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My career as an island postman has sadly come to an end after Royal Mail couldn’t provide me with a reliable and more importantly, legal vehicle - you can read about in in this Sunday’s Observer.
Ever onward, I’m now working in one of Tobermory’s institutions, Brown’s which is a general merchants established in 1830 - think old fashioned hardware store but with a fine selection of whisky. There is a much unloved cycle section and the new owners have asked me to suggest a selection of spares to carry - particularly as the nearest bike shops are Oban or Fort William. Thinking along the lines of the following(we don’t have much space):
Inner tubes - popular sizes
Puncture + Tubeless repair kits + sealant (depends on what the distributor has)
Tubeless valves
Brake pads - popular disc + rim
Pumps + CO2 inflators + puncture repair kits
Chains - 8,9,10,11,12 + spare links
Spare cables - brake + gear
Chain lube + grease
Basic tools
Bottles + cages
Lights
Maybe:
Hydro bleed kit
Spare tyres - 700c + 650B
Selection of small bags/seat
Chamois cream
Any other suggestions based on your experiences on tour and those situations where you wished you could have got something?
cheap pedals. i bought some in a SuperU in france. got me home.
A few common bearings especially loose or caged ball bearings?
Tyres - just a few basic ones but include 26" and 29" - just basic cheapo ones as a get you home rather than a range of posh ones
Spare AXS batteries 😄
Chamois cream? Really?? (I've not been to Mull so not sure how much riding there is...) I suppose it doesn't go off though, so doesn't matter if it's not a big seller
Nothing to add other than to say that Browns is fabulous
Edit, one of two generic saddles to get people moving again. Broken saddle is end of bike tour
Spokes
Specifically the longest box of spokes and an sbender to make any size spoke that can slot in even without cassette removal.
Spokes
Specifically the longest box of spokes and an sbender to make any size spoke that can slot in even without cassette removal
Or those adjustable kevlar string ones - just a couple/few would do
Tyre boot
Tubeless rim tape
Tyre levers
Book of routes on the island
Various bolts, e.g. chainring, cleats
Frame/luggage straps
I'd think what type of riders are there or visiting, e.g. MTB, gravel
Then scenarios, e.g. forgot something, lost something, broke something, have a new requirement due to doing a new type of riding.
How long does it take CRC/ Wiggle to deliver to the island?
Are you able to offer your services as a mechanic?
Before I made a suggestion I googled the shop website, pleased Tobermory Cat features there!
Assuming you have a general supply of nuts and bolts to fix stuff thats fallen apart, my suggestion would be a good track pump and metric hex handtools in a fixing station. Like at ski resorts. Tools wired to something but for general use to passing cyclists. If you're selling tubes and tyres, a track pump would be handy.
Cone spanners somewhere in store... who carries those if you have Shimano wheels?
How long does it take CRC/ Wiggle to deliver to the island?
About a week as it comes Evri and the courier only delivers here one day a week. With normal postal service (ha ha!) you can get Amazon next day.
Are you able to offer your services as a mechanic?
We have a few tools and I’d offer to help, but not to the extent of booking repairs etc as we don’t have room to store the bikes. I do service a few bikes at home where I have a workshop/more tools. I also have a few boxes of spokes - spoke bender might be a bit spendy at the moment, maybe some long, straight-pull ones and some pliers for a temporary repair.
Yes, Tobermory Cat does grace us with his presence, his actual name is Ledaig (after the whisky) he’s 15 now and a bit grumpy.
Definitely need to include 26 inch tyres. Also what type of bike do the local kids ride? They'll be your repeat customers.
Chain tools are handy.
I think we went in that shop for something random when we went to Mull. Good shop but we didn't need bike parts as we were in a van.
I know it's cheating but is your most useful 'tool' am Amazon fast delivery account so you can get anything in a day or so? I know it's cheating but it is good service for your customers.
You could streamline the selection of chains, I think. Please post up the link to the Observer article when it's published.
Tyres - definitely tyres.
Cable outers (if these split you are snookered big time) and some outer ends.
Zipties
Fuse wire
Gorilla / Duck tape
Rain capes - the cheap festival types.
Sudocrem
Vaseline (repacked a friend's front hub with Vaseline in remotest Norway)
Quick links in a variety of sizes. Could save a broken chain.
Sh-m51 shoe cleat. Far and away the most common example used.
Please post up the link to the Observer article when it’s published
Came here for this.
I'd not bother with trendy tubeless stuff or CO2 cartridges and the like when tubes and a mini pump are properly universal.
Things I have had to buy when away touring on a bike.
New cassette.
Hypercracker to change cassette.
Crank remover and BB tool to tighten up loose BB
New pump.
Three tandem 700c tyres when they kept exploding.
One 700c hybrid tyre which exploded while I was in the cafe.
One 26" inch tyre to replace my spare after I gave my spare to a passing American who's tyre exploded.
New back wheel when the rim split between the spokes.
New back wheel when the rim got to thin and split.
Multiple tubes and puncture patches.
What ever spares you take are not the ones you need.
Loaded touring is tough on wheels and tyres.
This is over multiple years.
A mixed box of every bolt type you can think of. I spent several days looking for a bolt/seatclamp in the Highlands after snapping my seat collar bolt on day 1 of a holiday (luckily it was a family holiday rather than a riding holiday)
A pair of wheels (prob QR), we've bought a Halfords special after exploding a freehub on Snowdon.
If you want a universal replacement thru-axle, Tailfin do a really clever one with 4 interchangeable thread pitches, adjustable length and a selection of end cap styles. It's designed for their rack but would be ideal as a one size fits all emergency replacement. It fits every thru axle bike we own.
PS I'd agree with Bruce about the heavier tools you wouldn't normally carry, especially if you are stocking relevant parts. You can't get hypercrackers any more but probably better just to stock a proper lockring removal tool, and perhaps just loan/rent it out.
You could list the bike section on Google maps as a separate business (located within the main shop) to help people so are searching for a bike shop.
Ooh - toe straps and bungee chords.
Over the years leading group tours it's been broken racks and ripped luggage that have caused the most problems.
That and suspected heart attacks.
Bummer about the Postie job.
🙁
Is the article in print only? Can't see it online.
Spokes are always the one that has caused me the biggest trouble when touring but there are so many sizes :(. A longer spoke and the ability to cut/roll threads. You would need to price it properly though to make it worthwhile.
Agree on no need to stock tubeless stuff, just tubes. Maybe not even pumps as long as you have one at the shop. And tyres. Ripping tyres or getting a big cut will kill a trip and you don't really need so many options.
If people 'on tour' are anything like me probably the budget end of stuff that will get them by for now. For example Tailfin stuff looks great, but far too pricey for me.
My freehub went once when away and I couldn't afford £££ on a fancy rear wheel and cassette the only shop near stocked, and they couldn't or wouldn't replace tje free hub. Cable tie-ing cassette to spokes seemed the only option. Same when my forks went when bikepacking, I just had to finish the trip rather more aero than when I started out 😂😂😂 as the forks I could get at the nearest shop were far too £££. The other notable time was when's pedal chewed up a crank arm and the only cranks available were all top end jobbies. That time next day prime delivery saved the day 😁
Sorry about your job.
Here’s the article in today’s Observer
No surprises there. Bunch of incompetent shysters. After working for them throughout Covid I couldn't sack them off quick enough once the jobs market started opening up again in late 2021. Managed three days of a month's notice before chucking my ID lanyard at the DOM, telling him to stick it up his arse and walking out!
Tyre walls ripping, seatclamp bolts breaking, rack mounts shearing off the frame (jubilee clip sorted that one), brake cable outer housing fraying and opening out. Luggage failures sorted by sundry bolts, gaffer tape and zip ties. Early pre-internet tour nearly ended as soon as it started when the left pedal took a whack and pulled out the threads of the cheap square taper crank - resolved by a guy I talked to who happened to have a spare crank arm in his garage.
Just to add... Cheap saddles too.
My saddle rail broke on Orkney, quite some distance from the only bike shop too. Luckily a guy helped me bodge it with a nail with the head cut off, gaffa tape and glue to get me to the shop just before it closed where they had some second hand saddles, Result!
second hand saddles
Maybe some secondhand bikes to cannibalise 🤔
I'd suggest pannier racks too - have had these break on me before which is less than ideal
Here’s the article in today’s Observer:
any chance of a copy and paste article for those of us who aren't subscribed to the Observer? Id be very interested.
Duct tape?
You can't fix everything
I had a ride-ending freehub failure two years ago, you can't realistically hope to keep spares for every possible mechanical thing that might fail.
Thanks everyone for your suggestions - not sure we’ll be able to look at this this summer, but what we stock will be as much down to space. In the mean time, if anyone is in desperate need for a New Profile quill stem for 25.4mm bars with 120mm reach for your retro XC project, let me know!
The article on Mull postal service is now online on the Guardian website without paywall complications.
https://www.theguardian.com/money/2023/may/22/postal-desert-island-mulls-residents-cut-off-from-civilisation-by-royal-mail