Making a list and checking it twice

Not for Christmas, for riding. I don't know if it is those pesky amyloid tangles that creep up with the years or just regular CRS, but the post-it is becoming an important tool in my kit. Today I got half way to Bonelli Park and remembered that I forgot to snatch my gloves on the way out. It's not so bad when I am riding out the front gate; if I have forgotten my helmet or sunglasses or shoes, whatever, I can run back in and am no worse for wear. Fortunately, or not, I rarely have to drive anywhere to ride. Even for morning time, it was a little warm out in the sun today so I noticed my hands were a little sweaty without gloves. Felt a bit odd because I am used to riding decked out a certain way but not a big deal, a least not like I only had flip flops.

 

I have two bags I take with me when I ride; my hydration pack and my Go Bag™.

My Go Bag has everything that isn't in my hydration pack that I need for riding when I'm driving to a location to ride, or to store between rides. MTB shoes, gloves (short fingered and long), arm/leg warmers, elbow and knee pads, garmin, HRM, Road ID, balaclava, sunscreen, halo head band thingy, etc.

So when I load up the truck, I check for my bike, my helmet, my water bottle, and that there are two bags in my truck. My wife gave me the idea of the Go Bag™ and it's been extremely valuable in having things at the trailhead that I would otherwise forget (I'm looking at you Mr. Sunscreen).

 

I usually ride from home, so I don't leave the garage without having what I need.

Helps that I keep my shoes/helmet/tool next to the bike.....and I keep all my related clothing in corisponding drawers in the closet.

Now I have rolled away from the car on a few of the drive to rides and left my bottles sitting on the tailgate. Generally I just continued on, since it was on the cool side.

 

I've got an equivalent of the Go Bag ever since I drove to GMR, for a 68 mile 10k foot gain ride, and realized as I started up Hwy 39 that I had forgotten my Gu and bananas in the truck.

That was a hungry ride.

 

^^^+1 on @Cougar ^^^
I grab and go on ride day. My Go Bag and my Camelbak.
When I get back from my ride I rebuild my Go Bag. I start from bottom and work my way up:
Go Bag:

• Shoes
• Socks
• Leggings (Winter)
• Shorts
• Jersey
• UV Sleeves (I H.A.T.E. sunscreen)
• Jacket (Winter)
• Gloves (Always fingered winter or summer)
• Glasses (Clear and Shaded)
• Headband (Halo Skull cap)
• Helmet
• T-Shirt to change in to from a sweaty jersey

Camelbak:

• All the stuff for the trail.
• Winter time I carry my leggings and Jacket all the time even on nice days.

Food:

• I adapted REAL fast to Tailwinds, so I now carry two bottles. One on the bike and one in my Camelbak. I switch them out when the bottle is empty on the bike. I carry a couple of food bars just in case, but I have stopped eating on the trail and I really dig that!

 

The go bag sounds like a good idea, but I'd probably forget it.
I created 3 checklists in Evernote:
Pre ride checklist contains all the stuff I should have done before I even open the garage, much of it the night before. Things like "tools in pack", sag checked, chain lubed, lights charge.

Car check list: to be completed only after the ore ride checklist is done. Lists all the things that should be done before getting in the car's sunscreen, helmet, shoes, hydration pack ... All the stuff that I've managed to forget on prior rides.

Final checklist: those last few things that can/have get forgotten. Start GPS, Start Strava, tighten shoes, and just added 2 weeks ago "Helmet on Head".
As my mother always told me; "you would forget your head if it wasn't attached"

 

I have a gobox and camelback that I always bring but still need a sticky note on the fridge to calm an anxiety that has developed as I age. My son forced me to write the note but it has helped tremendously.

 

I have a very old Intense gear bag and keep everything from summer and winter items(gloves, base layer shirts, etc). I keep my shoes and helmet in their compartments. I keep the bag under my seat at all times along with my Camelbak. When something gets used and washed, I immediately gets put back into the bag. I would like to update my bag. Been checking out a few bags from Fly Racing lately. Maybe it can be a Christmas gift to myself.

 

I keep my helmet, gloves, hydration pack, and shoes all on one rack. I'll throw a Clif Bar and a pack of gummies into the hydration pack when I fill the bladder.

 

Advanced case: Forgetting that you remembered something.

Yea, I red about it.

 

One time I started my ride and then realized I was walking.

 

I keep a spare set of gloves and a spare pair of bike socks (often wear flip flops to the trail head) in the truck in case they are forgotten. It's helped.
I have forgotten my pack on more than occasion. I chose to go anyway and enjoyed not having the weight. '80s revisited. Of course a flat would have sucked.

 

I forget my pack... Every single ride! Doh!

I ride from the house most days, and all of my stuff is in the same spot. Clothes in the same drawer, bottles in the same cupboard, Tailwind in the same spot, etc... It's muscle memory to get ready... Now, if one of the kids moves my helmet 5 feet, I'd probably never find it...

When I have to drive to a ride, I pack the car the night before, and double check it in the morning- But only after the caffeine system is primed and the eyeballs are properly focused. I keep a note on my phone of all the things that should be in the car: tools, floor pump, bike, both tires, lube, sunscreen, helmet, shoes, Garmin, bottles, Tailwind.

 

Have a go bag that has the basics I need. check tire air pressure, toss the Camelbak and the bag in the car and I'm off.

I also do a mental checklist before I drive off so seldom forget things. I'd say the one thing I forget most is the Cell phone. As the ringer is turned off while riding anyway it is typically a non-issue.

Now going to the grocery store, loading the cart then realizing I forgot my wallet....that's never happened

 

First - it appears that Go Bag is a registered trademark belonging to Cougar. Those of you who used the term owe him royalties. Dammit - I used it, so now I owe him.

I once forgot my bike. Luckily, I only drove two miles before I realized it. True story!

 

I was actually at Bonelli* today, there for a Yeti demo at Incycle, and I found that I grabbed 2 right handed gloves (I rotate between 2 sets of the same model gloves). So I rode MJ style with just 1, noticing how sweaty and dirty my left hand got, compromising the grip. I generally have a spot for everything, and have everything in its spot, but I just happened to have the 2 sets side by side, stacked, and got unlucky.

Tends to be the non-normal stuff I forget. Things I don't tend to have for every ride, such as lights, battery, bandana, sun sleeves, camera, night-time eyewear (which I sadly lost).

*First time there. Couldn't find any decent technically challenging trails there. Raging Hill was probably the only real descent I rode. The Yeti that I was on was sad.

 

Nothing there really is too technical. It's a good place to get a workout in and de-stress.

 

You need a line item for tires? Do you bring them separately, then mount them to your rims at the trailhead? That's very difficult - especially if you run tubeless. Try leaving them on your wheels after your next ride!

 

Oh, the tires are on the wheels, but I have been known to leave the front one in the garage...

I take off at least the front wheel and put the bike in the back of the VW... The "how to put a tire on" thread has come in quite handy for this! I also offered to pull it up as a reference for Mtnbikej when he flatted on Eagle, but he chose to live dangerously, and reafix the tire without the guide.

 

Made it all the way to the beach once without my surfboard (30+ miles) and more than once turned around after a few miles when I realized it wasn't in the SUV right next to me!

 

Go ahead....always making fun of the flat guy.

 

Every pair of gloves I own is in different color for that exact reason.

 

I took my bike to Mammoth once, in a Miata. The only way I could get the wheels in the trunk was to remove the tires. But that was before tubeless became a thing...

More on topic, my routine is to leave most everything in the truck, with extras and backups in a cardboard box. Only time I've forgotten anything is if I get out of the routine (taking the wife's car, re-gluing shoes and then leaving them in the garage next ride, stuff like that). One time I rode in my slide sandles on SPD pedals, it sucked.

 

A pre-packed Go bag is a great idea for a lot of people. But if you are like me and either forgetful, disorganized or not diligent in re-organizing right after a ride it might not work.

For me, the only thing that works is to go through a mental checklist as I pack, and everything goes in the truck right then. I go through everything from feet up to helmet, followed by pack contents and camping gear if needed. Socks- check. Shoes, check. Etc....

This way I know everything is there as I drive away, and I seldom forget things. If I pack too far ahead of time and a go bag sits in the garage it is inevitable something important gets taken out and forgotten.

Out of sight, out of mind. My most often forgotten item is sandwich which is usually sitting in the fridge rather than the truck.

 

+1 on the gear bag. I bought a motorcycle dirtbiking gear bag and just leave it in my truck. It has separate compartments built in for your helmet shoes, clothes and accessories. It even has a mat to stand on while changing. I have everything in it.
Multi pairs of gloves
Spare jerseys
Helmet
2 pairs of shoes
Hard and soft Pads
Glasses
Lubes
Pumps
Cold weather gear
Tubes

I had a girlfriend that refused to put together a bag. Inevitably, she would always be forget something or be rushing around trying to get her stuff together just before the ride and can't find something.

 

I leave my tool bag and floor pump in my car. All other gear and clothing comes out, lest it stink up said vehicle. As a skier, then surfer, hockey player and mt. biker - all equipment and clothing-intensive sports, I cannot remember leaving anything behind - ever. No boots, skates, pads, gloves, helmets, sticks, skis, shoes, socks, towels, backpacks, wetsuits, wax - whatever. In fact, I usually bring extras. I'm kinda paranoid that way. Yay me!

OK, as mentioned above, I did forget my bike once - but only for a few miles.

 

+1 on the pump and I take it one step farther and have a Lezyne Shock floor pump also. So I have 2 pumps under the seat along with a bag and camelbak. Like some people I prepare the night before, so I have the bike in the back of the truck ( I park in the garage) and make sure everything is there.

I drove once to do Just Outstanding and forgot my shoes. Just went to Greenhorn grill and had a good meal.