What's the worst thing that you've forgotten to bring with you for a ride?

[Racing roadkill]

I forgot to change the spare tube I carry with me, from the road bike size, to the Hybrid sized one, when I took the Hybrid out for a pre winter check. Fortunately I didn't need it.

 

[Tim Hall]

Shreddies. Today. Bah.

 

[mjr]

I forgot to change the spare tube I carry with me, from the road bike size, to the Hybrid sized one, when I took the Hybrid out for a pre winter check. Fortunately I didn't need it.

Oh, I'm often doing that: of the family's bikes, the road bikes (two with incompatible tube sizes!), roadsters, hybrids and folder all take different sizes. The patch kit and sealant canister save me.

 

[bozmandb9]

Spare tubular tyre, leading to the walk of shame, I had to send the rest of my club ride on without me, since unsurprisingly nobody had a spare tub, spent an hour walking along country roads, mobile battery flat, wife not picking up calls on the two occasions I managed to borrow somebody's phone to make a call.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Trixie and the little spanner for the chaintug.

 

[Crackle]

That reminds me - it wasn't the worst but potentially the worst thing I forgot. If you've heard the story before, just ignore me.

Touring in Northumberland, stayed on Lindisfarne, locked bikes outside tourist info while we wandered around to look at things and waited for the tide to go out. Cycled onto mainland by the coast, eventually decided to stop and wander on the beach after locking our bikes to a fence. Luckily, very luckily, I said to OH "Just let me check I've got my keys before you close the lock."

Frantic hunt for keys. Look in guidebook for phone no of tourist info on Lindisfarne, phone - yes, someone left keys on the pavement outside.

Phew.

But tide is now in, so proceed to Berwick to B&B. Next day OH has to cycle back to Lindisfarne to get my keys then catch me up on the planned route.

So it was nearly a disaster. The fence in question was well away from roads/garages that might have had wire cutters etc had we actually locked the bikes and been unable to unlock them again!

Reminds me I did a very similar thing touring in Brittany and unlocked the bikes one morning and left the keys on the floor. Spent the next two weeks carrying two heavy unusable U locks.

 

[speccy1]

My front wheel..........

Put the bike in the car and headed off for a cycling weekend with a friend of mine, it was only after driving nearly 200 miles that I discovered that after taking the front wheel off to fit my bike in the car I had left it at home in the garage.

Enough said

 

[MichaelW2]

I should have been awarded a green beret for the number of times I have "gone commando". Eventually I wised up and keep a clean pair of undies in my office drawer. Same for socks and shirt.

 

[ColinJ]

I forgot to change the spare tube I carry with me, from the road bike size, to the Hybrid sized one, when I took the Hybrid out for a pre winter check. Fortunately I didn't need it.

I use 3 different sizes of tube and always carry 2 spares on a ride. I don't want to carry 6 tubes about with me all the time, so when I get back from a ride I chuck a spare tube in my helmet. When I go to put the helmet on for the next ride that always make me stop and think about what tubes to take.

 

[summerdays]

I've forgotten many a thing, so I now carry around in the bottom of my pannier a little wallet with spare money, spare bike lock key, spare keys. However I'm so forgetful that I often forget it exists and I've only one spare bike lock key in it so it depends on which lock I have with me. Luckily my D-locks need the key in the lock to lock it so I've never locked it then realised I haven't got a key.

Every now and again I clear out my bag and discover I'm carrying around spare socks, multiple pumps, spare gloves, spare buffs, you name it, things I chucked in because I couldn't remember if they were in all ready!

For me it is probably forgetting to go to work or forgetting not to go to work (I've done both).

 

[nickyboy]

Trixie and the little spanner for the chaintug.

I'm not sure what you're talking about but it certainly sounds more exciting than riding a bicycle

 

[RichK]

spare inner tube that didn't already have a hole in it

 

[ColinJ]

Every now and again I clear out my bag and discover I'm carrying around spare socks, multiple pumps, spare gloves, spare buffs, you name it, things I chucked in because I couldn't remember if they were in all ready!

For me it is probably forgetting to go to work or forgetting not to go to work (I've done both).

I have often discovered cash in my Camelbak bag left over from forum ride cafe stops - sometimes as much as £15 or so if it was change from a £20 note; that's always a nice surprise.

I once went to work on a Bank Holiday Monday and discovered that the factory was shut ... (That was bad enough, but worse was standing looking gormless outside the locked entrance for several minutes until the penny finally dropped!)

 

[Racing roadkill]

For me it is probably forgetting to go to work or forgetting not to go to work (I've done both).

I once turned up to a company I'd left the previous week, instead of the company I'd just joined. That went down well.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

the penny finally dropped

discovered cash in my Camelbak bag

presumably not from the camelback though!