cantdrv55

Which is a better way to carry my stuff - small bag and the rest in jersey pockets or large bag and nothing in pockets but gels?

I see a lot of riders with bulging pockets and really tiny bags. I've wondered if that is a better way to distribute the weight. I hate carrying stuff in my pockets but maybe the others know something I don't.

slimvela

"Dang, what are you carrying?"

At least that's what I think when I see the "luggage" being toted around. Hell, there is even this one rider that constantly carries an extra tire! No joke, it's neatly folded sticking out of the middle pocket of his jersey.

Then again, a small bag to carry the items you don't need to access easily or very often should be sufficient. It also depends on the type of ride and terrain/environment you'll be riding.



Then again...I only carring a few self sticking patches, two cartridges w/adapter, some gels, i.d./credit card, cell phone, and a folded up map. No seat bag, and room to spare.

Bicycle maintenance/repairs at home alleviate almost all problems that may occur during a ride...accept of course those for which you can't prepare for, i.e. flats, crashes etc. But sloppy chains/adjustments, questionable tires, fit adjustments and the likes are what I'm talking about. Show your bicycle a little love, and it'll return the favor with trouble free rides.

666

Everything I need fits in a small bag, except my cell phone, ID/CC, and self-defense knife, which all fit in 1 jersey pocket.

waterrockets 

No bag, all pockets -- bibs are too expensive to rub away on them as I pedal. You don't need to carry that much stuff anyway. Patches, tube, multitool, and food.

merlinextraligh

May well be riding tubulars.

John Wilke

Pockets, no bag. If I can't get it in my pockets, and still have room for gloves or a rain jacket, I can get by without it. I don't like putting anything under the saddle because I ride a 61cm with lots of seat post. Any weight up there is VERY noticable when out of the saddle.

My .02.

666

Food? You WUSS.

NinosFuji

Fanny pack. I also got a mini-fanny pack for my bike.

geist

I got a bag and stopped putting all that stuff in my jerseys when I realized I was stretching out all the pockets.

ROJA

Camelbak!

GeraldChan

It seems the BF consensus is to eschew saddlebags and carry stuff in jersey pockets. I HATE having bulky items in my pokets when I ride. Is this preference a "style" thing; you know, to look like the tour riders who have support cars?

I use bags on all my bikes and I have tubular bags and clincher bags for each depending on the wheelset I'm using.

Once you load your bags, then you need not worry about remembering what to carry.

Also I prefer having the weigth of those items lower to lower my CG.

Gerry

merlinextraligh

Things that rarely get accessed, and live on the bike between rides, go in a pack (tube patch kit, levers, small multi tool.)

Things that get accessed during a ride (or can't stay with the bike) go in pockets, money, gels, credit card, cell phone.

Dick Rhee

I keep repair stuff and low light lenses in my bag, and then stuff the rest (phone, nextel, cleat covers, keys, ID/cash, bloks, and Zune) in my pockets. It doesn't seem to buldge out too much, and I don't really notice it during the ride.

waterrockets 

Yeah, I don't really carry food but once every couple months when I do a long ride. I just put that in the list for the rest of you long-milers.

urbanknight

bag only. I hate putting too much stuff in my pockets. Besides, the bag has a lower CG

ryanspeer

I have a small Timbuk2 seat wedge that holds a spare tube, two plastic tire levers, a tiny instant patch kit, a tire boot (in case of a gash on the tire sidewall), a small multi tool, and a copy of my driver license. In my jersey pocket I carry a Crank Brothers mini pump, my cell phone, wallet/debit card/cash and tube of chapstick (all in a ziplock bag), and then a powerbar and/or Gu pack(s) depending on the length of a ride. I all amounts to a small seat pack, and essentially barely enough contents to fill up a small sandwhich bag. It's all I'll ever need for about anything I'll come across or encounter.

I can't help but chuckle to myself when riding the local MUP or looking at photos of group rides from the local recreational cycling club and seeing just how much stuff people pack on short rides. There's a ride here every February called the "Chilly Hilly" that goes around a local island in the Puget Sound. If I recall correctly the total mileage is somewhere in the neighborhood of 40 miles. Some pics I saw of this year's ride showed people riding along looking like they were planning on spending the night at the half-way point or something... A ride like that where I'd pack only what I listed above would have them hauling around a rack, full panniers, seat pack, handlebar bag, and backpack.

Sometimes I'm terribly easy to amuse.

Dick Rhee

The amount of stuff that some people bring with them on the Chilly Hilly is ridiculous, although in their defense I guess it would be good to have a place to stuff your extra layers of clothes if it warms up/stops raining. Still, even on this year's Chilly Hilly (cold and rainy) I only needed a light jacket and some knee warmers, so I have no idea why they always show up with all that cargo room.

mtnwalker

It all comes down to experience or lack there of. I used to lug around a backpack with me when I went cx-country mtn biking for a whooping 14 miles r/t. I had my jacket in there, a long sleeve jersey, 3 water bottles, 2 powerbars, a camera and a .50 cal machinegun.

This weekend I went for a 40 mile ride with just a small saddle bag with levers, spare tube, garage door opener, cell phone, multi-tool, ID and a $10 bill. In my pockets were 3 clif bars and a mini-pump. I ate 1 clif bar and used 4 bucks for a burrito and a small gatoraide.

grahny

Pockets for food and phone and small bag for tube and tools. I recently tried just pockets for a metric. Didn't care for it.

cantdrv55

I carry two tubes, a mini tool, a patch kit, an extendable tire lever, my Blackberry phone, ID, a VISA card, medical card and two cartridges in a large seat bag because I can't seem to fit those in a mini bag. I wish someone would manufacture a stretchy seat bag because small and medium size bags are too small and large bags are too big. In my pockets I carry only food.

Nachoman

I keep a small seat pack on my bike which contains all the necessities to fix a flat. Anything else goes in jersey pockets.

spdrcr5

I have a med bag for 2 tubes, levers, multi-tool, place for my car remote, patch kit and 1 SRAM chain repair link. I also help other riders so the stuff I carry generally gets used a few times/month. On Century rides I have carried my Leatherman as well.

In my pockets go my Cell, bars, xtra powder, gel and cleat covers.

I had a link break on me and everyone was surprised when I pulled out a repair link and got back on the road in a few minutes. I ride 30-100 miles and like the safety of knowing I can repair whatever might go wrong. I've had trouble with a previous wheel and flatted 3 times within an hour so the 2 tubes and patch kit came in handy.

kleng

All pockets - use small 2 small zip lock bags to keep things tidy

2 x co2
co2 regulator + schrader valve adaptor
2 x tubes
Topeak 6 mini tool (super small and light)
Chain pup (mini chain breaker)
2 x tire levers
Connex link
Tube patches
Band aids, pain killers, alcohol wipe
3 x Gu20 gels

cyclezen

the operative term "I hate carrying stuff in my pockets", same for me.
I REALLY dislike carrying anything in the pockets, except a twenty.

seat pack for the emergency basics and 1 gel
that'll carry me for anything under 50 mi.
If its over 50 to 100, then I strap another seatpack to the handlebars for a couple more gels and some powerbars/fig bars, extra electrolyte mix for mixing another bottle.
If its gonna be a hard ride, I'll start with a banana in one back pocket and make sure I chomp on it before the 1st 20 is over.

Riprorin

What is this gel that ya'll are carrying?