TLS and “spares” for multi day trip

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Asposium
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TLS and “spares” for multi day trip

Post by Asposium »

TLS teaches us not to carry spares as they are evil and unnecessary weight; however, all rules are there to be flexed somewhat.

So, what spares /backup items would people carry on a multi day (call it one to two weeks) trip?

Would be interesting to hear from the masters of TLS.
Last edited by Asposium on Mon Nov 06, 2017 7:54 pm, edited 1 time in total.
jam bo
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Re: TLS and “spares” for multi day trip

Post by jam bo »

How far from a bike shop are you likely to be?
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ctznsmith
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Re: TLS and “spares” for multi day trip

Post by ctznsmith »

I always focus on spares to keep me going until I can get to a bike shop.

e.g. chain breaker and quick link
Spare pads
Tube
Tyre boot
Puncture repair kit
Spare chain ring bolt

Probably should get one of those fibre fix spokes and a tubeless repair kit.

All doesn't add up to much weight/pack size.
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Bearbonesnorm
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Re: TLS and “spares” for multi day trip

Post by Bearbonesnorm »

what spares /backup items
Are we just talking about things for the bike here?
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Asposium
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Re: TLS and “spares” for multi day trip

Post by Asposium »

Bearbonesnorm wrote:
what spares /backup items
Are we just talking about things for the bike here?
Spares for the bike and trip.
Be it a spare inner tube, or a backup means of navigation.
Both add weight, so according to TLS are bad and evil :lol:
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ctznsmith
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Re: TLS and “spares” for multi day trip

Post by ctznsmith »

Yeah good point I also carry some really thin dyneema cord now. Used to carry spare cord/straps in case a bag strap snapped.

Super glue, gaffa tape is also useful for when you get a hole in your mat. :roll:
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SixPotBelly
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Re: TLS and “spares” for multi day trip

Post by SixPotBelly »

I'm a mere padawan in these matters, but for what it's worth I'll also take things that are very small and very light. Brake pads, for example, and a mech hanger. A cleat bolt and a valve core. Those sort of things.
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BigdummySteve
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Re: TLS and “spares” for multi day trip

Post by BigdummySteve »

I did jogle a two years ago on my bigdummy, mine was fairly open ended time wise as had five weeks off work however I did 1200 miles in 14 days in the end. Spares wise I took, a spare tube+patches ( not running tubeless), a spare set of inner cables for my rohloff shifter, two quick links plus a few inches of chain, a couple of spare spokes and half a dozen spare fasteners. Pretty much a standard kit, add a few zip ties and some gaffa tape.

At the time I had yet to embrace TLS so my kit was quite heavy, hilleburg nallo tent, a neoair dream mattress (weighed about 4lbs!) far too many odds and sods and full cooking kit. I wild camped all the way and to be honest was no more comfortable than I am now. If I did an end to end again I would go with a bike packing setup, putting thought in to EVERY item means far less weight
A jogle is just a series of day rides, don’t put too much thought into it, get the bike to one end or the other and just pedal, the main thing knowing what works, at the time I was very new to touring so took far too much including a full cooking kit which spent most of the time just boiling water. Use the bike packing mindset and throw in a B&B to do the shower clothes wash thing every so often.
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whitestone
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Re: TLS and “spares” for multi day trip

Post by whitestone »

Based on balancing: the likelihood of something breaking; what's needed to fix it and whether fixing it can wait.
  • Spare tube (even though all my off-road bikes are tubeless)
  • Puncture repair kit
  • Tyre boot (a bit of old toothpaste tube)
  • Tubeless repair kit
  • A couple of speedlinks for the chain
  • A couple of spare chain links
  • Brake pads
  • Mech hanger
  • Assorted small bolts and screws
Apart from the spare tube, the above doesn't take much space, fits inside a tube that a bottom bracket came in, or weighs much at all - about 140g. The only thing I've had to use out of that lot are brake pads and the tubeless repair kit.

If the bike's well maintained then stuff, like gear cables, shouldn't just *break*. Crashes or stone/rocks catching on components are far more likely to initiate something going wrong.

For other kit I'll take a puncture repair kit for my sleeping mat, some duct tape wrapped around the above BB tube, zip ties, that's about it really.
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ctznsmith
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Re: TLS and “spares” for multi day trip

Post by ctznsmith »

whitestone wrote: gear cables, shouldn't just *break*.
However if you're riding off road your outers/cables take a hammering and your mech's get gunged up/sticky more quickly. Which equals more pressure/stress on cables trying to perform the shifting so therefore the likelihood of gear cables breaking increases*.

Also I found bar end shifters eat gear cables.
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Jurassic pusher
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Re: TLS and “spares” for multi day trip

Post by Jurassic pusher »

please excuse me being thick, I have seen TLS mentioned quite a few times in posts and I`m sure it is implying lightness and minimalism but what do the initials actually mean?
Thanks.
Asposium
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Re: TLS and “spares” for multi day trip

Post by Asposium »

Take Less 5hit
Though I suppose a more polite version might be:
Take less stuff
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whitestone
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Re: TLS and “spares” for multi day trip

Post by whitestone »

Better weight than wisdom, a traveller cannot carry
ianfitz
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Re: TLS and “spares” for multi day trip

Post by ianfitz »

[img]https://instagram.com/p/BUZ7tyFjdd_/[img/]

Is what I take most of the time. If I’m out for a ride then that time is valuable and I want to finish what I started.

Spare tube too.
Image
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Zippy
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Re: TLS and “spares” for multi day trip

Post by Zippy »

whitestone wrote:Based on balancing: the likelihood of something breaking; what's needed to fix it and whether fixing it can wait.
  • Spare tube (even though all my off-road bikes are tubeless)
  • Puncture repair kit
  • Tyre boot (a bit of old toothpaste tube)
  • Tubeless repair kit
  • A couple of speedlinks for the chain
  • A couple of spare chain links
  • Brake pads
  • Mech hanger
  • Assorted small bolts and screws
Apart from the spare tube, the above doesn't take much space, fits inside a tube that a bottom bracket came in, or weighs much at all - about 140g. The only thing I've had to use out of that lot are brake pads and the tubeless repair kit.

If the bike's well maintained then stuff, like gear cables, shouldn't just *break*. Crashes or stone/rocks catching on components are far more likely to initiate something going wrong.

For other kit I'll take a puncture repair kit for my sleeping mat, some duct tape wrapped around the above BB tube, zip ties, that's about it really.
I'm similar to that, but take less small bolts and screws, but bring a couple of spare nipples (only ever had a spoke go by the nipples stripping), and if being a bit lavish, I might tape a spare spoke to one of the bicycle spokes. I didn't bother with spare pads on the BB200 as I was confident they'd make it round as they'd bedded in well and I'd been watching their wear.

I have used all of things noted in Bob's list though.

I did actually measure the thread of the limit stops on the rear mech the other day, must get round to getting a longer one of those so I can use it if I ever have the rear mech go wonky on me, as the gear it sits on for singlespeeding when sitting on the stop screws is a bit crap as stock.
Asposium
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Re: TLS and “spares” for multi day trip

Post by Asposium »

What about non-bike stuff?
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Karl
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Re: TLS and “spares” for multi day trip

Post by Karl »

SixPotBelly wrote:I'm a mere padawan in these matters, but for what it's worth I'll also take things that are very small and very light. Brake pads, for example, and a mech hanger. A cleat bolt and a valve core. Those sort of things.
I know it's a small thing but you don't need to take cleat bolts if you run a disc brake, just use one of the disc rotor bolts to get you home/to a shop. Also if you take a spare tube you don't need a spare valve core. Sorry my inner TLS coming out :lol:
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Bearbonesnorm
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Re: TLS and “spares” for multi day trip

Post by Bearbonesnorm »

What about non-bike stuff?
Ooh, now we're heading into the realms of the 'what if' mindset and a potentially very slippery slope :wink:
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Oli.vert
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Re: TLS and “spares” for multi day trip

Post by Oli.vert »

Tubes? Valve-cores? Whatever happened to packing out your tyres with sticks and dead grass?
I'm only half joking having needed to ride 15 miles like that. It wasnt fast, but it got me home, saved the rim, and certainly compatible with TLS.

Actually I'd ripped a massive hole in the tyre which I hadnt noticed while I pumped up (and ruined) my spare tube. :-bd
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Re: TLS and “spares” for multi day trip

Post by Pirahna »

Assuming you've done your maintenance before you let home, pads are fresh, all bolts are threadlocked etc, my list is:

Crank Bros multi tool with chain breaker. The breaker bit is a spoke key as well, I've build a wheel using it just to make sure it works.
Knipex expert 150mm pliers. I can break a chain quick link with these, tweak discs etc
2x Park tyre boots
2x Schwalbe ultralight tubes
1x Stans valve
Valve core remover
Park glueless patches
A few cable ties.
2x chain quick links.
Mech hanger.
Gorilla tape wrapped around the pump.
Topeak mountain morph pump.

Things I don't take:
Spare spokes. A broken spoke can wait until the next bike shop and if I break one on the cassette side I have no way of replacing it.
Spare chain links. I've got quick links and can run with a shorter chain until the shop.
Spare bolts. I've threadlocked everything and have never ever lost a bolt.
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AlexGold
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Re: TLS and “spares” for multi day trip

Post by AlexGold »

Pirahna wrote: Spare spokes. A broken spoke can wait until the next bike shop and if I break one on the cassette side I have no way of replacing it.
I always thought this, until someone posted this a while back: https://www.spacycles.co.uk/m2b0s72p595 ... ng-remover
Asposium
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Re: TLS and “spares” for multi day trip

Post by Asposium »

Pirahna wrote: Spare spokes. A broken spoke can wait until the next bike shop and if I break one on the cassette side I have no way of replacing it.
Partly why I had wheels built with straight pull spokes.
In theory a spoke will be replaceable with the cassette or rotor in place.
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whitestone
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Re: TLS and “spares” for multi day trip

Post by whitestone »

Asposium wrote:
Pirahna wrote: Spare spokes. A broken spoke can wait until the next bike shop and if I break one on the cassette side I have no way of replacing it.
Partly why I had wheels built with straight pull spokes.
In theory a spoke will be replaceable with the cassette or rotor in place.
There's the emergency spoke - https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/spokes/fibe ... ent-spoke/
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Re: TLS and “spares” for multi day trip

Post by ianfitz »

ianfitz wrote:[img]https://instagram.com/p/BUZ7tyFjdd_/[img/]

Is what I take most of the time. If I’m out for a ride then that time is valuable and I want to finish what I started.

Spare tube too.
Forgot to say that I run a whipperman connex link on the chain. It can be easily removed and refitted by hand with no tools.
Image
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SixPotBelly
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Re: TLS and “spares” for multi day trip

Post by SixPotBelly »

Karl wrote:
SixPotBelly wrote:I'm a mere padawan in these matters, but for what it's worth I'll also take things that are very small and very light. Brake pads, for example, and a mech hanger. A cleat bolt and a valve core. Those sort of things.
I know it's a small thing but you don't need to take cleat bolts if you run a disc brake, just use one of the disc rotor bolts to get you home/to a shop. Also if you take a spare tube you don't need a spare valve core. Sorry my inner TLS coming out :lol:
Both good points, but...

I'm standardised on Centrelock (for the ease of swapping between wheelsets). I'll carry a cleat bolt rather than buy rotors for all my wheels. Besides, CL hubs are lighter the 6-bolt so I'm waaaay ahead in the weight saving even after carrying a 2g cleat bolt

And the valve in my lightweight spare tube doesn't happen to have a removable core. So, I'll carry a separate 1g valve core over carrying one of my heavier tubes.

I know it's not TLS if I'm carrying a greater quantity of, err, stuff. But if the total weighs less isn't that better? TLW FTW?

Though my principle, which I so badly illustrated in my earlier post, is one of carrying spares on extended multi-day trips based not so much on the probability of things breaking as on the weight and size of the spare.

Although those four I listed are all things I've needed and not had with me in the past. I also lack the imagination to think of similar things to carry until I need them and haven't got them.
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