What are your "must haves"?

[Vireo]

It's bike riding food. That and fig newtons.

Hmmm, in my seat bag I have:

2 spare tubes, 1 700c and 1 24"
patch kit
multi-tool
ball wrench
compact screwdriver
tire pressure gauge
spare stem
spare stem caps
tire levers
small pack of bandaids and antibiotic cream


In my camelbak-equivalent:
Driver's license
cell phone
bike lock
maps
glasses
money
debit card
keys
foodal items - dates, raisins, butterscotch, bananas, PB crackers
water IN the camelbak-equivalent reservoir
SPF 45 chapstick
If the ride is > 50 miles

• extra bottles of propel
• extra bike shorts
• rain gear
• extra gloves
• spare 24" tire (lashed to my rear rack)
• sample size sunscreen (for touch-up)

on the bike:
the seat bag
frame pump (Topeak Morph)
however many water bottles will fit under the frame pump (usually one large, one small) containing watered down gatorade or propel
Cyclometer (I forgot that one, LOL!)

On my person:
helmet
hair band (and I DON'T mean an 80's glam rock musical combo)
gloves
sunglasses ($10 from the hardware store, basically tinted safety glasses)
bike shoes (in the hopes that some day, I WILL clip in again)
The camelbak-equivalent of course
Slather up with sunscreen which usually lasts 'til the end of the ride

Things I'm going to add because I have them now and didn't use to:
digital camera
digital video camera if multi-day (slightly larger than the still camera)
spare cell phone battery, fully charged and in a heavy duty ziploc bag

Things I'm going to add after reading other people's lists:
Magnifying glass

At the risk of getting my head chopped off I would like to express my views on some of the things on your list. I wish for you to take it only as my perspective from riding a minimum of 12,000 miles a year in racing and training most of it in very remote areas.

Some things happen on a bike that are freak happenings and may NEVER happen again or at the very least are less likely to repeat. For example, one day I had 5 flats. In my 20 plus years of riding that had never happened to me before nor has it happened since (last summer)

My intent is not to reduce the weight of your gear although that will happen. Quite the contrary, I have a term for the over-packing of "must haves" I call it the Linus Blanket Syndrome. Leave it behind you really don't need all of it.


2 spare tubes, 1 700c and 1 24"
patch kit
multi-tool
ball wrench
compact screwdriver COMBINE ALL OF THESE INTO ONE MULITOOL
tire pressure gauge TRULY UNNECCESSARY
spare stem FOR YOUR H-BARS? OR VALVE STEM? LEAVE IT BEHIND
spare stem caps USELESS-- STEM CAPS DON'T DO ANYTHING I HAVE NEVER USED THEM
tire levers
small pack of bandaids and antibiotic cream DEBATEABLE BUT YOUR RIDES ARE SHORT ENOUGH YOU CAN WAIT TO GET HOME TO DO THAT. IF YOU ADOPT A SPORT DRINK YOU CAN USE THAT TO RINSE YOUR WOUND. SUGAR IS A NATURAL ANTISPECTIC.

In my camelbak-equivalent: YOUR RIDES ARE SHORT ENOUGH YOU DON'T REALLY NEED A CAMELBACK
Driver's license
cell phone
bike lock: ARE YOU COMMUTING OTHERWISE MY BIKE NEVER LEAVES MY SIGHT. I WALK IT INTO GROCERY STORES UP AND DOWN THE AISLES OR EAT AT BIKE FRIENDLY PLACES ONLY
maps CAN YOU SORT THIS OUT BEFORE YOUR RIDE?
glasses
money
debit card
keys
foodal items - dates, raisins, butterscotch, bananas, PB crackers
water IN the camelbak-equivalent reservoir
SPF 45 chapstick
If the ride is > 50 miles
[LIST][*]extra bottles of propel HARDLY ANY NUTRITIONAL VALUE FIND A SPORT DRINK

[*]extra bike shorts WHY? GOOD PAIR OF SHORTS HAVE ENOUGH DENSITY AND MEMORY FOR AT LEAST A CENTURY. ON MY CENTURY PLUS TRAINING RIDES I DON'T TAKE EXTRA SHORTS. EVEN AT THE FURNACE CREEK 508 (508 MILES NON STOP) I DON'T CHANGE MY SHORTS BUT ONCE-- MAYBE TWICE MAINLY TO GIVE VISIBILITY TO MY SPONSORS WITH DIFFERENT KITS.

[*]rain gear

[*]extra gloves ROUGH IT A LITTLE -- YOU ARE ON A BIKE

[*]spare 24" tire (lashed to my rear rack) ALL YOU NEED IS A TIRE BOOT NOT A COMPLETE TIRE

[*]sample size sunscreen (for touch-up)

on the bike:
the seat bag
frame pump (Topeak Morph)
however many water bottles will fit under the frame pump (usually one large, one small) containing watered down gatorade or propel
Cyclometer (I forgot that one, LOL!)


On my person:
helmet
hair band (and I DON'T mean an 80's glam rock musical combo)
gloves
sunglasses ($10 from the hardware store, basically tinted safety glasses)
bike shoes (in the hopes that some day, I WILL clip in again)
The camelbak-equivalent of course
Slather up with sunscreen which usually lasts 'til the end of the ride

Things I'm going to add because I have them now and didn't use to:
digital camera
digital video camera if multi-day (slightly larger than the still camera) MOST "STILL" DIGITAL CAMERAS SHOOT VIDEO GET A BIGGER MEM CARD YOU CAN SHOOT UP TO 2 HOURS OF VIDEO
spare cell phone battery, fully charged and in a heavy duty ziploc bag: IS THIS FOR MULTI-DAY TRIPS OR ALWAYS?

Things I'm going to add after reading other people's lists:
Magnifying glass: IF YOU WEAR GLASSES OR NEED THEM FOR READNG THEN BRING -- READING GLASSES.

Now please this is not a hostile post. I just think you are planning for every eventuality and I truly believe you just don't need so much stuff. Even on my unsupported brevets of 600km (375 milers) I don't take half of the stuff you are taking with you on your 50 milers.

Additionally, while I believe there should be a "safe" place to post your concerns there should also be the attitude of "If I post something that is just silly can you girls set me straight?"