You're Carrying HOW MUCH???
It's time, it appears, to re-assess how much stuff I carry around with me on the bike. I've spend mucho cash on a superlight hardtail Spesh and have Spesh Pro Armadillos which are so ludicrously light that I sometimes think the bike will invert itself whilst parked. I'm no lightweight though, and could lose several stones without really noticing. I carry two panniers at all times which contain my emergency kit (all packed into a mini First Aid pack:
Nurofen Meltlets (ibuprofen which can be taken without water)
Pack of Slime Scabs
Pack of Park self-adhesive patches
Length of black duck tape folded into itself
Kendal Mint Cake
Pack of tissues
Triangular bandage
Normal bandage
4 x Mediwipes
2 x sealed tampons
Vinyl gloves
Snub-nosed scissors
Twenty-three pounds in cash
Pack of assorted plasters
Pack of white medical tape
Re-sus face shield
Pack of Wet Ones
Also in my pannier lives a Topeak Morph pump, pre-Slimed inner tube, plastic bags, Topeak multitool, tyre levers, a fork (the tines of which are used to push the valve in to clear it of bits of Slime if the tyre needs more air en route), Crank Bros Speed Lever, cable lock, and a small pack of tissues.
All of the above is taken out with me on every ride as a minimum. Sounds crazy and over the top? The problem is, each and every object has shown it's worth "in the field" on at least one occasion. I mean, a headache can really ruin your ride, as can hands covered in dog poo after you've ridden through some and then get visited by those pesky f*aeries for a CDE* or two.
Add all the bits that I need to take for work, and that adds up to quite a lot of kit. And I wonder why I don't seem to be able to break the 10mph average for a 20 mile off-road ride! (Admittedly, the lack of full sus probably has more to do with that.)
I can't think how to rationalise it. All the extra space to be able to put sarnies and spare clothing in case it turns chilly is most useful too. I can't understand how those racing snakes manage to get by with nothing but some flimsy lycra and a wedgie.
* CDE = Catastrophic Deflation Event of the pneumatic kind
Nurofen Meltlets (ibuprofen which can be taken without water)
Pack of Slime Scabs
Pack of Park self-adhesive patches
Length of black duck tape folded into itself
Kendal Mint Cake
Pack of tissues
Triangular bandage
Normal bandage
4 x Mediwipes
2 x sealed tampons
Vinyl gloves
Snub-nosed scissors
Twenty-three pounds in cash
Pack of assorted plasters
Pack of white medical tape
Re-sus face shield
Pack of Wet Ones
Also in my pannier lives a Topeak Morph pump, pre-Slimed inner tube, plastic bags, Topeak multitool, tyre levers, a fork (the tines of which are used to push the valve in to clear it of bits of Slime if the tyre needs more air en route), Crank Bros Speed Lever, cable lock, and a small pack of tissues.
All of the above is taken out with me on every ride as a minimum. Sounds crazy and over the top? The problem is, each and every object has shown it's worth "in the field" on at least one occasion. I mean, a headache can really ruin your ride, as can hands covered in dog poo after you've ridden through some and then get visited by those pesky f*aeries for a CDE* or two.
Add all the bits that I need to take for work, and that adds up to quite a lot of kit. And I wonder why I don't seem to be able to break the 10mph average for a 20 mile off-road ride! (Admittedly, the lack of full sus probably has more to do with that.)
I can't think how to rationalise it. All the extra space to be able to put sarnies and spare clothing in case it turns chilly is most useful too. I can't understand how those racing snakes manage to get by with nothing but some flimsy lycra and a wedgie.
* CDE = Catastrophic Deflation Event of the pneumatic kind
posted by Catherine at 07:11
1 Comments:
I did cringe at the thought of a link to a picture of a lycra wedgie... ew!
Post a Comment
<< Home