What Do You Bring Along On Rides?

Funny you should mention overkill...

A friend of mine whom I sometimes tour with is a former pro bike mechanic and carries an amazing array of tools and gadgets and spare parts on journey in a shockingly heavy duffle on top of the rear rack. I've watched him true a bent wheel in a campground and repack a rear wheel bearing in the desert. I sure as heck wouldn't carry all that stuff but he is a nice person to ride with because he does have all that stuff and is willing and able to haul it.
 
Toomanycats said:
I’m a woman in her early 60’s who does a lot of recreational (10-20 miles) riding by herself, mostly bike trails. I have a trunk bag on my bike rack. Here are some of the things I bring. I wanted to see what other brought, and if other people had suggestions:
Cell phone with credit card and cash, water bottle, ABUS folding lock, granola bar, spare tire, tire levers, co2 cartridges, (I have Shwalbe Super Moto’s but no tire’s truly flat proof, right?), latex exam gloves, hand wipes, bike multi tool.
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I found most people on bike trails are helpful and have the gear you need, in any case a crescent wrench, spare tube, cell phone, energy bars and water purification tablets in case it's a few days
 
jazz said:
It has happened a few times. I'm like MacGyver. I get it sorted out
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I have lived in the woods, easy to make a claim but after 2 days water is an issue, purification tabs are a must.
If no tabs where is the best place to get water? Can't wait for this answer
Thank god for the net which is not available in the woods but your in a chair pretending you actually go outdoors.
 
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Some places I've ridden in the Appalachian Mountains have no cell service anywhere. All day rides of 50+ miles off road, fire road, mining tracks. The answer to what to take requires an answer to where one rides. If I'm on a park trail, I'll take less. A hundred miles from a small town I'll take more. Survival of the fittest, so to speak.
 
Off road all day said:
I have lived in the woods, easy to make a claim but after 2 days water is an issue, purification tabs are a must.
If no tabs where is the best place to get water? Can't wait for this answer
Thank god for the net which is not available in the woods but your in a chair pretending you actually go outdoors.
Click to expand...
I was a survival instructor in the military so I think I might know a thing or two about a thing or two. Plus I go off the grid in South America for at least a month every so often when I get the itch.
 
jazz said:
I was a survival instructor in the military so I think I might know a thing or two about a thing or two. Plus I go off the grid in South America for at least a month every so often when I get the itch.
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I have heard a lot of crap on the net, pretty sure my neighbor walked on the moon with Armstrong, not buying s*it unless you can back it up.
Everything i say i can back up with multiple witnesses or it's on paper. Back it up! vid, paper etc. until you do your just another wannabe. I scored 8 goals in a ice hockey game, went though an entire ball hockey team and scored, i have the best batting average in the county, lob ball, best catcher in the county, even better at second or short, and i seem to be the only one that knows how to spiral a football properly and do the running back to quarterback thing while he's on the run. I finished in the top %10 of the province in my SAT and i didn't even try! I was accepted to Pictou County Community College 4 months before anyone else, why, because the overall average meant more money from the government. My tests came back with comments about off the charts with Spacial reasoning (good for sports), exceptionally high with mechanical reasoning. But i'm guessing most people know this. Go ahead call me on anything i said
I just want to help everyone, my methods are not the best but my heart is in the right place, my social skills suck, the name Sheldon has been mentioned.
I hate the net! you can pretend to be anyone and nobody is going to ask for your cred.
Anything you post Jazz bullshit, unless you can back it up, then bullshit with your Cory Heart muffed picture
 
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I ride with a rack trunk, so I keep one pocket full of emergency supplies. This is the stuff that "lives on the bike".

1-2 spare tube(s) (my fatbike gets 1 tube, my smaller tire bikes get 2)
1 pre-glued patch kit
1 set emergency tire boots
1 regular patch kit
1 compact bike pump
1 set Pedro's Tire Levers
1 adjustable wrench
1 multi-tool (Crank Brothers F15)
2 packets Gatorade powder
2 bottles of water
1 spare master-link
factory battery charger, I use a cycle satiator at home as my main charger so I leave the factory chargers in the rack trunk.


I've had multiple flats on a single ride before so being slightly over-prepared for dealing with flats has paid off.

I also bring my wallet, cell phone, and bike lock. I only have one bike lock so that migrates between bikes as needed.
I should probably add zip ties to my emergency supplies kit.
 
MechaNut said:
1 spare master-link
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I've bought parts from from competitivecyclist.com, jensonus.com, niagaracycle.com (dead) and cruise the modernbike.com site. Nobody I've seen had master links in 6 spd, 7 spd, 8 speed, 10/11 speed. You might get one with a whole new KMC chain, which would be too short for my cargo bike. I can buy master links for 5 speed rear sprocket chain at the industrial supply, 1/8" was standard width chain for 75 years and still used in factories. I thought you had to pop the pins out and reinsert on these modern chains. One reason I've never changed a chain, only bikes. Popping the pins with the schwinn tool was a big kluge, I didn't trust it to ride 5 miles from home. OTOH I've never had a chain fail, only sprockets.
 
indianajo said:
Nobody I've seen had master links in 6 spd, 7 spd, 8 speed, 10/11 speed. You might get one with a whole new KMC chain, which would be too short for my cargo bike
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KMC MISSING LINK Bicycle Chain Link (5,6,7 and 8-Speed, 6-Pack) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001AYJF3S/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_ibbRCbP0HYQ22

KMC MISSING LINK II Bicycle Chain Link (7 and 8-Speed, 6-Pack) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000AO7LGM/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_ldbRCbWQ91CKJ

I hope that helps. I've purchased so many master links over the years and rarely need them. I do always carry one. I'd give you a couple if it wouldn't cost more in postage than they're worth. I have them in every size from 6 to 10 speed. Haven't had a five speed for many years. I'm sure it's only a matter of time before I'll need 11 and 12!
 
Off road all day said:
I have lived in the woods, easy to make a claim but after 2 days water is an issue, purification tabs are a must.
If no tabs where is the best place to get water? Can't wait for this answer
Click to expand...

Where I live and play in the mountains you get your drinking water out of streams. Worked fine for me for only the last fifty-odd years.

Purification tables are tricky as the wait time and the concentration you need to achieve depend on the water temperature and how polluted the water might be. Also can be hard on your digestive tract if you use them for long periods.

jazz said:
I was a survival instructor in the military so I think I might know a thing or two about a thing or two. Plus I go off the grid in South America for at least a month every so often when I get the itch.
Click to expand...

Cool. Back when I was a lad I took a course that claimed to be based on the USAF SERE course for pilots. Spent a lovely series of Saturdays in the fall on the west slope of the Cascades and then for our final exam (on the weekend before Thanksgiving), we got dropped in the spooky forests north of Spokane on the Idaho border. Fate smiled, well really smirked, upon us and we were out in the teeth of a wicked blizzard for that weekend. Good times.
 
indianajo said:
I've bought parts from from competitivecyclist.com, jensonus.com, niagaracycle.com (dead) and cruise the modernbike.com site. Nobody I've seen had master links in 6 spd, 7 spd, 8 speed, 10/11 speed. You might get one with a whole new KMC chain, which would be too short for my cargo bike. I can buy master links for 5 speed rear sprocket chain at the industrial supply, 1/8" was standard width chain for 75 years and still used in factories. I thought you had to pop the pins out and reinsert on these modern chains. One reason I've never changed a chain, only bikes. Popping the pins with the schwinn tool was a big kluge, I didn't trust it to ride 5 miles from home. OTOH I've never had a chain fail, only sprockets.
Click to expand...

I picked up a 6 pack of KMC master links from Amazon and tossed a couple on each bike and left a couple in the tool chest. If the missing link lasts long enough to get me home or back to the car in the event of a chain failure that's fine by me. I'd never fully trust a chain that broke again, so I'd replace it before my next ride.

My bike has a hub motor and a throttle so in retrospect the bike would get me back regardless. I'd definitely put spare master links into the mandatory category for chain driven mid-drives though. I just figured it would be a good thing to have on hand in my emergency supplies just in case. As a scouter alumni I'm a firm believer in "be prepared". Those two words have never steered me wrong.
 
Mr. Coffee said:
Stuff I always carry:
Stuff I carry when off in the wilderness &c:
I'm not including things like a helmet and clothing items I might carry.
Click to expand...
I addition to some of the things you mentioned, I got a can of dog repellent pepper spray. I share the bike path with dog walkers, and some dogs really seem to hate ebikes. I don’t know if it’s appearance ( I’ve gradually accessorized mine with everything but a TV set) or noise.
A couple of really large, mean looking dogs have nearly gotten away from their owners to try to chase me. I figure it couldn’t hurt to have some protection.
 
I usually carry: wet weather gear, tube, medical kit, and as I claim, enough tools to change the wheels on a 747.
I usually ride as Tail End Charlie to anything up 20/25 others in the group so I usually come across any event which has happened on the ride. So far we've had broken chain, broken ankle, broken leg. Lots of skinned shins, one bloke went over the handlebars and fractured C1 and C2 in his neck.
This is over 3 years and 180 people in the group.
 
At 70 I carry my wallet, cell phone, multi tool, tire levers, a pair of latex gloves, and a very small hand pump. I learned the hard way that if you don't get the patch on right the first couple of times using CO2 cartridges, you are SOL when they are spent. I also don't like water so none of that to weigh me down. Makes me have to pee anyway.
 
Same as Mr.. Coffee plus:
  • magnetic mount, LED work/flash light
  • mini torque wrench by Kona
  • CO2 inflater with two large bottles
  • Tire pressure gauge
  • Suspension pump
  • 5,000mah USB power pack to recharge phone, lights, etc.
  • medic alert usb bracelet with medication list, contact info, insurance info, medical history
  • chest-strap, heart-rate monitor that reads out on Nyon (Polar)
  • defibrillator (installed in upper left chest below collar bone);)
 
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