Trail Side Tools: Mountain Biker's Rescue Kit
Let us set the scene. You're miles from home, you've taken a wrong turn that you thought you could ride out and you've broken your chain and gotten a puncture. What do you do? Scream and shout at the cosmos? Throw your bike into a bush and take up badminton? No, because you brought your MTB tool kit!
This is my trail-side tool set-up, the things I keep on my bike and the tools that have saved me many hours of stress.
Part One: The Multitool
Oneup Components first made the EDC tool in 2017 and though there have been many attempts to imitate it there's nothing better. You take your star nut out of your fork, cut threads into the steerer tube, fit the hollow top cap and chuck it in. You never have to worry about forgetting it, it stays in the bike and only comes out when you need it. It doesn't rattle and it's never fallen out.
The tool itself is a small multitool containing a 2, 2.5, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8mm, T25 Torx. Flat Head Screwdriver and EDC Top Cap Tool to tighten up your headset. This covers almost every possible problem except maybe those weird bolts you sometimes find on Ebikes.
The carrier has a tyre lever, chain breaker, spoke keys and a storage compartment for a spare set of quick links. It also has a Presta valve core remover and a spare rotor bolt on the chain breaker. You can fix a broken chain, tighten spokes and take off a tyre.
It does come with a storage compartment and I've got the bottom fitted with a tubeless tyre plug kit and stuffed the remaining space with spare bacon strips. The tubeless plug kit works well on all but the biggest holes though you can jimmy larger plugs into the kit if you need to.
Check out the parts here:
Part two: There's no point carrying a tubeless repair kit if you can't pump the tyre up.
There are two ways you can go about this:
Option 1: CO2, Are you racing? do you need to get the maximum amount of air in your tyre in the quickest time possible? CO2 is really great for speed; generally, however, with a larger mountain bike tyre you might need a couple to fully inflate it which means carrying more canisters.
Option 2: A frame pump, it takes much longer to inflate your tyre and your arm will ache after but the air is free and you don't have to carry it, there's new air everywhere. Not all pumps are made the same though and we'd recommend a large volume pump. There are some great options for frame-mounted or bum bag sized pumps.
I prefer to use the Oneup EDC 100c pump if I have the space, it doubles up as a storage container and the head can be used as a CO2 valve.
Check out the pump here: OneUp EDC Pump
Part 3: Spares. How much should you carry? How much is too much?
At the minimum, I carry a couple of cable ties, folded and pushed into the crank spindle. I bit of gorilla tape wrapped around the EDC carrier, a spare quick link and that's about it. For longer rides where walking out is a rubbish option, I'll carry a spare 27.5" tube in a Dakine Hot Laps Gripper, just in case I can't fix the puncture.
I will normally carry a full-sized tube but if you want something a lot smaller that can fit in your inframe storage, we'd recommend the Tubolito Tubo MTB Tube.
If you use Sram AXS, consider carrying a spare batter on longer rides. They don't fall off unless you hit them but if you've got a spare and a few cable ties or tape you'll be able to ride out: SRAM eTap AXS Battery.
Check it out here: Dakine Hot Laps Gripper
Part 4: I'm stuck on top of a windy hill and I can't ride out.
First aid, warm clothes and rescue equipment. You don't need much but plan where you're going and work out how far you're going to be from help. I like to carry a hip pack like this, I'll shove in a spare jacket, whether it's my trusty ten-year-old Patagonia Nano Air jacket or a light softshell like the Fox Ranger Jacket.
If you don't have it you can't use it and you'll get cold, potentially causing more issues. If you're really far away carry a survival bag and a basic first aid kit. You may never need it but you'd be silly not to.
Check it out here:
Part 5: It's dark and I've forgotten my lights.
We've all been out at night in the woods, it gets dark very quickly as I'm reminded of by my friends who never seem to forget that night I said 'It's not that dark'. A small set of lights like the Cateye AMPP 100 / Orb Rechargeable Light Set or Knog Plugger Twinpack Front & Rear Lights can go in your pocket or your bag. If you're riding any distance in December in the northern hemisphere you'll know what I mean.
Hopefully, if you read this far you've found something useful. There are thousands of products out there to fit every niche. If you need something specific, check out the website or send us a message on the chat and we'll do our best to help you out.
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