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Safety: What to Carry for Mountain Bike Rides
What follows below is a discussion of what should be carried for local and remote rides, so as to avoid unpleasant consequences.
What I carry for every ride
Note that some underseat bags can split open or unzip themselves under very rough conditions, so be careful of bag choice.
I carry the following at all times in an underseat bag, which adds up to 1.5 pounds or so:
- My Moots MootoX RSL and Moots YBB 26 have tubeless tires, so I carry one tube of Stan’s NoTubes sealant just in case a puncture bleeds out too much sealant, this way, I can top it off.
- A small pump, such as the Lezyne, or a Blackburn. This is really for topping off tires really; if a tire needs a whole lot of air, then CO2 is more useful.
- Two CO2 cartridges with mini spring-loaded attachment for tire inflation. This CO2 attachment is possibly redundant to the Lezyne pump, which is a good thing, since the Lezyne did fail me once.
- One spare tube.
- A patch kit for the tube (in case the tube also becomes punctured).
- One tire iron (plastic with steel core).
- Allen wrenches for the seat collar and seat (4mm and 5mm).
What I carry for remote rides
In late September, 2011, I was stranded for a long hike-a-bike high in the White Mountains of California, at 13,000' late in the day.
I was lucky, because I bummed a ride after walking about 3 miles (instead of 8 or so), but it taught me a lesson: assume equipment failure, and thus carry the gear and food and clothing appropriate for the distance one is from home/car.
Shown below is the scenario I encountered in September 2011. My car is barely a 1-pixel speck on the far hill (even at full image resolution). It is a long way away, it is cold, snow threatens, and darkness is only 2 hours away. I did not have a backup pump, so I was out of luck.
Click for a larger image.
(altitude as shown here about 12,000')
What is a remote ride?
By a “remote” ride, I mean a ride where failure could mean a 10+ mile walk-a-bike out, and/or where weather, elevation, etc could pose real risks for those unprepared.
Assume failures
Plan ahead. Especially in the mountains, sunny skies can change to wind/snow/rain in a few hours or less.
- Assume that you will stuck out after dark, so carry a light with at least a 3-hour runtime with good brightness, e.g. a Lupine Piko or other model. Such a light need not weigh more than 1/3 pound with its battery.
- Assume that it might turn cold and/or rainy, so be sure to have at least a wind/rain shell. Such a shell need not weigh more than 8 ounces, e.g., the North Face Diad.
- Carry extra food, at least 500 calories worth over and beyond your expected consumption for the longest expected ride duration. Extra water doesn’t hurt either— a spare liter.
Gear
For such rides, more space is required, and this generally means a daypack or hip-pack or other means to stow the gear.
I carry all of the usual stuff above, plus:
- A spare tire (yes a TIRE, not just a tube). I used my spare just recently when a tire failed on me during a night ride; the sealant could not plug the hole.
- Two or three tubes of Stan’s NoTubes sealant for new tire install.
- At least three (3) 16g CO2 cartridges with inflator, to install the new tire.
- A total of two (2) spare tubes (in case the tubeless tires cannot be repaired/sealed). Lightweight tubes are fine here, since they are backups.
- A pump with decent volume.
- A smaller backup pump.
- Tire sidewall repair: a candy bar wrapper can work in a pinch, or a sidewall patch kit.
- A Lupine LED light mounted on the bike, in case I get stuck out after dark, and/or for SOS emergency signal.
- (for really remote areas) My SPOT personal beacon.
- Extra food for some extra hours beyond intended ride distance: at least 500 calories.
- Clothing for wind/cold; at least a wind shell with hood like the North Face Diad, and possibly a compact down shirt or Mountain Hardware Nitrous jacket, or similar stuffable item. Sometimes, a dry jersey.
