Puncture Repair Kit for Bikes: What to Carry on Every Ride

A puncture always happens at the worst time. With the right small kit in your saddlebag, it becomes a ten-minute break instead of a headache. Here's what to carry, depending on whether you ride with inner tubes or tubeless.

Basic Kit (Inner Tube)

• A spare inner tube of the right size and valve type: it's the fastest and most reliable solution on the road (replace it, repair at home).
• Two tyre levers in plastic to remove the tyre without damaging it.
• Something to reinflate : mini-pump or CO2 cartridge (see which pump to choose).
• Self-adhesive patches as backup, if you get a second puncture.

Tubeless

• Tubeless plugs (worms) + insertion tool : most tubeless punctures seal in seconds without removing the tyre, with the preventative liquid doing the rest.
• A spare inner tube anyway : if the tear is too big, you put in an inner tube to get back.
• Something to reinflate (CO2 is practical for re-seating the tyre).

If you're losing air repeatedly, see the tubeless troubleshooting guide.

Essential Tools

• A multi-tool (Allen keys, Torx) for tightening, adjusting, reassembling.
• A quick link chain in the right standard, very light, that saves you from a broken chain.
• Optionally a cable tie / zip tie and a banknote (which can act as a "boot" for a sliced tyre).

Storing and Maintaining It

A compact saddlebag is enough. Check occasionally that the inner tube hasn't aged and that the CO2 cartridge is still there. Good tyre pressure and tyres in good condition remain the best prevention.

Have a question about your kit? The mechanic AI answers without commercial fluff.