Cycling Tools to Always Bring With You on a Ride

Whether you’re an experienced cyclist, just starting out, or somewhere in-between, these are the necessities for any ride.

Always Carry Your Cell Phone

You should always have a fully charged phone on you when you go out for a ride. You can use it to call for help, find directions if you get lost or as a light if you get stuck riding in the dark. It could save you in multiple situations. When you are out on the road you could have an issue with your bike where you are not able to make it back home safely. You could use your phone to call someone to pick you up. If you don’t have anyone in the area that you know who can pick you up, you could always call an uber. We all know cycling isn’t the safest sport out there and anything could happen to your or another rider. You can use your phone to call for help. The cell phone is the #1 thing to bring on every ride.

Make Sure to Have a Tube, Pump/CO2 and a Tire Lever

When you get on the bike make sure you have a proper tube that will fit on your bike. You do not want to just bring any tube. Make sure the valve stem is long enough and the correct size. If you flat and go to pull out your tube you don’t want to see that it is a mountain bike tube for a road wheel or too small of a stem that you can’t inflate your tire. With this you want to make sure your pump/CO2 works. You don’t want to get stuck on the side of the road with a flat tire wondering how you are going to get home.

Bring a Multi-tool with a Chain Tool

A multi-tool will allow you to fix most things on a bike. If your seat slips or you need to tighten your handlebars you can pull out the multi-tool to fix the issue. Make sure the multi-tool has the proper sizes to fix most bolts on your bike. If possible you want to make sure you have a chain tool that is connected to the multi-tool. If you are out on a ride and your chain breaks, without that chain tool you might be stuck out there. You can use the chain tool to connect the chain back together to get you home.

Money/Credit Card is Important When Going Out for a Longer Ride

This could save you from bonking or suffering from dehydration. If you run out of water or food you can stop at a store, gas station or restaurant to refuel and get back on the road.

Always Bring Extra Food and Water

Even if you are going on a short ride, it is smart to pack a snack and bring extra water. You might plan on only riding for 45 minutes but you take a wrong turn or get a flat and that 45 minute planned ride turns into a 2 hour ride. This extra fuel will help give you the extra energy you need to get home.