It’s a summer day, you went for a quick bike ride that’s supposed to be an hour long and now you’re stuck on the side of the road with a flat tire. A thunderstorm is rolling in on you and your phone is out of service. Luckily you came across a blog post about what to take on every bike ride recently and now you are equipped to handle the situation like a champ and can be home safely and in time.
Cycling in general doesn’t require much to start. All you need is a bike and a helmet and you’re ready to go for your first bike ride. Everybody riding for long enough knows there are unexpected things that can and will happen during your rides. Being prepared for those situations goes a long way in enjoying your time on your bicycle. To help you examine what makes sense to bring with you I want to show you what I bring on every bike ride.
1. The helmet
The most important thing I bring on every bike ride is my helmet. Doesn’t matter how short or relaxed the ride is supposed to be, I wear my helmet. Just like putting on your seatbelt while driving, the helmet should be always on your head when riding a bike. Being safe looks good on everybody.
2. Hydration
Secondly I bring some sort of hydration when the ride exceeds twenty to thirty minutes. I am no fan of hydration bladders as cleaning them isn’t really worth the hazzle for me. So i always take a small water bottle with me. Depending on the duration of my ride i choose the right size and amount of water bottles. Being hydrated is very important for keeping your concentration up and sustaining
your efforts while physical exercise. If my bottle cages are already in use and i want to take more bottles with me i store them in my hip bag or backpack. This way I can make sure i got enough water on me to stay hydrated.
3. Multitool and inner tube
Next up is a multitool paired with an inner tube. Strapped to my frame this can stay there all the time and be ready in case I need it. With the right multitool you can fix most little mechanical issues on the side of the road. This way you can continue your ride or at least make it home safely. I had a broken chain once for example. One of the links snapped and I had to stop. I took out my multitool with its chaintool built in and shortened the chain by taking out the broken link. This was of course no permanent fix as the chain was now too short to use all of my gears properly but I got home. Otherwise I would have to push my bike home for a few kilometers. What could have ruined my day was turned into a minor inconvenience just by having my trusty multitool strapped to my bike.
4. Mini pump
Being able to replace an inner tube is good. But it’s only one part of the work done. You need to be able to inflate that tire too. That’s why I always carry a mini pump on my bike so I can pump up my tires to the desired air pressure. This pump is mounted beneath my bottle cage so I don’t have to remember taking it with me. Storing my tools on my bike takes them out of my pockets or my backpack which makes the ride more comfortable.
5. Cycling computer and snacks
Bringing those things with you will help you deal with a lot of mechanical issues along the way and will get you home at least. But there are a couple of things more I take with me. But those items are special to my needs and you don’t necessarily need them with you on every ride. I always bring my cycling computer, my smartphone and some sugary snacks with me. This may seem obvious but in my case the reason is a little different. Tracking your route is common amongst cyclists and something I do as well as I got my cycling computer with me. But the main reason I take it with me is monitoring my blood sugar having diabetes. As my blood sugar sensor is paired with my smartphone i can send the information to my cycling computer and have it displayed on the screen. This way I can ride safely and don’t have to fear running into low blood sugar levels as I can see them all the time and can react accordingly. This keeps cycling the relaxing activity it is for me as I don’t have to focus on my blood sugar levels and instead I can just take a look on my head unit and keep pedaling. I can see when my levels start dropping or get below a certain point so I can take a snack and don’t risk getting too low before I recognise it.
In summary those are the things I bring on every bike ride:
- Helmet
- Hydration
- Multitool
- Pump
- Smartphone/Cycling Computer
- Snacks
What about you? What do you bring on your rides? Tell me in the comments down below!
Until next time,
JustMeOnline
JustMeOnline 
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