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feature
Emergency essentials March 2019Cycling emergency essentials: the 10 things you should take with you on every ride
Your jersey pockets and perhaps a small saddle pack can hold enough kit to get you out of a lot of problems that could come your way during a ride. Here are the essentials we'd advise that you carry, along with additional suggestions from road.cc readers.
Check out our saddle pack reviews here.
Inner tube
A puncture is the most common bike problem you’re likely to face out on the road. Something like Vittoria’s Pit Stop latex foam will repair many holes and re-inflate your tyre at the same time, but most people are going to want a spare inner tube tucked away. Or more than one. After puncturing both tyres on unexpected potholes a few years ago, editor-at-large John Stevenson now carries three spare tubes.
It might sound obvious but you need to know how to take the wheel off your bike and remove the tyre too, and how to replace both. It’s a straightforward operation, but if you’re in any doubt have a few trial runs at home first.
Tyre levers
You might be able to get your tyre off the wheel rim and back on again without levers (some combinations are easy, some impossible) but it’s always a hassle so have some tyre levers stashed away.
Check out our guide to the 10 best tyre lever reviews in 2022 here.
Pump/CO2 inflator
You need a reliable way of inflating a replaced inner tube. CO2 inflators are quick and easy but when the cartridge has run out, that’s yer lot. A pump takes longer and requires more effort but you can use it multiple times if you have a bad day.
You can have the best of both worlds by using something like Zefal’s EZ Max FC CO2 Inflator which incorporates a hand pump too. Belt and braces!
Here’s our Zefal EZ Max FC CO2 Inflator review.
Find the rest of our pump and CO2 inflator reviews here.
Puncture repair kit
What if you puncture more than once? Assuming you’ve not taken multiple spare inner tubes along with you, you’re going to have to fix the hole. Some patches require glue, others don’t. Whatever kit you go for, make sure you know how to use it; by the side of the road as darkness looms isn’t the best place to learn.
Take a look at our puncture kit reviews.
Windproof/waterproof
If you’re nipping out for an hour and the forecast is for wall-to-wall blue skies you’re probably safe, but we all know that the UK weather is reliably unreliable. You can boil on a sunny climb one minute, shiver as you try to fix a mechanical problem in the rain the next. If you’re in any doubt about the conditions, take a packable waterproof in your pocket.
The best waterproof cycling jackets — wet weather protection to suit all budgets
It’s not necessarily the best choice for everyone but the Gore C5 Gore-Tex Shakedry 1985 Viz Jacket we reviewed here on road.cc weighed just 127g and takes up hardly any space. You won’t notice you’re carrying it until it’s needed.
Multi tool
You might carry a multi tool for months and not use it, but just occasionally it’ll get you out of trouble if your stem bolts loosen, say, or your seatpost slips.
Check that your multi tool has all the bolts on your bike covered. If you have Torx heads anywhere on your bike, for example, make sure your multi tool has the relevant driver.
Take a look at 10 of the best multi tools
Emergency energy
Even the most experienced cyclists sometimes misjudge the amount they have in the tank and end up feeling weak and feeble through lack of energy – and you can pretty much guarantee that this will happen when you’re miles from the nearest shop.
Energy gels and bars might not be to everyone’s taste but they’re a concentrated source of fuel that’ll give you a boost when you really need it. They tend to last for ages so tuck a couple away for emergencies.
Check out our energy gel reviews
Mobile phone
Most of us have an unhealthy close relationship with our mobile phones these days, but it does make sense to have one in your pocket when you’re riding.
Just occasionally you might get caught out by freaky weather conditions, your bike might suffer a mechanical you can’t fix, or you might simply run out of energy and need help getting home.
It’s good to have your phone as a reassuring backup, but don’t rely on it too much because there might be times when you don’t have any signal or it has run out of juice.
Take a look at 26 of the best smartphone cycling apps for iPhone and Android
Money/card
Fold up a £20 note and tuck it away next to your inner tube. You never know when you’re going to need an emergency Snickers or two from the filling station, a new spoke from a bike shop, or even the train fare home.
Quick link for your chain
Chains don’t break often but it’s a major pain when they do. You don’t want to be messing around on the side of the road with a chain tool, a connector pin and a pair of pliers – a quick link is a much easier way of getting back on the road. After years of resistance, in 2017 Shimano finally started selling them (two for £14.99 at RRP).
Make sure your quick link is the right size for the chain you use.
road.cc readers’ suggestions
We asked road.cc readers what they take along on every ride and here are a few of the responses we got.
Iain TheCookiemonster Cable ties, multi tool with chain tool, chain quick link, disposable gloves and a couple of 2in sections of an old tyre.
Jon Wood Ibuprofen (used a few times), Imodium (not yet).
Michael Marks Tube, combined levers and CO2 head, two CO2 canisters, emergency £5.
Jamie Reeve A pair of latex gloves, Nurofen, Imodium, and spare cleat bolt and washer.
Peter Atkinson Small first aid kit.
Liam Nicholson Playing card to use as a tyre boot if needed. A fiver works very well too.
Ian Miles Cable ties, insulating tape, spoke key, pork pie and valve adaptor, just in case you meet anyone on other bikes needing help.
And as you can see below, since this article was first published lots of readers have had their say, some perhaps more seriously than others...
Mat has been in cycling media since 1996, on titles including BikeRadar, Total Bike, Total Mountain Bike, What Mountain Bike and Mountain Biking UK, and he has been editor of 220 Triathlon and Cycling Plus. Mat has been road.cc technical editor for over a decade, testing bikes, fettling the latest kit, and trying out the most up-to-the-minute clothing. He has won his category in Ironman UK 70.3 and finished on the podium in both marathons he has run. Mat is a Cambridge graduate who did a post-grad in magazine journalism, and he is a winner of the Cycling Media Award for Specialist Online Writer. Now over 50, he's riding road and gravel bikes most days for fun and fitness rather than training for competitions.
Latest Comments
- Daclu Trelub 3 hours 48 min ago
A bit like underarm, surely?
- hand0j1n 5 hours 3 min ago
Hopefully the new device is a big success, but wahoo do have a lot work to do in terms of convincing that their quality control has improved. ...
- chrisonabike 3 hours 53 min ago
Agree that the moaning comes from a place of priveledge and ultimately "if only there weren't so many other people driving"....
- Simon E 5 hours 38 min ago
Have added some clarification....
- Simon E 5 hours 47 min ago
I was tempted to try Galibier gloves but opted for Endura Freezing Point from LBS last year. Not cheap (£60, I think). I'd prefer a shorter cuff...
- Simon E 6 hours 25 min ago
I can't wait that long! Here's a series that any good vlogger / 'grammer would surely recognise....
- Simon E 6 hours 34 min ago
At 2.30pm on Saturday a small hatchback car "came to rest on its side in a precarious position" near the hamlet of Ratlinghope on the west side of...
- IanMK 7 hours 11 min ago
I do wonder if Highway Planners and Councils understand all the implications of putting in traffic calming measures. They certainly take no...
- Oldfatgit 7 hours 31 min ago
How long before some waste of DNA complains about them on the footpath ... or for Grimsby [and the other shit-tips] to ban them ...
- mattw 8 hours 19 min ago
I've only just spotted this....
Add new comment
38 comments
A short stick has seen me through my front derailleur cable snapping a couple of times, by wedging it between the derailleur cage and the frame. A suitable stick can usually be scavenged from the side of the road, so you don't even need to carry it with you!
A useful get me home is a short section of gear cable with the welded head on.
With modern bikes and internal cabling, replacing a gear cable at the side of the road isn't going to happen, especially if you've succumbed to the shifter munching the cable.
A 5cm section of cable can be put through the rear derailleur and the unknobbed end clamped to the cable clamp and the knob sits in the adjuster. You can then select a suitable midrange gear based on terrain rather than the 3rd from top an adjuster screw will give. You then have a choice of 2 gears with the front derailleur to get you home.
(On some Shimano, the low gear adjuster screw is much longer and can be swapped over to give you another couple of gears).
Road bike for normal ride - split between pockets and micro saddle pack/bottle:
MTB - in rucksack, so more room. As above plus (or instead):
I'm purposely ignoring commuting and touring here.
Still need a chain tool to fix a broken chain with a quick link, just easier than trying to put a pin in it.
Post lockdown we discovered that the cashless society doesn't work when the cafe's Internet is down. Much conferring with the peleton required to pay for my bacon and egg sandwich - fuel of the gods.
I've carried a multi tool for years but do I really need one? I'm sure I only need 4 & 5 mm Allen keys to tighten any bolts that come loose. What else do I need?
And, as always...
Don't forget to keep all your valuables with you too, in something like this... https://road.cc/content/review/235000-fickaskap-waterproof-phone-and-val...
I use tubeless tires which I fill with a latex based liquid (Stan’s) which weighs less than a tube and will automatically seal most flats in seconds. If the flat is due to a puncture exceeding the level of auto protection that the latex offers I can seal it up with a relatively new product called DART (by, you guessed it, Stan’s). This latter product seals up the hole chemically in less than 2 seconds, without trimming and without the concern of popping out due to high pressure. I can easily carry 7, or more, of the DART products.
As such, the need to carry any tube, or even take my wheel off to repair the tire, is non-existent. This is far superior to anything else I now know of, in terms of dealing with flats.
I also carry a very compact, custom designed and sophisticated first aid kit (in my rear jersey pocket), my cell phone (rear jersey pocket), pepper spray (Fox brand, 5.3 rear jersey pocket), the Park MTB-3.2 multi-tool (far superior to the one suggested in the article), 3 CO2 cartridges 16-20 (depending on the bicycle I'm riding) and the small, all metal cartridge injector tool, inner tire stick on patch (about 2-1/2 inches long by 1 inch wide), 7 DARTS, 20 dollars minimum, a sheet of paper displaying my driver's license, credit card info and health insurance info as well as who to contact in an emergency, a quick link as well as 3 chain pin rivets.
I also have a very compact Terrano-X radio attached to my helmet that allows me to communicate with my wife from up to 1500 feet distance, as well as easily answer or make cell calls without removing my hands from the handlebars.
I mostly ride alone, so I like to go out equipped. The OH drives but we don't have a car, so she couldn't rescue me in case of a mechanical. So:
Small 'first aid' bag that goes in the centre jersey pocket with:
2 x tyre levers
2 x CO2 cartridges
CO2 inflator thing
Foam insulaton for the CO2 cartridge
Lezyne multitool
Gear cable (who wants to ride home in 39x11)
Derailleur hanger
Park tube patches
Bandaids
Latex glove
Cut-off corners of two plastic bags (old emergency trick in case of frozen/numb toes/feet)
Wetwipes (from hotels etc)
1 x chain link
Valve cap (not sure why)
Valve nut (makes a flat easier to inflate out on the road)
Tyre boot
A few allen screws 3 and 4mm
Left pocket:
two inner tubes in a ziplock bag
Mini-pump
House keys
Right pocket:
Ziplock bag with credit card, British Cycling card, Senior rail card (in case I decide to train it home)
Phone
Gels/bars etc
I'd love ideas as to what I could leave out. Always looks bulky compared to others. Any ideas?
I always take one of those on overnight rides (eg DunRun).
At that level of prep, I'd include some mini pliers.
Interesting. Some people evidently carry a huge amount of stuff. I don't. One thing which I do carry, and which I note no-one else seems to is a space blanket/thermal/ emergency blanket - you know, those silver foil looking things? They can have a number of uses, especially in the event of you or your friend being injured in a crash - stop hypothermia, keep rain off, provide shade, easy to spot by emergency services etc. Costs almost nothing and weighs even less. Folds up easily into a small saddle bag. Very useful in frequently drizzly and cold Britain I would have thought.
Ever since I was that roadside casualty five years ago (waiting 45 minutes for an ambulance in the piddling rain wearing just thin Lycra is no fun at all), I've carried one of those emergency blankets.
But then I carry pretty much everything on the list above, everything that other people suggest in the comments, and a kitchen sink.
Daily Commute Pannier includes:
Spare inner tube
Multi tool
Latex gloves
Tyre levers
Emergency first aid kit
Handy wipes
Zip bag with socks/underwear
Large zip bag with spare cycle clothes (in case it rains and morning kit does not dry out in time)
Wallet
Arm warmers (the weather I cycle in with is not always what I cycle back with)
Leg warmers (the weather I cycle in with is not always what I cycle back with)
Lightweight showerproof jacket
Sealskin socks
Spare smaller pannier that fits inside the larger pannier (incase I go shopping on the way home)
Always on bike:
Saddle bag
- inner tube
- multi tool (inc tyre levers & chain tool)
- cable ties
- Quick Link
- Glueless Patches
Pump
3x Front lights
3x Rear lights
Velcro straps
fixed combination chain lock
Luggage strap/bungee
D-lock
Kryptonite flex cable
Always with me:
Phone (with emergency card in the case)
Keys
Tissues
Does no one, including the admirably prepared ConcordeCX, carry a trusty revolver these days?
- For ‘bike (& pistol) packing’ 1896 style I recommend John Forster Fraser’s excellent “Round the World on a Wheel” -
And - For me...
Always:
On bike:
Under the saddle
Additional for rides over two hours - in Pockets
Dervla Murphy carried a revolver across the Balkans and put it to good use when she was attacked by wolves. I'm very much in favour of rewilding, so the time may come for me to carry one.
My closest similar experiences have been in Romania when I was lucky not to be de-throated by a snarling dog in remote Maramures County, and closer to home when a labrador regularly chased after me when I was jogging, to the point where I had to threaten its owner that I would bring a riding crop the next day; that put a stop to it.
I've noticed several contributors mention that they carry condoms... Erm - is there a use for them besides the obvious, or do you hope to get lucky (while out on your bike ride)??
I'm not going to discuss what I carry in my touring bike panniers because I don't think that's what this report was about. When I ride my bike normally or commuting to work I have a seat bag which contains a spare tube, a pair of Soma steel core tire levers, a QuikStik, a Park MTB 3.2 mini tool, a cheap small folding plier, phone, hand wipes, sometimes a energy bar, super glue (to fill in tire cuts and to seal deep skin cuts), a Altoids tin in which I put a key for the house and bike lock, glueless patches kit, Park boot patch, Ibuprofen, imodium ad, allergy pills, a dollar in change, 2 $20 bills, spare batteries for the bike computer, and a presta to schrader converter, ID & insurance card.
On the bike I have a pump (either a Lezyne Road Drive or a SKS Wese carbon race day depending on which bike I'm on) and water bottle(s) of course, sometimes I put on a front light but I always have my rear light on.
Some of things in this article I personally don't do is using CO2 air, I don't like the idea of paying for my air and then having a limited supply of it, not to mention the hassle of discarding the spent carts though some cyclists simply throw their empties on the side of the road!
I also don't like plastic tire levers because they can break especially when cold.
On the touring bike seat bag I carry all the same stuff I mentioned above except I add a VAR tire lever which is necessary for steel beaded tires, more hand wipes, chain lube, 2 Fiber Fix Spoke things, few zip ties, black Gorilla tape (stronger then duct tape I use to carry), spare chain links, ATM card goes inside the Altoids tin; I think that's it. I do carry a spare tire as well but that's not a folding tire so it's twisted into a small circle and stuffed between the outside straps on the panniers. When I tour I take 2 pumps, one for backup, I take a Zefal HP frame pump (makes a great billy club against dogs) and a Lezyne Alloy Drive mini pump. This bike also carries 3 water bottles on the frame and depending on how far I'm going I may have another in the handlebar bag.
Touring wise in addition to the above stuff I carry a lot of stuff I don't think it's necessary to go into since the main subject was more about emergency bike repairs while on the road.
Im my small rucksack I carry...
Topeak mini 9
2x tubes
2x 16 gr threaded CO2 and head.
Small bottle of lube
2x bright pink Pedro's levers
8 mm spanner if on the winter bike for mudguards
Holy crap!
I never leave home without:
pump
inner tube
some sort of multitool (actually half a multitool as it broke in half).
Banana ( 1 per hour of riding).
Water.
Bike.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
And that's it...
Always:
2 spare tubes
2 CO2 cartridges and inflator
1 tyre lever
1 pair latex type gloves
3 allen key mini-tool, with additional torx head
1 J cloth
1 small sandwich bag in which to keep the previous two items
Phone, key, cards and cash in a Bellroy wallet
Front and rear lights (day or night, summer or winter)
1 emergency Luchos Delitos (coffee & guava) wrapped in greaseproof paper,
Lip balm (winter) or ventolin (summer)
Tissues
Daily/utility rides.
Lock, multi tool, tube, pump, levers, bungee cord, micro stanley knife, latex glove, sealed charity clothes bag (to kneel on if it's raining, temporary leather saddle cover amongst other things), condom, metal twisty, 1xziptie, 1x shoe lace.
Weekend casual ride.
Multi-tool, pump, foam sealant cannister if on tubs, tube if clinchers.
I don't often take my phone, take the single spare house key, unless I'm riding more than 30 miles I won't take/eat food but will have a home made electrolyte drink during the warmer months.
Longer rides, touring, rides away from conurbations are a different kettle of fish but an extension of day ride kit for touring but it all depends on type/distance/weather/locatikn/goal.
I don't consider cash in this category anyway, it's a bit like your keys. Oh and non plastic notes also withstand washing.
I keep a tenner in the zip up jersey pockets, plastic notes happily go through the wash so I leave 'em in!
Lezyne multitool, mini pump, CO2. Park instant patches, 1 tube, VAR tyre lever. Coffee money. If out for an all-dayer I add a credit card to this, and a few coins for a phonecall in emergency.
For daily rides, which is either commute or in a group I carry this:
http://christof.damian.net/2016/08/what-is-in-my-bag-part-1-small-saddle...
I reduced this now and instead of the mini tool and whatever the silver things are for I just use two allen keys. With the new Ultegra I don't need a screwdriver any more.
dsc_0561.jpg
small silver bars are useful as trade goods in places where established currency has little or no meaning, such as Thamesmead. I don't think Allen keys would be an acceptable alternative as they are not usually very shiny, although I suppose you could have them chromed. Brightly-coloured sugary sweets are also quite useful as once the locals have become accustomed to the sight of wheels they tend to grow a little restless and the sugar distracts them.
Presta to Schrader valve adapter
tiny and useful
'1 x inhaler (my wife's)'
You are Raimondas Rumsas and I claim my £5,
Always:
Spare tube
CO2 + head thing
Victorinox/PB Swiss toolkit
Topeak rescue box
lightweight rain-jacket
Abus folding combination lock
front and rear lights, spare batteries
glasses, hearing aids+batteries, phone, wallet, house key + a spare
commute:
oyster card
Clothes: unmentionables, shirt, socks. Jeans, shoes, towel, soap etc in locker at work
work pass
musette for picking up shopping on the way home
Touring:
More tools, more clothes, more spares, pump, bidons, maps, GPS, 1st aid kit, camera, toiletries, rechargers, road food, Swiss Army knife, cleft sticks
Expeditions:
a well-furnished tent
3 months' rations
collapsible canoe
jointed flagstaff and Union Jack
hand pump and sterilising plant
astrolabe
6 suits of tropical linen
sou'wester
camp operating table and set of surgical instruments
portable humidor
Christmas hamper with Santa costume and mistletoe stand
cane for whacking snakes
coil of rope
sheet of tin
several cleft sticks
riding breeches for winter and summer
bush shirts
a sola topi
a double-brimmed sun hat
a camp bed and sleeping bag
long boots to deter mosquitoes at sundown
quinine pills to protect against malaria
slabs of black chocolate for energy
metal uniform cases
a cedarwood trunk lined with zinc to keep ants out
silk pyjamas to avoid typhus
several more cleft sticks
a stick cleaver
Quinine pills +1
Ah, so we're including expeditions?
Right, then. Front to back..
HANDLEBAR BAG
* 1 x Nikon D810 DSLR with Nikkor f/1.4 35 mm lens
* 1 x UK passport
* 1 x wallet + money and cards
* 1 x Swiss Army Knife
* 1 x lighter
* 1 x pack of earplugs
* 1 x set of nail clippers
* 1 x small bottle of mosquito repellant
* 1 x headtorch
* 1 x hand sanitiser
* 1 x envelope with train/air/ferry tickets (as applicable)
FRONT LEFT PANNIER
* 1 x first aid kit
* 1 x Lezyne portable food pump
* 3 x acrylic tyre irons
* 1 x bag of tent pegs
* 1 x rubber mallet
* 1 x MacBook Pro
* 2 x expandable sinks
* 1 x toolkit
FRONT RIGHT PANNIER
* 1 x poncho
* 1 x waterproof trousers
* 1 x bundle of spare carrier bags
* 1 x sponge + washing up liquid for dishes
* 1 x cable pack (see separate list)
* 1 x Kryptonite D-lock
* 2 x Kryptoflex cable locks
* 1 x pair of flip-flops
* 1 x sewing kit
* 1 x camera accessories (see separate list)
REAR LEFT PANNIER
* 4 x clean lycra shorts
* 1 x jogging trousers/pyjamas
* 4 x clean tops
* 4 x clean pairs of socks
* 4 x pairs of underpants
* 1 x toilet bag (toothbrush, shower gel etc)
* 2 x 'sea to summit' inflatable pillows
* 1 x Thermarest 'Neo-Air'
* 1 x microfibre towel
REAR RIGHT PANNIER
* 1 x MSR dragonfly stove
* 2 x windshields for stove
* 1 x MSR 3-person cooking set
* 1 x one-cup cafetière
* 1 x multipack of spices
* 1 x cooking knife
* 1 x small chopping board
* 1 x small aluminium bottle of olive oil
* 3 x wooden spoons
* 1 x bag of filter coffee
* 1 x cutlery
* 1 x plastic spoon for coffee
RACK
* 1 x Big Agnes 3-person tent
* 1 x North Face sleeping bag
* 1 x Manfrotto tripod (God knows which model)
CABLES
* 1 x MacBook charger
* 3 x Apple iPhone charger cables + 1 plug
* 1 x Anker 'Powercore' 20100 block
* 2 x Garmin charging cable + 1 plug
* 3 x - UK 3 pin plug adaptors
CAMERA ACCESSORIES
* 1 x external 3 TB disk with all our photos on (used with Lightroom)
* 1 x Tamron 70-300 mm zoom telephoto lens
* 1 x Nikkor f/1.2 50 mm 'prime' lens
* 1 x Neewer VK750 Flash + 8 x spare AA batteries
* 1 x small camera cleaning kit
I use Vaude panniers, and they're flippin' huge. But the above still more or less fills them, with a bit of space left on top for souvenirs. Or the wife will carry the souvenirs in her panniers. She also carries the food. We use a three-person tent as 'er indoors brings her panniers 'indoors' overnight, whereas I just bring valuables in and leave the panniers on the bike.
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