Non-shifting Into Emergency Gear

Last year after searching every store in the vicinity of the 2nd check point in Kanza for a needle and thread/dental floss to sew my sliced (vertically down the center of the tread) tire closed so the rocks would stay out and stop trashing my quickly diminishing supply of tubes, I had to withdraw from the race and make the long trek back on hot barren blacktop. It was a long grinding ride back to the hotel made even longer by no available services for water, food, shade or needle & thread. The whole ride I was berating myself with my inner monologue for my stupidity in not packing a needle and dental floss. "You idiot! Remember when Sharp showed you how he fixed his sidewall on the Squirrely with dental floss years ago? You knew then you'd eventually need to use that bit of info. WHY WEREN'T YOU PREPARED?!! You SAW THIS COMING!!!"

This is how my brain works. Which is why my friends tease me about all the stuff I haul around on long rides. I like to be prepared, but to a point. I don't want to be a Craftsman Toolbox carrying Monster McConnell (no offense Scotty!), but I'd also prefer to ride out if at all possible.

This past weekend on the gravel grinder when we thought my hub was slowly coming apart as we rode further and further from the inhabited world, I started kicking myself all over again. "You idiot! You SAW THIS COMING!! What were you thinking NOT HAVING A SOLID EXIT STRATEGY??!!"

Self, I've got your exit strategy right here.

While riding waiting for the hub to completely fail at any moment, I was thinking "Self, why don't you carry a Tomicog with you? Not only could it help you avoid a walking disaster, it could also save a friend." So today I ordered a Tomicog. For those not familiar, a Tomicog is a fixed gear cog designed to bolt onto the disc rotor mount on disc hubs. If my freehub fails all I'll have to do is remove the rotor, install the Tomicog, and pedal coast free back to the car, or finish line. Simple and elegant solution.

pic swiped from the Tomicog site

What wasn't so simple was deciding which size Tomicog to order. A 16t (the smallest) would offer a gearing closest to my gravel grinding setup, but it would suck to push 35x16 out in Pisgah. A 19t would be great for Pisgah, but suck for Kanza. Buying two would be great for Tomi, but not so frugal for me, as I don't plan on riding it all that often. In the end I settled for a 17t cog. It'll be bearable on the gravel/road and doable on most singletrack in the event of an emergency drive train repair and also offer a fun around town fixie setup.

Now if I'd only remember to find a needle and floss...