6 Must-Have Bike Accessories for Long Distance Rides
If you’re ready to venture beyond your local neighborhood and take your bike on a long-distance ride, there several cool bike accessories that can ensure a safe, comfortable experience until you return home again.
Learn which must-have items and gear you need to invest in for your daily work commute or weekend cycling adventure.
Comfortable Seating
While minor discomfort on a short bike ride might be bearable, an uncomfortable seating arrangement can make longer cycling trips unbearable. Make sure to purchase a bike seat or cover with extra padding.
You can also invest in padded shorts for additional support and avoid potentially injuring your lower body. You can also start from scratch and purchase the most comfortable bike possible. This is must have bike accessories!
Bike Repair Kit
An on-road bike repair kit is necessary for long rides since no one wants to get stranded on a road far from home with a flat tire or broken chain. Make sure to carry all of these tools with you:
- A flat tire patch
- A spare tube – if a patch-up job isn’t enough
- A portable bike pump
- A multi-tool or Allen wrenches, open-end wrenches, spoke wrench, and screwdrivers
- Zip ties and duct tape
- Pliers
- Chain repair tool and lubricant
- Tire levers
- Spare spokes, cables, chain links, nuts, and bolts
In addition to carrying all these supplies, take time to familiarize yourself with how to use them. Bring a guide if needed to help guide you make minor repairs on your bike.
First-Aid Kit
Even the most experienced bike riders fall off their bike from time to time, so take along a first-aid kit in case of any scrapes or other minor injuries.
You should have a variety of bandages and gauze, medical tape, sterile gloves, antibiotic ointment and alcohol, a split, and acetaminophen on hand.
If going off-road, you may want a more professional first-aid kit that includes scalpels, epi-pen, needles, tourniquets, and other similar supplies that can help in a more serious injury.
Food and Water
For longer rides, you’ll need more than one water bottle to stay hydrated the whole way. Consider buying a backpack with a water bladder inside.
As a general rule of thumb, you’ll need at least 12 to 16 ounces of water for every four hours of activity. You can also carry multiple water bottles if you have the storage space to do so.
Bring along a lunch box with food as well. There are many different types of storage boxes that can be attached to your bike for convenient access and security.
Choose several high-energy, healthy snacks that will fuel your ride. Energy bars, such as Lärabars or Cliff bars, jerky, mixed nuts, dried fruit, bananas, and homemade energy bites are all good options.
Sandwiches and wraps are ideal for a full meal, and energy gel and blocks can give you an endurance boost and help keep up your hydration.
While your first long-distance bike ride can be daunting, having all the supplies can make your new hobby comfortable and enjoyable.
Start with making sure you have the right bike for the job by checking out hybrid bicycles for sale and pack all the essentials with you every time you venture out.
Proper Clothing
You might struggle biking for long-distance if you don’t wear proper apparel. It is important to consider not just your comfortability, but also the color and type of cloth your clothing is made of.
For example, going for a long ride in the middle of the night and wearing black may pose danger especially if you are riding along the road. Vehicle drivers may not see you and accidentally hit you.
Likewise, if you encounter an accident at night, it must be more difficult for others to rescue you especially if the place is not well-lit. Thus, you are strongly encouraged to wear clothes which colors can be striking like neon ones.
You may also consider wearing padded shorts and an appropriate cycling jersey to ensure safety.
If you’re going for a ride in places with changeable or unpredictable temperatures, versatile cycling wear should be on top of your clothing list. Windproof, water-resistant, and extremely breathable jackets are best for chilly days.
Moreover, if these jackets have removable sleeves for a quick transformation to the jersey, then, you’ve got the perfect apparel.
GPS
Tracking your bike rides and making sure you are on the right path make good objectives as to why you should secure a GPS. However, there are more practical reasons.
Using your smartphone as a GPS or tracking device for your long rides can consume its battery.
This may appear like a small issue, but saving your smartphone battery for your long-distance ride is an assuring thing. It must be frustrating if something wrong happens and your smartphone is dead since you used it as GPS. It is the last thing anyone would wish to happen.
Moreover, looking at your smartphone during sunny days is more difficult because of possible reflection issues. This can also invite accidents since you would need more time to look at the phone’s screen.
Buying a dedicated GPS bike computer for its sole purpose is more preventive in the long run since it does a better job of reflecting sunlight.