Carrying stuff with you on long rides

[Biciclista]

I gather you never ride when it's chilly and you might need a vest or jacket. Or when it's blazing hot and sunny and you might need more sunscreen. Or where there might not be a 7-Eleven where you need it.

DH and I sometimes ride with folks who start out saying the same sort of thing. Sooner or later we'll hear something like: "Oh gee, I have no room left in my pockets for this vest, would you mind carrying it in your bag?" or "Mind if I use your pump?" or "Got a tube I can borrow?" or "Can I have a squirt of that sunscreen?".

We make lots of friends on rides like that. Part of why we tend to go out more on our own nowadays, taking care of the masses gets a bit old.

thank you. I notice you didn't mention rain coats and extra gloves. I'd hate to shove all of that into the pockets of my jerseys, it would ruin them!

[jobob]

thank you. I notice you didn't mention rain coats and extra gloves. I'd hate to shove all of that into the pockets of my jerseys, it would ruin them!

Ah, I just noticed, the light packer lives in Florida so she might not need to have to deal with much outerwear. ( I was writing this while EH responded)

I'm with you Mimi, I dislike carrying much in the way of clothing in my jersey pockets, about all I can tolerate is a pair of glove liners or maybe a super-light windshell.

DH and I are heading up to Mt. Shasta for the century ride this weekend, it's fully supported and the cabin we're staying is along the route (Mt Shasta resort -- does that bring back any memories, anyone? ), so we won't need to carry much of anything.

After that, we might head up to Crater Lake to do a bit of camping and ride up around Rim Drive. There's next to nothing for services past the Lodge, so we'll be carrying what we need up there!

[jobob]

I agree that carrying two tubes can be overkill (depending on the situation), but I find I'm much less likely to flat *at all* if I'm carrying two tubes instead of one. Funny how that works.

[jobob]

As for sunscreen:

REI sells small-to-tiny plastic bottles in their camping department, I put my sunscreen in the 1 oz. cyclinder bottle, which is very easy to carry in a jersey pocket or a small saddlebag.


Story time ..

Back in the day, I also used to carry chamois butter in one of those bottles; I labeled the sunscreen bottle with an S and the chamois butter bottle with a C.

One day I was riding up Mt. Diablo and I was experiencing chafing issues so I made a quick pit stop. As I was emerging from the dark porta-potty, I glanced at the bottle. Yep, I used the bottle labeled S.

That's really putting it where the sun don't shine!

(oh, and it worked fine ... )

[RubyTuesday]

As for sunscreen:

Story time ..

Back in the day, I also used to carry chamois butter in one of those bottles; I labeled the sunscreen bottle with an S and the chamois butter bottle with a C.

One day I was riding up Mt. Diablo and I was experiencing chafing issues so I made a quick pit stop. As I was emerging from the dark porta-potty, I glanced at the bottle. Yep, I used the bottle labeled S.

That's really putting it where the sun don't shine!

(oh, and it worked fine ... )

Where is the "like" button when you need one. Cute story!~

[skywalkerbeth]

Good morning!

Thanks for the tips. I do have a "flat kit" but the bag is almost full. I could probably stuff a breakfast bar inside though. I was wondering about the Camelbak on long rides. The thing is, of course, that once you buy it, it's a fair bit of money spent and you won't know how your back will feel until you use it once. A friend told me about another system that hooks directly onto the bike with a hose coming up from near the handlebars...

Is the rule of thumb "snack every 20 miles whether you need it or not"?

Who carries TP or handiwipes? I forgot to mention I carry handiwipes because the trail porta potties are disgusting. The last time I used one someone had apparently just had a major bout of diarrhea (fresh) and my gag reflex is going right now even thinking of it.

Yes, there is TP in the potties (so far) but I still feel icky when I exit...

[tulip]

Snacking: I drink a swig every 5 minutes or so. I take a bite of a powerbar every 15 minutes. It's become a habit, and I haven't come close to bonking since I started doing this. If you wait until you are thirsty or hungry, you've waited too long.

[spokewench]

I agree that carrying two tubes can be overkill (depending on the situation), but I find I'm much less likely to flat *at all* if I'm carrying two tubes instead of one. Funny how that works.

One tube, one patch kit; If I get more than one flat, I'll just patch it, with hopefully fresh glue!