Newbie introduction and questions.

[sandra]

Hi, I'm Sandra from Mississippi. I discovered your site and forum about a week ago. My husband (of 31 years next week!) and I bought bikes about 6 years ago. We have a wonderful Trace to ride on. It is 41 miles of old railroad that was converted to a biking trail. They are still in the process of extending it further.

We rode for a while and life got in the way. Now we have gotten our bikes back out and are getting serious about our riding and loving every minute of it. We wonder why we ever stopped riding!! I feel like a kid again at heart. I loved biking all my life and remember the good ole days of riding my bike to the neighborhood school, even in elementary school. That was so much FUN!

My first question:
We are in the process of getting all geared up. So far we have had no problems on our rides as far as flat tires, etc. What do you suggest as far as the minimal tools you would not ride without? (Reading the thread about the "first hitchhiking experience" made me want to be more prepared. :p )

I've enjoyed reading all of your posts and have learned so much already. I enjoy messageboarding and I'm looking forward to getting to know everyone better.

[mimitabby]

I carry a multi-tool, it has hex wrenches, screw drivers, etc on it; I also carry some tire levers and a pump.
We have friends that carry all sorts of tools, for example, when our derailleur broke on our tandem, they were able to fix it!

[Grog]

Spare tube
Patch kit
Tire levers (which I use as little as I can, but you never know)
Pump
$20 bill

CO2 carts and adapter is a luxury, but nice to have. If it fails, then I use the pump. Also carry a multitool.

ETA: ID with emergency contact info. Very important. I took my family's here: http://www.roadid.com/

[mimitabby]

oh, my pump is a Topeak Morph... I think it's WAY better than a CO2 cartridge!
don't forget a cellphone, useful in emergencies if you have cell coverage!
and welcome to TE!!

[lauraelmore1033]

yeah, what they said...
also, your cell phone can be a sort of road ID. Emergency workers and police in this area are trained to look for an ICE number (short of In Case of Emergency) on an accident victim's cell phone contact list. Home and hubby's cell# are labeled ICE1 and ICE2 on my phone.
and, hey, welcome!

[Grog]

yeah, what they said...
also, your cell phone can be a sort of road ID. Emergency workers and police in this area are trained to look for an ICE number (short of In Case of Emergency) on an accident victim's cell phone contact list. Home and hubby's cell# are labeled ICE1 and ICE2 on my phone.
and, hey, welcome!

If you can't speak for yourself or remember your ICE phone number after an accident, it's possible that your phone will not be with you anymore, or not functioning. So I strongly recommend carrying ID with emergency phone numbers anyway. Just my 2 cents - I'm a little safety obsessed...

[Jiffer]

yeah, what they said...
also, your cell phone can be a sort of road ID. Emergency workers and police in this area are trained to look for an ICE number (short of In Case of Emergency) on an accident victim's cell phone contact list. Home and hubby's cell# are labeled ICE1 and ICE2 on my phone.
and, hey, welcome!

I didn't know about the ICE numbers! That's so cool! I agree keeping ID and all that is good, but I've always wondered if I only had my cell, or they found it first in my jersey and didn't think to look in my saddle bag for ID, how long it would take them to figure out what they needed from it. I'll definitely add ICE numbers to my list and tell my cycling buddies about this.

Thanks. :)

[sandra]

Thanks for all the suggestions.

I was also beginning to dread fall and shorter days. I was thinking that our riding after work would end. The lady at the bike shop showed me a cool light that she uses and says she rides the trace at night with that light. She said I'd be surprised how many people are over there riding with lights.

It's a rechargeable Light & Motion 4w LED light. It was pretty bright!

Anybody ever used one?

[chort]

I have a LED for my bike.. it's super bright.

Hi, btw :D