indyfabz

Took a long weekend tour this past weekend. Friday night I accidentally left some uncooked pasta on my campsite picnic table. In the middle of the night a raccoon made off with the bag. Found it in the brush in the morning. Looks like he did really eat much, if any. Guess it was to al dente for him.

Doug64

I've managed to loose 2 wedding rings while on long tours. When the tours are over a month long, I tend to lose a little weight which makes my ring loose. After losing 2, I finally figured out that they came off when I removed my gloves. Iwas pretty sure where I lost one of them, but it was 70 miles back over some steep hills, and I was not that sure.

I crashed and didn't realize I'd lost my computer until the next day while checking the bike for damage. I knew exactly were I went down, and drove out to the spot. I found the computer right where my bike landed in the middle of the road.

SethAZ 

Worst I've ever lost was a water bottle. I did the Whiskey 25 (MTB race) the same day as the race but not as a registered participant, so all the racers had done the course before me that day. Since I wasn't racing I stopped when I saw something interesting. Could have had a veritable plethora of water bottles, but I actually stopped for the nice pair of sunglasses and the bike multi-tool. I've used the glasses a few times, and the multi-tool is currently in my saddle bag.

Marci

On the bike, a glove or two. But in recharging my light I lost the 100 bike light in my apartment. NEVER did find it and had to buy a new one. I have a feeling it fell in trash basket and got thrown away. Or someday I may come across it under something.... its my hope.

madsen89

Worst loss was the credit card out of the saddle bag. Not a big deal, just a big hassle.
Biggest near losses were on my Lake Ontario tour that I just completed a few days ago. I left my Showers Pass jacket on the rear panniers and didn't realize it until I was 3 miles down the road. I was halfway back when someone in a truck flagged me down and asked if I lost a jacket and handed it to me. That following night a raccoon stole my handlebar bag from my tent vestibule and started dragging it away. I started chasing it and it eventually gave it up and ran off. It was then that I realized that my passport was in that bag. That would have been an interesting story to tell when trying to get back home. The passport stayed a lot closer to me the rest of the tour.

Trsnrtr

Last Winter, I started a ride on the General Van Fleet trail in Florida with a brand new, never worn before, wind shell. After it warmed up, I folded it up and velcroed it under the seat. At the turn around, I noticed it was gone and quickly retraced my route to no avail. Some dirty rat bastard on the trail got a brand new jacket.

indyfabz

Heh. Not sure if I mentioned it in this thread, but a 'coon tried to make off with an empty pannier of mine. I was camping in bear country in New Jersey. I had put all attractants in the bath house for safety. The pannier was completely empty, but during the day it had contained a very aromatic everything bagel. I have to assume that was the allure. Glad I was able to shoo him away before he got far.

ceebee4

Sunglasses, this summer. Had them about 3 weeks. Loved how they felt and looked. Then, after a cloudy morning ride... gone

ThreadedSpoke

I have been on BOTH sides of the fence on this one. Lost wallets are deal breakers, so I no longer carry one!

BobG

My Moss tent which went awol on the Great Divide Trail! ...

https://www.bikeforums.net/20945273-post27.html

burnthesheep

Got lucky on Sunday. Almost lost a power meter/crank arm. It's spaced out due to a frame fitment issue. I wasn't careful last time I attached it to the bike. It totally came off while riding and was lucky it didn't slide all the way off and bounce around against the ground. Stayed clipped in also.

That could have been really ugly depending on where that crank arm went.

Permanently solving the problem with new rear brake to eliminate the fitment issue and am not riding the bike again till I fix it proper.

bpcyclist

Super-nice Cygolite I neglected to remove from bars when I locked up and went inside a store. Haven't done that again!

tcs

"I went out bicycling one afternoon, and suddenly, as I was riding along a country road, I realized that I no longer loved Alys. I had had no idea until this moment that my love for her was even lessening. The problem presented by this discovery was very grave. We had lived ever since our marriage in the closest possible intimacy. We always shared a bed, and neither of us ever had a separate dressing-room. We talked over together everything that ever happened to us… I knew that she was still devoted to me. I had no wish to be unkind, but I believed in those days…that in intimate relations one should speak the truth." - Bertrand Russell, 1901

mprince

Mine's an almost. Went on my ride this morning, got home around lunchtime (on my road bike if this matters). Took my frame pump off of my bike so I could hang it up in the garage, went in to shower.

Later, went to the grocery store. Came out and went to open my trunk to put groceries in, and there sat my frame pump in the gap between the trunk lid and rear window, right where I left it...

Cyclist753

Like Seth AZ my worst loss was a water bottle. It was a long ride, too!

MrFingers

MrsFingers lost a through-axle once (loading in bike, placed TA on the curb in the parking garage while demounting the wheel, forgot to put it in the car), and only noticed when she got home. Luckily it was late in the evening, so she raced back, and it was still there where she left it. Otherwise it would have been an expensive & difficult lesson.

I once lost a bottle cage + holder, that came undone on one of those brutal Belgian cobbled roads. The holder cracked, and the bottle went flying into a ditch. Tried getting it out (because littering), but the bottle didn't survive the impact. Apart from that I always arrive with what I departed with, except for some calories & motivation, those always get used up during the ride...

Digger Goreman

Fortunately 70 lbs over the last five years.... Hopefully they are not trying to find me....

Nachoman

For years I have frequently lost my right speedplay cleat cover (including the newer 'walkable' cleat cover version).
Luckily I pedal with a guy that loses his left cleat cover, so it cuts our replacement costs in half.

indyfabz

I lost my cool during a charity ride. Some idiot almost took me out my trying to squeeze by me on the right. I told him I would knock his teeth out if he tried that again.

Garfield Cat

I lost the entire bike when it got stolen during a ride.

I lose time on long rides when that ride became "too long" and I was suffering just to get home riding very slow as the energy wasn't there anymore.

pickettt

Sojodave

I lost my dignity when I got dropped on a huge paceline.

I've lost a few things including front light, rear blinky light, water bottle, mini-toolset, and a protein bar from my back pocket.

SkepTeach

My worst loss, so far, was a bit of skin from my face, shoulder, knuckles, and ankle during what seemed like a slow-motion crash on a paved biking and running trail this past July. Ironically, I have always been slightly paranoid to ride in traffic, but my only serious accident has, so far, been on a trail.

What did I learn?

1. Inertia isn't enough to propel a road bike out of gravel and back onto a trail approaching it at a steep angle - it'll happily lay over though!
2. Even at relatively low speeds, helmets are a lifesaver.
3. Knock of POCs actually stand up pretty well to abuse and likely saved me from a fractured orbital socket.
4. A visit to the ER can add up to $2600 in rather short order.
5. And, the worst part of anaesthesia, and I mean *worst*, is the ironic feeling of liquid fire being injected into your skin.

But you know what they say, what doesn't kill you....just costs you a lot of money and a bit of confidence.

Darth Lefty 

I cracked a phone and probably bruised some ribs in the same crash about 2 years ago.

Doug64

On the first day of a 2-month tour my daughter lost the poles to a relatively expensive UL tent that she was sharing with her sister.