Bike, water and lycra is what most road cyclists carry in eastern Idaho. On my fat tire bike commute in my CamelBak I have 1 Liter water in the bladder, a bike pump, multi tool, tire levers, tube repair kit, bandages (3), Aspirin, tourniquet, wallet, keys, food bar, food gel, and a bike lock with a cable. Sometimes a rain jacket if the weather report suggests it. It all fits shockingly nicely in the CamelBak. Lights and video cameras front and rear of my bike, and my phone on the handlebars running Strava. This winter I have to have saddlebags for my clothes. It can be -10 °C on the morning commute and over 10 °C on the way back in the afternoon. We have a daily variation of 40 F (22 C).
Always have a fashionable team car following you with at least one extra bike and wheelset. This makes you look very important and quite fast. Plus, you can quit at the first drop of rain.
Another ideal "must" have is not only the phone but an actual network connection you can use. You guys must be lucky (or unlucky) to live in a densely populated are where you have solid covering of a mobile network. Come to Scotland and here you find miles and miles of "no network black spots". Even to most glitzy phone would help you here. So, tools, inner tubes etc are essential and always time your ride correctly so you can get back to civilisation within daylight hours, which -by the way- are rather limited once we get into late autumn. You might even have to walk, and that is another reason why I don't ride with cleats but flat pedals and toe hook. I once needed to walk 10 miles to get to the next mobile signal and the taxi cost me £50 back home.
A red GCN Essentials Case - purchased one a few years ago, and it is the best case / wallet I’ve owned. Please stock them again in your store. Many of the waterproof alternatives don’t slide in/out of my jersey pocket as well.
I watch an interview once with a guy who did downhill mountain biking, he broke his back in multiple places when he came off his bike. doctors had worked out that the brakes were so bad because he had a bike pump in his bag and that it what he landed on. Since that interview and seeing the picture of his back my pump goes on my frame. Unfortunately I can’t remember the guys name otherwise I’d link it below. Really made me reconsider what I keep on me. Great videos as always though, chain brake is definitely a must, I’ve been miles from home with a broken chain and it sucks
Instead of "heavy and bulky" inner tube I take repair patch with me. But actually never had a puncture on my road bike in the last 40 years, only on my trekking bikes when moving around town. And for all other rare emergencies I have a phone with me ... which I haven't used neither for that purpose.
I presume you only ride a few hours a year then. Or are riding with solid tyres (when you wouldn't need a patch kit). If you are riding even as much as an hour a week on pneumatic tyres, I just do not believe you could possibly go 40 years without a puncture
@@alexheney8717 On one hand I believe that tires and tubes got better over time and that shows, as in early days I had maybe a puncture every other year on my trekking bike but since the last 8 years or so I also didn't have a puncture with that one (going 2000km/a with that). With my latest road bike I went 10,000km the last 2 years and didn't have a single puncture. But my trips with the road bike are out of town and streets are pretty clean here. But maybe it is also because of the Conti tires I use on all my bikes and I stick to them as I am very happy about their puncture resistance and rolling performance.
@@stefanwagener Yes, tyres certainly have got better over time. 10,000Km without a puncture is unusual, but not unknown. 40 years just seemed too much. The Conti tyres I have on my new road bike (grandprix race) don't seem particularly puncture resistant :( I had 4 punctures in the first fortnight, though I have gone a month since then (about 500Km) without another. I do ride the back lanes, which do tend to have a fair amount of debris on them, particularly around harvest time or ploughing time, when the farm vehicle are out a lot.
Great video, really helpfull for beginners I think. However everytime I see these kind of "10 things" and see the "glasses" come around there is never an introduction into glasses for somebody like me that cannot handle contactlenses and therefor are forced to use regular glasses. I just cant find a product that can be put over them and still have the same benefits (no wind behind etc). Maybe you can make a video on that. It would be really helpufull for me. Thanks.
If you have regular prescription glasses then they will do 90% the job of proper cycling glasses.I cycle with regular, non-cycling sunglasses all the time and whilst my POC cycling glasses are definitely better, it's not that big a deal as long as you have some kind of glasses on. My POCs came with an internal clip-in frame which, I presume, can hold prescription lenses - so if you get serious about cycling glasses you can just get a proper set with clip-in precription lenses.
Unfortunately, if you need fairly strong prescription lenses, you're somewhat out of luck. There are a few systems that can accommodate them, but they all suffer from various drawbacks - really small lenses, very close to your eyebrows or simply reduced coverage (or a mix of the above). Find an optician with experience in sports glasses to help you find the least bad system for you. With weaker prescription lenses, it is often possible to fit them into certain regular frames, though the details vary. Personally, I've settled on the optical dock by Rudy Project, though overall face coverage isn't great (some wind and the occasional insect can make their way around the glasses, especially at high speeds) - it just happens that the others don't work at all for me. If all else fails, there are helmets with visors - those definitely work very well, though they are expensive and - at least here in southern Germany - often draw more attention than you might want. Then again, some people might view that as a plus...
You may want to look into a dedicated pair of glasses for riding. If your prescription is mild enough, prescription sunglasses can come in some shapes very much like “standard” sport sunglasses. If not, nearly any glasses can be purchased with sunglass lenses, including impact-resistant sports goggles. Check with your optometrist or glasses provider.
Thanks all for the answers. Basically I currentely use my normal prescription sunglasses but have some of the same issues mentioned here (still some wind flowing behind, the occassional insect). They do have already some larger than normal glasses so it's better than nothing I guess. I might look into some of your suggestions though. Hopefully I find somthing better than what I have currentely.
Not too many commenters mentioned tyre levers. If you have strong thumbs and tyres that come off and go on easily You might just manage but I wouldn't recommend doing without them any more than going without those little packs of instant stick patches should you have more than one puncture and only one spare inner tube or only one CO2 canister.
Really good bibshorts make a huge difference. People who store their spares and tools in the back pockets: Do you use something to protect it from sweat?
The first response saying that was mildly amusing. The second was boring. The theird was just silly. And as yours has to be the 100+ saying that, just how pointless do you think your "clever" comment was?
s than posting something (that has already been posted countless times) in order to annoy somebody. If you really think that gives it a point, then I feel very sorry for you having such an empty life.
Once I was riding in a wood along a river on an overcast day, and I had to take off my sunglasses because it was too dark to see. When I got home, I literally cried bugs. Since then, I always bring with me some totally clear glasses for such situations.
@@stevemawer848 I agree, that’s why I said I tried it first, rather than wait until I’m on the road to find out if it worked for my tyres, or my thumbs 😁
My top 5: -a bike (for obvious reasons) -a helmet (helmets save lives, be smart) -lycra, especially a shammy (so much more comfortable) -chain lube (without a working chain you ain't gonna go anywhere) -a pump and something to repair flats (inluding an innertube if you're running tubeless)
@@jochenkraus7016 i'd say most bikes come with a saddle, so therefore you don't have to buy a saddle. Of course you could, but it's not an absoloute must
@@Yes_this_is_my_cat Yes, but sometimes it doesn't fit at all (e.g. too narrow) or it's too uncomfortable. In all other cases I give the saddle a try that comes with the bike.
@@Heliosmaster You're wrong. I found a bargain on Evans Cycles, over £8,000 off. Dowside is it's still about £6,500 which is quite a bit for a bicycle. Because irony doesn't always come across in type, this is true but also demonstrating how right you are in a sarcastic manner.
@@KermitFrogThe thanks for the clarification 😁 I wouldn't have understood. Regardless, my comment was also due to the fact that just yesterday my LBS canceled the order of my first road bike.. after 5 months because the manufacturer just gave up 😭
@@Heliosmaster I wish you the best getting a bike. I have an old Giant Escape 0 flat bar road bike doing nothing but I doubt that is any help whatsoever. When I moved back to drop son current bike it showed me one thing for sure. I really suck on flat bars. The clarification was just because I have messed up irony in type so many times. Naturally dry dark humour is best delivered in person.
Glueless patches; You *hope* that the one spare tube you're carrying is all you'll need and pray that you never need any of the six glueless patches in that tiny coin-sized plastic case.
@@juuuuuung yeah, it’s a Topeak version. I realized when I went to my local big box hardware store that husky also makes one that is cheaper and works for more than the bike. They sell the bits individually so you can get the specific bits you need, too. I had the Topeka so I just picked up a couple of other bits for my Brompton. I’m in the US.
Glasses. I'd say go for a pair like Manon's - with a frame where the lenses clip in at the top rather than the frame "surrounding" the lenses. The reason being visibility: when you look behind you in particular, having a frame which surrounds the lens, and that frame being so close to your eyes means there's a significant blind spot. I thought these open frames were just fashion nonsense but they are surprisingly practical.
@@projectdaaltaran I don't know of any downsides. They're cheaper, have easy stowage (vs trying to stick the earpiece into a vent), more comfortable, better aerodynamics, increased field of view, lighter, and they eliminate fogging. They're also safer, if you get something on the lens while riding, you have a better chance of having another part of the lens to see through till you can pull over and clean them.
If, I think ahead of time, (impossible since, none of us where here before the Big Bang) I wrap the valve core in insulation tape: that tape they put between the treads of water and gas’s pipes to make them air/water tight..
I got over glasses from my local chemist which fit over prescription glasses made by Opticaid UK. Available as sun glasses or nightsight for low light levels.Great for eye protection also
And don´t forget to check the inside of the tire first before you change the inner tube. When something is still stuck in there you run out of inner tubes quickly. ;)
Helmet Good brakes patch kit (patches, tire irons) mini pump track pump glasses mobile phone chain lube cycling shorts/bibs cycling jersey chamois cream water bottle (or two) bike lights (get the garmin radar) bike computer
Okay Ollie... you guys don't recommend CO2 cartridges for rapid tire inflation on the road due to "the environment"... but then you use cleaning and degreasing products in an aerosol container? A bit backwards. I will take a couple of CO2 cartridges on the road any day over a hand pump when riding my road bike. Maybe some others agree.
I tried road cycling to get fit but found it really boring especially living in a dull city. But then I discovered the canal paths which is a lovely place to cycle with climbs down hill sections long straights and endless bridges and little toe paths to discover plus all sorts of woods and nature my road bike which is cheap as chip's handles it fine I just had to get some better tyres because of flats happening quite often. But now I love it and find myself in need of harder gears as I don't really need the easy gear's anymore. I guess my point is don't be put off if you find cycling boring on the road or dangerous.
Manon, the issue with the sheep was you didn’t have ice cream! The Sheep on the Bwlch mountain where this was filmed loooove ice cream 🤣 I live in this area 🤣🤣🤣🤣
Can you do another video about what to look for when starting to ride road. I’m a much larger lady, who now commutes to work on my old hybrid bike, but I would love to get into road cycling to get a bit fitter. I’m after a new bike, but honestly don’t know where to start 😩
Glasses are also good for eye protection! If anybody has ever been hit in the eyeball by a bug then they know what I am talking about. I got hit once in the eye by a large bug and it hurt like crazy. I felt like I was going to lose my eyeball. I've worn glasses since that happened. I buy the cheap ones. One other time a bee hit me in the glasses and was walking on them. That was weird and I was definitely glad I was wearing the glasses to protect my eyes on that day. It's a good tip to wear glasses to protect your eyes.
I rarely see riders carrying all these bulky tools as a pump, inner tube, or multitool, I am also not sure you need them as a beginner and for short rides
Yup, beginners don’t get punctures and of course they never happen on short rides. Everybody knows that beginners are exempt from any type of mechanical.
With all the gear I carry on my bike, it weigh 10 kilo. Because I also need a bike lock with me if I want to visit a store for some snack. The bike weight is 8 kilo without the gear. Makes me wonder what is the point with a light weight bike?
did anyone else notice that no mention was made of a helmet? also, as for "cycling glasses" those don't work for squat if you have to wear corrective lenses and getting some fit into cycle glasses is more expensive than the bike...
Never spray degreaser onto bike, spray or pour onto your drivetrain rag and then apply to chain chainrings and jockey wheels and then remove with clean water.
I was waiting for that phone to fly out of Hank's hand as much as he was shaking it around. Maybe a secure place to keep it is essential (jersey works!)
The fact you still *need* to carry an innertube even if you're tubeless is why I haven't gone tubeless on my road bike and commuter. Works for MTBs, but it's a massive faff for road bikes IME.
Yeah, wait till after the main part of your ride or at the end to drink a coffee, also as tempting as sugary pastry is to fuel up, it's really not the most ideal thing. Bananas and something like a protein bar made with oats or other grains or something simillar if you're gonna ride long after the stop.