Lone Rides in remote areas what extra spares do you carry?

[Banjo]

Im not talking Australian outback or Siberia just lone rides in parts of the UK where you may be 20 miles or more from a village or town.

I carry a spare folding tyre, two tubes, puncture repair kit ,chain link,spare batteries for lights gps etc,

My tools include chain tool ,tyre levers,multi tool, pliers ground down to enable chain connector link removal,pump,double ended screw driver (flat and crosspoint) some cable ties and a knife.

Dont want to load the bike down like a pack horse but is there anything obvious I have overlooked?

 

[Profpointy]

Im not talking Australian outback or Siberia just lone rides in parts of the UK where you may be 20 miles or more from a village or town.

I carry a spare folding tyre, two tubes, puncture repair kit ,chain link,spare batteries for lights gps etc,

My tools include chain tool ,tyre levers,multi tool, pliers ground down to enable chain connector link removal,pump,double ended screw driver (flat and crosspoint) some cable ties and a knife.

Dont want to load the bike down like a pack horse but is there anything obvious I have overlooked?

Same cable ties and some electrical tape - with which you can bodge nearly anything - looks perfect to me otherwise.
(though I just have allen keys and an adjustable spanner, rather than a multi-tool - but same really)

 

[ScotiaLass]

Im not talking Australian outback or Siberia just lone rides in parts of the UK where you may be 20 miles or more from a village or town.

I carry a spare folding tyre, two tubes, puncture repair kit ,chain link,spare batteries for lights gps etc,

My tools include chain tool ,tyre levers,multi tool, pliers ground down to enable chain connector link removal,pump,double ended screw driver (flat and crosspoint) some cable ties and a knife.

Dont want to load the bike down like a pack horse but is there anything obvious I have overlooked?

First Aid kit!

 

[Profpointy]

First Aid kit!

Not a great believer in first aid kits. If it's minor enough for a first aid kit to deal with, I'm just going to man-the-f**k-up as it were, and to carry enough to deal with something major - broken bone say - is that practical for self-treatment even?
That said, the electrical tape, and torn up t-shirt can handle quite a bit

 

[davdandy]

Pretty much the same kit is in my bag,plus i include a couple of pairs of latex gloves to keep your hands clean of the grease or oil.

 

[Soltydog]

I ride in those kind of areas, maybe not 20 miles from villages, but 20 miles from home with no public transport. Only carry a multi tool, spare tube & cleat covers incase i need to walk & a mobile phone, in the event of needing a new tyre, other tools etc its a phone call & taxi home

 

[raleighnut]

! spare long gear cable inner, provided the pliers can cut it to length.

 

[sight-pin]

One of these could be very handy if you go very remote
http://www.breitling.com/en/emergency/presentation/
And have loads of dosh

 

[Spinney]

Space blanket in winter, and spare layer of clothing (so I don't get hypothermia waiting for a car to go past so I can thumb a lift to civilisation if anything goes wrong beyond a puncture).

 

[Easytigers]

Food and plenty of water

 

[derrick]

Mobile phone, spare inner tube, puncture outfit. co2 bottles x2. keep bike maintained.

 

[marcusjb]

keep bike maintained.

That's really the key.

There's really very little that can go so wrong with a bike that it can not transport you a considerable distance in an emergency. As long as it still has two wheels, that roughly go round, then it can get you somewhere, even if all you can do is scoot along or freewheel down the hills. Might take a couple of hours, but you'll get to civilisation and be able to take steps to get home from there (might take a wave of a credit card or whatever to get transportation, but it can always be done).

It's easy to get caught up in the what if thoughts and carry a lot of stuff. I am just as guilty of this - particularly with clothing, but I know that I feel the cold and I can often end up wearing many layers, even overnight in summer.

But in terms of spares, within the UK, I don't carry much - 2 spare tubes (though I only get flats once in a blue moon), chain link (why? I have not broken a chain since smashing the sideplate out of a 7 speed MTB chain on a rock in the late 80s), a Park tyre boot and a selection of cable ties. If the weather's going to be really bad and it's a longer ride, then I throw a pair of brake blocks in the saddlebag.

Even that all sounds too much. I've never really had a mechanical that has been much worse than a loose mudguard bolt and a slightly reluctant freewheel once.

Touring - I do up the game slightly, especially on the tandem where there are a couple of things I add on that are tandem specific.

As long as you take care of your bike, replace items like chains, inner cables etc. on a sensible schedule, check your tyres regularly etc. - there really isn't much that can go wrong that can't be fixed with a bit of know how and a multitool. And even if it can't be fixed, as I said before, there is very little that stops a bike being a viable mode of transportation if you are willing to accept that you might not be able to pedal.

 

[marcusjb]

Pliers to open a chain link - a great workshop tool, but certainly seems excessive to have when you are out and about. They are a faff, but you can look at using a small allen key from the multitool and your screwdriver to open the chainlink (provided the screwdriver is thin enough to put through the gap).

 

[burndust]

Two spare tubes, bike pump, tyre lever, bike multi tool, phone and cash...all in the back pocket

 

[DiddlyDodds]

I used to take so many things with me it got silly , in the end i knew going out the bike was well maintained so why carry all these things , now its levers , tube , co2 , and bank card ,, these four items will get you home from anywhere.