Lucy's New Swag

The other day on my ride I came across another cyclist who was walking his bike. He was all tricked out in full Lycra and clicky shoes but couldn't ride because he had a flat tire and no way to fix it.
I felt bad for him, but I didn't have any way to fix his tire. Fortunately he had a ride coming to get him at the park so he didn't have far to walk.
That got me thinking I needed a patch kit of my own. When I go for my rides there's no one who can save me if I get into trouble and I do sometimes get into trouble. As I venture further out I really don't want to walk back. I'm up to over 3 miles now and still going strong.
The tires I have on Lucy are reinforced knobbies with a goo strip and extra thick tubes so it's unlikely I'll get a flat unless I roll over something extreme like a huge nail, but it could happen. I was also worried about possible mechanical failure. It sucks when it happens.
Husband reminded me that I already had a small box patch kit, but it wasn't comfortable in my pocket and I always left my mini-pump at home. I also had a mini-tool so all I needed was a bag.
We found the perfect saddle bag and we also got new patches. Mine were very old. Did you know they shouldn't crack when you bend them? I now carry a bike and people patch kit.

Perfect sized bag, patch kit, duck tape on a pencil, mini-tool, mini-pump with Co2 cartridges. Band aids, neosporin, and alcohol wipes in a plastic baggie.

It fits nice and tightly between her rear rack and fenders. It also took care of the rattle I was hearing from there. Bonus!

It's almost invisible so I won't have to worry about leaving it on when I go places.

Lucy also has a new cable on her seat. I was reading up on how to securely lock her because I'm super excited to go to the store in about 2 weeks and use her for shopping. I will definitely be going on Saturday the 4th and I want her secure. I found this great web page and the videos were very informative. Plus Hal made me laugh. I had already been doing everything except the seat lock. I don't have quick release, but that's not enough. Now she has a beautiful homemade seat cable. As an added bonus if my chain breaks I can take pieces off it and fix it with the mini-tool.

I love the tie-dyed duck tape. The hardest part was finding a pattern I liked. 

Add a bottle of water and we're ready for anything now!

Ginger cat approves.