So, I decide to ride for a couple of hours before the Thursday night training race (I’m all about MORE, after all…) and I stumble across another semi/unprepared cyclist walking his bike. He had a sizable seat bag–and panniers! Yet he was still unprepared?? I’m sure he could post his experience on here and get a lot of support for being unprepared, but instead I’ll offer some advice to him, and anyone else leaving their house with one tube and a sense of entitlement…
BTW, despite my lack of sympathy for him, I WOULD have stopped, except I was running late for Thursday Night Worlds, and the bike trail had a TON of people riding by, so if he really needed help, he could have flagged someone down.
Here’s what I have in my seat bag. I’ve never had to walk, and you probably won’t either if you have this stuff:
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2 tubes (long valve, ultralight butyl, since they pack up small, and install more easily)
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Patch kit (because you can get more than 2 flats)
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A Pump (I lash it to the bag). I carry Co2 as well, since it works faster if I flat in 38 degree rain. “I’m out of Co2” is just a lame a$$ excuse
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Topeak Alien (there are a ton of knock-offs of this tool, though) There are smaller tools, but the seldom-used parts of this thing have saved me before
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Connex quick link
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2 one dollar bills (tire boots)
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zip ties
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Emergency space blanket. (Yeah, this is over-kill; but if I come across someone laying in the road in the winter with a broken collarbone…)
I also have my wallet and cell phone in my jersey pocket. This sounds like a lot of stuff, but it all fits in a medium sized seat bag. If you carry this stuff, chances are you’ll never have to post on ST complaining about inconsiderate cyclists passing you by! Probably…