Essential Tools & Maintenance Skills You Need For Bikepacking

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  • Опубликовано: 28 дек 2024

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  • @gcntech
    @gcntech  2 года назад +3

    Have you got a maintenance nightmare story? Share it with us int he comments! 👇

    • @cstrike105
      @cstrike105 2 года назад +1

      I had an experience that I have not tightened the allen screw of my hollowtech bottom bracket crank arm. One day while riding it fell off. Good thing I wasn't on the middle of the road and I was just going out of the mall. An SUV run over it but good thing it didn't have a dent. The allen screws were still intact. Just imagine I have to tighten it with a multitool with less torque. So I need to monitor if it would fall again or not. Good thing I was able to get home safe. It happened in an evening too. I also lost the tightening cap so I bought an M19 tightening cap for it. Most important thing to bring is money. You can have it via your smartphone digital wallet or have a debit or credit card. A power bank is also important. A smartphone also is a life and time saver. Just imagine if you really can't fix your bicycle when you are on a ride. You can just call a cab and request that you be dropped off at a bike shop or at home. No worries of having your bike repaired. Or spending time fixing it with tools. A simple cab ride will solve all those problems but kinda heavy on the wallet. But still its the safest.

    • @frazergoodwin4945
      @frazergoodwin4945 2 года назад +2

      My nightmare story is from last year. I'd planed for a LONG time a trip from Brussels to my in-laws place in Sweden and back. I'd even won a "training tip" prize on GCN asking how best to train for it in 2019. But when 2020 came around I couldn't ride it because - COVID. So 2021 i was vaccinated and trained and ready with campsites there and back booked. But on the first day back on the edge of Gothenburg my front wheel bearings collapsed and bonded to the hub shell and axle sheath. Game over. I could get to Gothenburg and tried to buy another front wheel. No luck, as no-one ahd any stock. Got my ferry to Kiel and tried again there. Again, no luck and no stock. So then I had to get local trains home (all the bike places on faster and intercity trains had been booked months ago) and that was not straight forward with a train workers strike in Germany and the floods of last summer wrecking most of the rail links to eastern Belgium meaning there were only replacement bus services that didn't accept bikes! Made it home though with Nine trains from Kiel to Brussels and a hotel in Cologne...

    • @frazergoodwin4945
      @frazergoodwin4945 2 года назад +1

      Did the route on the bike this year - 2850Km in 20 days (11 out bound round along the coast & Jutland, and 9 back direct across the Danish islands and across Germany then Holland and Belgium...

    • @cmicham18
      @cmicham18 2 года назад +1

      The mech hanger recommendation is key. In a pinch you can also carry a blank in your kit to help your friends.

    • @peterlewis2255
      @peterlewis2255 2 года назад

      Broken gear cable 540km in to a 600km ride - fortunately I was on a triple so I was able to salvage 3 gears and complete the ride. On another 600km ride in Wales (the infamous Bryan Chapman Memorial ride) I was 30km from nearest train station when a smashed rear mech required a chain shortening and single speeding it. Very happy I had all the necessary tools, and the knowledge of how to use them.

  • @johne7100
    @johne7100 2 года назад +17

    Also: mini Opinel, folding scissors, Velcro straps and a long bootlace with spring toggles on. The last one is great for suspending one end of your bike from a tree/fence/etc. when you pop the wheel out. It also helps secure your bike in trains so that it doesn't swing about. And an old supermarket bag: put it on your nice leather saddle when the bike's standing in the rain or shove it down your jersey instead of a newspaper on a cold descent. And a referee's whistle in case you find yourself in a ditch with a broken leg and need to attract attention.

    • @jasongraham6772
      @jasongraham6772 2 года назад

      Just find a branch that is handing out when hang the saddle. It’s free and weighs nothing

  • @KNURKonesur
    @KNURKonesur 2 года назад +6

    Bikepacking is different to everyone. Whenever we set out on a bikepacking trip, it's usually 4+ days, so you have to start considering how long everything lasts, e.g. your lights. It's great that everyone keeps recommending really bright lights with 1000+ lumens, but what nobody talks about is that with those super strong lights you can't really use them on a low enough setting to have a longer battery life. A 1000 lumen light usually has a 500 lumen or 400 lumen mode and then a 15 lumen blinking mode which is too weak to be effectively used to see at night. So we've been using more oldschool AA bettery powered lights that do 200 and 100 lumen and last for a couple of full days of cycling. Added bonus is that a set of batteries is cheap and easy to get and doesn't take up much space and doesn't need to drain the power bank.

  • @soumafan
    @soumafan 2 года назад +2

    Rather than the adjustable spanner, I carry a small Vise-Grip. It can lead to less-than-pretty results when you use it on a bolt head, BUT it can also be used to clamp stuff together and to work with screws whose slots have been rendered useless!

  • @martinr7700
    @martinr7700 2 года назад

    The spare mech hanger saved me one time. I was on bike packing tour in Germany and my mech hanger broke far away from any town. Luckily i had a spare in my saddel bag. So +1 on the mech hanger! When you need it, it is crucial to have.

    • @gcntech
      @gcntech  2 года назад

      Great tip! Mech hangers are a bike-packers best friend.

  • @bikecommuter24
    @bikecommuter24 2 года назад +2

    If your mate has the same bike as you do, tell them to make sure that they have all the essentials, make sure they see this video, that way you don't have carry spares, your mate already both of you sorted.
    On the zip ties I got a few that I wrapped with gaffer tape and put those in my handlebar end, that way I got both zip ties and tape.

  • @jimhansen5395
    @jimhansen5395 2 года назад

    There is a version of that Topeak Ratchet Rocket tool that includes a torque beam and a chain breaker (and a tire lever). Best tool! Park Tools patch kits have a small bit of sandpaper in them.
    Wolftooth Pack Pliers are a great way to consolidate a tire level into a holder for your chain quick links. They also have a valve removal tool built in.
    And lastly, if you use Wipperman Connex quick links instead of the OEM/Branded ones that come with your chain, you can take the chain on and off the bike without tools. You should still carry a chain breaker in the event the chain breaks at a different pin, but you won't need a quick link removal/installation tool this way. Also, keeping a few inches of spare chain in your kit (along with a couple of spare pins) might get you or a friend out of the woods

  • @johannesspringinsfeld6381
    @johannesspringinsfeld6381 2 года назад +2

    Add some safetypins/a travelsize sewing kit to the zipties and tape. real life saver when a zip on your frame bag rips or something tears. Some metalwire can also be helpful to build things while camping etc.
    Also when flying i often feel that my diskbreaks are bent when i rebuild my bike, so being able to fix that is pretty helpful

  • @rah4981
    @rah4981 2 года назад +1

    A spare mech hanger is nice to have even if you are not bikepacking.
    With every new bike I've bought I always ordered a spare mech hanger.
    You never know when you gonna need it.
    Really annoying if it breaks during your summer holiday at home too, and you don't get to ride your bike the rest of your vacation because of it.

  • @ltrtg13
    @ltrtg13 2 года назад

    On my mountain bikes. I use Peaty's tubeless valves. The alloy valve caps have a spoke key on one and a valve core remover on the other.

  • @better.better
    @better.better 2 года назад +1

    to go with the spare inner tube: adhesive and a small length (finger length, pre-sanded) of old inner tube to cut patches from. stick-on patches are untrustworthy, been let down by them so many times when that was all that was available to me.
    if you're like me you've got old inner tubes that split at the valve stem, or are good but fit a tire size for a bike you no longer have... YEARS worth of patches in one inner tube. Don't bother with one that's been heavily used though, and probably has hidden flaws.
    I've even used one to hold together a split tire, glued on the inside surface to keep the tube from pushing out. note that you still have to sand the patch again before you apply the adhesive (made that mistake) but it's not nearly the amount of prep needed if the tube was unprepped at all
    I sand off the seams and factory surface before I cut my length. I split the tube down the thin side to keep the thicker side useful. by keeping it finger length, I ensure I can cut a patch to whatever size I need, and can cut more than one patch if I rolled through a patch of thorns.

    • @davidburgess741
      @davidburgess741 2 года назад

      I've found undersized inner tubes don't hold patches well. This gets much worse if you try to use stick on patches! Too large an inner tube and the tube buckles or gets pinched.

  • @frazergoodwin4945
    @frazergoodwin4945 2 года назад +1

    Great list and Bikepacker "preper" video. Another tool and spare I take with me when I bikepacked Brussels-Sweden-Brussels (along with all those you've covered) were chain-pliars (small Lyzene ones inside the Topeak Ratchet kit case) to remove / fit quick links, and spare MTB cleats (low weight but important to have if a bolt works loose and you lose one walking/hike a bike etc).

    • @davidburgess741
      @davidburgess741 2 года назад

      A shoe lace or wire is lighter than a quick link tool and more compact.

    • @frazergoodwin4945
      @frazergoodwin4945 2 года назад

      @@davidburgess741 Yes, but that needs more skills than I have, and the Lyzene pliers double up as a chain breaker and hold quick links (magnetically) too.

    • @frazergoodwin4945
      @frazergoodwin4945 2 года назад

      I did manage to dissemble my chain to free it when it jammed between the chain rings and bottom bracket shell when the chain dropped on my first day back to Brussels from Bohüslan in Sweden, and re-assemble it and ride on with that tool though...

    • @jimhansen5395
      @jimhansen5395 2 года назад

      @@frazergoodwin4945 Wipperman Connex quick links are your best friend. They don't require tools to install or remove. (just make sure you install them in the correct orientation).

  • @GregorPQ
    @GregorPQ 2 года назад +3

    The best 'adjustable spanner' is the Knipex Mini Pliers Wrench. Absolute recommendation.

    • @tomreingold4024
      @tomreingold4024 2 года назад

      It’s also the expensivest and not necessary.

    • @GregorPQ
      @GregorPQ 2 года назад +3

      @@tomreingold4024 It is better than all the others and can be used in multiple ways. Did you ever use it?

    • @bikepackingadventure7913
      @bikepackingadventure7913 2 года назад +1

      Yes, I carry one when bikepacking, also a medium Swiss army penknife, has a few of xtra tools but stays UK legal.
      When your stuck in the middle of nowhere, not near a road and it’s cold and raining, you need to sort yourself out
      🙂🙂👍

  • @craigfallows2252
    @craigfallows2252 2 года назад

    Really useful and expertly delivered cheers

  • @johnb0101
    @johnb0101 2 года назад

    I carried a selection of nuts and bolts on my last trip. Proved invaluable when one of my bike rack bolts had come loose and fell out.

  • @Mission_Wildnis
    @Mission_Wildnis 2 года назад +2

    I was in Norway this Summer. Didnt go as planned. 1 spoke broke and got caught in the deraillieur and then ripped it off, broke a few more spokes, bend the hole chain and hanger and that was the trip. 300 out of 1400k ridden... and then 3 week of waiting for the new parts! :D

    • @gcntech
      @gcntech  2 года назад +1

      That sounds ... eventful! Hopefully you got to enjoy the rest of the ride!

  • @deathgogOG
    @deathgogOG 2 года назад +1

    Never thought about the tools I should take bikepacking, thank you for the video!

    • @gcntech
      @gcntech  2 года назад

      Glad you found it helpful, Aaron!

  • @fritsjacobs8280
    @fritsjacobs8280 2 года назад

    Tips for wilderness adventure riding from Oliver "Shepherds Hut" Bridgewood. Good one 😁

  • @timlangridge7862
    @timlangridge7862 2 года назад

    Tech question. How do you know which spec of mech hangar you have. There are so many variants. Tim

  • @johnreese3762
    @johnreese3762 2 года назад

    Thanks, I needed that!

  • @qmax003
    @qmax003 2 года назад

    I have valve and spoke tool as a valve cover. It looks great and it could be usefull;)

  • @davidburgess741
    @davidburgess741 2 года назад

    A pair of quality diagonal cutters and quick links can repair both a broken chain and cables. No need for a chain tool. Quality chain is easier to cut than you would think!

  • @oeylille
    @oeylille 2 года назад

    On my first bikepacking trip, I snapped my gearcable and killed my phone on the same day. Bought a new phone, new gearcable and some tools in the next city. I have also had 2 punctures on the same ride, so I always bring innertube patches.

  • @endcensorship874
    @endcensorship874 2 года назад +2

    I don’t know how it is in other nations, but in the states, our money is mostly cotton and not paper. They make excellent tire boots, and it’s good to have cash in a pinch if you get hungry.

  • @burningatthetrailhead
    @burningatthetrailhead 2 года назад

    If your disk breaks have the clips you need pliers or bring a couple paper clips just incase you have to sand your pads

  • @damFr
    @damFr 2 года назад

    On new 13 speed chains, you always need a quick link because chain is riveted and then not possible to reuse link. Trust me it happened to me in the middle of no where and I didn't have any quick link. We ended at 2 pushing one to be able to find a shop.

  • @1FeetHappy
    @1FeetHappy 2 года назад

    meck hangers.. they sometimes have to be adjusted when new

  • @jyfortin
    @jyfortin 2 года назад

    Essential tools: A new tube, some patches and glue for tube repair, sand paper, a set of 3 or 4 allen keys and one screwdriver, a small pump, and a chaintool with a pair of fast links. Everything in a tool bottle.

  • @chrisridesbicycles
    @chrisridesbicycles 2 года назад +1

    Does anybody know a bike brand that delivers a spare mech hanger with a bike? This should be standard. Also: In MTBs the SRAM UDH becomes more and more common. Is that also a thing on road bikes?

  • @SamuelLudden
    @SamuelLudden 2 года назад +1

    Pro adventure tip: if you subscribe to RUclips Premium, you can download all the GCN repair videos to watch offline for when you need them out in the wilderness!

  • @alexandersnider734
    @alexandersnider734 2 года назад +1

    2:45 "you probably dont want to take a whole bottle of lube" listen Ollie, what you do on your holiday is up to you, but I need the whole bottle of lube.

  • @rudolphpyatt4833
    @rudolphpyatt4833 2 года назад

    IGH: Good old Sturmey-Archer three speed just keeps going. No derailleur nonsense.

  • @josephpiskac2781
    @josephpiskac2781 2 года назад

    Funny and good to know.

  • @wimjoris9141
    @wimjoris9141 2 года назад +3

    Best is to take a mini van for all those tools .. 😂

  • @stefanosabbioni5821
    @stefanosabbioni5821 2 года назад

    #askgcntech I’ve found the best bargain only and bought a bike that’s perfect in everything, except for the stem length (too short). Since the stem is internally routed and I like the actual stem, I was thinking in 3d printing a handlebar spacer to put between the stem and the handlebar, to make the reach longer. All the stress would be on the bolts either way and the load is going to be distributed. Am I going crazy? Replacing the stem is not a (costly wise) option.

    • @jonathanzappala
      @jonathanzappala 2 года назад

      You are crazy ;). If you won’t buy a new stem buy a. Handlebar bar with a longer reach. Or just live with it. It’s only 1-2 cm. If you can’t live with it you bought the wrong size bike.

    • @stefanosabbioni5821
      @stefanosabbioni5821 2 года назад

      @@jonathanzappala wait, bare with me: it’s the same principle used in setting the stack height of tribars on handlebars (look for Deda parabolica spacers). Nobody has thought of it because the distance between the screws of the stem varies from stem to stem, it’s not standard.
      I’ll test it on the turbo, we’ll see on hack/bodge 😉

    • @jonathanzappala
      @jonathanzappala 2 года назад

      @@stefanosabbioni5821 I’m not an engineer, but tri bars are downward pressure parallel to the clamp, handlebars are pressure perpendicular to the clamp, and with more torque applied because of the leverage being wider on the handlebars. Sure it could be a hack, but you could spend all that time developing in it picking up some extra work to pay for a stem, even though that’s not has fun :) Nobody has thought of it because up until a few years ago a stem was a stem and a lot easier to change haha.

    • @stefanosabbioni5821
      @stefanosabbioni5821 2 года назад

      @@jonathanzappala I actually am an engineer, that’s why I was thinking of an articulate solution like this one 😅. The force of the weight is applied on the four bolts of the stem, pushing in the two below and pulling the two upward. I’m just creating a new surface on witch the handlebar sits, so it could only be a problem of the handlebar slipping due to less friction, but no problem in terms of clamping force.
      I want to try it out, testing it on the turbo trainer before going on the road.

  • @joelyons886
    @joelyons886 2 года назад +2

    Latex gloves invaluable and weigh nothing also break Hydraulic disc brake spacer

    • @gcntech
      @gcntech  2 года назад +2

      Great shout!

    • @daveanolik8837
      @daveanolik8837 2 года назад +1

      Those and a hotel shower cap in my kit have saved me from hypothermia/frostbite a couple of times as well.

    • @joelyons886
      @joelyons886 2 года назад +1

      @@daveanolik8837 shower cap yup as one that is follicly challenged 😂on winter rides it's saved me when soaked, I've also taken so DeepHeat in a small zip pack taken from my daughters ear rings 1#2 square perfect for just enough to get you home

    • @daveanolik8837
      @daveanolik8837 2 года назад +1

      @@joelyons886 I’m bald as an 8-ball🤣. Reminds me of another goofy hack to get warm - if you’re at a campsite where a small fire is possible, heat a couple of rocks up until glowing red in the coals, put the rocks into your little aluminum cook pot, put your ultralight tarp over your head, sitting cross-legged & in your birthday suit with the bowl of hot rocks and you under the tarp. Pour cold water over rocks. Instant luxury sauna! Warm and clean, crawl into your bag for a happy slumber. Don’t burn your business 😃!

    • @joelyons886
      @joelyons886 2 года назад

      @@daveanolik8837 had something similiar in Finland years ago had to get totally in the nip and jump into a lake before getting out and "running" to a tent. The locals told us leaving cloths on when you get wet is the last thing you do Amazing country though lovely people and some fantastic cycling

  • @DanuelNuel
    @DanuelNuel 2 года назад

    And you need knowledge how bike works to improvise emergency bodge. so go watch GCN Tech!

  • @tianyi05
    @tianyi05 2 года назад

    First thing; no electronics, no hydraulics. After that 1 spare tire, 2 spare tubes, a patch kit, 6 inches of spare chain, a chain breaker, twice the length of the longest cable, correct wrenches, tire levers, frame pump, and chain lube. That will get you the first 1,000 miles. After that, add a pair of brake pads and a second pair of shorts and socks. Never forget the suntan lotion, saddle cream, and a cloth and hydrogen peroxide to scrub out the road rash. This doesn’t include, nutrition, medical, and housing; but those are trip dependent.

    • @tianyi05
      @tianyi05 2 года назад

      Forgot to add wine bottle opener, proper tire lever will open beer bottles.

  • @notthemessiah9243
    @notthemessiah9243 2 года назад +1

    I have bought many mini pumps and they have all been falsely advertised and couldn’t get near 100 psi

  • @bikeanddogtripsvirtualcycling
    @bikeanddogtripsvirtualcycling 2 года назад

    for any bike packing trip you need to hire a Connor to help carry your tent and cooking equipment

  • @user-cx2bk6pm2f
    @user-cx2bk6pm2f 2 года назад

    Brad Pitt is presenting GCN ?
    😀👍

  • @Destide
    @Destide 2 года назад +3

    Everything should have two uses, the 2nd one should often been opening beer bottles

    • @savagepro9060
      @savagepro9060 2 года назад +1

      beer essentials

    • @Aureas133
      @Aureas133 2 года назад +1

      Every night partynight in your tent with the inner tubes.

    • @gcntech
      @gcntech  2 года назад +2

      Multi-purpose tools - a real life saver!

    • @bikecommuter24
      @bikecommuter24 2 года назад

      Go watch Doddy's video on GMBN he did s video on tools and items that have bottle openers built into them.

    • @tianyi05
      @tianyi05 2 года назад +1

      If your tire lever wont open a beer bottle, it's the wrong one.

  • @19dalton81
    @19dalton81 2 года назад

    A lot of tools on 2day bikepacking

  • @robstanley7247
    @robstanley7247 2 года назад

    Sushi bottle???? The closest most people I ride with come to sushi is fish fingers, but a hell of a lot of them vape.. so small empty 10ml vape juice bottles are ideal containers for lubes and oils..

  • @georgehugh3455
    @georgehugh3455 2 года назад

    I'd bet money Ollie NEVER CARRIED that Mini Torque Wrench Set on a bike-packing "adventure." _Would I lose, Ollie?_

    • @davidburgess741
      @davidburgess741 2 года назад +1

      He forgot what brand it was already. A bike packing rig should be solid enough not to require such tools. Steel or Titanium probably. Candy assed proprietary festooned bikes need not apply!

  • @1FeetHappy
    @1FeetHappy 2 года назад

    I hate the sound of discbrakes in the rain

  • @chones_
    @chones_ 2 года назад

    bruh, ollie's essential bikepacking list requires a team van. smh

  • @rule3036
    @rule3036 2 года назад

    Cracking carbon ? Who in their right mind would take a carbon bike on an extended days, remote location, rough terrain adventure carrying all your camping gear.?

  • @Mavrik-60
    @Mavrik-60 2 года назад

    That's the way uh-huh uh- huh i like it. That's the way uh-huh uh-huh i like it. My bike maintenance video's that is. Hey now don't stop just keepemcoming uh-huh.

  • @doug3d109
    @doug3d109 2 года назад

    if you took all of that then your bike would way about 50kg

  • @stevedrake6529
    @stevedrake6529 2 года назад +1

    G C N… please kill the background music in these videos! Not necessary and obnoxious!😡

  • @TheFakeStig
    @TheFakeStig 2 года назад

    Also need to stop snapping your fingers!

  • @savagepro9060
    @savagepro9060 2 года назад +1

    Lies! GCN presenters NEVER go bikepacking. They are sponsor-arm-twisted. LIARS!

    • @robstanley7247
      @robstanley7247 2 года назад

      Thats a bit harsh.. they go from their office to the kitchen and back to the office again carrying very heavy cups of hot liquid and its all sponsored by muc-off! Video coming soon im sure! 🙂

    • @savagepro9060
      @savagepro9060 2 года назад +1

      @@robstanley7247 hahahahahaaa