what to put in a (triathlon) repair kit?

[lilikoi]

hello all,

i'm new to these boards and have a question regarding triathlon repairs. i have a 1997 marinoni road bike and all i've got in terms of repair gear is a couple of tire levers (for my mountain bike... are they the same?), a hand-pump and a CO2 pump. i'll be doing a half-im distance triathlon in june and want to start assembling components i may need during the race. what extra/repair gear would you recommend carrying for a triathlon? do road bike tires get changed the same way mtb tires do? i'm great at changing my fatty mtb tires but i'm a little afraid of my road bike... the tires look so narrow i'm afraid i may break/hurt them...

second, unrelated question: i live in the montreal area (quebec, canada) and am looking for a good deal on bike shoes/clipless pedals. either new or used, i'm pretty poor so if anyone has a good recommendation for a bike shop or online place to purchase, i'd be much obliged eventually, same goes for a pair of clip-on aerobars and a forward-oriented seat to make my roadster more tri-friendly.

thank you, thank you, for any advice!

cheers,
lilikoi

[Nanci]

I'd have at least two tubes, and a patch kit. I _have_ had problems with road tubes- they seem really fragile where the valve connects. I don't know if it's just me, or an inherent weakness. I've had _really_ good luck with patches, (Park Tools) having had them last hundreds of miles. It's faster for me than replacing the tube. (I pull the close to me side of the tire off, then carefully run my fingers around to find the sharp thing, remove whatever caused the puncture, pull out just enough tube to patch it, then put it all back together.) I would also carry something to patch the tire with- dollar bill, or a commercial patch. I'd carry a small multi-tool in case you got a loose screw anywhere (cleats, bottle cage) or if you had to adjust your seatpost. You can fix a missing cleat screw with a bottle cage screw. Or just lock-tite them all to prevent loss.

That's all I can think of right now.

Nanci

[DebW]

Yes, road bike tires and mtn bike tires are basically the same. Carry a spare tube, patches and glue, tire levers and a pump. Or read this article for leverless tire changes:

http://www.teamestrogen.com/articles/asa_levers.asp

Most importantly, practice changing tires at home before you have to do it on the road. IMO, if your tube is blown and you are going to junk it anyway, go ahead and use tire levers with impunity to remove the tire. If you want to salvage the tube, avoid the levers or use them carefully to remove the tire. Avoid them altogether when replacing the tire. But expect sore thumbs. Narrow road bike tires can be difficult. But you won't hurt them. They can handle 100 psi - more force than you could generate.

[Eden]

Do you tri- gals really have to carry tools and do your own repairs during a race? I've never done tri- only road racing and you don't carry anything extra. If you get a flat there is a wheel car and you'll get a change. If you have a worse mechanical you may not finish. During time trials there isn't even a wheel car, but the distance is often short enough that by the time you change your tire you'd may as well have just walked back so as far as I know no one bothers with the extra weight of tools and tubes.
The bike portion of IM(even 1/2 IM is longer than our state ITT championship) is pretty long so I can see the logic if there is no race support.

[Nanci]

Unauthorized Assistance.

No participant shall accept from any person (other than a race official) physical assistance in any form, including food, drink, equipment, support, pacing, a replacement bicycle or bicycle parts, unless an express exception has been granted and approved, in writing, by USA Triathlon. The receipt of information regarding the progress, split times, or location of other competitors on the race course shall not be considered the acceptance of unauthorized assistance. Any violation of this Section shall result in a variable time penalty.

[lilikoi]

thanks for the info. guess i'll practice changing the tires and just go with the bare bones...
cheers
lilikoi