Bike-necessities

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

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.

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).

Originally Posted by Ceri JC

Best take a can of WD40 too then

Chain lube too if you havent got a scottoiler, and also toolkit

Originally Posted by Ceri JC

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

Originally Posted by Ceri JC

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

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!

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

Originally Posted by cartwrim

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!

Sounds like Stretchie and El Saxo at the AR

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.

Originally Posted by plowsie

Sounds like Stretchie and El Saxo at the AR

I'm quite glad though, they were great company for me and stewie at t'pub.



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

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.