{"id":47507,"date":"2023-11-10T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-11-10T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.siroko.com\/blog\/c\/?p=47507"},"modified":"2023-11-09T12:31:01","modified_gmt":"2023-11-09T11:31:01","slug":"cycling-essentials-15-items-every-cyclist-should-take-with-them","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.siroko.com\/blog\/c\/cycling-essentials-15-items-every-cyclist-should-take-with-them\/","title":{"rendered":"Cycling essentials: 15 items every cyclist should take with them"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Picture yourself out on a ride, with a huge smile on your face, feeling the wind on your skin, and then\u2026 BOOM! You get a flat tire. Now, you\u2019re suddenly stuck somewhere without an inner tube replacement. What if you\u2019re about to pass out from hunger? You have your phone with you at least, right? It\u2019s a miracle you remembered to take your bike at all. Anyway, jokes aside, we all have been beginner cyclists at some point, and we all have forgotten to bring something with us that could save our lives later.  And we have learnt from these unfortunate mistakes. So, worry not. We\u2019re here to make sure you\u2019re ready to face any challenge with this list of 15 essential items you need to bring with you on every bike ride:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Helmet<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Safety first. This is the most important item, as having a perfectly fitted helmet can significantly reduce the risk of head injuries in case of an accident. In this blog post, we introduced the Siroko cycling helmet and how to use it<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lighting<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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A good set of bike lights is key in order to be seen by other vehicles and, in case you have to ride at night or in poor visibility conditions, to see where you\u2019re going as well. Here you will find more information on the types of cycling lights available<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Keeping hydrated<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n
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Being well hydrated at all times is crucial, especially when it\u2019s hot outside, so depending on the duration and intensity of the ride, you should make sure to always bring water in your bottle or in your hydration pack, and make stops on the way to fill it up as soon as it runs out. Plus, if you\u2019re prone to sweat a lot, the temperatures are too high and the route is long, it is also advisable to bring mineral salts or tablets to replenish what you\u2019re losing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Food and snacks<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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You won\u2019t really need to bring anything to eat for a relaxed, short ride, but if you\u2019re planning on riding for more than an hour it is always advisable to bring some food and snacks in your pockets: a banana, a small bag of dates or nuts, an energy gel, energy bars, etc. This will give you all the strength you\u2019ll need to recover and keep going. In this blog post, we discussed how much you should eat based on intensity and workout duration<\/a>, and here you\u2019ll find some ideas and more information on what to eat and how to make energy bars, gels and rice cakes<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Latex, vinyl or nitrile gloves<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A pair of gloves is crucial to prevent your hands from getting covered in grease and dirt when changing an inner tube, replacing a broken chain or putting it back in place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Inner tube replacements, patches, a tubeless repair kit, etc.<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

You can get a flat tire at any moment and you have to be well prepared, making sure you always have at least an inner tube replacement, a few patches, two or three tire levers and, if you use tubeless tires, a repair kit for this type of tire that includes plugs and a puncture tool. You should also make sure you know how to properly fix a flat tire, so check some tutorials on YouTube in case you don\u2019t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pump or CO\u2082 inflator<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n
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There\u2019s no use in having all of the above if you don\u2019t have anything to inflate the tire with. There are large, medium and mini pumps. Just choose the one that best suits your needs, budget and bike, while making sure it is compatible with the valves of your tires (Presta or Schrader). You could also use a CO\u2082 inflator and a couple of cartridges, but again, make sure you know how to use this and that you have repaired the tire properly. If you go tubeless, make sure to check whether the sealant is compatible with CO\u2082 or not, because you could damage the sealant and prevent it from sealing the punctures properly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Multi-tool<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It must include Allen and\/or Torx keys that fit the screws on your bike, as well as a tool to break the chain and several screwdrivers. These tools are prone to rust, so keep the kit in a plastic bag or inside the gloves we mentioned above.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Quick links<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Few things are as cheap, small and convenient as this one. With a chain breaker tool and a quick link you can easily fix a broken chain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Valve adapter<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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