Tool kit, Servicing and Maintenance question

Gringo · Mar 29, 2015

Views on tool kits vary but for me it's, pump, spare tube & skab type patches, mini multi tool pliers, mini folding Allen keys, a few cable ties and a phone.
Some carry a lot more inc spare chains & cables etc, while others carry less, I have a friend who only carries her phone, saying "I don't need to know how to fix things, I just need to know a man that dose" ( she rings here husband LOL)
Personally I think it comes down to what would you be prepared to fix or are capable of fixing on the side of the road. I will fix flat tyres and can adjust most of the screws on my bike but if my gears/chain failed, then I'm walking or getting my phone out

There was a bit of chatter about kit back on this thread
http://www.pedelecs.co.uk/forum/threads/what-do-you-carry-in-your-repair-kit.18901/
I think Dave prefers a snowboarding or BMX type helmet, some folks find them a little hot.
I prefer a mtb type lid, still with full head cover bit more ventilation (I still get a sweaty head)
For full wind flow over the bonce, it's the road type hat, yes the "mushroom head" type.
All types should be available in most cycle shops, every now and again both Lidl & Aldi have ski clothing sales with cheap helmets

Deleted member 4366 · Mar 29, 2015

It's a snowboarding helmet from Aldi. I don't suppose that they'll be selling them again until November, but you can get them from Ebay.

For tools, take whatever you need to take the wheel off and fix a puncture. I prefer to use rubber solution than the self-adhesive pads, so I use a Wilko or Tesco puncture repair kit. It's pretty rare to get any other problem on the road that would need fixing. If I had a crank-drive, I'd want to take a chain brwaker. If you get a decent multi-tool, like the Crank Brothers 17 or 19 tool one, it has a good chain-breaker on it plus everything else.

Gringo · Mar 29, 2015

Nice one on the crank bros tool Dave, that will replace all but my mini pliers (handy for pulling out thorns etc) the addition of a chain breaker makes all the difference

Nealh · Mar 29, 2015

Carrera helmet [£18.95 Ebay.

Deleted member 4366 · Mar 29, 2015

Just in case it's important, the snowboarding ones have removable ear pieces that are very useful for keeping your ears warm in the winter.

EddiePJ · Mar 29, 2015

My 'take with me' kit did consist of this little lot, http://www.pedelecs.co.uk/forum/threads/and-the-kitchen-sink.19998/ but the energy gels have now been dropped in favour of energy bars, para cord has also been added, as has a small fold up saw and a spare mini rear light that is clipped to the Camel Bak. I also keep meaning to buy a rear mech hanger, and must get that one sorted out.

Park tools do a cycle maintenance book, as do Magbooks, but Youtube is also an invaluable source of info.

RobF · Mar 29, 2015

A puncture is the most overwhelmingly likely source of a breakdown, so that's what you need to prepare most for.

As you have hub gears one end and a motor the other, wheel removal will be a consideration.

The hub will have 15mm dome nuts, they are tight so you will need to carry a proper combination wrench spanner - about £6 from Halfords.

To remove the wheel fully, you will also need to disconnect the gear cable.

Shimano ones can be done by hand and are fairly simple.

When you've got the wheel out, be careful not to squeeze the brakes if they are discs because the pads will close.

You can stuff a piece of plastic or a folded bit of cereal packet into the gap to be on the safe side.

The same spanner may do the front wheel.

There will be a motor cable to disconnect, or there may be enough play in the cable to enable you to change the tube.

Same routine as the back for the discs.

I agree with your remark about servicing a bike, it's more a case of minor fettling as you go along.

As regards the helmet, it's something I would want to try for size in a shop rather than buy online.

Quite a few sports type places keep them in the skateboard/snowboard section.

Sports Direct is one, or there's the Snow and Rock chain.

Nealh · Mar 29, 2015

Adult ski type helmets tend to come in 2 sizes 53 -58 for M and 57 - 62 for L.
My M has a adjust twist mech inside to make fit adjustments and is very comfy as well as fits me well.

RobF · Mar 30, 2015

Nealh said:
Adult ski type helmets tend to come in 2 sizes 53 -58 for M and 57 - 62 for L.
.

Even hat sizes have been metrificated.

In my day it was more a case of: "Six and seven eighths - suits you, sir."

giltbrook · Mar 31, 2015

One thing I would suggest for puncture repair kits is to do a dry test run at home first by simulating a repair. I bought a kit and was using it to change a tyre and tube on a Carrera that I am doing up for a possible conversion. The 2 plastic tyre levers supplied in the kit were absolutely useless, so there is no way I would have managed a repair out on the road. I also had an Aldi bike tool kit available, this had 3 plastic tyre levers that looked similar to the 2 in the other kit, but were much stronger and removed the tyre easily.

anotherkiwi · Mar 31, 2015

Helmets: I was curious so I looked at the statistics and... cycling head injuries are at exactly the same percentage with or without a helmet! That does not surprise me having looked at road bicycle "helmets". So I don't wear one. And yes, a motorcycle helmet has already saved my life at least once, I am a helmet guy.

On the other side of the border a helmet is mandatory on the open road so I will be buying one. It won't be a cheap one even if the statistics prove that they are basically worthless in the case of a bicycle accidents. My budget is 100€ and it is to buy comfort. Uvex and Cratoni make nice looking e-bike helmets which have hard outer shells and a visor which is a basic necessity if you wear glasses (we have lots of flying insects). Cratoni even makes a s-pedelec helmet weighing 700 grams which is EU approved for motorcycle use!

Tools: I have a plastic bag (the kind you get in the vegetable section of your local supermarket) with spanner, allen keys, pliers and a tyre lever in my backpack. Of course I have the Swiss army knife too with its selection of screwdrivers. But the Crankbrothers 19 tool is great bike porn and has me drooling already...

I have ordered a complete bike tool boxed set for home use because all of my spanners etc. went AWOL in my previous life. Watching conversion kit mounting videos convinced me that I needed some basic bike equipment - 50€ from bikediscount.de

Tony

jonathan75 · Mar 31, 2015

anotherkiwi said:
Helmets: I was curious so I looked at the statistics and... cycling head injuries are at exactly the same percentage with or without a helmet!

Tony

Please could you link to your sources so we can assess the methodology and claims? Your claim (which is I'm afraid a bit inexact, i.e. capable of having several very different meanings) is not borne out by what I've read and my own common sense. Life-altering brain injury is far more frequent and serious without a helmet.

Here we go. In a case study of emergency care admissions from cycling injuries at a New England hospital over 5 years, out of the 99 cases where there were serious brain injuries, only 4 patients were wearing helmets. http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/nejm198905253202101 They then adjust for accident severity among both them and (I think) the non-severe-head-injured group (which may omit people who didn't need to seek care at all because of helmet-wearing) and other factors, and estimate that wearing a helmet brings with it an 85% reduction in the risk of head injury. I don't know if that means 'more than five times less likely' or '0.85 times less likely'.

Kudos to you for your checking it out though. Curiosity is surely the best of the intellectual virtues.

anotherkiwi · Mar 31, 2015

Most of us have heard that "bicycle helmets can prevent up to 85% of head injuries". But in the study that figure came from, not a single helmeted cyclist had a collision with a motor vehicle!The study was roundly criticized in the Helmet FAQ by Vehicular Cyclist and by CycleHelmets.org, which states:

This paper is by far the most frequently cited research paper in support of the promotion of cycle helmets. It is referred to by most other papers on helmets, to the extent that some other papers, and most helmet promotion policies, rely fundamentally upon the validity of its conclusions.
The claims that helmets reduce head injuries by 85% and brain injuries by 88% come only from this source, yet are quoted widely as gospel by people who know nothing more about cycle helmets. The prospect of achieving such massive reductions in injuries to cyclists lies at the root of helmet promotion and mandatory helmet laws around the world.

Those who have taken the trouble to analyse the paper in detail, however, have found it to be seriously flawed and its conclusions untenable.

From http://bicyclesafe.com/helmets.html I agree whole heartidly with the conclusion on that page.

France is a cycling country would you agree? France has a bureaucracy which loves adding new laws to "protect" its citizens. There is no bicycle helmet law on French streets or roads and no alarming statistics.

Bicycle helmets as sold in the shops are for most part a joke and as silly as they look.

This helmet has a hard shell and envelops the head. N° one on my list.

The Cratoni is more of a on top of the head helmet but air circulation looks more efficient

Bicycle helmets are usefull when you fall off your bike at slow speed because you have had too much to drink. They will not protect you if you are hit by a lorry. Or a car - I speak as one who only wears full face covering motorbike helmets even on hot days and even in town because I have been hit hard and they are the only kind of helmet which prevents your jawbone being inserted into your brain...

Tony

jonathan75 · Mar 31, 2015

anotherkiwi said:
From http://bicyclesafe.com/helmets.html I agree whole heartidly with the conclusion on that page.

France is a cycling country would you agree? France has a bureaucracy which loves adding new laws to "protect" its citizens. There is no bicycle helmet law on French streets or roads and no alarming statistics.

Bicycle helmets as sold in the shops are for most part a joke and as silly as they look.

This helmet has a hard shell and envelops the head. N° one on my list.

The Cratoni is more of a on top of the head helmet but air circulation looks more efficient

Bicycle helmets are usefull when you fall off your bike at slow speed because you have had too much to drink. They will not protect you if you are hit by a lorry. Or a car - I speak as one who only wears full face covering motorbike helmets even on hot days and even in town because I have been hit hard and they are the only kind of helmet which prevents your jawbone being inserted into your brain...

Tony

But the page you cite itself acknowledges the benefits of helmets. It says "while helmets help in some ways, they hurt in other ways. The problems cancel out the benefits, and so there's no overall safety effect"

I don't think his claim that the downside outweighs the upside holds water. I don't believe there are genuine downsides. He alludes to the 2006 University of Bath study allegedly showing motorists driving closer to helmeted cyclists. But we also know that Dr Walker who did that Bath study, wore a long blonde wig. It has been convincingly suggested that the wig, not the helmet, was responsible. But even if it wasn't, I don't see how drivers driving closer (and cyclist confidence) are factors which outweigh the benefits. None of this - I must point out - in any way supports your claim that "cycling head injuries are at exactly the same percentage with or without a helmet" - something you have not provided any study or findings to corroborate. You have just raised someone else's doubt regarding another study, doubts which I think are massively overstated, and don't convincingly support your claim of equal risk.

What he does say which stands up is that helmets have benefits for the individual.

The neurosurgeon who in 2014 notoriously claimed helmets had no beneficial effect, said so because, as he put it, “I see lots of people in bike accidents and these flimsy little helmets don’t help.” So he's not saying helmest don't help, he's saying flimsy helmets don't help. But his claim doesn't stand up: he is not going to see those people whose helmets saved them from brain injury.

But what the neurosurgeon says about flimsiness I think sounds fair enough - and the helmet you recommend, Tony, looks a good one.

What you write about people not being saved if a car or lorry hits them isn't true either. There was a story recently about someone actually run over by a lorry whose hard-shell helmet saved her. And in the Telegraph story I linked to, the celebrity in question had been hit in the head by a lorry's wing mirror at 70mph. I believe he is now brain damaged but less so than he would have been had he not been wearing a helmet.

I agree with you Tony - even a minor fall like you mention, could create a life-altering brain injury, and that (along with all the other reasons) is why wearing a helmet is valuable.

I don't agree that the absence of French helmet laws tells us anything about helmets' benefits for the individual.

anotherkiwi · Mar 31, 2015

Damnation I should have bookmarked the page (or kept my mouth shut...).

Ummmm brain damage in my book is a fatality not prevented by wearing a helmet... That he isn't dead is beside the point, other factors may have come into play. He would have had brain damage without a helmet and he may also have survived. Or because he wasn't wearing a helmet the lorry may have left him more room which is one of the points taken into account in the studies.

One of the points that the French took into account. As well as the incomplete statistics that they are saving lives. Most French parents buy a helmet along with their kids first bicycle.

I did a google search on "bicycle helmet statistics" from memory. One of the pages has the data but also says:

- insufficient data
- not enough studies have been done

It was from an emergency service in a hospital which said when another vehicule was involved there was no difference in the number of head injuries.

I also read that professional cyclists only agreed on compulsory helmets because they have aerodynamic advantages.

Kids do benefit because their balance isn't complete and they are victim to many slow speed tumbles.

We both seem to agree that there are helmets and non helmets. Foam covered with brightly colored flimsy plastic is more of a means of looking so silly that no one notices that you are a grown man in tights... Grown men will always notice women in tights so sorry ladies we are not looking at your helmets

How many people to you see on the streets in shell helmets such as the ones I posted? Here in France none except for kids in skate parks.

A decent helmet costs around 100€. Idea - when you sell an e-bike throw in the helmet (no not give it away, add the price to the bike), this will make the cost of a decent helmet easier to swallow and prevent people from buying cheap junk which gives them a false sense of security.

When I was in the hospital after bending a Ford Fiesta in two with my shoulder a guy who had been in a bike accident was admitted to my room. Me - collar bone no longer attached both ends, a bruise from head to toe and a cheek pierced by a tooth (thank you full face helmet!). Him - multiple fractures arms and legs and stiches all over. He had fallen down a bank while admiring someones rose garden... He wasn't wearing a helmetm there weren't any on the market in those days

Cheers

Tony (at work)

jonathan75 · Mar 31, 2015

anotherkiwi said:
Damnation I should have bookmarked the page (or kept my mouth shut...).

Ummmm brain damage in my book is a fatality not prevented by wearing a helmet... That he isn't dead is beside the point, other factors may have come into play. He would have had brain damage without a helmet and he may also have survived. Or because he wasn't wearing a helmet the lorry may have left him more room which is one of the points taken into account in the studies.

One of the points that the French took into account. As well as the incomplete statistics that they are saving lives. Most French parents buy a helmet along with their kids first bicycle.

I did a google search on "bicycle helmet statistics" from memory. One of the pages has the data but also says:

- insufficient data
- not enough studies have been done

It was from an emergency service in a hospital which said when another vehicule was involved there was no difference in the number of head injuries.

I also read that professional cyclists only agreed on compulsory helmets because they have aerodynamic advantages.

Kids do benefit because their balance isn't complete and they are victim to many slow speed tumbles.

We both seem to agree that there are helmets and non helmets. Foam covered with brightly colored flimsy plastic is more of a means of looking so silly that no one notices that you are a grown man in tights... Grown men will always notice women in tights so sorry ladies we are not looking at your helmets

How many people to you see on the streets in shell helmets such as the ones I posted? Here in France none except for kids in skate parks.

A decent helmet costs around 100€. Idea - when you sell an e-bike throw in the helmet (no not give it away, add the price to the bike), this will make the cost of a decent helmet easier to swallow and prevent people from buying cheap junk which gives them a false sense of security.

When I was in the hospital after bending a Ford Fiesta in two with my shoulder a guy who had been in a bike accident was admitted to my room. Me - collar bone no longer attached both ends, a bruise from head to toe and a cheek pierced by a tooth (thank you full face helmet!). Him - multiple fractures arms and legs and stiches all over. He had fallen down a bank while admiring someones rose garden... He wasn't wearing a helmetm there weren't any on the market in those days

Cheers

Tony (at work)

Yes I do see people wearing the better skate type helmets in London, they're getting really trendy now, a pal has got one. There are some stylish ones too, and cheaper ones for £20,but I don't know if they're as good. I feel a bit embarrassed at the thought of wearing one - I know what you mean about them being uncommon in many places.

Cheers

Jon

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