[Closed] List of things to buy for a week riding in the alps?

Rear mech, glasses/goggles, grips, gloves.

more brake pads
a bike 😉
rain jacket and warm gear for spring, still cold on tops
more brake pads
money
insurance

a smile! you'll need that!

EDIT: a smile can be acquired locally!

EDIT: a smile can be acquired locally!

So can everything else

Dual ply tyres...

Driving or flying? If you're driving, just take a full bike's worth of spares, that's what I did! More brake pads I'd say, extra layers and a waterproof.

Juan - we struggled (in fact didn't manage to get any) to get some Formula brake pads in Les Arcs this year

So can everything else

But you'll not be smiling once you see the prices.

colonostome bay (sp?)

Rear Mech.
2.5 inch (at least) front tyre
Decent first aid kit. Mate got sent home from the medics in Morzine 'for a shower' before cluttering up their place with his bleeding limbs. We patched him up plenty and rode on. Not impressed.
Money - wheel barrows full of the stuff. It's frighteningly expensive.

Some gold plated insurance.

new legs

Make sure you take some pads for a type of brake you no longer use, like me. This did genuinely lead to me fixing a Superstar product with a rock (extra points if woody2000 is 10 miles away and needs the pads you brought by mistake)

I took spares I already had, didn't buy anything I didn't already have. Spokes, rear mech, cable inners, pads. Also put a bit of thought into things that might be hard to replace- threw in a spare lever blade. Even if you can get things while you're there, it's still a hassle and a loss of your holiday time.

MECH HANGERS.

If I was driving down, tbh I'd take tons of spare stuff- in fact if I had room I'd take a spare bike.

Oh yeah, if your tyres are up for the job and in good condition you're not likely to need spares.

But you'll not be smiling once you see the prices.

You mean like a cup of coffee in London? Or anything at a tourist venue?

Dual ply tyres and Maxxis free ride or downhill inner tubes.

Big baws

Do i really need that much hangers and set of brake pads? (Will i be changing this on a daily basis) I will probably go driving if some friends tag along. Maybe 5bikes all... All have no idea what alps riding is all about. They would take the plane.. Have a small van 3seats max... What is gold plated insurance that was mention?..

Providing i have all the spares mentioned.. What other things expensive over there ? Where i would most likely shell out cash?

Might as well take a spare rear mech and chain.

I'd go for 2.5 Minions if not too late. Dual ply or the Exo casing run either tubeless or with DH tubes.

thegman67 - Member

Dual ply tyres and Maxxis free ride or downhill inner tubes.

Bikevillage was mentioned, that's not really what they're about.

What other things expensive over there

Eating and drinking out, plus most bike bits are like UK full RRP plus 30%.

Or 80% in Switzerland.

got an almost new 2.5 dual ply minion for sale. did 5 rides in the alps + 3 at home. then went 29.

Email in profile. 😉

rear mech and spokes if you have em (or at least know what size they are)
spare tyres worth packing if you have em. last 2 times i've been out people have run off to buy more burly/ bigger tyres on the first afternoon!

personally i'd go dual ply tyres + normal tubes for les arcs. done me good the last couple of trips.

What sort of riding are you doing?

Not really sure what to expect.. Most likely equivalent of red routes (hints of black routes mybe) that we have here (uk).. And trails with outstanding scenery which we see in magazines (or cube bikes advertising)..

Dropper post.

Rear mech +1
Haribo. You don't want to be buying that locally. 😯

Dropper post (oh, yes...)/brake service/decent maps of the PdS/short stem+wide bars/high-volume mud tyres/waterproofs/waterproof socks/RRP Neoguard
- when it rains in the PdS, it really rains!

We did actually bleed our brakes halfway through our trip (the oil was black!).

I got through one set of pads in 4 days 😳

Not bike parts related but: Camera...the scenery is stunning 🙂

wallop - Member

We did actually bleed our brakes halfway through our trip (the oil was black!).

Maintain bike before you go! (also worth mentioning, you can have a ropey bleed with air still in the reservoir, that works fine day to day but if you turn bike upside down or otherwise rattle it about, lets that air get into the working fluid. And o'course there's no chance that the slingers will rattle it about, if you fly 😉 )

Dropper post... TBH I barely used mine last time, and I use it all the time in the UK. It was just down for ages, up occasionally, down for ages so apart from one day there was no point.

many many brake pads. many. in fact, if you have a spare bike, take the whole bike or just the brakes off it.

insurance, good insurance. mate bust his collar bone and this really paid off.

someone broke a saddle. several broke wheels.

i got a fface specifically for the trip and i am very glad i did - i got tired quite quickly cos you are out for hours, and i made a couple of silly mistakes and landed on my head.

Cleaning kit, lubes etc. A bit of cleaning goes a long way to keeping things working..

Good MTB specific insurance. Basic holiday insurance may not cover you.
Brake pads,
Dual ply wide tyres. I have got away with single ply 2.35 rollers on 2 trips.
DH tubes or tubeless.
spare Mech hanger.
Most stuff is available out there but it is not as cheap as here.
Sun cream
First aid kit. don't rely on others to patch your holes.
take it easy for the first couple of days to get used to it. No point breaking yourself/the bike on the first day.

Take a good hard look at your bike, especially the pivot points and frame bearings and ask yourself " If any of that goes can i get another at a bike shop" The answer is probably not. My friends trek lasted one day before he lost a bolt from one of the pivots and that was his holiday ruined 🙁

Oh, and all the other stuff....

Having gone last year, the thing you are most likely to break is yourself!! Collarbone/wrist for me, one other fractured wrists,and plenty of big abrasions amongst the 5 of us!! We are all pretty competent riders in the uk, but the Alps is in a different league. On day one, we were struggling down a green run, thinking sheez, what are the Red/Black runs like??

Actually, I preferred the Reds, as they tended to be bermed. The blacks were a bit mad though!! We tried the infamous Pleney at 6:30 one evening when the Stormtroopers had gone to the pub - we survived, but some bits were stupid steep!

If/when I go back, I want a bigger variety of riding, not just the named runs, and may go guided. My only issueis we will only go for a long weekend, so in season, the main companies won't take us.

Do take mech hanger(s). I didn't, and promptly broke one on the first morning. Spent the rest of the day trolling every bike shop in Les Gets and Morzine for a replacement. Which I then broke.

A shock pump if you're air-sprung.

From what you say maybe 2 weeks I les arcs and skip morzine.
Some simple rules take nothing fancy, lightweight or obscure. E.g. roval wheels.
Dual ply tyres. 2.5 is still good for lift assisted trails but if you can some 2.35's too.
Spare pads organic and sintered for long dry hot days and when it gets very wet in morzine.
3+ pairs of good comfy gloves
Spokes and 1 rim between you
Spare mechanics and hangers
Tubes normal ones are fine in dp maxxis
Full face
Set of brakes and rotors between the group
Go pro
Selection of pain killers
Dead inner tubes to wrap cover bike etc especially if the lifties are hanging them funny. And for fork mud catcher
A guide for 1 or 2 days n morzine.
Insurance
European breakdown
Brake fluid and maybe suspension fluid.

You mean

We are all pretty competent riders in langdegla

A set of pads would last me 2 or 3 weeks at least, anywhere in the Alps, though I havent ridden in bad weather there much.

Never bothered with dual ply either, 2.4 High Rollers and normal tubes were fine - but I'm only 11st or so in gear.

You can get too worried about spares, but if you are driving, you may as well err on the side of caution. Whatever company you are riding with will havve some of the stuff you need, plus there are bike shops in France too... It's just as important to make sure your bike is in good nick before you go, to avoid wasting everyone's time when you arrive and 10 minutes into the first decent.

If you take a dropper post, and it's fairly new, maybe take a regular post as a back up too (especially if you have a Joplin 4!). I usually take a spare BB on trips, that fits both our bikes.

I'd assume you always carry one spare set of pads and a mech hanger?

Do the other guests a favour and take plenty of jerseys 😉

And if you've got room for some cider, then all the better!

You'll have a brilliant time, go an enjoy yourself!!

@wolfenstein

You have quite a comprehensive list there, I've done a few trips and never taken as many spares as listed but you don't know - a couple of thoughts

Dual Ply Tyres - as others have said, nice and fat and run at as low as you dare
Chain Device (plus add extra protection to stays and if you are precious duct tape frame against rocks)
Wheels - friends who are more aggressive riders have broken quite a few wheels, ground is hard, speeds are high and if you miss a landing ...
I ride a normal helmet but I'm not an aggressive rider - if you do take a FF make sure you can strap it to your backpack - its hotter out there than you think which brings me to
Sun cream
Ibuprofen, Rennie, anti-hangover treatments, sudocrem or other rash, graze, sore @rse treatments
Camera

As above drive if you can, you can take more stuff. I flew for the first time this year and despite all my efforts I scratched the piston of my new Kashima shock 🙁

DavidT - no, don't really go to trail centres. I mean me all have plenty of experience riding Mountainbikes. Now I'm sure you are a god, I don't claim to be. I was merely pointing out the alps is a whole new ball game.

Im gonna wade in on the dropper post thing and say no dont. I deliberately took mine off due to the massively long descents rendering them pointless. If you are doing more xc type stuff then having to stop to raise/lower the seat in some of the most stunning terrain you'll ever see is hardly a chore. And, it's less to go wrong 🙂

+1 for painkillers! Nice to have, and annoying to obtain. Indigestion pills, some basic strapping stuff- things to keep you going basically. I took a load of the blue self-amalgamating medical tape, knowing it can keep me going even when things are not really working right.

I mean me all have plenty of experience riding Mountainbikes.

Riding mountain bikes where? The mountains in sussex?

But come on, the pleney run has some steep sections in it, as do most of the downhill tracks in the uk?!?!

The thing that'll ruin you most in the alps is the length of the hills and the braking bumps.

The long descents made the dropper post even more useful. If it was a Dh trip I wouldn't bother but for trail it was great especially round d les arcs. Just pop a normal post in the spares box.

For my first trip we took the spares list and split between the group.

[i]Good MTB specific insurance. Basic holiday insurance may not cover you.[/i]

Myth, as long as you're not racing, you're fine.

Hanger, couple of tubes, couple of spare brake pads,

before you go:-

Service the forks/rear shock if you've got one, check bearings/pivots.

Bear in mind though, it's just dirt, same as UK... 😀

Myth, as long as you're not racing, you're fine

....and dont intend requiring a helicopter rescue, unlikely admittedly.

Sorry OP, I guess this thread isnt helping much?!