Fffffeeeewwww… it’s a sound that no cyclist is pleased to hear, but one that your tyre could suddenly make on your next ride. A flat tyre is annoying, but nothing to worry about if you have the right kit in your saddle bag.

I’ll be straight with you: I never used to carry spare parts with me, only a mobile phone to call for help if needed. That was until I was recently asked why I never took a spare inner tube and useful tools with me on a ride. I couldn’t come up with a decent answer, which meant it was high time for a change!

It’s all in your head 

I’m getting ready for a long ride, without spare parts. The thought keeps crossing my mind: what if I get a puncture when I’m farthest from home, in the middle of nowhere? I would feel guilty about someone having to spend an hour in the car simply because I was too lazy to organise spare parts. That, and the fact that I would have to stand around for more than an hour in sweaty clothes waiting for someone to arrive to help. Of course, you can start to walk home, but neither me nor my shoe plates are really up for that. And then that question rocks back up: WHY? It gives me peace of mind to know I can avoid the above scenario by just taking spare parts with me. And then I can get on my bike without worrying.

Okay, so what should I take with me?

It all starts with the saddle bag. I like to keep the rear pockets of my cycling shirt as empty as possible. And anyway, they often fill up quickly with things like my phone, snacks and windcheater. The saddle bag doesn’t weigh me down, and I hardly notice that it is mounted on my bike. ‘Mounted’ makes it sound technical, but this Trivio saddle bag is fitted quickly and easily using Velcro. 

My saddle bag is a small, compact model (size S). It contains 1 inner tube, tyre levers, 2 CO2 cartridges and a CO2 adapter. With these Trivio items, I can replace a flat tyre while on the road, and with the CO2 adapter, I can easily get (more than) enough air back into the tyre. My Trivio CO2 adapter has a universal screw thread, so it always fits. I take two cartridges with me, just to be sure. For if something goes wrong while pumping up my tyre, or if I get another flat tyre. You see, they are single use cartridges.

Thanks to my well-stocked Trivio saddle bag, I have everything I need to fix a flat tyre on the road and can head out on a ride without a care in the world!