Chain Patch
A real handy thing to tuck in your seat bag is a repair chain link. Companies such as Wipperman, HKC and Sachs make links that make it easy to repair a broken bicycle chain. Depending on how the chain breaks, you may or may not need a chain tool to separate it (you should always ride with a mini-tool which has a built-in chain tool, too, in my opinion). But, with one of these special repair links (get the one that matches your chain, i.e. 8-, 9- or 10-speed), to repair the chain, all you have to do is snap the link in place with your hands. I like these so much they’re in the repair kit on my road and mountain bikes.   BACK
 
Flat Repair When You’re in Despair
Let’s say you get out there in the middle of nowhere, you get a flat, and discover that you’ve got a bad spare tube and your patch kit glue is all dried up. Lots of tall grass around? Stuff the tire with grass and reinstall it. Only a slow leak? Pump it up, ride until it’s flat and repeat. Busy trail? Wait until bikers come along and bum a tube off them. Nobody out there? Try removing the tire, finding the hole in the tube and then trapping the part that has the hole under the edge of the tire (the tire “bead”). No luck? Just ride the bike in on the flat. No kidding. This usually works as long as you’re careful and watch out for things that might damage the rim. I’ve ridden up to 5 miles on flat road and mountain bike tires with no damage to the wheels. Be careful in corners though—it can get pretty squirrelly.   BACK
 
Bent Derailleur Hanger
This happens if you crash and smack the right side of the bicycle on the ground. Or, it can happen if you shift into the spokes in the rear wheel. Either way, the result is a bent derailleur that won’t work until you get it a little straighter. If you’re lucky, the bulk of the bend will be in the frame, that little hanger you see below the wheelaxle that the rear derailleur is screwed into. If so, you can try removing the rear wheel and extracting its quick release skewer. Next unscrew the derailleur so that it’s off the frame. Now, see if you can thread the end of the axle into the frame. Yes? Great. Thread it in fully and then use the wheel to gently coerce that bent piece of metal straight and repair it. Reinstall the derailleur and wheel and you should be in business.   BACK
 
Taco’d Wheel Fix
When you crash or bash your bicycle and waste a wheel it often takes on a weird (and funny) taco or potato-chip shape. This means the rim has been bent beyond repair. But, you can often get it going enough to get you home. All you’ve got to do is remove the wheel, hold it in your hands and spin it and find the largest wobble. When you’ve found it, place the wobble so that it’s facing out and at 12 o’clock (directly on top of the wheel when you’re holding your right hand at 3 o’clock and your left at 9 o’clock. Now, raise the wheel over your head and swing it down smacking the wobble on the ground. Wham! Check the wheel. Closer to straight? If not, whack a little harder. Then move on to the next wobble and whack it. It takes a little practice to figure out how hard you need to hit the rim but most people get it pretty quick. Often, with a couple good smacks, you can get the wheel straight enough to ride home.   BACK
 
Water Bottle Tool Kit
Tired of discovering that your mini-tool has rusted because it got wet in your seatbag from spray off the rear wheel? Do what I do: store it, your patch kit and spare tube in your second water bottle. Besides protecting your spares and tools, this arrangement eliminates seatpost wear from the seatbag straps, too. Plus, it looks a lot cleaner and there’s no chance the bottle will fall off the way bags do. If you drink a lot, you will have to stop more often to fill your bottle, though.  BACK
 
Broken Shift Cable
If you’re unlucky enough to break a rear shift cable on a ride, try this: If the cable broke near the middle or at the top, pull on the cable while you pedal by hand to get the chain into a gear appropriate for the terrain. Now, unscrew a water-bottle screw a bit, slip the cable beneath it and tighten the screw to hold the cable in place, which will keep the derailleur in the easy pedaling gear. No cable to work with? Try tightening the limit screw on the derailleur to force it to stay in an easy gear. Or, if you don’t have your mini-tool, try wedging a small rock or stick inside the derailleur to hold it in the gear you want.   BACK