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Road race - essential equipment


Rick

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Top fuel try those thin plastic gloves they use in a bakery or when shop assistants serve you food. Folds up much smaller!!

Thanks will check out for them and get me some. :thumbup:

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On most races I carry my phone, a small multitool, a gel flask, a can of sealant, cleat covers and my car keys distributed over my pockets.

 

On races like the Panorama Tour or the Kremetart, I also tape a folded up tubular tyre to my seatpost and carry two CO2 bombs.

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Tyre levers x 2

2 lightweight tubes

2 CO2 Bombs + inflator

Chain quicklink

Small multitool with chainbreaker

Micropump

 

I hate pushing/carrying my bike

 

Nowadays I seldom stop to help what I perceive to be experienced riders when they are simply trying to be weight weenies and don`t carry spares, often not even the basics. F*ck you, I am not your mobile spares shop. If I can carry some(minimal)extra weight, so can you. Be prepared.

 

I will always stop to help women and newbies as they struggle with technical stuff and can at least claim ignorance.

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Guest Frail4Life

OK, I must be Wanting to be a PRO.

 

Normaly 2 X bottles Depends on Race & Weather.

Bike with No Saddle Bag.

In my pockets.

Cellphone.

Gel.

Banana.

 

No Spares, Yes it is all about keeping the Bike Serviced.

I have only Once punctured, returned to Mates car.

Once asked someone for a Multi Tool.

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Awesome feedback so far, very interesting. If I can just clarrify one or two things about my question:

 

Please think only in terms of race day - let's say Argus for argument's sake. For training I carry everything, but not for a race maybe.

The two major decisions I am facing is: If you carry 2 tubes (or 1 tube and repair pads) + 3 bombs, then is the pump necessary? I guess this depends on the reliability of the bombs. Then, if you say yes to pump, would you carry only 2 bombs (or 1)? I have never punctured in a race and never twice in one training ride.

Then the chain-breaker: I always carry it training because i broke a chain last year and swore i would be totally prepared in future. Thing is that when i replaced the chain I realised how stretched the old one was (far overdue for a replacement). So the question is, if your chain is well maintained, well lubed and replaced regularily perhaps the chain breaker is not needed on race day?

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Racing wheels with tubbies

One bomb prepped on dispenser and one spare bomb

Money in paper form

Two bottles, one 750ml and one smaller one, chuck out surplus juice before the last climb

 

No phones, saddlebags, tubes, coins, bananas, tyre levers, flares, distress beacons or get out of jail free cards.

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Racing wheels with tubbies

One bomb prepped on dispenser and one spare bomb

Money in paper form

Two bottles, one 750ml and one smaller one, chuck out surplus juice before the last climb

 

No phones, saddlebags, tubes, coins, bananas, tyre levers, flares, distress beacons or get out of jail free cards.

 

You puncture a lot I gather. Used to be Woosie had the title but now it's officially yours ....Puncture Boy.

 

BTW you cast a lonely figure on the side of the road on Saturday, felt sorry for you dude :D :D

Edited by headhunter
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Awesome feedback so far, very interesting. If I can just clarrify one or two things about my question:

 

Please think only in terms of race day - let's say Argus for argument's sake. For training I carry everything, but not for a race maybe.

The two major decisions I am facing is: If you carry 2 tubes (or 1 tube and repair pads) + 3 bombs, then is the pump necessary? I guess this depends on the reliability of the bombs. Then, if you say yes to pump, would you carry only 2 bombs (or 1)? I have never punctured in a race and never twice in one training ride.

Then the chain-breaker: I always carry it training because i broke a chain last year and swore i would be totally prepared in future. Thing is that when i replaced the chain I realised how stretched the old one was (far overdue for a replacement). So the question is, if your chain is well maintained, well lubed and replaced regularily perhaps the chain breaker is not needed on race day?

 

Obviously there is a limit to what you should carry. So, to pick an obvious example, a BB facing tool is not something you would carry.

 

Ask yourself this: would you call yourself a numb nuts if you left the tool behind and then needed it on a ride. I have a dinky chain breaker, which prolly weighs around 100g and takes up minimal space. If a chain broke and I'd left the tool at home, then I'd call myself a numb nuts. Similarly a pump.

 

I want to race as fast as I can, but I don't poo my pants about every last gram. If I suffer a puncture or chain break I want to know that I am self sufficient. I'll take my chance with BB rebuilds, wheel rebuilds, cable breakage and frame failure.

 

At the other extreme, some guys head out without so much as a spare tube. I have lots of names for them. None of them polite.

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You puncture a lot I gather. Used to be Woosie had the title but now it's officially yours ....Puncture Boy.

 

BTW you cast a lonely figure on the side of the road on Saturday, felt sorry for you dude :D :D

 

Ja, thanks for the moral support Kevin :D

 

Wasn't such a bad thing, on Sunday the legs were fresher than most after only an hour of racing and I got my best result ever.

 

Ultimately in the racing groups if you puncture and have no backup vehicle your race is pretty much over anyway so I don't bother carrying much with me.

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Ja, thanks for the moral support Kevin :D

 

Wasn't such a bad thing, on Sunday the legs were fresher than most after only an hour of racing and I got my best result ever.

 

Ultimately in the racing groups if you puncture and have no backup vehicle your race is pretty much over anyway so I don't bother carrying much with me.

 

Caring sort I am :D

 

I saw that Sunday was a good one for you, indeed, congrats.

Method in madness and all that.

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Racing wheels with tubbies

One bomb prepped on dispenser and one spare bomb

Money in paper form

Two bottles, one 750ml and one smaller one, chuck out surplus juice before the last climb

 

No phones, saddlebags, tubes, coins, bananas, tyre levers, flares, distress beacons or get out of jail free cards.

The last thing I would leave behind is my phone!

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Racing wheels with tubbies

One bomb prepped on dispenser and one spare bomb

Money in paper form

Two bottles, one 750ml and one smaller one, chuck out surplus juice before the last climb

 

No phones, saddlebags, tubes, coins, bananas, tyre levers, flares, distress beacons or get out of jail free cards.

Do your tubbies have sealant? Otherwise, why the bombs?

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The last thing I would leave behind is my phone!

 

My wife doesn't get out of bed for anything until after 10 on the weekends so a phone not much use to me. :P

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Awesome feedback so far, very interesting. If I can just clarrify one or two things about my question:

 

Please think only in terms of race day - let's say Argus for argument's sake. For training I carry everything, but not for a race maybe.

The two major decisions I am facing is: If you carry 2 tubes (or 1 tube and repair pads) + 3 bombs, then is the pump necessary? I guess this depends on the reliability of the bombs. Then, if you say yes to pump, would you carry only 2 bombs (or 1)? I have never punctured in a race and never twice in one training ride.

Then the chain-breaker: I always carry it training because i broke a chain last year and swore i would be totally prepared in future. Thing is that when i replaced the chain I realised how stretched the old one was (far overdue for a replacement). So the question is, if your chain is well maintained, well lubed and replaced regularily perhaps the chain breaker is not needed on race day?

 

The pump is not necessary but it is convenient to slighly pre-inflate the tube.

The chainbreaker is a must. Chains don`t often break but when they do (and even a new chain can break!) it is game over unless someone helps you out. I have already `donated` 2 chain breakers and many multilinks. One of them in the DC where not one of the his 11 team mates had a link or a chainbreaker. That was just pathetic. It is all good and well to rely on `good maintenance` but punctures and broken chains can happen anytime.

Besides, I`d rather fix my bike and be on my way in 5 minutes than sit in the hot sun waiting for the sweep or a kind Samaritan, especially if I have spent a lot of time training for a race, paying the fee, transport etc. A major time commitment even for a local race only to pack it in after 10km because I was`nt prepared enough ?. Maybe it`s because I am a Mountainbiker and have learnt that pushing a bicycle through the veld in 30deg heat is k*k.

I also don`t mind the extra 500g of weight as its but a blip on my 95kg frame.

Aside from that I can almost guarantee that 99% of the blokes who ride on weight are not contenders for position. The real contenders have backup.

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