One of the beauties of the bicycle is its simplicity. Unlike a car with its multitude of expensive, inaccessibly difficult to source or fit parts, the bike has very few pieces, all of which can be repaired from the comfort of your own home (or most likely garage, if you don’t want to get thrown out by your other half). 

But things do go wrong and, with that in mind, there are a few things that you should know how to fix on a bike, especially if you’re thinking of going off on a big ride for four or five hours. Sure, some things can only be fixed in the workshop, with the right tools, but there are a few things which can happen out on the road which you should be able to rustle up a fix for to get you home. Being stranded miles from home with a problem you don’t know how to fix is one of the worst feelings in the world, even more so if you happen to have no phone signal as well.

We’ve put together a guide to five different potential bike malfunctions, from repairing a punctured tube to fixing a broken chain, and how to overcome them with nothing but your own two hands, a bit of common sense and some very basic tools which you should have on your anyway.

Some are dead simple, some are more complicated but all five are things that every cyclist should take the time to understand. Chances are, if you don’t encounter the problem yourself, someone on a group ride will, and you’ll be able to come to the rescue.