On 19-08-17 22:15, jbeattie wrote:
Wow, is the tow rope in the pannier pocket next to the heart-lung machine, or is that in another pannier? I carry a full selection of shop tools, derailleur hangers, spokes, rims and a friction-drive motor, just in case the rider is tired or I can't completely repair the bike.https://www.electricbike.com/wp-cont...plerBike21.jpg I used to bring a granite surface plate and gas torch for fixing and truing steel frames, but most people are on aluminum or CF these days, at least back on the super-gnarly trails where I ride.

Eckart Heinrich has a web page (in German) with tales of his bike tours.
In one case he was in the Italian part of Switzerland and wanted to go
from Val Calanca to Val Blenio. Along the way he had to lower his bike
down a drop using a rope. So yes, a rope can be useful.

I carry a couple of meters of light climbing rope, which weighs almost
nothing. If I get stranded and have to spend the night somewhere up on a
mountain meadow, the rope and the emergency blanket could make for a
shelter. Also useful in case something breaks and needs to be tied in
place. A couple of months ago on a dirt road in Sardinia I gave the rope
to a guy on a motorbike for this reason.

Ned