Top 10 Tools you need to Travel with your bike (Part 1)
You have your bike on the plane to a toxic location and you are ready to ride. The only problem is that you forgot your tools! What are you to do? How are you going to put your bike together or do minimal service without running to the bike shop every 3 days? That is even if you have a shop near you.
Well, fear not! These are the top 10 tools to keep you going for a long time. I have traveled the world with my bike and I have certain tools that I have to bring. These are the necessary tools you need to bring with you on your vacation to assemble your steed and maintain it in order of importance. This article will be the first 5 and a second article will be the second 5.
1. Torque wrench
Yes I put the Torque wrench above the pump for one simple reason. You can severely damage you’re the frame handlebars and Seat post of your bike by torquing the screws. In the old days, steerer tubes were made out of aluminum and if you over-torqued the steerer tube it would bend. Metals usually bend before they fail. Now that steerer tubes are made from carbon fiber, you need to tighten the stem bolts to the correct torque.
As bike frames have gotten lighter (sub-1000 grams for frame and fork for some models) there is less material on the walls of the frame and these paper-thin frames can easily crack. New riders buy a $5000 bike and they over-torque the stem screws on the steerer tube and crack the tube.
Make sure your torque wrench is calibrated for accurate reads. Most carbon frames and even lightweight alloy frames will have the maximum torque for the bolt. For example, for the seatpost on my Pinarello is it is 6Nm and the saddle it is 4 Nm. When traveling with a bike, sometimes the bike needs to be disassembled therefore a torque wrench is very handy to assemble your bike without having to go to the bike shop.
2. Pump floor pump with a gauge or electric one
Most airlines require your tires to be deflated therefore riders need to pump up their tires at their destination. A floor pump or electric mini pump is a great solution. You won’t get too far cycling with flat tires. Since rubber is naturally porous, you lose a few PSI every few days therefore you should check your tire pressure and top it off.
3. Multi-tool
Along with a torque wrench, a cycling-specific multi-tool is necessary. I try to find a multi-tool with as many functions on it as possible. Some multi-tools have chain breakers, spoke tools, and many of functions so that you can fix nearly any problem on the road. The chain breakers, for example, on the multi-tool may not be as user-friendly but save weight for traveling.
4. Pedal Wrench
In order to disassemble your bike, the pedals have to be taken off. Most higher-end pedals will have an 8 mm hex section on the end of the pedal to screw in the pedal and other pedals will require a pedal wrench. I carry both so that I can have two ways of taking off the pedals. I use the Hex wrench to start threading the pedals into the cranks. You want to be careful when threading your pedals to the frame as you can strip the threads and that can mean a new $500 crank. Pro tip grease the threads of the pedal as it will make it easier to get the pedals off. If you don’t, the bike shop will mostly need to use a cheater bar for more leverage to remove the pedals.
5. 2 sets of bike levers
Why do flats happen to good people? Flats happen and you will need a way to get the tire off the rim of the wheel. Some strong skilled mechanics can remove tires from their bikes without use of a tire lever, the tire lever is the best and easiest way to do so. I like carrying two sets as sometimes you can snap them on very tight tires.
Conclusion
These are the first 5 tools to take with you on your bike trip. Next week I will have the next 5 tools to take with you. These tools are very important for longer stays like a Chain whip and other tools. Thanks for reading and if you enjoyed this article please like and subscribe
