I read in a post where someone carries after bite for stings. I carry a multi tool, a tube, Cliff bar & biking fist aid kit (which we used Sunday) everybody laughed until we needed it for a cut. I just wondered for a long ride is there something off the wall you were glad you had when you needed it ????

I carry my cell phone though I'm often out of service range. I carry a tube, CO2 (2), small inflator tool, a tire boot, a few dollars, 3-5mm allen wrenches. That's it. What else would I need? Bandaids? Nah. Sometimes on really long hot rides I'll carry a small packet of chamois cream or sunscreen though I usually just go with 40 or 50 spf at the start and it's good enough.

I ride in some very remote areas. It is possible not to see a car for an hour. Recently, I broke a chain. Luckily, I was close to a bike shop, so I could get it repaired. It started me thinking "what else should I carry"? I purchased a chain break tool and a couple of quick links. Now, if I have chain problems in a remote area, I have that base covered. I also carry two tubes, 3 CO2's, tire levers, 3/5 allen wrenches, a patch kit and a emergency pump. Cell phone and $$ are standard too, although there is no continuous cell connection where I ride.

Pump, CO2, two tubes, patch kit, tire lever, multi-tool, 3,4,5 hex tool, 9 and 10 speed quick links, nitrile gloves, Clif bars, tire boot, spoke wrench, click-stand, all this on a tandem. I've added Tums to the list for long rides in case I get cramps. They seemed to help on the last ride.

2 water bottles, CO2, 3 tubes (one to offer a stranded cyclist) 2 tire levers, multi tool, frame pump, money, cell phone, iPod, travel sized sunblock, reading glasses (or I'd have a hard time changing a flat), handi-wipes, hand sanitizer, litter bag, and lipstick.

Depends where I am but the seat bag has a tube, multi wrench, cell, wallet and keys (couple bandaids in the wallet), and maybe a Clif bar. On the seat tube I've got a Topeak repair kit. I've also got a pump mounted and at least one water bottle.

If I'm going for a ride in the hills or someplace more remote, I strap on a Mountainsmith lumbar pack or strap it to the rack and it has a number of survival related items including shelter and first aid. I do SAR so if I'm not prepared and get stuck, I'll hear about it forever.

Other than the standard tools listed, I do carry one rather strange thing. Since I often ride in a very remote area (50-100 miles without seeing a car is not unusual, cell phone coverage is pretty scant), I carry a Spot. It's kind of a reverse GPS. Instead of telling me where I am, it sends a link to a map to someone else telling them where I am in near-real time. I can send various pre-loaded messages to summon help from friends/family or I can send a more formal help message to an outfit that calls in the search and rescue. They do make units that interact with a phone to allow one to send text messages that aren't preloaded, but the simple unit seems sufficient for my needs.

As It has been said earlier on, it all depends with where you are going.
There are three things that you should never miss water, a few dollars and a kit

I carry $20-$40, my drivers license, and my ATM card. You never know what you'll need out far from home, and these can get you things you need. I also carry a EMERGENCY CONTACT list with all phone numbers, contact info. my doctors information and the medicines I take. If you have to be taken to a hospital that doesn't have your information in their system, then this could be a life saver.

Usual stuff + multitool with chainbreaker + links + Park Tool tire boots.

Water. Cell phone. Cash. Drivers license. About 10-12 paper towels. If doing a longer ride, an energy bar or 2.

The "road ID" is nice instead of contact list, DL etc.. I never take it off. Backpacking, on the road etc...

For a long ride small pump, multitool, money, Road ID, chapstick and sunscreen, 4 water bottles, snacks, tube, patch kit ( I have patched 2 tires, not tubes, for other people this year), butt wipe and chamois creme. Hemorrhoid flareup with no relief is not fun. It is an over 50 forumn isn't it?

Didn't we have ths exact thread "What To Carry... " 2 weeks ago?

https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...t+do+you+carry

I pull my welding machine and a generator in a trailer in case my frame cracks. I'm not getting thrown out of the Tour de France just because I need someone to work the bellows.

In my wedge bag there is:
2 CO2 cartridges plus inflater
Multitool
Tire levers
Patch kit
Spare tube
$20 bill
2 rags (keep the CO2 cartriges from rattling)
Nitroglycerin tablets.

I usually also carry a cell phone with me, and some nuun tablets.

The first rule of smart self-defense is to never, ever tell people what you carry.

OK, as you read on you'll see this comment (meant as a humorous response to the thread title) has started a bit of thread hijack, which was not my intent. What I usually carry depends on the ride and the bike. My commuter always has a spare tube, extra quick link, and some moist hand wipes. None of my other bikes have this. All of them have a patch kit, one tire lever, and either a mini-pump or a C02 inflator. I also carry my cell phone with me on 98% of my rides, more out of habit than anything else. When riding some distance from home in more remote areas, I also carry an extra energy bar and a small first aid kit.

I sure wish more of the gun-lovers would follow that advice.

The "gun-lovers"? Is that a veiled anti-gun statement? Kinda dumb to post it here, don't you think? You can find other forums to rant about your obvious distaste of your fellow citizens who choose to exercise their rights to own or carry firearms.

It's an interesting issue to me. I've been on both sides of the issue. I grew up with guns. I hunted. I do not fear guns. I stopped hunting and/or owning guns. These days I do not hunt but I own two handguns and I sometimes carry when I ride. Why? Because....in my job (Investigator for the State of CT) and in my life I've seen too many stupid people who actually harm others. In CT we are currently having the trial of the second perpetrator who invaded a doctor's home and killed his wife and two daughters (after raping them) and beat him and duct taped him in his basement. Then they set it on fire. It seems like every month there is a report of a "home invasion" in CT. This is not an exaggeration. Am I a "gun lover?" I don't know. I do appreciate a well designed and made "machine." But, if I didn't think I might possibly need one I wouldn't feel driven to own one. I'd probably buy another bike or motorcycle.

Exactly my point! Right on the button! I don't really care about guns one way or the other, I just get tired of hearing about them constantly in a bicycling forum.

Now how on earth did you get "obvious distaste of your fellow citizens who choose to exercise their rights to own or carry firearms" from what I wrote?

Because, if you hadn't meant your comment as an insult or in a derogatory manner you would have referred to gun owners as just that, not "gun lovers". Words mean things as we have all learned.

And, FWIW, I am a gun owner and former California law enforcement officer. While I might carry a firearm while riding and see carry/not carry as a valid topic of conversation, I sure as hell wouldn't advertise what I'm carrying on a public forum. That's for me to know.

It's your choice of phrasing. You wouldn't call drivers "car lovers" would you? It's a hot button term. Glad you clarified.

Somebody needs a cookie