Stashing Your Bike Tools

I like to use my bike for transportation, to and from work and visiting local stores. The biggest downside is when I want to make one or more stops in the trip. I live in a neighborhood with a lot of bums and they will steal anything they see and think they can sell that isn't secured, including bike accessories. This means I can't simply have a tool pouch and pump that I ignore until I have to make a roadside repair. They have to be removed and taken with me at every store I might visit. Until now.

I bought a Post Pump for the pump issue and the patch kit is in the seat post tube.

This left the allen wrenches and screwdriver. I was carrying a multi-tool in my pocket but wasn't satisfied with that and was trying to think of a way to stash it somewhere on the bike, to no avail. Until I saw the Kickstarter for Fix It Sticks. I now have everything I might need for a roadside emergency stashed, except for the crescent wrench.

Things you'll need.

A paper clip.

Fire.

Scissors.

Some strong string.

Some thin padding.

They come in this recycled inner tube pouch. Throw it away. It's a clever idea but the stitching was unraveling as soon as I opened the package they came it. You're not going to need it anyway.

Fix one end of the string to the inside of the endcaps from the handle bars. Stock endcaps vary greatly. This is how I did mine.

I used the fire to heat the end of an unbent paper clip, followed by shoving it into the side wall of the endcap to melt a hole through it. I then ran the string through the hole, ran it around the circumference of the endcap, tied it off, and cut off the remainder.

Use a slip knot that can be undone by pulling on the loose end of the string, not the cap end. Make sure to leave enough play so that the Fix It Stick can go all the way into the handlebar plus enough room for the endcap.

This is just so that they don't rattle around when riding. The amount you use and how you use it will vary upon what you used for padding and the diamater of your handle bars. I didn't need much and just used a sliver of rayon felt.

Thusly.