Tire tool kit?

Hello Jeanie,

You should carry a tire kit and basic tools on your bike. Not just during a race but also when out training. If your doing a Olympic and get a flat at mile 12, that is a long walk back to the finish line. Not all races with have roving bike support so if you get a flat and no way to fix it, your walking home.

Co2 cartridges seem to be very popular and take very little room. You will need tire levers, I carry 3, and at least one tube, I carry 2.

I once tried a patch kit on the side of the road and it failed to hold, luckily I was only 3 miles from home so it was a short walk. I carry 2 tubes as I had a flat at mile 6 of a 60 mile bike ride, luckily I did not get another flat, but had I things would have sucked. I carry 3 tire levers as when I only had 2, one broke in half during the repair. Luckily I was able to complete the repair.

I personally need to learn to use the Co2 cartridges. I have a older bike with a trusty full sized frame pump that works awesome! Eventually though I will need to move into a more modern bike that do not have the full size frame rail pumps. The little mini pumps might be enough to get you on the road one time. My buddy had one, it worked twice before it broke and even then it was only able to get about 40psi in the tire which is hardly enough to ride on a road bike.

I also carry a key wrench for every fastener on my bike. I had a friend who got bumped and forced off the shoulder into the dirt and he fell. He was ok but the handle bars and brake lever where tweaked badly. He had no tools and could hardly ride the bike. Had he had basic tools he could have quickly re-adjusted everything and got back in the race.

Stop in and buy your tools from your local bike shop, they can also give you tips on what you might need. They may also be willing to teach you how to change out your tubes should you ever need to. Also as a general rule of thumb, the higher quality tire you purchase, the less likely you are to flat, but that is not a guarantee of any kind.

Best wishes, hope all that helps

Depends on your race goals.  

If you are focused on being competitive, a flat effectively takes you out of the race even if you have tools.  (I have seen people quit a race like this.)  

If you are focused on participation and finishing, then do what you can to finish and that includes having tools to fix a flat tire and maybe one or two other things.  

I run Gatorskins even in races because I don't want to fix flats in that environment.  

I keep my repair kit (tool, levers, spare tube, patch kit, $10 bill) in a seat bag.  For races, it's a pretty small bag with just these essentials.  For training, it's a much more luxurious bag where I also keep light, paper towel, gel, and an ID.  

For training, I have a full-size frame pump.  For racing, I have a mini-pump with CO2 and 2 cartridges.  Why a mini-pump instead of just an inflator?  I like to put a little air in the tube to check things before using the CO2.  

I agree with all this advice. I wanted to add that I used my CO2 cartridge with an inflator to fill up a slow leak during a race.  Two quick partial fills got me to transition and save me a lot of time not needing to change the flat.  So, I really recommend the inflator set-up. 

The other advice I give is to use your spare tube in your bike once a year.  This is also a good way to practice changing the tube!  Over time the extra tube can get beat-up and holes can appear.   I used a tube, that had spent years crammed in my gear holder, and discovered a hole. I was so glad I was at home!  I now also store the spare tube in an old sunglasses drawstring pouch.   My husband stores them in their box, which is so bulky...