Bike-necessities

[phil24_7]

I'm relatively new to biking and so haven't been on any really long rides, especially ones that take me out of my region.

I'm thinking about going to the ''Invasion of the valleys" ride but don't wanne be found needing anything.

It's gonna be a 4-5 hour ride up, camp on the Friday night, ride-out on the Saturday, get ****ed, camp then a 4-5 hour ride back on the sunday.

Besides a 2 man (not gonna fall for that 1 man tent malarkey) tent and a sleeping bag, what am I gonna need???

Don't wanna get 4 hours away from home to find that I haven't got something that I need.

Any help or advice is greatly appreciated.

Regards

[plowsie]

Spare kit, waterproofs, insurance docs(just incase, might just be me that does that), latex gloves, backup map just incase you get lost on way there. There are others(i've got brainfade), others will be along soon to help.

[Ceri JC]

Wise man going for 2 man. With bike kit, you have to be v. small to fit into a 1 man tent. :)

As my tent is v. small (for a 2 man). I take a bike cover and leave luggage and non-valuable stuff on the bike, under the cover. Means more space in the tent. I see from your sig. you don't a fender extender. Best take a can of WD40 too then ;)

Seriously though, a bit of duct tape is always handy (fixing tents, holding luggage down, broken fairings, etc.) don't take a whole roll as that is quite bulky, just take 'enough' re-rolled around a rectangle of plastic (old credit card/similar) or buy one of the small packs of it rolled like that. Camping pillow in a stuff sack is handy and a small camping bed is a surprisingly cheap/small luxury. My camping bed is a rip off of the old BA design and cost £8 in Argos. Although obviously a bit heavier than a foam roll mat, it actually packs physically smaller (and within reason, small size is more important than low weight when carrying stuff on a bike).

[plowsie]

Best take a can of WD40 too then ;)
Chain lube too if you havent got a scottoiler, and also toolkit

Seriously though, a bit of duct tape is always handy (fixing tents, holding luggage down, broken fairings, etc.) don't take a whole roll as that is quite bulky
Seconded
Camping pillow in a stuff sack is handy and a small camping bed is a surprisingly cheap/small luxury
I used my pannier full of clothes and a jumper on top at the AR lol:lol:

[carty]

Without meaning to sound patronising at all (this is a genuine mistake I have made!), my advice would be don't get too drunk! Don't want to sound like I'm trying to teach granny to suck eggs but last thing you want to do is get carried away thinking 'i'll be fine in the morning' and then find you're actually not fit to ride until the next afternoon / evening! :smt078

My worst one was staying over at a mates house in Essex, had to get up and ride to wife's parents house in Sussex (and wanted to be there before the MotoGP race that was on that day). That was a journey I was glad to see the back of!

Other than that, I would recommend a bungee net, always useful.

Cheers,
Matt

[plowsie]

Without meaning to sound patronising at all (this is a genuine mistake I have made!), my advice would be don't get too drunk! Don't want to sound like I'm trying to teach granny to suck eggs but last thing you want to do is get carried away thinking 'i'll be fine in the morning' and then find you're actually not fit to ride until the next afternoon / evening!:smt078
Sounds like Stretchie and El Saxo at the AR :smt003

[Mogs]

If your camping you may find you have to park up on grass, in which case your going to need a stand puck. Don't go buy one it's only a small square of plastic the size of a mug coaster. Tie it to a length of string so that you can hoist it up and pocket it when you set off.

Forget it and you'll be looking for a suitable flat stone in the hedgerow whilst your bike slowly sinks and topples over.

[Ping]

Sounds like Stretchie and El Saxo at the AR :smt003
I'm quite glad though, they were great company for me and stewie at t'pub. :drink:

:lol:

tip: keep stuff you don't want to get wet in plastic bags in case it rains.

[phil24_7]

Some very good advice, will try to compile a list so's I can go shoppin!!

[fizzwheel]

Another daft one, but only take what you actually need, not what you think you might need, when you get back home, make a mental note of what you didnt take so that you dont take it again next time.

Even if you think your tailpack etc is waterproof it wont be after a long ride in the rain, pack your clothes etc in a plastic bag and then put them in the tailpack etc.

Spare bungee's are always useful to strappng stuff down, also might be wise to take a puncture repair kit, if you're travelling along way, saves getting stuck.

A few zip ties never go a miss either.

[hovis]

my advice (which is stolen from fizzwheel) which i did for the AR.

TAKE THE TENT OUT OF THE LONG BAG IT COMES IN & PACK IT IN YOUR TAILBAG, THEN STRAP THE POLES SOMEWHERE

[phil24_7]

So far I've got:

Tent
Duct Tape
Tailpack
Small tool kit
Zip ties
Clothes
Waterproofs
Map
Latex gloves
Documents (will I need my passport, I will be going to another country :-) !)
Small can of wd40
Small can of chain lube
Compression sack
Spare clothes
Bungees/bungee net
Puncture repair kit
Bin bag (to keep clothes dry)
Make shift stand puck

Anything else of should this get me by??

Don't need a pillow or a foam role as I'm hardcore and can sleep anywhere!

I also don't handle alcohol too well, I act like a complete idiot, and I get killer hangovers so I'll be drunk but not TOO drunk!!!!

[Lozzo]

I'm relatively new to biking and so haven't been on any really long rides, especially ones that take me out of my region.

Besides a 2 man (not gonna fall for that 1 man tent malarkey) tent and a sleeping bag, what am I gonna need???

Don't wanna get 4 hours away from home to find that I haven't got something that I need.

Any help or advice is greatly appreciated.

When I go spannering for my mate when he's racing, I take a man with an LDV Convoy van to carry all my camping crap and duvets, 3 spare changes of clothes, 2 pairs of spare trainers, lots of bottles of water, full size bath towel for when I need a shower, a couple of books to relax with at night etc etc etc. I sometimes follow him on my bike with a mobile phone, credit card and ciggies in my pockets... oh, he puts his race bike in the van too, but that's not that important to me.. :D

[phil24_7]

Well I could drive up in a transit with my bike in the back with anything and everything I'll need but that'll add 2 hours to my jorney, and besides, that kinda defeats the point!!!

[Beenz]

Take one of those angle tyre valve thingies, so many places with air don't fit the front tyre valves with the discs in the way. Oh and an in case of emergency contact detail sheet.

Most important, take a good sense of humour.

[phil24_7]

Got the sense of humor already!!! (It wont matter if it's raining either as it can be quite dry!)

[GeeMac]

Phone.

AA breakdown card.

:)

[phil24_7]

Ooh yeah, must remember to steal my bro's card!

Cheers

[plowsie]

Paracetamol!
Dunno why but i bought my passport to the AR :lol: one of my silly packing things.

[Lozzo]

Paracetamol!
Dunno why but i bought my passport to the AR :lol: one of my silly packing things.

You need it when you visit the uncharted frozen wastelands of the northern regions.

[phil24_7]

Well this is my complete list:

Tent
Duct Tape
Tailpack
Small tool kit
Zip ties
Clothes
Waterproofs
Map
Latex gloves
Documents (will I need my passport, I will be going to another country :-)!)
Small can of wd40
Small can of chain lube
Compression sack
Spare clothes
Bungees/bungee net
Puncture repair kit
Bin bag (to keep clothes dry)
Make shift stand puck
Wallet (Credit/debit card)
My bro'sAA card
Towel
Fags
Angled tyre valve
Emergency contact details sheet
Phone
Paracetemol

That should do it!

Anyone see any obvious mistakes or omisions???

Regards

[rictus01]

you might want to add a mug, or perhaps flash if you're not taking any brew stuff, generally local cafes will fill it for you and a brew first thing is a godsend.

couple of other things, spare throttle and clutch cables (sounds odd, but if you run them along the fitted ones then just tape the ends up, if they break you've no need to start stripping the bike to fit them, it also means you don't have to store them anywhere).

spare levers are another.