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Essential Items For Your Ride - Bikepro Racing
Thursday 13th October 2016
You're heading out for a ride, your bike is in good condition, you've done the pre-ride checks, but what gear do you need to make sure you've got in your saddle bag?
Let's take a look at the essential items you're going to need for your ride - this guide is intended to be as lightweight as possible, so there are other things, but let's stick to the must haves.
The non-bike related stuff:
ID - Having your driving licence or other ID on you when you go on a ride is vital. If you are unlucky enough to be in an accident, make sure people know who you are.
Money and/or credit cards - Despite packing the gear you need for a ride, you don't know what can happen along the way, so it's well worth having a backup just in case.
Mobile Phone - Again, if all else fails, you need to have a way of getting in touch or calling for assistance. It makes sense to have your phone on you.
House keys - It might seem obvious, but remembering to take your house keys with you is a basic. If the family are out when you get back and your hot and bothered or worse cold - not being able to get in to your house would be a real pain.
The bike gear:
Tools - Having a good set of tools, including a multi-tool, tyre levers will ensure you don't get caught out
Puncture repair gear - a set of patches to ensure you can repair your puncture is vital. Make sure you have more than one in your bag!
Spare inner tube - This can be really handy - a spare tube can speed things up on a sportive or similar ride.
Pump - A small pump just ensures that you can top up your tire after a blast with the Co2 canisters.
CO2 canisters - The fast an efficient way to sort pumping a tyre by the roadside.
A decent saddle bag - Might seem obvious, but you need somewhere to store all this!
Other items:
Hydration packs - Hydration packs are a great way to carry liquids on the road, and an easy way to keep hydrated on a long ride
Energy foods and gels - A good stash of food and gels can keep you going at full tilt for longer. It's unlikely you'll starve without them, but it's certainly worth having
Rain gear - We ride in the UK! It makes sense to have appropriate wet weather equipment on us. Being cold and wet and many miles from home is not a good experience
