Emergency Winter Cycling Kit?
Originally Posted by
Obeast
Does anyone have one?…
so maybe a 1kg kit with the most important things you would need to take care of the bike and yourself in -C temperature on a 20km commute?
Originally Posted by
mcours2006
A phone to call someone to help...but I suppose that's a given. If it's a flat, you try to fix it, but using your bare hands when temperature is so extreme is not easy, or even possible, in which case a phone to call someone for help is crucial.
Anywhere along my route is no more than a ten minutes walk from some kind of indoor business into which I can probably beg/plead for help, or at least a warm place to change my tire. Most people are decent enough to help out like that.
So other than the usual tool kit necessities I don't carry much else
Originally Posted by
dabac
How much other traffic is there along that commute? My commute is 18 km suburbia, 7 km dense city.
Under anything resembling normal working hours I think there'd be another person along in less than 10 minutes even on the most "remote" stretch.
From any given point of the journey, I can probably get to, and onto, public transportation that can take me someplace useful within 30-45 minutes.Not much need to go full prepper for that.
I bring some extra clothes and a headlamp to be able to deal with the fixable stuff. And a lock to deal with the unfixable. Anything outside walking distance to home/work I can't deal with by the roadside, I'll walk the bike to someplace where it seems OK to lock it up and leave it there for later retrieval.
Unless I can get a taxi that can carry a bike.Or have someone else pick me up.
Originally Posted by
PaulRivers
1. Cell phone
2. Credit card
I am always biking somewhere with cell coverage and the ability to call a an uber/lift/taxi/tow truck/ambulance if there was an emergency so that's my backup plan.I could see how if you bike through places offroad or without cell coverage, an extra layer could be helpful for keeping you warm while you walk home… .
I would think that despite increased danger your realistic ability to fix mechanical issues in the extreme cold would be a lot lower vs when it's warm.
Originally Posted by
rumrunn6
if I'm going to be somewhere remote I'll bring stuff to start a fire.
I too ride on urban / suburban routes with similar measures, but early, before 6 AM. I envision going to an indoor ATM machine to fix a flat, so I carry a bank card too.
I routinely bring enough clothing in a pannier to accommodate any wet / cold weather, with enough space to doff items, from about 50° F to zero. I don’t carry a lock and wouldn’t want to abandon my bike, with hassle of picking up later.
I have only about three times called a taxi on my decades of commuting, all in temperate weather. I haven’t used Uber yet, so I don’t know how long wait (and inactive) times would be, especially in the early AM,so I would prefer to keep moving in the cold.
Since I have excellent Commuter Rail as an alternative commute, even on which to take my bike, I have frankly disdained busses, which are more accesible and frequent on my routes. Last week I did take a bus with my bike, and was pleased with the service, and carrying capacity, so now that looks like a primary emergency measure.
PS: I also use Kevlar tire liners year round, even on my fair weather carbon fiber road bike, to hopefully forestall flats.
Last edited by Jim from Boston; 11-04-18 at 12:54 PM.
Reason: added PS