My first IM on Sunday in B.C.( Bigfoot at Harrison Hot Springs) - Any suggestions out there on what to take on my bike. I have fueling handled, but I’m wondering about tubes, tools, spare tire, etc? Never had a breakdown during a ride, but there is always a first time! Also, if anyone has done this small event before, any comments would be helpful.
I always decide what to carry based on how far I want to walk if my bike craps out for a given failure.
For example. I always carry 2 tubes, glue and about 10 patches (patches are very light) Pump is good (CO2 only works once, pump can be used over and over) Tire levers gotta be. I also carry allen keys that have a phillips head driver and flat head driver. I have a small adjustable wrench (about 8cm long) and of course a chain tool.
That’s about it. In my spares pouch I also carry a zipp lock baggie with some vaseline in it for my soft fleshy bits. I’m an ex boyscout so I also carry about 60-70cm length of duct tap wrapped around itself (or a golf penci!) to temporarily repair a slashed tire from the inside. A tube is no good if it pokes out the slash in the tire. A friend slashed a tire a few km from the bike start at Kona few years ago and by the time she got back to transition, replaced the tire and tube sand he headed out of T1 only to miss the swim to bike cutoff. DNF. Very expensive swim race!
If you have to make any repair and are not expecting prize money, fix the problem slowly, get your heart rate down and fix it properly! fixing it once, slowly, is much faster than fixing it improperly twice or 3 times.
TriDork
Thanks for the suggestions. There are a few I hadn’t thought of and will add to my list. I have put the miles in on the bike, but haven’t had any problems. You start to get lulled into a “nothing can go wrong” attitude, so I just want to be prepared for the inevitable.
Moose,
My take is a little different. Note that I have done many IMs and only carry a spare tubie, CO2, and adaptor. I do make sure my tires are in very good shape as well as my overall bike maintenance. More than that and where do you stop? Knock on wood this has worked for me, so far.
So you race on clinchers?
Brent - I will let you know how it goes. My decision on Bigfoot was that it offered an opportunity to finish in the top 20…just kidding! Actually, my endurance background is in trail ultra running so the solitude wasn’t a concern. The location appears to be a nice family spot (waterpark, tram ride, etc. nearby). The course is advertised as flat and not terribly windy. It just seemed like a gentle way to ease into the distance and try my legs out before IM Coeur d’Alene next year.