Top 10 Tools to Take Touring

3. Flat Repair Kit

I’ve kept a flat repair kit under the seat on my personal bike for years. The ones with compressed CO2 give you the most bang for the buck. However, you’ve only got one shot to fill the tire. If you have two punctures, like we did on our Sport-Adventure-Touring shootout you’ll be out of luck unless you’re carrying extra CO2 cartridges or a pump, too. John Burns recently reviewed a pair of plug kits (see here), and I’ve been quite happy with my MotoPumps Mini. (Review here).

One word of warning, if your tire kit uses vulcanizing cement, be sure to check your plug kit every year or so. Otherwise, you may find yourself on the side of the road with a tube of pre-vulcanized cement, rendering your kit useless. (Don’t ask me how I know this.)