Don't leave home without it
 

Yesterday I unloaded my bike out in the country ready to enjoy some riding when I discovered I had forgotten to bring my clipless shoes. So I rode 77 miles on tennis shoes on top of SPD's. It really killed my avg speed, and must have slipped off the pedals a hundred times. At one point I seriously considered cable tieing my shoes to the pedals, but thought better not. What's the worst thing you have forgotten on a ride?

Once I left both water bottles sitting on the kitchen counter. I got REALLY thirsty. :(

Similar deal here, RonH...in my excitement to go on my first mountain bike ride, I left my hydrapak in the van, and took off on a borrowed bike with no water cages! Managed to bum a few drinks from the friends I was riding with....but on my second excursion, I had the water on my back before the bike was unloaded! Once was enough for that!

My bike.:D

Seriously. I took the wrong bike on a ride.

I have a hybrid I normally use, but I also have a used mountain bike that I plan to use on fresh snow this winter. But once in awhile, I use the mountain bike so that I will be comfortable with it when winter comes.

One lovely summer Saturday evening, Hillary and I took what should have been a fairly pleasant 35 mile ride meandering through the streets of Chicago and down to the Lake Shore and back. But I took the mountain bike instead of the hybrid. 35 miles on dry flat pavement at an in-motion speed of 16-18 mph is fairly relaxing on the hybrid, but the extra rolling resistance caused by the mountain bike tires meant that I was absolutely drenched in sweat. When I stopped to get a Gator-aid, I was surprised to find that the Gator-aid actually tasted wonderful. (For me, Gator-aid usually tastes awful unless I really need the fluids.)

I once went mountain biking with a pump, but no patches. Of course I got a puncture.

Ever tried to fix a flat with a stick? It's not pretty, but it can be done.

Once went on a ride and left my pump at home. Of course, I got a puncture, and had a 35km walk home (would you believe, that my route was quite possibly the only one in this region that did not have a service station?).

On a tour I got stuck in Glen Innes for longer than I should have after making the mistake of using an automatic teller machine on a Saturday. Couldn't get my card (or my money) until Monday :cry:

That's funny as hel*.

Quote:

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...What's the worst thing you have forgotten on a ride?

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You name it, man. :cry:

I forgot a clean shirt. So I had been riding for hours adn I had a sweaty,stinky, crusty jersey on when I went in the restaurant for some food. But I guess that wasn't so bad.

Allister, I don't get it. How were you able to fix your flat with a stick? What kind of stick?
Also, has anybody ever stuffed grass inside your tire in lieu of air?

It's a trick I learned from some mountainbiking magazine years ago.

Find a good solid stick at least 1 inch thick and about 6 inches long. Tie the tube around it making sure the puncture is tied up tight. Insert works into tyre and inflate. It makes for a bumpy ride, but it works. The only thing that stuffed me up the one time I tried it was that the stick broke about 1km down the trail. Use a really stout stick.

Of course I always remember to pack a patch and pump nowadays.

I too once forgot to bring my bike shoes. That was a pain in the a$$! It made the ride that much more adventureous (sp?).

I also forgot to bring my sense of humor and patience also on that ride. It was terrible. People kept ragging on me trying to make it better but I was not having fun.

I was out for a ride one day, started out nice and sunny, so I left my wet jacket at home...

Should have seen it coming though as half way though the ride, the heavens opened, and I got drenched...still, I thought, it's only water...

When I got back, I had a nasty cold, and had to have the next day off work...hmmm, sometimes, things do work out :)

Rich

I forgot my spare tube once, had a flat, and was forced to fix the tube withwith......
duct tape!!!
It leaked over about 40 psig, but it did get me home.

Back when I was bike commuting I forgot my pump and got a flat. I had to walk a few miles along a pitch dark section of path through a particularly gang infested area of L.A. Luckily, I came across a homeless guy camped out in true luxury hobo style equiped with a dog, bike, trailer and pump! We chatted for quite a spell while I patched the tube and he offered me dinner of stew and rolls he was cooking by candle light. To this day he has stood out as one of the most magnanimous people I've met.

My FRONT WHEEL! Douh! :irritated

The worst thing I have forgotten was my wife! Boy, was she pissed off when I got home! She wasn't even sympathetic that I got hurt. She said it served me right, going without her!

No really, the worst and most aggravating was my quick release! I rebuilt the front hub the night before and left the wheel off since I loaded the bike up that night. Got to the trails, took the bike off the rack, inserted wheel and tightened the ......Where did it go? Dam#@, it's on the workbench! Of course, no one had a spare and I missed out on a great day. I now carry a spare EVERYTHING in a big bin with me(in the truck) when I drive to the trails.

L8R G8R

Of course SPD shoes, it almost drove me nuts, whazaa

Usual thing, the pump or spare tubes, but worst possible thing to forget would be the saddle I think!

forgot to bring a map to a new ride & went about 25 miles out of my way this summer...

Seriously, the two things I tend to forget are:

-food: I always bring water but end up in no time starving miles away from a good stop.
-lights: typical scenario is that I leave in bright daylight and do not anticipate to come back so late. I feel bad when it happens because i take security seriously.

It goes to show that you can't always judge people by where they live or come from.

This is true.

It's funny, but I've often thought of this guy and how good he had it. He seemed to have everything he needed in life, and it included a bike.

In those Tennesee Williams style, male flight response moments that creep into me during rough times, I picture myself as that guy.

Around where I live, I occassionally see homeless people on bicycles. I suspect that the bicycle gives them an extra edge -- it allows them to more easily get along on their way when they are being harrassed, etc. It allows them far more mobility than is possible on foot.

I've encountered maybe 3 homeless cyclists. One of them was slightly insane, but the other 2 seemed to have more dignity than the average homeless persons. Perhaps this is just coincidence, or perhaps owning a bicycle is one of the best things that a homeless person can have.

There are a lot of homeless or drunk cyclists around here. I am always afraid one is going to swerve out into the middle of the road when I am driving past.

Here (in NM) too it is a whole category of cyclist. They don't travel that much and certainly do not appear to go anywhere in particular. They usually ride (if they ride) on the pavement, quite slowly. But they appear to spend the whole day hanging out on their bikes. A few of them have a trailer attached to their bike to carry their belonging.

Over here were people become destitute, it seems that they first try to live in their cars or in motels when they loose their house, then if they also loose the car, they live in the street and travel on a bike or when they cannot even get a bike on the few buses that we have around here