Fifty Plus (50+) - What I carry on my bike

I have two bags on my bike, one an oversized under seat wedge and one a small bag that sits on my top tube and fastens to my stem riser. I put the second one on to help cover up the stem riser which I think sticks out like a sore thumb. Now that I have the small one up front it is very handy.
Seat wedge contents:
tube repair kit, two tire tools, spare tube, band-aids, usually ~$10, a small pocket knife (for peeling fruit), aspirin, mini tool, spare chain pin ( I quit carrying my chain tool so I don't know why I still have this). Plenty of room left over for an apple, rain jacket, etc. as needed.
Top tube bag: 1 or 2 granola bars, butt butter, and usually my glasses. (also a great place for the camera)
I also took a couple pics of my bike showing the Road Morph G pump that I carry, the rear blinky light (Bell) and the stuff on the bars which includes the mount for my head light, my speedometer, and my Incredibell. I usually only put the light on as needed when I plan properly. I probably carry more than most people, but I feel comfortable with what I have on the bike. I also always carry my cell phone. I clip it to the strap on my seat wedge and if it starts raining I put it in the seat wedge.
Here it is ready to ride.
http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh107/RoMad_02/Bicycles/DSCN2979.jpg
Here is the view from seat. (the front brake cable was too short when I added stem riser)
http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh107/RoMad_02/Bicycles/DSCN2973.jpg
Here is the contents of the seat bag
http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh107/RoMad_02/Bicycles/DSCN2974.jpg
Here is the contents of the top tube bag (not the light)
http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh107/RoMad_02/Bicycles/DSCN2975.jpg

Seems a bit of overkill for a regular weekday ride. I cleaned out my saddlebag the other day and found about $10 in ones jammed in there. I carry tire equipment, some cash and a cell. Other stuff goes in the pockets. By the way, that's a beautiful Litespeed.

Yeah, that's a lot of stuff. Spoons, a tube, a co2 pump and a couple of allen wrenches. I also carry some disposable rubber gloves to keep the grease mess to a minimum.

Seems a bit of overkill for a regular weekday ride.
+1

Does the pump hit the front tire when you hit a bump?
Why not mount the pump under one of the bottle cages?

Just out of my ignorance.........does that ity bity pump really work? If so, a little more detail would be appreciated. I will be looking for a pump shortly.

Just out of my ignorance.........does that ity bity pump really work? If so, a little more detail would be appreciated. I will be looking for a pump shortly.

Believe it is a Mini- Morph and they work. May take a bit of time to inflate a 2.3 mountain bike tyre but a 700x23 is done in a reasonable time and it will get up to 120 psi with ease. Just make certain you have enough time to do it. And on the pump mounting- the standard mount replaces one of your water bottle mounts- Or it is mounted by a couple of Zip Ties and normally placed underneath the top tube. On longer rides I will be using a Camelback so only carry one water bottle on my bikes.

Now on the road bike I carry just the basics. A wedge with a spare tube- tyre levers- a repair kit and a Multi tool. Then there is the pump and a water bottle. That is all.

Now on the tandem- If I could fit the kitchen sink- that would go on aswell.

Just out of my ignorance.........does that ity bity pump really work? If so, a little more detail would be appreciated. I will be looking for a pump shortly.

Yes, it works very well and it will pump up a 23 tire to 110 psi in just a couple of minutes. It never gets empty like my old CO2 inflator did. It is a Road Morph G and I bought it on ebay. My front tire clears it by about 1/2 to 3/4 inch and it doesn't move at all when I hit bumps. I bought a mount that goes behind the water bottle cage and mounts it on the side of the seat tube but I didn't like it sticking out on the side so I put that mount on my wifes bike.

thanks, I think I will look into one of those.

ditz

I have found that a two ft length of self adhering velcro strap and a small towel is helpful. I wrap the velcro strap around my stem. Small towel goes in the back pocket.

Until last week I carried the same type of rough up/glue/rub on/remove cellophane tire patches. Last week I had a flat and used a patch that was simply rough up/peel and stick. Much better, and that's all I'm carrying now.

Is the old style preferred in some instances, or have you just not used them up yet?

Bandaids -- good idea.

Until last week I carried the same type of rough up/glue/rub on/remove cellophane tire patches. Last week I had a flat and used a patch that was simply rough up/peel and stick. Much better, and that's all I'm carrying now.

Is the old style preferred in some instances, or have you just not used them up yet?

Bandaids -- good idea.

I have never tried the new type. I have always had good luck with the type I have and they are very cheap and last a long time. I usually don't patch my tubes when I am on a ride, I just put in the spare tube and patch the hole when I get home. I carry the patches in case I have a second flat or if I stop to help someone with a flat.

Check out the gas mask bag attached to the rear rack. Would that make you nervous?
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r154/n4zou/crossroads-1.jpg

Is the old style preferred in some instances, or have you just not used them up yet?

Bandaids -- good idea.

On the MTB I used to use the glueless patches- but I am only using about 60psi Max. Problem I found with them was that after about 6 months-the patch started to peel (If I had a tube on the MTB for that long)

It is not difficult to patch using the old system- and I am a tightwad. Those glueless were double the price per patch compared to normal.

Glueless patches eliminate the only easy part of repairing a tube.:rolleyes: