I guess most will be the same or variants, but I’m interested if anyone has any useful gems worth considering.

My Minimum Kit is:-
– Inner Tube
– Puncture Repair Patches
– 2 x Tyre Levers
– 2 x Chain Links (clip-in)
– Topeak Mini Pump
– Lezyne Multi-tool (V10) including chain breaker
– Lezyne Caddy medium saddle bag
– 4 Cable Ties
– Camelbak MULE + water bladder
– Big River bag (inside mule)

Occasional (if I remember)
– Tyre Pressure Gauge
– Leatherman multi tool (knife and pliers)

Obviously I try to ride as light as possible, but does anyone have any other useful suggestions to throw into the minimum kit?

A phone?

porn mag
1/2 oz

i always carry a tyre boot. a homemade one; 120mm square cut from a plastic milk bottle. if you rip a tyre you can always limp home.

Ho ho…

Porn Mag while riding? That’d be interesting to witness.

OK – phone, wallet, keys, err food accepted. But you’d have these even if you weren’t MTBing.

You said survival but you haven’t listed many of the basics: map, compass, survival bag, whistle, first aid kit, duct tape, additional / spare clothing, high energy food. All assuming you actually ride in the hills of course.

Tyre pressure gauge? I’d probably be taking the aforementioned porn mag before I threw in one of these 😉

standard (in a seatpack so always there) –

inner tube
co2 inflator
2 x tyre levers
multi tool
mini chain tool
couple of chain links
£10 note

phone in pocket (not always though)

longer rides will have this plus a proper pump, mini first aid kit and tiny emergency petzl torch in – carried after being benighted in the Dales once.

i work on the basis that if these cant fix it on a local ride, then my phone in my pocket can call my wife or a taxi, and the £10 will at least count as part payment for the journey.

unless i have decided to spend the money in a pub of course 🙂

For Wallet see Hip Flask 😉

I guess most will be the same or variants, but I’m interested if anyone has any useful gems worth considering.

My Minimum Kit is:-
– Inner Tube
– Puncture Repair Patches
– 2 x Tyre Levers
– 2 x Chain Links (clip-in)
– Topeak Mini Pump
– Lezyne Multi-tool (V10) including chain breaker
– Lezyne Caddy medium saddle bag
– 4 Cable Ties
– Camelbak MULE + water bladder
– Big River bag (inside mule)

That’s about right for me for most of my riding, minus the big river bag (what’s that?) and the camel back. I generally prefer water bottles, though I’ll use a camel back or similar for an all dayer. Personal preference though, some people don’t like to have bottle cages / bottles on their bikes.

You could consider a first aid kit I guess. I don’t take one myself, but there’s an argument for it.

spare tube
Pump
puncture kit
multitool
m5 nut and bolt
m6 nut and bolt
3 sram links
2 chain links
2 cable ties

Bottles on the bike

inner tube x2, whistle, tyre boots, gaffer tape (wrapped round pump), kevlar spoke, spare clothing, survival bag.

Map, compass, GPS for anything out of sight of the house. Lights too in winter (front and rear).

Survival bag & first aid kit, plus all the associated spares & tools, food & drink required for a day in the hills.

I assume a river bag is what others may call a dry bag?

Porn mag only used at stops. I like getting back to nature.

No one carries spokes? (I don’t)
Spare disc pads? (I do, cos I run mine to the metal)

Tyre boot is a good one – food wrapper will do though.

As well as the most of the above:

Headtorch.
Good book.
Cash.
Jelly Babies.

You know those fish things that have soya sauce in, that you get with packaged sushi? They hold just the right amount of chain lube for an emergency oiling! Always in my pack.

I have a tyre boot, made from an old toothpaste tube, and +1 for duct tape wrapped round the pump.

APF

tyre boot
2x tubes
pump
punture repair kit
spare mech hanger
brake pads
chain links
multi tool w chain splitter
survival blanket
laa’l bit of lube.
sknackitos.

I only pack the porn on looooong rides. 😀

Cheers peeps…

I seen a few good ideas which I can add to my kit…

M5,M6 Nut and bolt
Tyre Boot – never had a rip, but thanks for the tip
Mech hanger and brake pads

Survival Blanket? Is this a big sheet of that metallic stuff? Are they heavy/bulky? Do they work?

First Aid kit… that’s a whole new thread in itself – what’s the bare minimum?

Porn… not sure I’d be happy carrying my laptop around 😉

“Survival Blanket? Is this a big sheet of that metallic stuff? Are they heavy/bulky? Do they work?”

yes , neither heavy or bulky.
I had to have one as part of the kit for kielder 100.
I’ve never taken it out of my bag yet.fingers crossed.
My first aid consists of some ibruprofen and antihistamine tabs.
oh ,and a small packet of hankies in case I need to squat behind a hedgerow!!nice image for lunchtime that!

Porn… not sure I’d be happy carrying my laptop around

Get Razzle then…

“Its cheap, it’s dirty, its £2.30…”

Multitool including splitter
Pump
Mech hanger
Spare bit of chain and couple of powerlinks
Gearcable
Puncture kit
Spare Tube
Bit of old tyre
Nut and bolt for shock mount
Brake Pads
Mini First Aid Kit – Sling, bandage, butterflies, plaster, dressings. Little bottle of lube on wet rides.
Cable ties.

All of this fits neatly in a Thomson stem bag except the first aid stuff. Usually have some food, spare socks and gloves and a phone too.

One of those bolts for the non cam end of a quick release. I’ve known one person lose it when changing a tube.

Same as OP plus
More cable ties
Tyre boot
Tiny swiss army knife
Surgical gloves

Survival blankets are only small & light but it’s never occured to me to carry one on the bike.

I always ride (off road) with a Deuter Race pack stuffed with…

puncture kit
multi tool
tyre boot (old tetra pak)
spare tube
Fiver + debit card
phone
paracetamol
hip flask
silver survival blanket
energy bar or two
pump
… and lights in the winter cos I always get caught out!

I’ve started carrying painkillers and a survival bag since I nearly always bike alone, in quite isolated places and going over the bars a few times has given me a wake up call! Frankly I’d look a bit of a ninny all smashed up with no survival kit in the middle of nowhere esp if there’s no phone signal!

Does anyone carry a rear mech hanger in their essentials?

I have 2 bags. Small one has-

Tyre levers
Tube
Pump
Tool
Spare layer
Phone
Soreen
Waterproof
Contacts
Brake pads
Mech hanger

Big one for big wilderness adventures has (on top of that)-

warm layers
space blanket
a load of first aid kit
extra food
map if I’m somewhere unfamiliar

Most of the stuff that I take has been mentioned before. One thing that hasn’t I think is a tiny tool to remove the valve core and a combination CO2 and tyre sealant inflator. They work with the core in but sometimes block it so the core tool can be used if you’re bothered or it’s freezing. Oh and Park Tool patches.

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=38831

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=7206

Like this but I got 5 when Aldi had them for £1…
http://www.bicyclechain.co.uk/productdetails.asp?productid=19576

I bring a pump also but the sealant CO2 combo can be very useful.

In ye olde Mule I generally have:

– 2 Tubes (most of my mates never bring any)
– Puncture Repair Kit (see above)
– 3 Tyre Levers (do I have to repeat myself)
– Multi-tool c/w Chain-tool
– Power link thingies
– Pump
– El Cheapo Leatherman style thingy
– Foil blankey
– Orange juice in the bladder
– some cereal bars quite often a Ginsters Pork Power Bar (on big days out)
– probably some Shimano brake pads

If I’m out locally / on the SS then:
– one saddle pack
– one tube
– some leaches
– two tyre levers
– 4mm & 5mm allen keys (fits every allen bolt on that bike)
– Pump on frame.

fags, lighter, £10 for the pub and ear plugs so i dont have to listen to my mate talking on the climbs!!
ow and camera gopro and my canon!!

All year round

1 x Inner Tube
Park puncture repair patches
2 x Tyre Levers
1 x power link
Mountain morph pump
Superstar multi tool
2 x spare pads
Small long nose pliers (bit of gaffa tape wrapped round both “handles”
£10.00 cash
Mars bar/oaty thing
Drinking bladder
Phone
Buff
Berghaus waterproof

+ Winter
Spare gloves
Alpkit head torch
Super light north face base layer

I like to travel light and ride in dodgy areas where theres always a risk of your bag being pinched if you put it down so usually just:

– Allen key set
– box spanner
– 2 maybe 3 bottles of water/lucozade
– Medical tape
– Victorinox mini penknife (scissors, knife and…nail file?)
– Spare inner tube
– Tyre levers
– Chocolate or something else high in sugar incase i break a leg and need to take my mind off it.

Sometimes I take a drink other times just my iPhone and earbuds for sounds.
Sometimes I take loads of stuff, but mostly not

Everytime –

In no particular order

Phone
Camelbak + Juice
Jelly babies/chew bars
1x Tube
Puncture repair kit
Pump with Duct Tape round it
3x Tyre levers
200mm length of 150mm DPC (tyre boot)
Half a dozen zip ties
Multi tool
2x Power links
Spare cleat bolt
Whistle attached to Camelbak on elastic
Space blanket
Medi wipes
Couple of wound dressings + small bandage
Cash
Stanley blade
1x Mech hanger
1x Brake pads
Baby wipes

“Edric 64 – Does anyone carry a rear mech hanger in their essentials?”

Yup , but only when I am cycling on the pavement, in case my mech hanger snaps when I get slammed against a wall by an idiot who thinks its ok to do so because real cyclists should cycle on the road.

Mech hanger definitely.

The reason being it’s the one bit of the bike your mates are unlikely to have a suitable replacement for, and even a bike shop is unlikely to have one. Could seriously ruin a trip. They don’t weigh much, so order one and keep it in your pack!

😀

Tube
Pump
food & water
50p to call home.
🙂

My camelbak has the following bits in…
Emergency food
Small adjustable spanner
Laminated business card with ID info on
mini compass
First aid kit
Topeak alien multi tool
2 inner tubes (1 presta 1 schraeder)
Mini pump
First aid kit
£4 ish in change
Puncture repair kit
Spare chain links
Spare power links
Jockey wheel
Random spare bolts of various sizes
Spare brake pads (well used so easy to fit)
Phone
Lip balm
Sometimes my folding trail saw for removing fallen trees etc

Additionally during winter…
Spare layer
Buff
Silk liner gloves

No wonder it’s quite heavy.

And I just ordered one of these as well as a mech hanger back up
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=370349133602&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT#ht_534wt_1139
for £7 i thought it worth carrying and it should work on most of my bikes, which is better than carry several different ones.

Pump
2x levers
Instant patches
2x tubes

Set of pads for both bikes
Multi-tool, incl. chain fixer

Presta valve
Crank bolt (raceface)
Mech hangers for both bikes
3x powerlinks

Very compact plastic survival bag
Ibuprofen
Pertex/waterproof top
Beany
Haribo

Water pouch
Soreen

I have a spare mech hangar. Used it twice. Once a couple of weeks ago which saved a very long walk home over a Lakeland fell in the cold.
I also take a spare brake lever after a stack once left mine so twisted I couldn’t use it. Both of these take up v little space and weight but can save a long walk home. As do spare brake pads.
Always worth considering I think, what happens if your mate’s taken a stack and you’re riding to get help and stack yourself… best to be self sufficient and prepare for the less obvious/likely but critical eventualities

mech hanger always in my tool bag – broke a derailier at kirroughtree and knackered the hanger and the chain. after fixing the chain into a single speed i then wished i had a chain tensioner off a conversion kit as the rear mech wants to change gear on its shifting ramp things. so carry one of those on big trips now – not bad if shared amongst a few of you.

also the wee pliers for the brake lynch pins – that’d be a pain to forget