I can’t remember a time when I rode with a European Posterior Man Satchel. But riding without a saddle bag means the tools go in the pocket, and that means great care must be take in their selection; it has taken the better part of 30 years for my toolkit to evolve to the point where it is today: a minimalist set of highly reliable tools, each carefully selected for its function, form, and weight.
In addition to the endless cycle of tools that have come in and out of the kit, their locations have changed over the years. I’ve spread them across all three pockets, careful to distribute the weight evenly. I’ve put the heaviest items in the center pocket and kept the lighter ones in the side pockets. I’ve put all the weight in the side pockets and kept the center pocket free for stuffing with other items. I’ve ridden with minipump, with CO2, with minipump and C02. I’ve strapped the pump to my seatpost (we can’t all be genius all the time). I’ve carried two multi-tools, I’ve carried loose allen keys. I’ve carried chain tools. I’ve carried multi-tools with integrated chain tools. Suffice to say, nearly every conceivable permutation has been tried.
Before I go on, I want to make a point very clear: here we are wandering deep into Velominatus territory. Every item has been selected for a function, but that function is presupposed by the notion that our bicycles are meticulously cared for and we do not expect to make major roadside repairs. Punctures, silencing a creak or rattle, making a minor shifting adjustment, straightening a handlebar, or tweaking a saddle are the types of repairs within the scope of what may be expected mid-ride. Broken chains, snapped cables, broken spokes, handlebars, or saddles are failures that are to be preempted before departure and if they happen during a ride, one is expected to limp home or find alternative means of transportation. If going on a longer ride with no bail-out, one is to adjust their kit accordingly to account for self-reliance.
I also realize that I’ve now jinxed myself for tomorrow’s Cogal. (But I said it ironically, so I think I’m safe.)
The following considerations factor into my kit selection (in no particular order):
Nirvana is a state we cannot hope to reach, though La Vie Velominatus may carry us to its outer boundaries. That is where I feel I am today when it comes to my tool kit, the contents of which are the Lezyne V5 Multitool, Lezyne Trigger Drive, Lezyne Smark Kit, two Lezyne Alloy Levers, two 12g Co2 cartridges, my phone, cash, ID, and inhaler (like most Pros, I’m asthmatic). I organize my kit into separate small plastic bags, but do not store the lot in a Rule #31 Sack, like many of my esteemed peers. Instead, I opt to keep things stored separately in my center jersey pocket, such that I am able to pull items such as my phone or multitool out of my pocket (while riding) without needing to remove everything else with it.
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View Comments
@chubster
Hmmm... Do you even know which site you're posting on?
@chubster
The point is to be selective of what you take with you. But things that are light weight. Unless you are down to racing weight I don't see how half a kilo kit is goin to chane the way you and your bike handle. Honestly the kit I take with me weighs less than the leg and arm warmers I stuff in my pockets after it warms up. And those things combined are not very noticeable. But my bike looking tits sure is.
@Gianni
I have tubeless-ready Ultegra wheels on my new #2 bike De Rosa (think Shimano is bad on the Italian bike? It has a Rival groupset, plus I have Look pedals and Time shoes - I'm going to hell).
It's sitting in Melbourne waiting for me to go 'home' for my annual June/July 'summer' holidays. I'm not sure I'll set them up for tubeless, though. Chances of puncturing are fairly high in Melbourne in June, and I'm keen to use the bike time for riding rather than tinkering when I'm on break.
So blah blah - just chiming in that I've got a set of tubeless wheels too.
@frank
after riding for a year or so sans EMS (mainly based on what i've read on this site), i recently went back. so nice to pack it with what i need and forget about it. no filling my pockets each ride, no forgetting shit, nothing competing for pocket space with my flask(s) of grain liquor.
with that being said, couple of thoughts on your tool kit: no need for two tire levers, ditch one. no need for two CO2s, ditch one. not sure what that patch kit is for, but you can probably get rid of that too. boom, just saved you another couple of grams. feel free to thank me later.
@chiasticon
Good post, welcome! What we all know is that the EPMS isn't a convenient way to carry stuff on your bike, it's a mental canker that lives in your brain and flares up every time you get on the bike. I see the appeal of using one, and on commuters/winter/rain bikes, that you don't show off with, then they have their place (not all the rules can be followed all the time: none here have achieved that state of cycling Nirvana (yet)For special occasions and throwing down on internet forums, the EPMS is retired to under the bed with your other dirty secrets.
@sthilzy
You're a genius. I'd offer you my third wife to impregnate so i had at least one smart kid if a) I was married and b)I was a polygamist. That is one of the best mods I've seen anywhere.
@Calmante
Nice! I liked that cos I do something similar. I steal SWMBO*'s hair ties, thread a key onto it, and use it to hold a pump, that little Lezyne tool Fhroank has, a single tube and a patch kit. I pick up one thing put it in one pocket and be done with it.
(She who must be obeyed - obscur reference to Rumpole of the Bailey, an old english satire)
I'm a 30 year cyclist, ex-Euro semi-pro et al but for my first post on your respected and revered site, I have to completely disagree with your approach to carrying repair kit and to Rule#32. Jersey pockets are for the sole purpose of stashing food for the 5 hour ride, a wind/rain jacket for the descent and unpredictable weather - and that's fuckin IT. Have you tried to sprint with all that other stuff banging around in your pockets, let alone suffer the hours of a multi-tool digging in your back. Seems like you must like that.
No self-respecting rider is going to hang a bag off the saddle, I am not saying you should but the smallest under saddle kit is totally acceptable. One tube, a repair kit, tire levers, two CO2's and inflator. DONE. If your bike is in top shape, no tools required. If you have a mechanical on the ride, push on to the next village, use your charm and fake a foreign accent and borrow what you need. It's your fault for not having your bike in top shape.
Phone and money are the only extras in the pocket. I rode on tubs for many years, spare under the saddle wrapped in a cloth with a frame pump, as did Sean Yates and Allan Pieper. Today's ultimate V-Man Hincapie and his BMC team on a "tour-day" training ride last May - all the kit under the saddle, pockets stuffed with the hard man gear. Proof in the photos, nuff said.
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@RedRanger
i'm just being bit of pain - my idea of style pts is climbing past roadies while hauling panniers. i'd carry my zefal hpx too but it doesn't fit these compact frames. but honestly, there is a valid pt about hurting yourself really bad if you end up landing on your tools, because you carry them right next to your spine. that's the main reason for bringing this up. let's be careful out there.
@lifeaftergeorge
Welcome sir, lurk no more. And you make a strong argument. Here is a December 2011 photo of Ryder H's bike on Maui. He has a tidy kit under saddle and no one is laughing at him.
Excuse my ass in the shot, too lazy to edit it out.
@lifeaftergeorge
Shit! No shoe covers either...this is significant!
So if George has his spare tub, 2 cannisters + inflator, 2 levers and a repair kit in his impressively sleek under saddle receptacle, WTF has he got his pockets stuffed full of? Food and a wind/rain jacket? Those 3 pockets are pretty full eh? So I'd say wind/rain jacket, arm warmers, bars, gels, phone...That leaves cash. Looks like George has about €2300 cash in his left jersey pocket...
@lifeaftergeorge
I believe George is using an Arundel Dual.