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First race soon, well others will be racing by - I will be trying my best - my thoughts are to resist the usual camelback loaded with every conceivable eventuality and baggies with long sleaves.
So;
Teany tiny leyzene multitool.
CO2 canisters (I'm tubeless)
Innertube + one alloy magura lever.
Tiny Squirt multitool to remove the valves to get tube in.
Water in bottle with some energy stuff in.
Although I am seriously considering just the multitool and a tiny leyzene pump. Being tubeless - if it so serious it does not seal itself up and then need more air- I will pull out.
What is considered sensible/wise?
For a three hour trailquest, I carry;
Two tubes
Two CO2 cylinders and adapter
Self adhesive patches
Tubeless plugs, with one ready threaded on to the needle.
Two plastic levers
Multitool
Pump
Bottle of energy drink
Bottle of water
Gels or fruit jellies
Possibly overkill on the puncture preparedness, but I could be 10km from the event centre, so it's worth the small weight penalty.
I'd carry a bottle of water and maybe an energy gel.
2 hours? Just one pack of MTFU
Multitool with chain breaker
Spare SRAM power link
Big Air CO2
Inner tube
Tyre lever
Puncture patches
Plastic insert to repair torn tyre
Tubeless plug (ready to go)
60ml Stans Latex
Stans core removal tool
Universal emergency hanger
Kevlar spoke
First aid kit
Space blanket
Whistle
Phone
Garmin 305 and GTU 10 Tracker
Head torch
Good for 2hrs or 20hrs. I mostly cycle solo and could easily find myself having to walk 10 miles should I have an m-kill on 2hr ride.
XC race....can you have spare wheels in the pit? then just ditch the tube and al the faff.
Lycra all the way also 😉
FYI for an XC race:
Me + bike
Spare wheels in Tech zone
2 gels in pocket
CO2 can with screw on head in pocket
500ml bottle on bike, 2 more in Tech zone
I just carry my 'winners face' ray for the podium...
DrP
(this may not be true)
Gel, bottle. Thats it. Never carried any tools or owt in any races that I've done.
Ok, honey and water it is.
why the multi tool?
I can see the appeal of the minimalist approach, but I got a puncture at Bristol Bike Fest and lost 5 minutes repairing it. Walking the rest of the lap would have cost me 30 minutes.
Maybe if you're there to win and 5 minutes will cost you the race so it's not worth continuing, travel as light as possible.
If you're a mid pack rider and 5 minutes just drops you a couple of places, be prepared.
Oh, and Graham's top tip for the day;
If you're using CO2 cartridges, make sure you're familiar with how the adapter works so you don't waste 5 minutes screwing it all together in the wrong order, wasting the CO2 and ending up using a hand pump when the job should take less than a minute. 🙄
Lungs (spare) in a rucksack
Why would you race if you didn't want to win?MidlandTrailquestsGraham - Member
I can see the appeal of the minimalist approach, but I got a puncture at Bristol Bike Fest and lost 5 minutes repairing it. Walking the rest of the lap would have cost me 30 minutes.
Maybe if you're there to win and 5 minutes will cost you the race so it's not worth continuing, travel as light as possible.
If you're a mid pack rider and 5 minutes just drops you a couple of places, be prepared.
Can't you get someone at the side of the track to hand/offer you a drink each lap?
When I raced, the races where quite short (60/90 minutes-ish) I didn't bother with anything, as by the time you've stopped to fix a puncture you'd be well down the field, if it was hot I'd use a small 1 litre Camelback (Raceback?), can't stand messing around with bottles.
Edit : Most important make sure your bike is working perfectly and nothing needs replacing, the number of times I've seen snapped chains etc. in the first 1/4 mile of a race.
Why would you race if you didn't want to win?
Because I like racing.
If you look at any of the events I enter, from 3 hour trailquests to 24 hour marathons, you could probably name 5 or fewer solos or teams who are in with a realistic chance of winning.
The rest of us are there for our own personal goals.
As above, two hours would need some water, can't imagine what else you'd need. The people who will win won't carry any more than that, most of them will just drink their own wee for fluids.
That's the difference between a winner and you.
Pump
Tube
Multi tool
Power link
Bottles if can leave some trackside or have a pit bitch otherwise camelbak
spare tube and C02 taped to seatpost.
spare link taped to brake hose.
2/3 gels
As above, two hours would need some water, can't imagine what else you'd need. The people who will win won't carry any more than that, most of them will just drink their own wee for fluids.
They probably won't use any more than a bottle, although odds are it won't be water, but they'll almost certainly carry more!
I carry CO2 and a multitool. Take fresh bottles in the feedzone each lap.
XC race....can you have spare wheels in the pit? then just ditch the tube and al the faff.
Depends, BC sanctioned races you can only have tech assistance in Elite.