Ok I am planning a trip to Crans Montana and Verbier This summer and I was wondering what spares and stuff I need to bring? I have been riding dh for a while but we will only really be riding dh and have bikes and tools, but I was wondering what spares are really necessary to take? Are the bike shops really expensive? Is a full set of pivot bearings really needed?

As far as clothing I have a couple of sets of riding shorts, some riding mx style pants, some jerseys, a neck brace, full face, 510s, knee pads, goggles, gloves etc.

Thanks for your help. Also if there are any other threads like this a link is fine.

Flying or driving?

If driving, take everything you can fit in!
If flying, some essential/rare tools, a couple of tubes, brake pads, and some luck is all I ever packed

We are driving sorry forgot to add!

More pads than you expect. Anything that’s nonstandard and not easy to find. Anything else you can carry, in order of expense.

When we flew, between a group of 5 of us, we took a spare mech and shifter (and cable), whole bunch of inner tubes and brake pads, one set of brakes, one or two spare tyres.

Don’t forget your bike.

Ear plugs

flowerman – Member
We are driving sorry forgot to add!

In that case, last year we took spare:

tyres
wheels
tubes
brake pads
mechs
shifters
bleed kits, fluid, etc
suspension fluids
DU bushes
loadsa tools
track pump
bucket, brushes, etc
work stand
and probably other stuff I can’t think of right now….

Innertubes,
Spare tyres
Mud tyres
Brake pads
Mech
Mech hanger
Split link
Fork oil
Brake fluid

Spare shock if you have one

Spare shock if you have one

A spare bike.

Yeah, if I was driving and had the space, an entire second bike for sure. Either swap over, or mine it for parts.

Marmite

Insurance. I’ve seen a biker being taken off the mountain by ambulance almost every single time I’ve been in the alps.

I’ve always driven, so weight has always been at a premium. I’d love to have been able to take my hardtail to see what it’s like on some of the trails as well as my main full Susser.

Irn-Bru!

Can’t believe I nearly forgot that one

brake fluid and a bleed kit

we were lucky with the ppds last year and got the very hot saturday … boiled my brakes though which made the lever pull back to the bars with no effect … made some of the downhills very interesting!!

but to be honest ruined the ride really … not the sort of thing you want to be worried about.

a bell.

Deffo ear plugs if sharing a room.

Insurance 🙂
After that take nothing Lightweight, fancy and hard to get spares for 🙂
My spares list has been refined over the years, I now have a general going away for a week and I don’t want my holiday ruined list…

Some things to consider –
How knackered is your bike
Can you maintain yourself
Is there a workshop where you are staying
How much disposable income do you have
Whats in your spares box

1st Order of the day
Full service of the bike at home.

Pack List
Specific things for your bike – hangers, bolts, non standard bit if any. If you havn’t done a pivot service then take a bag of bearings but remember you will need somewhere to do the work.

Wheels – or at least a handfull of spokes
Rotors
Bars
Brakes
Rear Mech
Chain
Chain Ring

This can be spread over a few people though (if your all compatible)

Rubber?
Find what works and take a spare set between the group (break it bought it policy)

Some may be overkill but best to assemble what you have and go from there. If you have the stuff at home I’d rather take it than be forced into buying something that’s not what I really wanted for top $ because I had to.

Going by what I broke last year and what others replaced:

Mech Hanger x as many as you have
Gear cables
DU bushes
Maybe a few bolts for known weak pivots?
Brake pads
Tyres
Spokes
Spare brake levers or whole lot if you have
Possibly bleed kit
Seatpost if any use up’y down’y, but I assume not on DH rigs

They take a battering the bikes!

Shops were not expensive for pads and cables in France though. Not sure about Swiss

A half ounce of quality grass?

A camera/video camera/GoPro

Clothes for all weathers. Nothing worse than sitting on a lift in soaking wet summer clothes when the temperature drops to freezing and sleet starts falling.

mech hanger – you can buy most stuff locally ( but at swiss prices) but they may not be able to conjure up on of these beauties at short notice.
Credit card – in case you need medical treatment
Insurances
Loads of money ….

And think about personal liability insurance – in case you hit someone else. The swissies and germans have to have it, so they are keen to claim off you if to stack into them ….

MECH HANGER

ANOTHER MECH HANGER

After getting all the bikes out the van one year there was still enough left in the van to build a bike and a half, a stack of tyres that went floor to roof and a supply of mechs, hangers, bearings, cranks and pads worthy of a large mail-order outlet and full workshop facilities – not exactly travelling light. That was between about a dozen or so of us for a fortnight.

Mech hanger – absolutely essential as specific to yr frame and choice of mech.
Sun cream
Friendly warm-hearted women

and you can do a set of pads in a day – easy …
so take loads

Definitely lots of brake pads for Verbier!

Plenty of long, steep descents there.

Wallet full of cards, its France not outer Mongolia

Swiss prices seem stupidly high so I would bring anything that might conceivably break or need changing.

Wallet full of cards, its France not outer Mongolia

Switzerland actually. As I said above if you have it and have the space take it. The cc option leaves you waiting till the shop opens and hope they have what you want.

Insurance. Very good insurance that covers heli evacuation.
Then insurance to drive the car in France/Switzerland and all the legal stuff that they require (warnign triangles, hi viz jackets or whatever the rules state now).

The bike – get it fully serviced a month before you go then give it a couple of shakedown rides.
Spares: absolutely anything that is non-standard or proprietary to that bike.
Plus rear mech, mech hanger(s), brake pads, tyres, tubes.

Basically as much as you can get in as the other guys have said. Take enough to pretty much rebuild a bike, I’ve gone as far as taking a spare set of forks along with everything else. A few years back 3 of us went out to Les Gets, one of my mates took a spare wheelset for which the other mate laughed at him for over packing. Low and behold 3 days in laughing boy stacked it and bent his rear mech into the wheel ripping half the spokes out. After dusting himself off and a lot of swearing Monseiur LBS owner was £300 happier after a new wheel and rear mech was fitted!

Yeah I have got insurance, and by the sound of that I will bring my spare wheelset!

In date passport 😀

Bike

sense of perspective…

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/list-of-things-to-buy-for-a-week-riding-in-the-alps

Switzerland? Then lots of money for beer, it is breathtakingly expensive