A water proof Tool Box for your bike
The Problem | The Solution | Graphic
If you're only going
for a day trip, you can perhaps get by with a mini-tool kit and a puncture kit.
But for expedition purposes, even if you reduce your tool kit to a practical
minimum, you will still need to carry a considerable weight of tools, including
small but weighty spares (cables, bolts, bearings etc). [ list ]
Bicycle
people usually carry any tool kit either under the seat, (in its own
mini-pannier) , or packed in with their other luggage.
However , my "de luxe" tool kit, including
crank extractor, adjustable spanner, cone spanners, small pliers, spare cables,
screws etc weighs in at about 800 g. This is too much for a wedge pack, which
is designed for a spare tube and/or a tiny tool kit, and is really suitable for
day trips - but not much else. Besides, using the under-the-seat position raises
the bike's centre of gravity, not good for
handling.
Alternatively, if
you carry the tool kit in your panniers, you face the problem of maintaining
balance between the two sides of the bike for the sake of your bike's handling.
You will also want to carry the tool kit in the bottom of the
panniers, (otherwise, it would crush anything placed below it
!) but then you may need to pull everything out to get at
the tools when you need them - and this can be inconvenient , especially in
rain or mud ! As well, even the best panniers have a certain amount of sway,
and the weight of the tool kit moving with the panniers does nothing good for
the panniers themselves, or for your rack mountings. And even the best-kept
tool kit will be greasy sometimes, not the sort of thing to pack with your
clothes or food, if possible.
Lastly, you will
want to keep your tools safely dry and weatherproof, but plastic bags as
wrapping wear out quickly even inside a pannier, and can be very grubby. When
it's raining - perhaps for days at a time - you won't want to have to worry if
your tools are getting a soaking, (unless you can afford new ones......! )
So, all in all,
carrying tools in your panniers presents a few problems. The answer
?
Our
solution is to mount a bottle cage in the "third "
position, on the underside of the down tube. Better bikes will have
bosses, but you can easily find clamps to fit. Set up loosely at first to check
for clearances with the front wheel. Then, find a 75 mm diameter plastic bottle
( a very common standard size which will always fit
the cage.) Find a second similar one for a top, cut with a
For another version, see Bruce
Lloyd's http://www.brucelloyd.net/thingsto.htm#toolkit
You will find that
handling is improved with the weight down low - your bike will feel like it's
hugging the road, leaving you free to enjoy the scenery. Setting up camp is
also easier - you can leave the tools on the bike in any weather. And you free
up space in your panniers for lighter or more bulky items that you need sometimes
but not always - an empty water/food container maybe ?.
Try it, we're sure you'll like it !
17 December 1998