I was at Fays over the lunch hour picking up some bolts, and looked at putting together a tire changing kit for the trail. Remember, dirt noob here.
What kind of tire irons (spoons) are easiest for a noob to use on the trail? There were simple ones that looked like bent pieces of steel bar, and other longer ones that were spoon shaped and had a screwdriver handle. I suppose the longer ones have better leverage but are bulky to carry on the trail. Also, should I get 2 or three of them? Are rim protectors really needed? Worse case, I bought a bunch of industrial zip ties so at least I can limp back to the trailhead.