After you leave the pavement and hit dirt, there are no services until you get back to the road. I like to pack light (no Camelbak), and two water bottles are sufficient for this ride. I also pack a granola bar, a spare tube (or patch-kit), a CO2 pump, and a multi-tool, which all easily fit into a couple of jersey pockets. It seems that whenever I leave something behind, I need it.
Anyway, on the trails back down, I dropped my chain but didn't think too much of it because I was going over bumpy stuff. I did think a lot about the (expletive deleted) poison oak that I was (expletive deleted) standing in. A little later, it happened again. Just like the previous time, I was in (bleeping) poison oak. I put the chain back on, and as I started to pedal, I heard the "schplank" of a broken chain. (See photo below. By the way folks, pack it out.)
Like I wrote before, whenever I leave it behind, I seem to need it. However, this was one of the rare occasions when I was actually prepared!!! I packed my Crank Bros. Multi-17, which is probably my favorite multi-tool of all time. I've had it and carried it for more than 6-years (and you can probably guess where I bought it, see Engin 650B entry below). This multi-tool has certainly seen better days, but it has outlasted bikes. One of the really nice features is the chain-tool, and thanks to this thing, I avoided a 15-mile walk home on my birthday.
Now, having the bare minimum for a repair doesn't make you invincible. Sometimes there are things that you cannot prepare for...
That was a singlespeed cog. When you only have one cog and it fails miserably, you're walking (or riding the 5 teeth that are left). That happened a few years ago, and I keep it around as a reminder of what can happen when I don't use steel singlespeed cogs. (In a weird way, it's actually a point of pride.) Aluminum alloys are less expensive and generally lighter, so that was reassuring as I was walking my bike home.Ride safely and happy trails (and pack a multi-tool).
No comments:
Post a Comment