mrblue

I'm new to road cycling (from being just a commuter) and I was wondering, what are some essentials to have on a typical road ride?

For instance, do you take a spare tube or a patch kit? A small hand pump or CO2 cartridges? Water bottles or hydration pack? What kind of snacks do you take along? etc, etc...

Thanks!

Doge

Depends how long, where, cell phone and rescue options but...25-50 miles around "here"...

Tube (long remote ride - X2)
2 Co2 cartridges and infiltrator head.
Patch kit - with the intent of never using
Schrader/presta adapter
Valve wrench
Stan's no-tube sealant for pin hole flats.
1-2 plastic tire irons.
Multi tool
Government ID
$50 cash
Mobile phone
Garmin
1-2 Water bottles. Depends. One with electrolyte
1-2 Justin nut butter packs - Almond butter

All that except food, drink and phone/Garmin fits in the WB cage or seat pack.

seedsbelize 

I would add a chain tool and a spoke wrench. I don't do CO2, so I take a frame pump. And something absorbent for cleaning my glasses.

caloso

On the bike:
mini frame pump
garmin
fly6
saddlebag: tube, patches, co2 cartridge, tire lever
bottles

Jersey pockets:
phone
ID and money
epi-pen
food if it's going to be 90' or more

RoadieDropper

Water, phone (only for monitoring), a tube, co2 head, 2 cartridges, tire levers, chain breaker.

Suffelch

I ride the most on a paved trail that I drive to.

Amongst all of the other items people are naming I always have a duffle bag with street clothes just in case we want to grab a beer afterwards. Towel and baby wipes too.

on the path

Communication/Navigation: Cell Phone, Garmin
Safety: Rear - Flasher, Front - Headlight (night) Strobe (day, sometimes)
Emergency/Repair: Tube, Inflator, 2 Cartridges, Patch Kit, Tire Lever, Tire Boot, Cash
Water/Fuel: When Needed, In the Amount Needed
Warmer Months: AfterBite (bee sting topical)

wallrat

50+ miles
2 tubes
Patch kit
Pump
2 GUs or shot blocks
Mini tool kit
Tire lever
Phone
Wallet

Less than 50
Same as above but 1 bottle a 1 tire.

wphamilton

Tube, patch, CO2, tire iron, multi-tool, in a saddle bag.

Phone wallet in my pocket. Bottle of water, straight. Something to eat if it's going to be 2.5 hours or more.

Sy Reene

In a small seatbag:
2x tubes
2x CO2
CO2 head
2x Tire levers
KMC quicklinks
Patch kit
Mini-tool
2x surgical gloves

On my person -- couple gels, couple Clif bars, wallet with xeroxed ID and insurance card, cash and debit card, phone in a ziploc. In cold weather I will bring a couple of the chemical handwarmer and footwarmer packs as well.

On bike -- 2 water bottles - typically one with water (sometimes with a Nuun tablet), the other usually with gatorade + whey mixture.

Maelochs

I take one or two tubes, a patch kit, and int he patch kit, several glueless patches, which are useless over the long term but if yo get three flats in one ride, you probably would rather stick on a tube band-aid than sit by the side of the road messing with glue. I know I would.

I carry a mini-pump because even if I rarely use it, I have had rides where I have had multiple flats, and it flat sucks .... but it sucks worse if you have patched tubes you cannot inflate because you only brought two CO2 charges.

Otherwise ... pretty much everyone brings the same things because those are what you will need.

_ForceD_

I take all the usual things that people mentioned above. But, I don't think I saw anyone mention reading glasses. As I progress through my mid-50s I still have generally good vision. I can see like a hawk for things more than three feet away. But I need non-perscription reading glasses for anything closer...like reading the odometer/computer, reading the cell phone that I've taken along, maybe if I stop at for a food/beverage replenishment, even changing a flat.

Dan

rm -rf

I wrap the spare tube in a piece of tyvex from an overnight letter envelope. It helps protect the tube in my saddle bag, and makes a good boot to fix a big slit in a tire. (I've used folded dollar bills for boots, they work great.)

The Hydrotac stick-on bifocals work great. I cut one in half with a razor knife and trimmed the corners, each about the size of my index fingernail, so just the area between the shifters is in close focus. They don't fall off, even if I rinse the glasses under the faucet. Very nice. I think they are available at drug stores, and you can find them on line, of course.

I have prescription inserts on my bike glasses, set to distance single vision, with the stick-ons attached. My eye doctor told me what power to get. ( +2.00 in my case.)

It took about two rides to get used to the bifocal line (my regular glasses are progressive, no line.)

FBinNY 

To me the ability to deal with a flat is part of the bike. That mean a spare tubular tire, or tube, a pump, and tire levers. Besides that I don't have any necessities, but I do carry ID in case I should be unconscious. lastly some emergency dough, even if it's to buy a coke because I've run out of water.

silverado8405

Saddle bag:
Tube, patches, spare link, latex gloves, cotton balls, multi tool, inflator w/ 2 co2 cartridges.

Jersey:
Cellphone, car keys
If a solo ride 25+miles a cliff bar and 1-2 spare bottles.
Group ride w/ rest stops I only have the spare cliff bar.

Bike:
Garmin and usually 2 water bottles one plain, one w/ electrolytes of some form. I've been dehydrated a few times in my life and would rather take the weight penalty and pee breaks than become dehydrated again.

Jiggle

Stuff to fix two flat tires, couple hundred bucks, ID, nine millimeter, two radios, small red blinky.

oh, and an ID like card that says I get free Airlife rides with a certain company. I'd hate to get ktfo and then be on the hook for a $26k ride.

TimothyH

A couple of Advil and a Benadryl tablet.

If I'm on an organized ride drinking out of those big water coolers and eating unknown food at rest stops I'll bring an Immodium tablet as well. I've seen those round water coolers being filled with a common garden hose.


-Tim-

indyfabz

Did you commute on dirt and not carry water and some way to remedy a flat?

Hiro11

Group ride: Tube, CO2 cart, inflator, multitool, $20, tire boot. All in a Ziploc. Food, always. One or two water bottles. 1,500 lumen light on front and 2 watt tail light (I almost always ride in the early morning). Cellphone in middle back pocket. Sometimes a spare pair of gloves / arm / leg warmers / extra hat.

Alone: add another tube and another cart.

It never ceases to amaze me that people ride packing.

indyfabz

At one rest stop on an organized ride I did they had pans of boiled potatoes. Toothpicks were provided for picking them up. One guy walked up the table, grabbed a potato with his gloved hand, ate the potato, licked his fingers clean and proceeded to stick his fingers back into the pan for another.


Several years ago on Cycle Oregon a noro virus swept through the week long event of more than 2,000 people. Hundreds of people became sick. I wasn't there that year, but I read horror stories on the event's forum of people coming out of their tents and puking before they could make it to a porta-potty. (Not that I would ever want to puke in a porta-potty.) After that, they instituted a rule requiring you to remove your gloves and use hand sanitizer before grabbing snacks.

Dan333SP

Saddle bag with: 1 tube, 2 CO2s, an inflator head, a tire lever, and a small multi tool.

In my pockets: Cleat covers if I plan on stopping anywhere, a small camera if I'm riding somewhere with nice views, and my cell phone. I'll carry maybe 1-2 nutrigrain bars or similar if the ride is going to be longer than 2 hours, otherwise no food. I'll also bring a credit card if it's a group ride with a store stop.

On the bike itself- 1 bottle of water if the ride is under maybe 1.5 hours, 2 if it's longer and/or very hot.

In my experience people tend to carry way more than they actually need. I know we all take flat kits because flats happen a few times a year, but do you really need a chain tool and spare links? How often does a chain snap anyway? I can see needing lots of gear if you're touring, but for your average recreational ride you don't need very much at all.

RomansFiveEight

I don't commute with my bike; but what I bring on a ride:

2x tubes
1x Multi-tool with a chain tool
(I don't bring a patch kit because, honestly, if I've had such bad luck I've burned through both of my spare tubes; I'm just gonna give up and call a ride)
Water, and for longer rides, mixed with electrolytes and potentially a gel or two
4x lights (2 front, 2 rear, generally use one each, and have the others there as spares. If I'm riding mid-day, I just bring two, because one failing is not really 'critical', like losing one in the evening would be)
Garmin
Cellphone
Wallet with ID, Cash and my debit card
Helmet
Sunglasses

shafter

I take a FIRST AID KIT with gauze and medical tape so I can patch my bleeding flesh if I crash! A good samaritan item to have.

Tim- There's nothing wrong with hose water, It's the same stuff as comes out of your sink.

bikecrate

Saddle bag: 2 tubes, patches, tire tools, multi tool.

Jersey: wallet, garage door opener, keys, cell phone and facial tissues (cause my nose runs like a faucet).

Bike: 2 X 24 oz water bottles, frame pump, front/rear lights and cycle computer.

rumrunn6

I might be looking at this question backwards. but I have a standard bike bag that carries the same stuff regardless of where I ride. the only thing that changes is the spare tubes that I carry. the hybrids take one size while my road bike takes another size. if I were using the same bike for commuting as joy rides, nothing would change