Summary of tools and accessories to keep on hand for gravel bikes

Tools and accessories you must have on hand

Tools

If you ride a sport bicycle, you must have portable tools and other repair tools.

Specifically

1. Portable tools
2. Spare tube
3. Portable pump / CO2 cylinder
4. Tire levers
5. Chain pin / Quick link

Gravel bikes have more problems than road bikes because they are ridden on unpaved roads. Be fully prepared to deal with any problems that may arise.

If you are running tubeless, decide what you will do in the event of a flat tire. The kit you carry will depend on whether you will do a tubeless repair on the spot or give up on tubeless and go tubed.

If you are going to do a tubeless puncture repair, you will need a special tubeless repair kit and spare sealant.

EMERGENCY KIT

Gravel bikes have more opportunities to fall off the bike than road bikes. Even if you don’t normally carry an emergency kit on your road bike, be sure to have one if you are riding gravel.

You can buy a commercially available emergency kit or simply put it in a pouch or other container yourself.

The following are standard items to include.

1. Adhesive bandage
2. Bandage
3. Headache medicine
4. Compress
5. Vaseline

If you fall on gravel, it is easy to get cuts and abrasions, so bring plenty of bandages of various sizes.

Locks and Keys

When riding a gravel bike, you may stop somewhere for a quick stop. At that time, leaving your expensive gravel bike without a lock is like asking to steal it, so be sure to carry a lock.

If you are going to park your bike for an extended period of time, you will need a good lock that weighs close to 1 kg, but if you are going to eat or rest while cycling, you do not need a lock that is that large, as long as it can be properly secured to a bike rack or the like.

However, cheap locks can be easily cut with nippers, so avoid them.

Money

If you are cycling or traveling on a gravel bike, there are times when you may need money for some problems that arise on the road. Where you normally live, you may be able to settle the bill with a credit card, but if you go riding far away from home, you may only be able to use cash.

For such occasions, it is a good idea to keep even $100 or so in a ziplock and keep it in a tool bottle or something similar.

If you are going to be parked for a long time, remember to take the tool bottle or other container of cash with you off the bike.

Useful tools and accessories

Folding fenders

Many road and cross bikers will use a type of fender that can be retrofitted on rainy days.

For gravel bikes, it is common to have “sunny but with puddles” when riding on forest roads, so this is an accessory you will want to carry one with you.

We recommend a type of fender that can be folded up. When not in use, they can be folded up small and stored in a frame bag or top tube bag, making them easy to carry.

Note that if you are going bikepacking, camping, or touring, you can attach larger saddlebags or panniers to the rear, in which case the bags will replace the fenders, so the rear is not necessary.

Rainwear

When you ride gravel, you will often be riding in the mountain area. In the mountains, the weather is more changeable than in urban areas, and there are fewer places to shelter from the rain, so you may catch a cold if you get caught in the rain.

It is a good idea to carry rainwear on your gravel bike in case of such an eventuality.

It is standard practice to keep rainwear in your jersey pocket depending on the temperature, but we recommend keeping a windbreaker or gilet that can be folded up small in your tool bottle so you don’t forget it.