“What should I bring with me?”
You just decided to travel by bike and, suddenly, you wonder about the material you will need. The good news is that you can go bike touring with little, indeed.
You will need minimaly, in addition to the clothes you will be wearing at the beginning:
- 1 comfortable short or cycle short
- 1 polyester t-shirt or a cycle jersey
- Light pants and light shirt (or a dress) for restaurant outings, among others
- 1 waterproof coat
- 1 pair of socks
- 1 underwear
- 1 pair of light shoes
- Tools. Only those that you know how to use: the others are useless!
- 1 bike inner tube (make sure it has the right size for your tires!)
- 1 pump or 1 inflator with some CO2 cartridges
- 1 water bottle
- Sunscreen
- Toothbrush
- Some bandages and ointment. In short, a basic first aid kit.
- Your wallet
All of this can easily fit in a single bike pannier!
You wonder why only bring one short, one t-shirt and one underwear? Because you can wash all of this when you will be at the B & B and let them dry before going back on the road.
Of course, if you want to, you can bring more material. A second set of clothes to avoid the laundry chore, for instance. If you visit a very remote area, bring more tools (that you know how to use, remember!), a second inner tube, a replacement tire, etc. You can also bring additionnal waterproof clothes to ride longer under the rain, when forecasted weather is not favourable.
But remember! The more material you bring, the more weight you have to move. So, think twice about each item you choose. Your calves will thank you at every pedal stroke!
Article by Alexandre St-Laurent.
