What’s in your pouch?

[Emm]

Commuter Bike. All in my purple Po Campo bag, usually within a bike-themed zipper pouch my friend made me to keep things organized:

• Spare tube
• Patch kit
• C02 cartridge (1x half used, one new one)
• 2x tire levers
• latex gloves
• advil
• Alien II bike tool
• wrench to get my wheels off when I ride the flat bar commuter, I remove this when I ride the road bike commuter
• spare hand/toe warmers during the winter

Weekend Road Bike (saddle bag & front handlebar bag added on long rides)

• Spare tube
• Patch kit
• C02 cartridge
• 2x tire levers
• latex gloves
• advil
• Alien II bike tool
• 2x tampons
• House/car keys
• Couple brightly colored zip ties
• quick link
• A little bit of cash, & my credit cards, ID and metro card

Jersey pockets:

• sunscreen
• absurd number of cereal bars and bananas

[musclys]

@Emm 177662 wrote:

Jersey pockets:

• sunscreen
• absurd number of cereal bars and bananas

I thought bananas go in your bib shorts pocket.

[Steve O]

My saddle bag has in it (I think)

• 2 tire levers
• tube
• patch kit (patches, glue and a couple glueless patches in case the glue has dried out)
• multi tool/chain tool
• spoke wrench (although I think I noticed that my multi tool has this built in, so I might have removed it for redundancy reasons)
• latex gloves
• first aid items: bandaids and mini-wipes I think (I haven’t checked this for a while, but I know something is in there)
• zip ties

I like the Advil idea; will likely add to the first aid items.

Re: zip ties – Emm and I were riding last Saturday, and we salvaged someone’s ride with her zip tie. The rider’s rear basket rack mount had broken. It took a couple minutes and a committee of all three of us, but we eventually determined that the zip tie was just long enough to secure the basket so the rider could go on her way.

I actually don’t carry anything at all on my vintage 3-speed toodler bike. I’m usually just in the neighborhood when I ride it, so in a worst case I could walk it home I guess.

[bentbike33]

@musclys 177665 wrote:

I thought bananas go in your bib shorts pocket.

Is that a banana in your pocket, or…ah, nevermind.

[streetsmarts]

What pump? If I may ask?

Yes, I heard somewhere about duct tape (maybe from camping/hiking) – and instead of carrying a whole roll, use a stick/pencil etc. and wrap some around it for use for whatever.

Also per Erin & Steve’s posts below – Zip ties – great idea!

[LhasaCM]

Let’s see, I generally have (or at least think I have) in a pannier:

• Spare tube (or two) for my bike, plus one for the trailercycle.
• Small multi-tool set
• First aid kit (mostly so I have disinfectant/wipes/bandaids for the occasional “daughter was swinging on the bike racks while I was locking up and took a fall” need)
• Pump (Lezyne Gauge Drive HP, I believe)
• After last year’s Purple Line ride with Bobco, I got a small Schrader/Presta adapter to be able to use the random gas station/rec center air pumps out there.
• Patch kit or two (from random giveaways)
• Combination tire lever/15mm wrench (3wrencho from PDW) plus a few spare tire levers
• Rain poncho/jacket of some sort
• Spare socks
• Chain (connects to the frame lock – for locking the bike up to an object as opposed to making someone carry it away)
• A few zip ties (which reminds me, I need to toss more in)

This time of year, I tend to also have spare/different weight gloves or a hat, in case I chose poorly when I set off.

[n18]

Look for a pump that would fit inside a water bottle, and 120+ PSI.

Also, don’t buy a multi-tool without a chain tool, since you need the latter sooner or later. Here are some options with decent reviews/quality: $19, $13.

Kleenex or gloves is probably the most forgotten item when packing flat repair stuff.

[LhasaCM]

@LhasaCM 177675 wrote:

Let’s see, I generally have (or at least think I have) in a pannier:

• Spare tube (or two) for my bike, plus one for the trailercycle.
• Small multi-tool set
• First aid kit (mostly so I have disinfectant/wipes/bandaids for the occasional “daughter was swinging on the bike racks while I was locking up and took a fall” need)
• Pump (Lezyne Gauge Drive HP, I believe)
• After last year’s Purple Line ride with Bobco, I got a small Schrader/Presta adapter to be able to use the random gas station/rec center air pumps out there.
• Patch kit or two (from random giveaways)
• Combination tire lever/15mm wrench (3wrencho from PDW) plus a few spare tire levers
• Rain poncho/jacket of some sort
• Spare socks
• Chain (connects to the frame lock – for locking the bike up to an object as opposed to making someone carry it away)
• A few zip ties (which reminds me, I need to toss more in)

This time of year, I tend to also have spare/different weight gloves or a hat, in case I chose poorly when I set off.

Oh – and completely forgot about the newest addition to the pannier until I got out to use it this afternoon: I also carry with me a small broom and dustpan.

[hozn]

@n18 177676 wrote:

Look for a pump that would fit inside a water bottle, and 120+ PSI.

That’s a lot of pressure in 2018! Are you running 18mm tubulars!?

@n18 177676 wrote:

Also, don’t buy a multi-tool without a chain tool, since you need the latter sooner or later. Here are some options with decent reviews/quality: $19, $13.

The genuine article (Crank Bros) only costs $5 more. I’d suggest it’s likely worth it in this case, my knockoff pump experience notwithstanding.

https://www.amazon.com/Crank-Brothers-Multi-Bicycle-19-Function/dp/B00067W7CG/ref=sr_1_2?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1524230121&sr=1-2&keywords=crank%2Bbrother%2Bm19&th=1

[huskerdont]

@streetsmarts 177669 wrote:

What pump? If I may ask?

Yes, I heard somewhere about duct tape (maybe from camping/hiking) – and instead of carrying a whole roll, use a stick/pencil etc. and wrap some around it for use for whatever.

Also per Erin & Steve’s posts below – Zip ties – great idea!

Mine is a Crank Bros Sterling LG. Has a nice gauge on it that goes to 100 psi, and is the only mini pump I’ve had where I can attain road-bike-tire pressures.

[streetsmarts]

Wow, I just checked out that multi-tool. That’s amazing!!
and a Torx driver for disc brakes!!
HA. I have disc brakes. I can …ummm… sorta adjust them. but someday maybe I’ll know what that’s for (adjusting calipers? just using a word I know is part of the disc brake system!! )
Chain tool included is cool. thanks!!

[hozn]

@streetsmarts 177698 wrote:

Wow, I just checked out that multi-tool. That’s amazing!!
and a Torx driver for disc brakes!!
HA. I have disc brakes. I can …ummm… sorta adjust them. but someday maybe I’ll know what that’s for (adjusting calipers? just using a word I know is part of the disc brake system!! )
Chain tool included is cool. thanks!!

Yeah, I have never heard of anyone needing to adjust their rotor bolts, which is the classic application of the T25 torx. So I used to think that was a waste of space on a tool, but some bikes/groups also use the T25 for the bolts (esp. titanium bolts) that hold that caliper to the fork/frame. I could see needing to adjust those (e.g. caliper was rubbing rotor).

[mstone]

@hozn 177691 wrote:

That’s a lot of pressure in 2018! Are you running 18mm tubulars!?

The genuine article (Crank Bros) only costs $5 more. I’d suggest it’s likely worth it in this case, my knockoff pump experience notwithstanding.

https://www.amazon.com/Crank-Brothers-Multi-Bicycle-19-Function/dp/B00067W7CG/ref=sr_1_2?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1524230121&sr=1-2&keywords=crank%2Bbrother%2Bm19&th=1

+1 on the crank brothers tool.

For a pump I like the topeak morph series. I want a gauge because I suck at guessing the pressure, I want a hose because I’ve managed to rip the valve off a tire with an old school stick pump (that’s a hard thing to patch), and I want something that I push against the ground because that’s a much more practical way to generate pressure than doing butterfly curls. I don’t really care how big it is since it goes in a bag. (Full disclosure: I do also have a co2 filler for times when I don’t have a big bag.)

[Emm]

@mstone 177708 wrote:

+1 on the crank brothers tool.

So I was just in the market for a new multi-tool after somehow losing half of mine (…it got lost in a box somewhere when I moved a few months ago). I ended up with the Alien II tool even though the crank bros one was cheaper, lighter, smaller, and came in pink. The crank bros tool lacked a knife, which oddly enough is a tool I’ve actually used alot of in my multi-tool. From cutting zip ties or their ends, de-tangling random crap that’s gotten caught in parts of my bike, and other random stuff that’s occurred while I’m out for a ride, it’s been a useful thing to have. I’m sure I could just pack a tiny pocket knife too and save on weight and bulk, but then that’s just one more thing for me to forget.

[mstone]

@Emm 177709 wrote:

So I was just in the market for a new multi-tool after somehow losing half of mine (…it got lost in a box somewhere when I moved a few months ago). I ended up with the Alien II tool even though the crank bros one was cheaper, lighter, smaller, and came in pink. The crank bros tool lacked a knife, which oddly enough is a tool I’ve actually used alot of in my multi-tool. From cutting zip ties or their ends, de-tangling random crap that’s gotten caught in parts of my bike, and other random stuff that’s occurred while I’m out for a ride, it’s been a useful thing to have. I’m sure I could just pack a tiny pocket knife too and save on weight and bulk, but then that’s just one more thing for me to forget.

I usually have a mini multitool with blade and pliers with me, whether on a bike or not.

[Author]

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