Mountain Bike Tips: Cool On The Trail Repair & Quick Fixes

Every bike repair kit should contain Duct Tape. It's a durable and versatile product with as many uses as there are people who own a roll. It is invaluable for temporary bike repair and other quick fixes on the trail. Bring a small roll or wad in your pouch or pack, or wrap some around your bicycle seatpost so you’re never without it.

There are new products on the market that are perfect for the mountain biker or hiker. These include a small five yard roll on a caribineer that can be hooked onto a pack, a flat pack of tape the size of a credit card and even a pack of removable duct tape.

The following is a list of just a few possible uses that may help to save a bike ride in a pinch or at least get you home from the trail. Let us know about any unusual duct tape stories of your own.

• Hold together a broken bicycle saddle or cover a rip in the saddle.
• Use to attach a bike tire pump to your frame if a mounting bracket breaks.
• Repair rips in pannier bags, pouches, hydration packs or even your cycling jersey and shorts.
• If the velcro straps for your under-the-saddle pouch break use duct tape to attach pouch to saddle rail and seatpost.
• If you have a small flashlight or light source with you and are caught after dark, attach it to your helmet or handlebars.
• Reinforce cracked or broken helmet, if necessary, to get you back to the trailhead. Always replace a compromised helmet with a new one.
• For safety, especially late in day, use reflective duct tape on your bike or helmet.
• Tape an energy bar under your saddle for easy access.
• Use to hold together broken eyewear.
• Attach an extra water bottle or energy drink to your frame on a long ride. Use to fill water bottle in the cage when empty.
• In a pinch, try duct tape when fixing a flat.
• We used duct tape to hold the back of the camera in place, when it dropped and the back snapped off the hinges. It seemed to also have kept the light out because the pictures came out OK! Good thing we had some duct tape with us!