Do you ride with a pack?

JMHV
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JMHV 1/9/2015 7:06am
1/9/2015 7:06am Edited Date/Time 1/9/2015 10:59am
Riding with just a bottle and equipment stuffed in my jersey pockets is fun and I do it a few days each summer, but it doesn't really cut it for longer mountain rides when the weather might change quickly or somebody needs a bike part. I live in the desert and I frequently drain my Hosebag on any ride longer than 2-3 hrs. Not to mention I like to be self-sufficient and I don't want an unlucky incident to ruin my ride, whether it happens to a buddy or me.

But I also don't like carrying a gun to a knife fight, I carry different packs depending on the ride:

Lighter 70oz pack with bare essentials: Gel/bar/shot blocks for the day, Tube, Tool, Pump and small ziplock filled with derailleur hanger, zipties, tape, cable, chain link, reverb collar and replacement bolt, chain lube and assorted hardware. Good for riding with one friend who is also prepared, and should be good for rides up to 3 hours.

In my larger 100oz pack I add a shock pump, knee protection or anything else like that if the ride might require a jacket or more food. Also a spare pair of gloves because at least once a year someone forgets. I feel better with this standard bag and more tool options on remote, 4+ hour rides, It has saved many rides for me and others. It's also easy to fit three beers alongside the ice-water filled bladder inside the zippered compartment. Cold Beer during ride. Nice. The guys who carry seatpacks and water bottles don't get any.

I don't carry a first aid kit, but they are small and light so I may start.

In my IKEA bag that I throw everything in when I prepare for a ride (Shuttle Bag?) I have ANOTHER pair of gloves, my riding glasses, spare jacket, digital tire pressure gauge and a more substantial tool/parts kit. I store this stuff permanently in the Ikea sack. It's pretty well stocked so I figure this way I can retreat to the car if necessary to do most fixes without having to go home. But if I am driving my truck I have a pretty complete toolbox/workstand and many spare parts to do fix just about anything.







sspomer
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sspomer 1/9/2015 7:34am
1/9/2015 7:34am
have any of you uber-packers thought about carrying something like www.fiberfix.com in your pack on extended/remote rides for a solution to broken tubular parts? i've been fascinated by it for a while and saw it a store last night. $6 for the smallest size, says it cures in 15 mins, only requires water. if you broke a crank/bar/frame tube, you MIGHT be able to use this to fix it enough to slowly limp home...would just depend on the location of the break i guess. the small box is prob the size of 2 clif bars.
Acadian
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Acadian 1/9/2015 8:30am
1/9/2015 8:30am
sspomer wrote:
have any of you uber-packers thought about carrying something like www.fiberfix.com in your pack on extended/remote rides for a solution to broken tubular parts? i've been...
have any of you uber-packers thought about carrying something like www.fiberfix.com in your pack on extended/remote rides for a solution to broken tubular parts? i've been fascinated by it for a while and saw it a store last night. $6 for the smallest size, says it cures in 15 mins, only requires water. if you broke a crank/bar/frame tube, you MIGHT be able to use this to fix it enough to slowly limp home...would just depend on the location of the break i guess. the small box is prob the size of 2 clif bars.
very interesting - had never heard about FiberFix before. Thanks for the heads up.
ScotCove
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ScotCove 1/25/2015 1:20pm
1/25/2015 1:20pm
sspomer wrote:
We picked on riding with a pack in [url=http://www.vitalmtb.com/features/Whats-Out-and-Whats-In-Mountain-Biking-in-2015,833]our 2015 in/out list[/url], but how do you hit the trail on a regular basis? With a pack...
We picked on riding with a pack in our 2015 in/out list, but how do you hit the trail on a regular basis? With a pack or without? It's easy for us to say "just put everything on your bike" but how many of you are really there for most of your rides?

I'm personally still a bag boy on basically all "xc" rides over 20-30 mins. Even though I rarely come close finishing all my water, I like knowing it's there...kinda how I like how rarely let my gas drop below a 1/4 tank in my car LOL. I don't mind the pack on the uphills but don't really like it on the downs. I hate it being too tight, but I hate it flopping around.

Would love to hear how you all normally approach your rides.
Ever since I went out without one,I have always wore one.
I hit the farm roads one night,for a bit of a leg strengthening stuff,and next thing I know, I have done 20 miles.
It was getting dark,so I headed back and instead of going on the busy main roads,I just retraced my steps.
About 8 miles into it,I heard one pop,then another.
I had got a double puncture!!!.
So by this time it was dark,my light had gave up the ghost and I was in the middle of nowhere.
With no phone either.
I trod on for about another 2 miles,not knowing where the hell I was,until I saw the welcome lights of a farmhouse.
The Lady and Gentleman were lovely,and let me use their phone and the guy put my bike in the back of his Land Rover and took me home.
A very grateful person I was.
So now I make sure I have a Pack full of essentials.
An old Nokia 3310(battery lasts forever,and smartphones don't last)
Puncture repair kit
Spare inner tube
CO2 cannister
Small bag of bike tools.

Oh and something to eat :D

Sorry for the sob story
Big Bird
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Big Bird 1/25/2015 6:50pm
1/25/2015 6:50pm Edited Date/Time 1/25/2015 6:51pm
CO2 can be so hit and miss. If you get the valve wrong and loose all the CO2 you're screwed. Leave it for racing. I always keep a pump on hand, even if it's a tiny Crank Works one and takes ten minutes to fill a tube. I'm surprised that nobody has mentioned Norco's Peter Stay Smith. He's the ultimate pack slave, because he has to cater to industry, friends, prospective riders, whatever. He's just the baddest ass pack carrying rider that I know. Derailleur?, shifter?, which brand?... Just bad assed. So no option in his case, and in his honor, I always carry a pack with enough to get me or my friends, or a perfect stranger out of the woods.
ScotCove
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ScotCove 1/25/2015 9:08pm
1/25/2015 9:08pm
Big Bird wrote:
CO2 can be so hit and miss. If you get the valve wrong and loose all the CO2 you're screwed. Leave it for racing. I always...
CO2 can be so hit and miss. If you get the valve wrong and loose all the CO2 you're screwed. Leave it for racing. I always keep a pump on hand, even if it's a tiny Crank Works one and takes ten minutes to fill a tube. I'm surprised that nobody has mentioned Norco's Peter Stay Smith. He's the ultimate pack slave, because he has to cater to industry, friends, prospective riders, whatever. He's just the baddest ass pack carrying rider that I know. Derailleur?, shifter?, which brand?... Just bad assed. So no option in his case, and in his honor, I always carry a pack with enough to get me or my friends, or a perfect stranger out of the woods.
Did I not mention a pump ?.
My bad.
Peter Stay Smith does indeed sound like the saviour in the woods Smile .
skyungjae
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skyungjae 2/6/2015 7:04am
2/6/2015 7:04am
I'd prefer not to ride with one, but I do simply because I don't like anything hanging off my bike or in my various pockets.

If I end up sessioning a jump or technical area, I'll take it off.

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