my camelbak contains the following on a typical evening ride

Topeak mountain morph, a ghey rhoadie sheite could clip it to their frame, but mud is not good for pumps so mine goes in my bag

Battery pack for my helmet light
folding pruning saw
spare jumper or windproof
Spare gloves if there is a lot of snow
chain tool
spare chain links, spare mech hanger, 1 pair of brake pads.
tyre levers
spare tube
Allen’s keys
First aid kit
ID card
mobile phone
keys
Cash for ale

I bet 98% of people finish their rides and empty most of that 3l of water from their packs

At the moment I’ll use very little water per ride but in summer I’ve got through 3L of water easy and still ended up dehydrated by the end.

3 spare mech hangers? how about a universal one? Available attached to a mutlitool (not had to use the hanger yet but hopefully it will get me home)

Pure fashion

I’m so fashionable I still use a bumbag! Use that for commutes/road/short mtb rides, hydration pack for proper mtb rides, altho I do have a huge wingnut which is half empty most of the time but have the room for jacket, gloves, food etc if needed. (i’ve got a little camelbak too but most of the time can’t be arsed swapping all the tools between bags all the time so leave everything in the big one)

I use a back pack as there is no where to put any thing on my bike and not only that I’ve had a pump that wore out prematurly from bei g covered in crap as well as not wanting to use a bottle cover in it. I carry enough emergency tools as you don’t know when things are going to break no matter how well you look after them. A also carry at least 2 spare tubes as I run tubeless and if I damage the tyres I’m going to need the inner tubes for each wheel.
And stated above just because I have a 3l bladder I only ever fill it right up when out for long summer rides in fact on short winter rides I leave a thermos with tea in it in the car and don’t fill the bladder at all.

Yunki – “am I wierd for carrying waterbottles in a backpack?”

Not at all, I usually take a 2 litre bottle with me as I’ve ruined too many of those bladders by not cleaning them properly.

Plus I like to stop and have a look around while I have a drink, it’s part of the fun of off road riding. I’ve never found gasping for breath while drinking all that comfortable either.

Oh, and as for the fashion thing, I’m the least fashionable person on the trail. Hence the coolest.

I tend to use a little rucksack precisely because it allows me to not have to wear the ‘uniform’ if I don’t want to. Rather than wasting money on cycling specific jerseys with pockets, I use the same tops for cycling, climbing, hillwalking and taking the dog out.

It allows me to minimise faff/maximise riding – I just chuck some water in the bladder, shove it in and I’m ready to go. Sack gets hung on the same hook as my helmet and gloves, allowing me to finish work, swap clothes and be out the door in about 15 mins.

Using a bladder allows me to drink when I want, rather than when the trail allows it. Completely different on a road bike, where it’s really only on steep descents that it’s difficult to drink from a bottle. On a related note, a lot of the trails round me are used by horses and dog walkers, so I don’t want puddle water of dubious origin contaminating my water supply on a ride.

For going out on the road, I have a little container that fits in the second water bottle cage that takes most bits and pieces, for longer rides I can add a little pouch under the seat to add other stuff as required.

Interesting someone mentioned the ‘airbag’ effect of a rucksack – years ago, a young lad I knew screwed up while descending the Crow Road off the Campsies and went through a barbed wire fence near the bottom. He was a bit of a mess, but the orthopaedic consultant who oversaw his recovery was of the opinion that, in his case, the 2 litre juice bottle full of water that was in his rucksack probably acted as a very effective shock absorber when it popped as he landed on it.

most of you lot aren’t going for epic rides in the wilderness.

ahem, most of my riding is in pretty biggerish wilderish places, and I would always have a small bag of stuff with me.

My main reasons for carrying a backpack:-

1) It’s an Anti-faff unit. Keep the regular kit in there, ready to go.
2) Camelbak – no-fuss handsfree hydration on the move.
3) Versatility. Allows you to be prepared for any situation when going into unknown territory (i.e. not a B Road).

I have a “minimum kit” which comes with me on every ride, regardless of length or conditions. In this respect I get used to it, it’s like part of my clothing, and the camelbaks fit like a limpet shell.

In the seat pouch
– Inner tube
– Cable Ties
– Puncture repair patches
– Tyre Levers
– M8 nut and bolt
– Bike Multitool

In the backpack
– Water Bladder
– Pump
– Keys
– Phone
– Wallet/Money
– Small First Aid Kit
– Leatherman

Other stuff can be added if/when needed. Elbow and Knee pads for example, I don’t think anyones mentioned that yet. Anyone who’s been in teh Scouts or Army will also know that the pack itself has dozen’s of other uses in an emergency.

You can almost guarantee that the one time you ditch the pack, is the one time you’re going to need it.

Be prepared!!

Did dib dib

Topeak mountain morph, a ghey rhoadie sheite could clip it to their frame, but mud is not good for pumps so mine goes in my bag

Followed by

folding pruning saw
spare jumper or windproofspare

FAIL!

A **** SAW? Gotta be a troll thats just too funny.

I bet 98% of people finish their rides and empty most of that 3l of water from their packs

Like the others here I don’t fill it up fully in winter. But I challenge you to come and ride up a mountain in central Spain any time from June to September without needing at least 3l of water.

TandemJeremy – Member
What a bunch of sanctimonious pricks

Nice language Jezza ❗

why you I don’t NEED 3l of water.

TFIFY 😉 ,
You like to play the ‘free spirited, unorthodox, edgy left fielder’ card but then are only too keen to extrapolate your own limited set of needs and experiences onto the rest of the world.

Live and let live eh, we don’t all have the same likes, needs and motivations so why do you always have to be so authoritarian in your postings – it’s very unbecoming and sends the tone of any thread spiralling towards antagonism and abuse 🙄

A **** SAW? Gotta be a troll thats just too funny.

I recently added one of these as round here we don’t have magic elves to build and maintain trails, we have to do it ourselves…

Hilldodger – merely replying in kind to the insults I was given. 🙂 Question the orthodoxy and people go apoplectic.
You need to read crickeys post on the other thread to understand why you don’t need 3 l of water in this country for the riding most of us do – a few hours around the woods and fields

crikey – Member

My view is that the advent of Camelbaks and the like is generally a good thing in terms of people hydrating during exercise, but it is waaaaaaay overdone. There is no need for the average STWer, chubby IT manager type, insert stereotype of your choice, to be carrying 3 litres of water for what is realistically a hour or so of exercise and 40-60 minutes standing about chatting about coffee machines or which razor to buy.

It is clear from any observation of top athletes competing in endurance sports like running, that water intake is minimal, and that we are perfectly evolved to be able to deal with a little dehydration without melting like that witch in the Wizard of Oz.

We have also bought into the whole “drink this sports drink or you’ll be as weak as a kitten” and “that slightly overweight girl from accounts will laugh at your pathetic attempts to chat her up” thing.

Road riding is not rocket science, and you really really really don’t need to carry a litre of water for every hour you are out there, even in the summer, should it ever happen.

and others on that thread
http://www.singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/why-dont-roadies-carry-backpacks/page/3

the bag has what i need in it, whichever bike i ride, just add keys and phone.

You need to read crickeys post on the other thread to understand why you don’t need 3 l of water in this country for the riding most of us do – a few hours around the woods and fields

Fair enough, CBA to read the thread tho’ 😉
personally I don’t ‘go on a ride’ unless it’s for at least half a day and of that about 95% is riding time 5% food/photo/view stops, and then 2-3 litres may well be needed.

You need to read crickeys post on the other thread to understand why you don’t need 3 l of water in this country for the riding most of us do – a few hours around the woods and fields

Cool TJ. You’re saying that (in a thread written by a non-expert (apologies to Crikey if he is) professional athletes and road riders don’t need 3l of water.

Thanks for bringing that to a discussion about mountain biking amongst amateurs.

I’ve burned my back pack in favour of a support team driving along behind me in a Skoda.

Sorted.

I use a camalbak…in hot weather I get dehydrated if I don’t drink a crap load of water on long rides.

I want to enjoy my ride without suffering with a headache in the evening.

I wonder if people laugh at me as I cycle past with a camelbak? Who gives a …?

Anyone who tells me I shouldn’t use a camelbak is talking nonsense.

RE athletes…I expect they have much more involved hydration plan than the average weekend warrior, so not sure they are an appropriate comparison.

DrRS – crikey is well versed and expert in these matters and really reading his posts is the best way to decide if he is talking tosh or not.

I carry the same stuff regardless of if it’s a short local loop, trail centre based, or killer loop. Just means I’m used to it being there.

I think if I were doing a short door to door loop for an hour or so I may just use the small camelbak with 1l of water, my phone and my multitool but I would feel ‘naked’ without the ‘big’ pack.

It’s weird on uplift days as well (like CwmDown) when you’ve only got the armour on.

crikey is well versed and expert in these matters and really reading his posts is the best way to decide if he is talking tosh or not.

So a bloke I’ve never met, who knows sweet chuff-all about my personal physiological make-up, or how hard I’m going to ride, or what the weather is like on a particular day, can determine what level of rehydration I need to have.

God above – I’ve read some utter bollocks on forums, but for a continued level of complete 5hite-talking, TJ really rises above all other contestants.

MartinGT – Member

“A **** SAW? Gotta be a troll thats just too funny.”

Some people cut fallen trees/branches out of the way. Others climb over them and wait for someone else to cut them out of the way. I know which one I’d rather be. Course you don’t have to help maintain trails but if you choose not to, laughing at those who do is pretty poor.

I normally wear my Camelback, with up to 2l of water, my wallet, keys, phone, camera and multi-tool. Can’t fit a bottle cage to my bike as the frame is too small, and I loathe having stuff in my pockets, both on and off the bike. My husband marvels at the fact I never keep anything in my pockets. Never. The coat that I’m wearing right now doesn’t even have pockets, just pretend decorative ones.

With the water, in the winter I can put in less than the full 2 litre capacity and still have some left. In the summer I can do the same ride but run out way before the end, and end up suckling from my husband’s Camelbak teat like a thirsty calf, which probably makes me look slightly odder than if I’d been wearing a bigger Camelback.

Northwind – Member
Scienceofficer:
Flamejob – Three spare mech hangers?

I’ll field this one I carry 3 mech hangers because each of my bikes uses a different one due to standards, and I’d feel a right knob if I broke one and checked my bag and only had the hanger for one of the other ones. And it’s kind of inevitable that if I only carried one or even two (especially 2!) this is exactly what’d happen because lady luck is a right bastard.

Yeah, ta Northwind; that and the fact I am always riding with different groups that a bodged hanger is better than chainless. Oh there are actually four there. The silver one is a Mondraker DH bike type thing.

These blokes seem to agree with me. It is iteration/common sense really.

As far as the water thing goes; I’m one of those people who sip water like a small bird, but I often carry my 3l bladder and a frozen ‘large’ waterbottle in *summer.

*This is the South of Spain I am talking about.

Why are people so concerned with what others do and don’t do? I really don’t quite get it. Isn’t the point of riding to be able to get away from people/society/RandomLookatme telling you what you should and shouldn’t do?

I don’t really care what anyone else chooses to ride, wear or carry, why should I?

My final paper for my Degree was on fluid replacement, amature Joe Vs professional athletes. The basic conclusion was that Pro’s can tolerate the fluid balance better as they are more efficient at producing the energy they need being pros so need less fluids. Your “chubby IT manager type, insert stereotype of your choice,” isn’t so burn up more energy therefore needs more water.

Whether popping down the shops or riding the Great Divide, I always insist on carrying nothing less than the following:

A copy of The Times from the day I was born.
Postcards + stamps x 100.
Truckle of Cheddar x 1.
Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (invaluable for starting conversations).
Surgical trauma kit & O2 cylinders x 2 (useful to have a spare – can swap for pies etc).
Copy of Lionel Richie’s classic album Can’t Slow Down (cassette) x 1.
Fortt’s Original Bath Oliver Biscuits.
Space blanket Tinfoil.
Letter of introduction and record of academic achievement (+ photocopies).
Spare biopace rings x 5.
Chocolate milk.

It all fits in here:

Hope this helps!

@Noteeth – you forgot the triple thick condom, just in case

IMHO, there are only 2 considerations for off-roading…….

(1) carry what you need, and this doesn’t matter is its on your back ( I prefer to have a litre of water and spare tubes & levers there, plus some energy food if over 2 hours out, because they’re safe, clean, and don’t rattle around the bike).

(2) don’t carry what you don’t need. all this talk of spare this and spare that and tools in case of this and that … barmy !

Question the orthodoxy and people go apoplectic.

I think you mean: “Talk drivel, and people correct you”.

The new TJ, same as the old TJ…

Talk of not needing to carry spares is all very well but if you have a mechanical and have to push your bke back to the car or wherever it can take hours, so best you can fix the thing if its fixable in my book.
The only time ive been caught out is when my freehub blew about 10 minutes into a ride recently, so no easy fix, it took an hour to walk back to the car (it was all uphill), glad I hadnt been going for an hour or two or it would have been a real pain in the arse.

I carry roughly the same as the blokes in the link flamejob posted above and have used everything at some point or other.

……. on the subject of carrying excess volumes of water, let us not forget, one litre of water carried round the whole trip is one kilo on the bike. Add two litres and you’d say that’s a heavy bike (!)

What about pork pies? I usually carry 4 pork pies on every ride.

Plus I ride a tandem and it ways a ton.

A long time ago i had a small frame pack (still have some where) and when back packs came out I dismissed them. Some years ago had a surprise Xmas pressie and felt obliged to use it. So now a Mule here for most rides, always has: spare inner tubes 26″ & 29″, mini pump, park tool patches, Alien tool, spare chain links, emergency tenner – rarely has water, never seem to be out long enough these days.

At this time of year also has a small hat (getting old!) for stops and I can carry my coat some where should the sun come out. In summer some sun cream.

Means I can grab it ride out on any bike and know i can cover most probs (mine but usually other riders) and keeps mud off my back. Suppose I could get these into my pockets but I never notice it when so lightly packed until I need it.

– crikey is well versed and expert in these matters

There is no need for the average STWer, chubby IT manager type, insert stereotype of your choice, to be carrying 3 litres of water for what is realistically a hour or so of exercise and 40-60 minutes standing about chatting about coffee machines or which razor to buy.

You’re right TJ. Now I re-read it he does sound professional 🙂

I regularly ride a loop in the Peaks that is about 5 hours and has no water stops / pubs / villages, all on a bike with no bottle mounts.

I’ve ridden for years and used to take just water bottles (on a different bike) and put up with feeling crap with dehydration. Now I’d rather feel good throughout the ride.

It’s not a uniform – it’s a necessity for me to have water, tools etc so I’m not reliant on others – because lets face it TJ – you can’t be everywhere to save us……

mk1fan – Member
I carry the same stuff regardless of if it’s a short local loop, trail centre based, or killer loop.

When doing a killer loop I presume a lot of time is spent in the attack position?

I’m always waiting in the underbrush.

You may see me however, due to my massive tandem made of pig iron laying nearby.

Plus I never drink water. Just the blood of mountain cyclists.

Right then everybody back to one half litre water bottle and iodine drops, local motion frame packs and ICMB sized zefal pumps – suffering is the new riding. No custom cycling cothing and back to toe-clips you lot.

Right then everybody back to one half litre water bottle and iodine drops, local motion frame packs and ICMB sized zefal pumps – suffering is the new riding. No custom cycling cothing and back to toe-clips you lot.

I’ve emailed the OED and asked them to use the above as the definition of the word Uniform 😉

Sometimes I use a pack, sometimes I don’t.

I’m not so insecure that I feel the need to justify my choices or belittle others for theirs though 😉

TandemJeremy – Member

DrRS – crikey is well versed and expert in these matters and really reading his posts is the best way to decide if he is talking tosh or not.

You’re beyond belief.

I’ve read your posts

You talk absolute sh*te

Again you’re presuming to know what someone else needs, be it hydration or equipment carried on a ride. How would anyone know what someone else needs to carry on a ride unless they turn up beforehand to inspect the person in question, check their route and their physical condition etc, etc?

You’re a try-hard, know it all, blow hard, bore the legs off an oil rig, repetitive, sanctimonious, holier than thou, preaching, pain in the rear.

Perhaps you should try to read what I actually posted instead of flying off on your high horse?

Crikey does know what he is talking about – I suggest you read his posts

A good few folk are in agreement with me on this thread.

All I was doing was pointing out the enormous fallacy that many folk on here subscribe to that it is essential to have huge amounts of water and spares for a couple of hours playing on your bike in the local woods and fields.

However as usual on here question the orthodoxy and you get slated to high heaven. Its nothing new. Usual sanctimonious pricks with no ability to understand that difference exists and a sheep like mentality of following the herd.

How do mountaineers and rock climbers survive without all the water? Marathon runners? Fell runners? endurance athletes of all sorts. You don’t see them with 3 l of water do you?
Really – before being so caustic and sanctimonious yourself you should read what crikey has to say

Carry all that unneeded weight around if you want but don’t try to claim it is essential as it clearly is not.

It really amuses me folk stating Crikey is talking rubbish when they clearly have not read his posts.

I carry:
Muultitool, 3 sram links, 2 chain links, M5 and M6 nut and bolt, spare tube, pump. patches and glue, cable ties.

I have never in many decades of cycling needed more tools or spares – but then my bike is well maintained. I can fix anything trail side fixable with that

I carry one 3/4 litre bottle and refill as needed if I am out for more than 4 hours When its very hot or water will be hard to come by I will carry a second bottle.

I don’t care what other people do. However It does annoy when I am told that the back-pack is essential when it clearly is not.