[Closed] Why do mountain bikers take so much with them?

things are more likely to break on a MTB , and you are likely to be much more isolated when it does so one requires a greater degree of self sufficiency As I am putting a back pack on so i can carry loads
If i was walking i would have useful [more]stuff with me - bivvy bag, sleeping bag possibly even a stove just in case etc in winter rather than two flapjacks and a spare light.

I used to argue on long lake rides we should divvy it up. One person has a mech one person has a tyre etc. Instead we have 20 people all with a tube a multi tool and a pump. Certainly had rides ruined by tyre and mech issues caused on a ride and one brake failure

Because we are OUT THERE.

Jockey wheels? That's a new one!

A tube, some Tyre levers a multi tool, co2 and some food.p and my phone.

Sometimes a rain jacket if it looks like it's going to pour but it's too warm to start with.

But I do carry it in a camel back, I simply prefers to carry my water that way.

Basic tool kit here.

Spare parts? Maybe a hanger, chain links & a tube. I do take some warm kit like a wooly hat & a micro down gilet thing. Seems I'm more concerned about getting cold than breaking down!
(Mind the clothes are for when I'm out in the ulu.)

It depends how far away from a train station or other means of rescue I am basically.

I used to take far more stuff than nessesary. If I'm less than a 2 or 3 hour walk from civilization I just talk levers, tube, 2x co2, puncture kit and 2 Allen keys. They all are rammed into a topeak saddle bag so I don't need to really worry about what to pack.

I generally have a small rucksack too with a fleece, hat, gloves and a waterproof shell jacket in it.

i take exaclty the same on the road as I do on the mountain bike,
2 spare inner tubes (even though tubeless on the mtb) , puncture repair kit, multi tool (with chain splitter),2 tyre levers, tyre liner, spare chain link and a pump, road morph and a mountain morph

Self sufficiency is a big part of being an MTBer, well supposedly I'm a total leach and always forget to pack all manner of crap.

Once found myself stuck between Les Gets and Morzine with a flat, no patches, no tube and a broken pump, that was an unpleasant 3hr walk when I could have been riding.

People carry a spare tyre! 😯

I carry one around my waist but not in a bag

Just for rocketdog
[url= http://https://fatladattheback.com/big-mens-cycle-wear ]Cycle clothing for the circumferentially challenged[/url]

I dont think its a mtb vs road thing just a learning curve that starts with carrying too much, goes to the opposite extreme then back to somewhere in between.

Its just that more people nowadays(or possibly did do a couple of years ago) start their cycling experience on mtb than road.

I find it astonishing too how much some mountainbikers carry spare mechs, suspension pumps, pads etc - why?

I take a spare tube, pump, 3 quick links and 3 ordinary chain links ( I usually run hub gear bikes so can't shorten a chain if it breaks) puncture repair outfit or can of foam sealant m6 nut and bolt m5 nut and bolt and a multitool. thats for all day / multiday rides. short local rides its usually just the multitool, pump and a tube or can of foam

Never had to walk out bar a wheel collapse. Never had a non fixable mechanical although my deraillier bike I did once break a mech and have to SS it

You had me at 'spare jockey wheels'...

Gravel;
Spesh top cap chain tool, with stored chain link
Mini pump under bottle cage
Saddle bag containing tube(s), tyre levers, Birzman 5 multitool, and a packet of Park puncture stickers
2x bottles
Food, phone and cash in a pocket

MTB
Osprey bag containing
Topeak Hexus
Tube(s)
Mini pump
Packet of Park puncture stickers
Chain link
Emergency hanger
Food, phone and cash

Same, same, but different.

Same as klunk, can't remember the last time I had to use any of it

[quote=zigzag69 ]You had me at 'spare jockey wheels'...

I thought the same, however I remember my mate did get one of his jockey wheels ejected like a ninja star in Revenge of Shinobi thanks to a bolt rattling loose. Fun times hunting around the floor looking for those tiny bearings. 🙂

I like to take a couple of pies and 4 stellas, you never know when you might need them.

I've used tyre boots many times. Assorted spare bolts have saved a long walk or a spoiled day when caliper bolts have fallen off, cleat bolts lost, seat clamps have stripped threads etc. Brake pads have been handy when one disintegrated. Gear cables have snapped and been replaced. Tubeless repair kit, tube and patches are sometimes all necessary in one ride. I have used 3 spare spokes on a ride before.

tjagain - Member
Never had a non fixable mechanical although my deraillier bike I did once break a mech and have to SS it

You've broken two mechs when you've been out with me, one out by Balerno and one at Comrie croft and then there was the time you hadn't fitted your brake pads properly and lost one of them at Ravelston woods

road = 0 mins away from road and someone collecting you.
MTB = x number of mins pushing a bike to get to a road for someone to collect you.

roadies, or certain type of roadies, get dependent on others though.
I turned up for a Sunday morning ride, old hybrid and had a pannier on it so chucked stuff in there.

folk were aghast - "what have you got in there?"
me: jacket, multi tool, pump, tyre levers, kit, chain splitter..
them: "chain splitter!! if we get a broken chain, Gordon fixes it for us"

me: "which one's Gordon?"
them: ".. er, he's not here today"

🙂

Keep a range of bolts/washers/nuts in an old puncture repair box, have done a range of Trailside bodges fixing seat clamps, mechs, cranks, light fixings, freehubs, etc etc.

I've ridden with just a water bottle, phone, energy bar, small specialized SWAT multi-tool on bottle cage for a while now on any ride around the 2 hour mark. I think the switch to tubeless changed things for me, only once have I had to walk out in that time, sealant had dried up and I flatted.

I had a pedal fall off once on the remotest of remote rides.

Didnt carry a spare pedal for the next 20yrs though.

Tubeless? Tuuuuuubbelesss? Bugger me, spend ages bunging holes on tubeless tyres. The swines.

People carry a multi tool on their road bike.? Two tubes, two levers, glueles patches and a pump. Nothing more nothing less.

Sometimes I like to go out for a ride with no spares at all.
Just for the "danger" factor 😆

2 things are certain on a thread like this:

1. It will consist of a load of blokes writing lists of what is in their pocket/bag when they ride a bike.
2. I'll still click on it and read some posts despite knowing point 1

Spare tubes, multi-tool, food, repair kits and a small first aid kit. Been out twice recently on short rides without taking anything. Got punctures both times, followed by 4 mile walks. How I laughed as I got sprayed by sealant flying out of a tiny hole, both times. Sealant would appear to be a misleading name 👿

Just before I went tubeless I had a ride where I got 6 punctures!

First one I fitted the spare tube, then I had the dawning realisation that the spare seemed to have a flat - I hadn't removed the thorn from the tyre.
I then fixed that second one, then 5 minutes later I somehow ripped the valve off the back tube. So I fixed the first tube and refitted it. Then I got another thorn in the front - another patch-up job. Then as I'd rushed the pumping up I got a massive snakebite. at this point I realised I'd run out of patches.
I had a 6 mile walk to the nearest road to meet my wife 😆 👿

I started converting all my bikes to tubeless the following day. Still carry a tube on rides though.

People carry a multi tool on their road bike

bikepawl

"And if you take the bare minimum on rides, how do you find it? Have you ever had to walk after a mechanical incident

Recent copy of the mag had a feature on chipps kit list for MBLA - a heavy load indeed....

Gotta draw a line somewhere though, otherwise you'd be towing a spare bike on a trailer with you.

Multitool, one tube, minipump, chain quicklinks, couple of rotor bolts for when my ispec stuff falls apart, spoke key (yes, I don't trust my own wheelbuilding skills...), tiny bit of lube in a squirty bottle, old sock....

I'll stop there. 🙂

tjagain - Member
bikepawl

"And if you take the bare minimum on rides, how do you find it? Have you ever had to walk after a mechanical incident
- never had to walk out tho did I? thats the point and the answer to the question asked. I forgot the second mech break.

I was just pointing out a discrepancy in your post

I carry too much. I try to cover every reasonable (whatever that might mean) possibility. At it's most, on a big ride- eg multiday bothy trip or an all day off piste solo day in the Alps I'll have two tubes and a patch kit as well as two pumps- tyre (Mountain morph) and shock pump. And gels and bars and dried fruit. And a pretty decent first aid kit, designed for forestry workers. If I fall into a chainsaw I might be able to fix myself. And a waterproof top. Plus spare gloves in winter or perhaps a thinner or possibly more gnarlier pair if I think the character of the ride might vary a bit. And a wooly hat or a buff. Actually, thinking about it there might be a couple of buffs. And a spare plastic rain poncho thing. And 9 speed links- for Mrs A. I'm 10 speed, so spare 10 speed bits for me too. And pads for me- and obviously her too. All in a mahoosive bag, with a 3 litre bladder. Sometimes I carry a small flask of hot drink too.

Ooh- forgot the suntan lotion and anti midge stuff.

Totally ridiculous. I need to get a grip. So rather stupidly I've just gone and purchased a 30 litre bag. FFS Ambrose, sort yourself out....

And map[u]s[/u] are in there too!

jockey wheels is a new one, cleat bolts too.

depends where I'm riding, and the purpose of the ride.
typically just tube, pump, tyrelevers, quicklinks, multitool, rear light, and a handful of €2 coins.
on the roadbike, I'll fit pump to frame with bottles, and use a saddle pack, and stick 2 fingers up at "the rules" (and wear glasses under helmet straps too, to make a point).
if away doing something a bit more techy, then the same, but 2 tubes (each), first aid kit (each), plus a handful of extras in the car (spare tyre, few tubes, spare mech, spare chain etc., shockpump, and a toolbox of more proper tools)
really ought to put a spare mech hanger in there, at least in the car toolkit.
have walking boots in the car too. if bike becomes unrideable when away, then I'll go hiking instead.

Actually I forgot about first aid, I have some packs of bandages that I got from the dentist after a tooth removal that I never used, and some tape, and that really came in useful once, as a guy we were out with cut his leg.

Normaly a minor injury but un be known to us he was on some medication that prevents blood clotting as normal so he was bleeding quite well. So we managed to strap his cut up enough to get back without too much drama.

say what again about roadies travelling light?
[img] [/img]

Bikepawl - you mean you missed the whole point of the question I was answering and the answer I gave.

tjagain - Member
Bikepawl - you mean you missed the whole point of the question I was answering and the answer I gave.

No I didn't miss anything, as I said I was just pointing out the discrepancy in your answer.

This one's got legs. Definitely honour at stake here. Pistols?

NOpe - just you missed the point pawl. No discrepancy - just your lack of understanding. Bye.

Did 50 road miles solo, in the dales tonight, took keys, a gel, a tenner, phone and a taxi number. Running tubeless

jekkyl - Member 
I like to take a couple of pies and 4 stellas, you never know when you might need them.

jekkyl has it, though the execution could be improved 😉 .

Stella? Surely something 'craft' made by elven virgins under a full moon

Stevious nailed it.

Nothing too fizzy, it'll only end up with wastage.

Stevious nailed it.

[Gets coat & backpack & tools & spares].

Hope for the best, plan for the worst. Depends where/what you're riding.

http://radventure.cc/chris-ball-enduro-access-and-ethics/

Some points in here well made.
Mountain biking varies from one person to the next, on my local rides we are within 5 mins walk of a road and always in phone signal and close to town.

Previously mountain biking meant riding in actual mountains, coming from a climbing and mountaineering side I have a lot of respect for the conditions and they way things can change very quickly.
Early on in my MTB life we got caught out at Kirroctree with a underestimate of the time/singletrack and distance. We were out of food and water and not doing well. They don't give out a badge for riding with no water, hungry and making bad decisions for the last 10km.

In the proper mountains weather can change in an instant too, you're just walk out could be a done ankle and the nice day turning 10c colder and wet. Even hitting the road in places like the lakes doesn't mean a signal or passing motorist for help it can be another 1hr walk while somebody is going hypothermic - even on a nice day.

Some of the people I have seen out with a little printed map and nothing else are a statistic waiting to happen. It will mostly be fine in the southern motorway trials but anywhere serious you are a liability.

rOcKeTdOg - Member
People carry a spare tyre!

Actually, I've seen a couple of elderly gents on proper road bikes spinning on the TPT with a spare folding tyre cabletied to the back of their seat, so it does happen!

More seriously though, the earlier point about 'depends how far from train station or nearest means of escape' is on the money. As a road cyclist, you are on the road network and have far less need to be self sufficient - and don't really even need a map and compass.

Personally on MTB, I always have water, first aid kit, something to eat, a jacket, relevant map and compass plus at least one tube, multitool with splitter, lever, pump, tyre patching stuff, quicklink and brake pads. I add to this as appropriate for the ride, taking into account how far out I will be and how well traveled the route is. Not just tools, but odd items like a BruKit and means of ignition, for instance.

Surprised no one has mentioned group shelters yet. I have a 2 man one and an 8 man one. If with a full MBLA group (leader plus 7) the latter is required to be taken, along with most of the things mentioned by others.

Actually, I've seen a couple of elderly gents on proper road bikes spinning on the TPT with a spare folding tyre cabletied to the back of their seat, so it does happen!

Was probably a tub wasn't it?

I take more on a road bike than an MTB.

MTB - phone and keys
Road (track) bike - phone, keys, tube, CO2, tyre lever, wheel nut spanner

Definitely a flat-folded tyre of some description, sidewall visible. Not sure if a tub or not, wouldn't recognise one TBPH.

MTB - Phone (for Strava), water, pump, bank card. That's your lot.

worst case scenario, i break down, walk to nearest pub, get post code, phone the wife "Come get me...." Although it's never happend yet. Tubeless tyres and riding in Berkshire means you're never really far from safety.

What I've learnt from you lot is that for a couple of hours local to home where the rides are never more than about 4 miles from any village or town then I should be fine with not too much. Big days in the hills are a different kettle of fish. Makes sense.

I'm finding it very interesting to see what odd bits people take with them on rides and how different the selection is but also how similar in many way they are.

I take the following when I'm away from the world -
Spot Tracker
First aid kit
Space Blanket
2x tubes (even though tubeless)
Tyre boot
Tubeless repair kit
Multitool
Pump / inflator (it's a dual use thing)
Chain spares
Mech hanger bolt
Water
Food
Jacket if it looks like it might rain
Hat

All fits in a small bag, I don't notice it so it actually comes most places.

I expect a lot of the differences come from experience. If you've had something fail then you take that spare with you. If you haven't then you ask why on earth someone is carrying that spare.

For me I take a reasonable spares kit. Not so I can get home safely but so I can enjoy the ride. Something fails, I fix it then carry on. I do love a good trail bodge too.

Entirely dependant upon where you are riding.

Long day on the high fells in the lakes demands that I carry everything I need to get me out of trouble or potentially have to overnight.

The fact that all this is left in my camelbak just means that for ordinary local rides, I just pick it up and put it on. CBA emptying it for every ride.

2 things are certain on a thread like this:

1. It will consist of a load of blokes writing lists of what is in their pocket/bag when they ride a bike.
2. I'll still click on it and read some posts despite knowing point 1

This. It's dangerously close to those survivalist forums where they talk about what's in their "Everyday Carry" in case they have to battle the zombie apocalypse on their commute across Minneapolis.

Still, 2 obviously applies to me, so you got me.

I once tried to borrow a pump from a roadie near Holmfirth when for various reasons I'd ended up not having one with me - yep, incompetence - he didn't have one. Or a spare tube. If he flatted, he simply flagged down passing cars and hitched a lift home. Apparently he'd done it successfully twice. So it worked for him, though I'm too shy to pull that caper.

I carry a few oddities - chainring bolts, used twice by other people, spare cleat bolts, brake pads, zip-ties, spare mech hanger - as well as the obvious multitool, tube, patches,gel wrapper, anchovies, tyre boot. None of that stuff weighs much and saves your butt from various potential ride-ending glitches.

I don't care to criticise other people for carrying too much or too little. It's their choice and i'm happy to help out if someone's short of a part I can spare. I carry less on the road, but then road bikes tend not to get quite the same battering.

2. I'll still click on it and read some posts despite knowing point 1

It's like a car crash. A really dull car crash.

Sometimes you watch the car crash. Sometimes you want to be part of the pile-up.

I don't take enough, as yesterday proved.

Got a tear in in my tubeless tyre that wouldn't seal. Looked in my bag for the tubeless repair kit but couldn't find it.

No problems, Took the wheel off, got a tube out ready and bodged a tyre boot from a energy bar wrapper.

However, I simply couldn't get the tubeless valve off the wheel. The locking nut had cross threaded and wouldn't budge, even with a leatherman on it. Luckily I was with a friend and pretty local so he went to get the car and I walked down the best descent in the area 🙄

In the end it took a vice and a set of molgrips to get the damn thing off.

Next time I'm taking a junior hacksaw. And buying tyres with stronger sidewalls.

To compound matters, after I'd gone home to get the spare bike and continued the ride, the front shifter fell off that bike. Luckily I was prepared for that so a couple of zipties later I was up and running.

I think my point is that there are a lot of potential issues to go wrong that can turn a good day into a very long day so its better to be more prepared than less.

I don't ride much MTB these days, and when I do, it is either local to home or trail centres, so I tend to take tube/levers/pump and a few other bits.

For local road rides I take -
1 x tube
tyre levers
pump
2 x C02 cans + inflator
spare bolts (had a cleat bolt fall out last year)
Multitool

for longer/multi-day road stuff I just scale it up..

I'd rather have it and not need it, than need it and not have it.

People carry a multi tool on their road bike.?

Always. Things I've used it for:

Truing a wheel after clattering a pot hole
Repairing a broken chain
Tightening up a loose seat clamp bolt

Seems a bit silly to ruin a ride for the sake of a few grammes, which allows you to do a simple repair at the roadside.

Breakages tend to be binary, they either happen or they don't. It's the probability of them happening that you need to look at along with the ease or otherwise of repairing them.

In twenty years of mountain biking I've bent my mech hanger just once. It's a rare event. Conversely, if I broke the hanger then since just about every bike has its own variant carrying a spare might be a good idea, even if you were close to a bike shop there's no guarantee they'd have one that would fit your bike.

I wouldn't take spare brake pads for a local ride (checking them before heading out should be a given) but for a multi-day ride away from things then they'd be a good idea.

@jimdubleyou's tool list looks long but it's fairly similar to mine and packs down small into a downtube bag so can stay on the bike meaning I don't forget it.

First Aid Kit? Once you get beyond simple cuts and scrapes then you are going to need a substantial kit. You can improvise support bandages from clothing so upper body injuries are walking wounded and can get to the nearest road. Head injuries, broken pelvis, spine, leg, etc. are MRT territory.

stuartlangwilson - Member

I've used tyre boots many times. Assorted spare bolts have saved a long walk or a spoiled day when caliper bolts have fallen off, cleat bolts lost, seat clamps have stripped threads etc. Brake pads have been handy when one disintegrated. Gear cables have snapped and been replaced. Tubeless repair kit, tube and patches are sometimes all necessary in one ride. I have used 3 spare spokes on a ride before.

I always take some toilet roll in case i have to go alfresco.....again.

Road - minipump, tube, multitool, tyre levers, spare chain link - all in a jersey pocket.

Mountain - Mountain morph pump (with gaffer & pvc tape wrapped round it), shock pump (item other riders most often want to borrow), 2 tubes, tubeless plug kit, multitool, leatherman (knife is always useful, plus small saw for clearing fallen trees), cable ties, spare gear inner cable. Little tin containing an assortment of bolts, spare set of brake pads, mech hanger & bolt, jockey wheel & bolt, cleat & bolts. All this is stuff I've been caught out by not having in the past - cables snapped in a crash, jockey wheels split by bouncing rocks, brake pads that wear to the metal in a single decent etc.

That's the basic kit that goes (along with a variable amount of food & water) in an Osprey Raptor 10. Depending on weather, add in a gilet and light waterproof. Outside summer add in a dry bag containing a spare fleece, skull cap, buff, and quite possibly a spare pair of gloves. (I'm skinny and get cold very quickly if I stop when wet)

Most of my MTB riding is Peaks stuff, so it's pretty easy to be a moderately decent way from "civilisation". Also I'll be buggered if I'm relying on some random passer by to get me out of trouble - self sufficiency is the order of the day. I also only have the 1 pack, so it has the same stuff in whether I'm going out for 2 hrs or 8.

It's also not an un-regular occurrence to have to dig others out the shit - a couple of years ago on holiday the guy guiding us lost a cleat and didn't have a spare. I did - that meant we could carry on as planned for the day, rather than abort so he could find a bike shop.

I always take some toilet roll in case i have to go alfresco.....again.

Travel / complimentary hotel wet wipes FTW. In the event of having to do as bears do, it's usually the case that paper just isn't going to deal with it adequately.

Other than that: In a saddle bag; tubes, multitool, CO2, patches, chain links and brake pads (plus pins/screws). On the frame; pump. Pump + CO2 is probably overkill, but CO2 alone could go wrong, and some days your in a hurry and CO2 is just convenient.

Same on the MTB and the road bike.

Wheras I like to service my bike before I go for a ride.

Because if you service your bike regularly, nothing will ever fail unexpectedly. Like the Campag crank axle that sheared on me. If only I'd checked over my bike first and changed the cranks, it would never have happened 🙄

Toilet paper? Do you also take a plastic bag to pack it out? Otherwise it's litter. Sticks, stones or grass.

Brake pads? Ever thought of checking your bike over before you go for a ride?

Because if you service your bike regularly, nothing will ever fail unexpectedly.

Toilet paper? Do you also take a plastic bag to pack it out? Otherwise it's litter. Sticks, stones or grass.

Kick hole in the ground, drop kids off at the pool, wipe, bury the lot.

Brake pads? Ever thought of checking your bike over before you go for a ride?

Ever thought that some people ride in areas where pads often last <1 ride?

Although TBH since moving down south I've only had one XC race like that, but it's a force of habit now.

I take a lot of gear but I would be rather looking at something that I need than looking for it.

In the tradition of this thread, I will now list kit! 😆

Rab bothy shelter - great for lunch stops in the cold and wet. Keeps the midges off too!
Midge spray.
Mini tool including disc truer and disc pad separator.
Spare gear cable.
Mech hanger - single speeding tends to end in a stupidly tight chain for me as the chain moves up the block.
Belay style jacket.
Hat.
Spare gloves.
Waterproof with hood.
Foil survival bag.
First aid kid with proper strength pain killers.
Phone that is waterproof and shockproof.
Various bolts for chainrings, brake mounts, cleats etc.
Gorilla tape.
Spare brake pads and chain links.
Pump and two tubes.

They all easily pack into a 13 litre ride pack with space for food etc.

Cheers

Sanny

Oh and I forgot toilet paper and a fire stick to light it if I need to go for an al fresco jobbie! It's easy to find a stick to dig a wee hole but I like to make sure there is no paper trace.

Brake pads? Ever thought of checking your bike over before you go for a ride?

If it's a long ride, why not? They might last, they might not. They might have another a few hundred dry miles in them, or 30 wet gritty miles.

It's not like filling up with petrol where you're going to use what's left anyway. You're just chucking pads away before you need to.

If you are going to carry toilet paper just in case, you can get [url= http://www.backpackinglight.co.uk/personal/LA113.html ] biodegradable toilet paper[/url].