The bike is a mechanical device and, as such, it requires maintenance and may still break in spite of this. One option for keeping a bike in working order is through avoidance. In other words, buy items that are of high quality and durability. My Surely Long Haul Trucker is an example of avoidance, with a frame that has proven to endure long journeys. Another option is through transference, which I suppose one can do through buying insurance or an extended warranty. I have neither purchased insurance nor extended the warranty. Prevention is another option. One can prevent damage by not using the bike. This really is not an option for those embarking on a cross-country bike trip. Finally, one can absorb the damage, in other words, plan for the damage and then fix it when it occurs. Several of the items that I will be packing with me and discussing in the coming days make up this final category. The first in this line being the “Tool that does everything”
My “Tool that does everything” is the Specialized “E.M.T Comp”. Weighing in at 210 grams and only 8.5 cm long, this rectangle pleasure package comes equipped with every tool you may possibly need to put your broken darling back into working order. Arranged around 2 axises, the E.M.T Comp includes the following:
- Exclusive Disc pad separator and shims
- Allen Wrenches: 2/2.5/3/4/5/6/8
- Box Wrenches: 6/8/9/10
- T25 Torx
- #1 Phillips
- 4.5mm flat blade
- Tire lever
- Chain breaker
- Bottle opener
Now owning this fine piece of metalworking is one thing. Knowing how to use it is another. Straight up I can tell you that, if I blow a chain or tire, I am not going to know the first thing about how to replace it. So one, its a good thing that I will have plenty of downtime during the trip to try to fix the bike when damage does occur and two, its even better that I will be bringing a phone with me so that I can call for a taxi when I give up. More about the phone, my 21st century “Tool that does Everything”, in a later post.