Don't leave home without levers...

When it comes to deciding what spares to take with you on a trip, you’ll find a wide range of opinions.  Some riders won’t take anything at all, trusting to the fact that they can either buy what they need along the way; others take everything but the kitchen sink with them, and end up never needing any of it.

One thing – or two things to be precise – that I always take with me on any trip are spare clutch- and brake levers.  They’re small and light, so they don’t take up much space – on some bikes you can even stash them under the seat – and they can prevent your trip coming to a premature and miserable end.

I’ve been amazed to find that many experienced riders don’t carry spare levers with them, and I’ve seen others having to resort to inventive bodges involving mole grips and cable ties when they’ve broken a lever in the middle of nowhere.  Even if your bike has hand guards, you can’t rely on them to protect the levers in the event of an off – ask me how I know.

To sum up, even if they’re the only spares you take with you, a pair of replacement levers are an absolute must in my humble opinion.