What To Take With You On A Bike Trip?

Written by Tereza Lysakova

I know this might sound as the most obvious thing: What to take with you on a bike trip? Everyone knows this, right? I thought so as well, every single time. That is why my next blog post about cycling, hopefully both funny and educative, is exactly about this most obvious thing: What to take with you on a bike trip?

Check The Weather

Imagine a beautiful day with a blue sky the whole morning, no clouds in sight and a light gentle breeze peacefully blowing. Simply an ideal day to set out for a long bike trip. And imagine how big was my surprise, when I suddenly occurred in the middle of nowhere, dressed in nothing but shorts and a top and it started to rain the cats and dogs. There was nowhere to hide, and I simply had to paddle in this weather to the nearest village. Back then I realized, that it's always a good idea to take some light jacket to the backpack with you, even on a nice summer day. If waterproof, even better. Or a raincoat. Or simply check your weather app before the trip 😊

Spare Inner Tube

Another convenient thing to take with you is a spare inner tube, of which I also have a personal experience. If you pierce the wheel while riding and you have the spare inner tube with you, even though you don't know how to change it, and for sure I don't know how change it, every handy biker passing by will help you. It's the Biker's law. At least the fellow in the sports shop told me so. Although, he could have just persuaded me to buy their spare inner tube 😊 Anyway, once you really pierce the wheel and you don't have the spare tube with you, you can just pray that it will last at least till you get to the nearest train station. And, of course, you can always walk the bike home. Told you I had a personal experience 😊.

So now I am much better prepared. The spare tube lies happily in the bag attached to the bike, waiting for its next opportunity. With my cycling style it won't probably take very long. And I always think how that happened? I ride slowly, peacefully, but probably one sharp small stone on the road is enough. Although, with my luck, when it happens again, I expect no handy cyclists will be passing by. And this is the Murphy's law.

Regular Service Check

Make sure you have your bike checked in service before start of the cycling season or before a more difficult trip. Of course, I thought everything is fine, no service needed, it's just a straight road as usually. And I set off for a very long trip to a hilly area. What a surprise I had, when my brake stopped working in the middle of the hill. Understand: Downhill! Luckily, I had one more functional break (thanks God bike has two brakes) and my riding pace even downhill is quite slow so I was able to plough through the hill very slowly, but believe me, it is not a very good feeling. Better to be proactive, safer, and still in one piece, right?

Light Refreshment

Also take some light snack and water with you. You never know if the local stores will be open and the restaurant is not in every village you will pass. As my favorite day for cycling trips is often Sunday, I soon found out, that the shops were frequently closed. What a joy to have a small biscuit in the backpack with you to gain energy before the ascent or to simply add sugar to your body. Well needed.

Cash

Also, it is a good idea to take some cash with you. As a city girl, I usually take just my card. And then, when I really need the cash, there is no cash machine in sight or the shop do not accept payment by cards. Once I met a homeless man with a very cute little puppy. I wanted to give them something but all I had was just one crown coin. I was sad about it and from that time, I always have few spare coins with me just in case of need.

First Aid Kit

When you set out on a trip in a nice spring weather, with a friend, with a nice target destination in mind, everything seems picture-perfect. Blue sky, spring in the air, freedom on the bike, just a nice pink bubble. What a surprise when this bubble is burst, you turn around and your friend sits on the road with the bike sitting there as well, but upside down. Of course, we have not expected any accident on a straight road with average frequency of two cars in an hour. But a sharp turn can appear even in such terrain. That is why is good to have some small first aid kit even on the bike. A plaster and disinfectant would really help, as the first open restaurant where was possible to wash the wounds was about five kilometers away. Now it is funny story to talk about among friends, but when it happened, it was not funny, and you should be prepared for such situations. My friend bravely finalized the trip despite the bruises, though.

Wear A Helmet And Visible Clothes

And my last advice and considering the aforementioned stories you would probably think it is a good idea, always, please, wear a helmet. Even though, when putting it down after the trip, your hairstyle will not hold any more, it is worth this risk. Also, it is a good idea to wear neon color clothes to be visible to the drivers from a long distance.

And in case I will thing about anything else very obvious any time soon, I will let you know 😊

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