Serpentine Rides – Kit to Look After Yourself

Essentials:

• Helmet – compulsory on Serpentine rides.
• Payment method (Cards, Google/Apple Pay or equivalent, cash) – for café stop and any semi-emergencies (train journey home etc.).
• Map/phone navigation – everyone has off days and sometimes we all get dropped! You may need a map to get yourself home or find the nearest station.
• Mobile phone – ask the ride leader for contact number.
• Inner tubes – 2 spares plus pump, tyre levers and the knowledge of how to replace a tube.
• Fluid – water, juice, energy drink. There is often only one or two opportunities to refill so ensure you have enough.
• Food – bananas, energy bars, malt loaf, dried fruit. Most rides have one cake stop but you should be regularly eating to avoid the cyclists ‘bonk’.

You may also want:

• Glasses – protect your eyes from dust, insects and rain.
• Windproof and/or arm warmers – it doesn’t take a big drop in temperature to get cold cycling.
• Overshoes/booties – to cover your cycling shoes keeping the worst of the wind and the rain out.
• Allen keys or multi-tool.

A roadworthy bike

The checklists above miss out one key item! Before getting on your bike you should get into the routine of checking the following:

• Wheels – pick bike up and spin them slowly, check that they are centred (spinning straight). Are the quick release skewers tight?
• Bars – if you can see metal at the ends of your bars, it’s time to replace your bar tape. Exposed ends are very dangerous in a crash.
• Tyres – as the wheel is spinning you can also check that your tyres do not have any nicks, worn patches or embedded glass – perfect conditions for a puncture.
• Brakes – are the blocks worn down? If so get them replaced. Are they gripping the wheel rim square on? If not, adjust or replace.
• Frames and forks – check for any cracks around joints.
• Check everything is done up properly – handlebars, seatpost, saddle, any accessories attached.
• Think about the conditions – if the road is wet, you want some give in your tyres to avoid slipping, so let a bit of air out of them (around 100 psi) otherwise check that tyres are hard enough (12your 5 psi) to avoid punctures and keep you rolling along.

See also Group Riding Guidelines