Solo Gravel Safety

[Joffey]

Not sure if this should be here or in the MTB section as I don't think we have a dedicated gravel section... anyway I digress...

I have just got gravel bike and last night was my first ride on trails up in the Yorkshire Dales:

I started off in Reeth and after a few miles headed up the bridleways. I slowly got further and further from any signs of civilisation and it dawned upon me - if anything happened to me I would be buggered. No one knew where I was, what route I was taking, I had no phone signal and no idea if I was suitably prepared. So...

Are there any experienced riders out there that could give me advice on kit etc for such mini solo adventures?

Currently my bike is set up tubeless but I carry 2 CO2 cartridges and a spare tube. Allen keys and tyre levers. I had the route on my Garmin but should have told someone where I was going - that was stupid.

It's the area circled that was very inaccessible (Great Pinseat) - if you have an off or a total bike failure what does one do with no phone signal and 5 miles away from life? Walk I presume? Or drag your injured body down the mountain?

Any help and advise would be appreciated. Many thanks

 

[Ian H]

Same as walking. Let someone know roughly where & your ETA. A good old-fashioned whistle for an SOS call. Enough gear that you won't die of exposure.

 

[cougie uk]

My Garmin will send text alerts with my location if it detects a crash.
You get about 30 seconds to cancel the alert if it's triggered by a heavy pothole or something.

But that would depend on signal.

If you break the bike you can just walk out. I'd always take an extra layer to keep warm if I have to stop to fix something.

If you're in places with no signal then it's either take someone with you or let someone know your route and what time you're expected back.

You can have tracking apps on phones so it would narrow down the possibilities for anyone trying to find you.

 

[Blue Hills]

You can check theoretical signal on maps provided by the mobile operators but obvs not foolproof.
But yep if solo I would always tell someone my route in such places - Salter Fell for instance should either be done with company or with telling someone where you are going.

>>I slowly got further and further from any signs of civilisation
resists Yorkshire jokes.

 

[I like Skol]

Don't take CO2 for a start! CO2 might be ok for a ride in civilisation where rescue is possible, or in a group ride where someone will have a normal pump or extra cylinders, but they are too finite for a remote ride. What happens when you mess up fitting the first cylinder and lose all its gas then successfully inflate with the second? You now have no means of repairing any further deflations. You always need a small hand pump and maybe patches in addition to any spare tubes. A hand pump can inflate as many tires as long as you have strength in your arms.

The issue of injury is a tricky one, there are a lot of 'what ifs' to tick off before you are actually at the point of being physically stranded on a mountain side.
First you have to fall off somewhere remote.
If you do fall off then what are the chances that you injure yourself, most cycle falls only result in light grazes or injured pride.
In the unlikely event that you have fallen off and actually injured yourself with any significance you are still most likely going to be able to limp back to civilisation.
In the rare case where a rider falls and renders themselves immobile (and it does happen) and cannot phone for help then you can only hope that they have had the good sense to tell someone where they are going and when they should be back!

On the other hand, you are riding a gravel bike, not a DH MTB so shouldn't really be riding too extremely so in reality you should be in no more danger than riding on the road and are likely to be riding much slower?

 

[Joffey]

Don't take CO2 for a start! CO2 might be ok for a ride in civilisation where rescue is possible, or in a group ride where someone will have a normal pump or extra cylinders, but they are too finite for a remote ride. What happens when you mess up fitting the first cylinder and lose all its gas then successfully inflate with the second? You now have no means of repairing any further deflations. You always need a small hand pump and maybe patches in addition to any spare tubes. A hand pump can inflate as many tires as long as you have strength in your arms.

The issue of injury is a tricky one, there are a lot of 'what ifs' to tick off before you are actually at the point of being physically stranded on a mountain side.
First you have to fall off somewhere remote.
If you do fall off then what are the chances that you injure yourself, most cycle falls only result in light grazes or injured pride.
In the unlikely event that you have fallen off and actually injured yourself with any significance you are still most likely going to be able to limp back to civilisation.
In the rare case where a rider falls and renders themselves immobile (and it does happen) and cannot phone for help then you can only hope that they have had the good sense to tell someone where they are going and when they should be back!

On the other hand, you are riding a gravel bike, not a DH MTB so shouldn't really be riding too extremely so in reality you should be in no more danger than riding on the road and are likely to be riding much slower?

Deffo need a pump. And you are right about injury - a lot of what ifs.

 

[MichaelW2]

I have ridden a lot of remote solo rides, some in mountains.
Ride within your skill quite conservatively.
Carry extra clothing inc waterproofs, insulation and hat. Walkable footwear.
Carry a map, compass, whistle, orange survival bag, water and munchies.
A bandana/square bandage can hold things like broken shoulder ( but learn how to fall safely).
Share your google maps location.
Load What Three Words app.
Carry enough toolkit to get home. Spare inner if needed, pump, multitool with pliers, spoke wrench, chain tool+ quick link etc.

If you have a regular circuit you use, map the phone signal coverage along the route.

 

[fossyant]

Deffo pump, CO2 is for convenience (like time crunched commute)

You can get survival blankets for less than £1 each, and also survival 'sleeping bags' for about £6. I carry both now permanently since discovering a MTB'er with her handle bars impaled into her abdomen. Neither her or her partner had any proper clothing on the top of a mountain - might have been on a blue trail with staff etc. working nearby, but she was getting cold very fast. I gave them my waterproof.

Carry extra gels and cerial bars - just in case you bonk in the middle of no-where. Make sure you have enough kit to deal with changing weather.

Regular solo MTB'er. You won't be tearing down rocky descents like MTB'ers but wind it in a bit if on your own.

 

[Baldy]

Injuring yourself in remote places, it happened to me https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/that-didnt-quite-go-according-to-plan.275159/ I did manage to walk out although I have very little recollection of doing it. I had an inReach tracker with me but didn't even think about it at the time. If no one knows you're there and you can't get yourself out you stay where you are. Shock, exposure, possible blood loss not a good combination.

 

[uphillstruggler]

as you are riding a gravel bike, not a mountain bike with no frame space, buy a frame bag and carry all of the stuff mentioned above if you are going into remote areas.

even though i ride tubeless on my gravel bike, i always carry a spare tube, some form of means to block a big tear and a pump.

and extra lightweight layer, arm/leg warmers and a buff are good lightweight options to take the chill off

the survival bivvibag/foil blanket weighs next to nothing but may just save your life if you are out in really remote areas where the weather can come in quickly.

this subject one of those things that people may not think about so this is a good thread

 

[HobbesOnTour]

If you are carrying tools make sure you know how to use them!

 

[Legs]

If you do limp to civilisation, leaving your bike behind, remember where you left it so that you can retrieve it later on!

 

[ColinJ]

But yep if solo I would always tell someone my route in such places - Salter Fell for instance should either be done with company or with telling someone where you are going.

I traversed Salter Fell with @Blue Hills and we said then that it was definitely NOT somewhere that you would want to fall off your bike and injure yourself! I'm fairly sure that there would be no phone signal, and it could be a long way from help.

This bit is benign gravel, but a few miles further on it gets gnarlier and you really do feel cut off from civilisation.

 

[byegad]

If, in an emergency you dial 112 rather than 999 you get to use any signal rather than just your service provider's. Not much use if no signal whatsoever from all the providers, but it does increase your chances.

 

[ColinJ]

If, in an emergency you dial 112 rather than 999 you get to use any signal rather than just your service provider's. Not much use if no signal whatsoever from all the providers, but it does increase your chances.

I'm fairly sure that it actually works on 999? I think that the phone will try to use your own network, but if it is not available it will use any other network.