| What you take on you rides depends one simple thing. How far will you be
from home? The further you are from home, the more items you should carry with
you to take care of emergencies. If you intend to always ride from home and only go 5 miles at a time, then
you probably can get away with taking nothing but a cell phone and a water
bottle. If on the other hand, you want to go further, then you will need to
carry the following items.
Five to fifteen mile rides - At least one water bottle. To repair flat tires,
a seat bag for the following things. Tire levers, patch kit, spare tube and a
multi tool of some kind. On the bike, a pump.
Twenty to forty miles - All the items above and an extra water bottle. I also
carry a chain tool and a spoke wrench. Plan on carrying some food if you are not
familiar with the area you are riding in.
Forty plus miles. All the items above plus a spare tire.
What I carry on my rides represents the extreme. Not everyone will go this
far. First, I can be up to two hours away by car plus another three hours past
that by bike, in an area I have never been in before, so I carry a lot. In the
car, I have a work stand and a complete set of tools to do anything I need to
do. I also have a bag of tubes and a few spare tires. Older tires which are not
quite worn out yet. Spray lube and grease. It’s a rolling bike shop equipped
for most anything. I have not turned back home because of any mechanical
problems including any guests I bring. On the bike I have a seat bag with four
inner tubes. I ride with a fanny pack that carries a multi tool, a spoke wrench,
a chain tool, a spare folding tire, a patch kit, one brake cable, one gear
cable, Velox rim tape, various small bolts, and a first aid kit. I have used all
these items on rides, but not the same ride, and usually on other peoples bikes.
All together these items may weigh 3 pounds. A small load to carry into the
unknown for peace of mind.
Think about where you will be riding
and carry accordingly. Don’t be preoccupied about the extra weight it might
be. Keep in mind that the best rides you go on will be the rides you don’t
need any of these items and the worst rides you will go on are the ones you need
these items and left them at home.
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