All of these are more advanced roadside jobs, but if you get confident at doing them, you’ll totally be owning the road. Also remember that even though it won’t always work in the countryside, watching TWC ‘How To’ videos on your phone is not a sign of weakness!

Broken cables

Lost your gears? You’ve managed to fray or break a cable.

• It’s good to know that you can manually change things up by moving your chain between the big and small rings. Carrying some marigolds as part of your kit will help stop you looking like you’ve had a fight with some oil. 
• If you live in a hilly area and feel like you’ll need to make a more substantial repair, check out the GCN’s guide. 

Broken chains

A broken chain is more likely to be an issue for girls that go mountain biking. If you’re heading to the hills this weekend, consider taking a chainbreaker with you (some multi-tools have one) and a spare pin for reattaching. 

Ultimate Mountain Biking Holiday Checklist – 
What Kit to Bring

• To remove the broken link, ensure to remove two segments of the chain at the damaged end, as there are two types of segment that alternate and removing one won’t let you reattach it. 
• After that you won’t be able to change gears as usual, so be mindful. Again, GCN have a good video on the subject.

Broken Spokes

Ping! One of your spokes is gone. This can ruin your ride by making your wheel warp.

• You can do the very scientific method of using your knee to try and bend the wheel back into place. Then open up your brakes enough to let the wheel spin through without rubbing. Hopefully these measures will get you home.
• If your multi-tool has a spoke wrench you can attempt to equalise the tension on the roadside. Loosen the two spokes immediately opposite the broken spoke, and tighten it’s two next-door neighbours. Replace the spoke when you get home.