Madison Area Bicycle Club

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UC Berkeley Wellness Letter Twenty-Three Tips for the Best Cycling

Cycle Touring ?
Here’s some equipment to consider…
for three days or thirty ! Knowing what to take on a touring ride and organizing it all can be a challenge. The list below is the result of short and extended self-contained road trips through various climates. It’s just meant to cover essential basics and a few other items that have proven helpful in adverse circumstances. For general stowing of gear, we’ve found that four panniers and a handlebar bag can hold it all, with tent, sleeping bags and pads and ground cloth strapped on the rear rack above the panniers. “We ?” “Whaddya mean ‘we’ ?” Most of our touring has been done on a tandem, so that’s four panniers for TWO people. If you’re on a solo, you can really live life large with four panniers. Rear panniers have proven best for personal items. In one front pannier we usually keep the “kitchen” and in the other we keep the toolshop. This generally leaves enough room to pack food purchases for the day on top of the equipment. The handlebar bag is the map library and snack storage. Since cycle touring is really a day spent changing clothes, searching for food, camera and film interspersed with occasional riding, it’s convenient to develop a personal system for what goes where and stick to it. Otherwise you will spend most of your trip rifling through your panniers and that essential bit will always be on the bottom.
Especially if it’s raining.

CLOTHES
Bike shorts (3)
long tights or leg warmers
jerseys (3)
cycling socks (3)
long sleeve light polypropylene or similar shirt
heavy polypropylene or similar shirt
rain jacket & trousers
windbreaker
bandana(s)
"civilian" shoes
trousers & underwear

CLEANLINESS
Soap & shampoo (small containers)
Toothbrush and toothpaste
Sponge (for days if no shower available)
Towel (synthetic quick-dry type)
Travel-wash (a paste laundry soap)
~10-15 feet of cord and safety pins (clothesline)
partial roll of toilet paper, flattened in Ziploc bag ...replenished when paper is available & used when it's not !!

CULINARY
cookstove, fuel and spare parts
matches (in waterproof container)
cookset: sauce pan, frypan, plate + knife/fork/spoon & cup
dish soap, scotch-bright type scrubber
wineskin & corkscrew
can opener (if not in Swiss army knife)

CAMPING
Tent & rain fly
Sleeping bag & light sheet
ground pad
ground cloth for tent + extra scrap to sit on

CYCLE
headlight (doubles as flashlight)
tail-light
panniers & handlebar bag
heavy garbage bag & tie - wrap tent, sleeping bag, ground pad + a strap to cinch it up with
bungee cords
lock & cable
first aid kit: bandages, antiseptic, tape & pads, aspirin
prescription medications
sunscreen & lip balm
frame pump
water bottles (as many as bike holds !)
helmet, cleats & gloves
plastic bag (for seat at night)
sunglasses
maps in Ziploc bags
extra garbage bags to line panniers

CULTURE, for recording instances of...
journal book and pen in Ziploc
camera (& film or memory cards, batteries...etc)
addresses & stamps

TOOLS & PARTS
spare tube (2)
spare tire (foldable)
chain tool
pliers
wrenches 10mm, 3/8, 5/16
flat & Phillips screwdriver
adjustable wrench
Allen wrenches
patch kit & tire levers
Swiss army knife
spoke wrench & several spokes & nipples of each size used (tape to rear rack struts)
freewheel or cassette removal tool
crank arm extractor
spare rear brake and rear derailleur cable
chain lube or WD-40
grease (in film can)
electrical tape
sewing kit

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