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Admit it, we’ve all been there. You get to the trailhead and realize you forgot “x item” that you need and your riding plans are dashed like a ship on the rocks…
I heard a funny one today, a guy forgot his bike (long, very funny story) So what did you forget? What weird events led you to leave without it? Have you altered your routine as a result?
After a particularly wet spring, my brother-in-law drove to my house 2 hours away so we could go ride the only open trail (we knew of) in the whole state. I started to pack my stuff and my stupid dog decided to escape out of our fenced in yard. After chasing her down and getting her home, we jumped in the car and left. 45 minutes later we arrived at the trailhead, no helmet. Middle of nowhere, no Walmart nearby, no bike shop.
I have a system, but I am also easily distracted. I can’t say it won’t happen again.
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Two stories:
A friend once showed up (late) for an early morning race start, two hours away from home, with two left shoes. As I recall, he did the race with two left feet and still crushed it.
Another time, on a group ride, we were about 3 miles into the ride when someone shouted, “Hold on, I lost my Camelbak!” We all scratched our heads, wondering how that could even be possible. However, it was a night ride through some sketchy trails… so, maybe? The guy wasn’t sure where, exactly, the pack might’ve fallen off — though he was adamant he had lost it — so we all set back down the trail looking for it.
After looking for 10-15 minutes, and retracing our steps nearly halfway back to the start, the poor fella thanked everyone and told us to go on, he would continue searching on his own. He didn’t want to hold everyone up.
The next day, we found out he forgot he had taken his pack off before we even started, and it was still sitting on the sidewalk when he finally made it back to the start. 🙂
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HA!
Similar to Jeff’s two left shoes story….
Years ago, met up with a large group for a ride and discovered I had grabbed my formal office dress shoes and not my Shimano SPD’s – this resulted in an extremely awkward, and somewhat painful, 2 hours of pedaling. 🙁
Ever since that incident I keep a “go-bag” for cycling which contains shoes, helmet, etc. etc. — have not forgotten anything (major) since then.
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I’ve forgotten stuff plenty of times but it was always manageable… with one notable exception. When I was taking my front wheel off to put my bike into the back of my SUV a neighbor stopped by and started chatting. After we finish talking I closed up my car and headed over to the trail 45 min away. I had just enough time to get in a full loop before dark. As I unloaded my bike and went to put the front wheel on I came to the (soul-crushing) realization that I left the axle in my garage! No workaround for that one. Lol.
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I got to do about a mile “walk of shame” back to my truck Saturday when I broke the chain on my fat bike. I first thought “No problem, I’ve got a chain tool equipped multi-tool and quick link… in my back pack. It was at that moment I remembered I recently swapped to a frame bag on my fatty and wasn’t wearing my backpack… I remembered to move my pump and spare tube; multi tool and spare link, not so much…
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“the walk of shame” that’s the worst. I like the go bag concept but I find I’m always wanting to adjust the contents because of different places I go or durations of rides.
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That’s part of what bit me, my backpack (basically an off-brand Camelbak MULE) had everything I needed for a ride so I only checked it when something changed (I ate energy bars, used a tube, etc…). I was in a rush when I swapped stuff into my frame bag and never did a full inventory.
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It was late in the season and we were gifted with a spectacularly warm day in early December. I knew it could be the last great ride of the season. An unusually large crew gathered to get ready to ride in the parking lot. OMFG. No key for the bike lock on my other key ring!! I could barely fight down the sense of panic I felt searching the entire car several times while everyone waited. I was THIS close to cutting the damn thing…. Just about in tears, I told everyone to just go. I’m guessing most of you will understand the almost physical pain of watching them bike off while I got back in my car, it was horrible. Ha, well I’ve recovered of course, but I have spare everything in my car, including a bike rack key!!
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Once I drove to the trails (8 miles) only to discover my bike wasn’t in my truck. My favorite story was when I didn’t find my shoes in my truck and thought I must of left them at home when in reality they were across the parking lot where I had left them two days earlier. I rode in tennis shoes, went home and finally figured out where I could have left them the next morning. Lucky for me someone had placed them on a fence and no one else grabbed them.
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Wow, those are great stories with no harm done. What a chuckle I had from them, just good stuff. Left my phone on my car roof after a really good ride and eventually it was found but it took a day and a half. Least It didnt prevent me from having a really good ride!
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Since I just started riding again I decided to buy myself a GoPro, wooooop! Well that very day that I bought it, I got home, got everything together super fast and took off on the trails. The trails around me are not far at all from me but it’s up hill for the first 5-7 miles so I didn’t even put my chesty on. Well I get to the top and theres a bench so I sit down and try to catch my breath since I’m so out of shape. However, I get really excited to FINALLY get some videos of me riding. I get everything together, put the chesty on, turn on the GoPro, just to hear the three beeps it makes when you don’t have an…. SD card.. I was a livid. There was a German couple that was walking by just staring at me while I was just calling myself a dumbass over and over again. lol
Well, you think I would learn, right? Next day, the same exact trail. Get to the top, sit down on the bench and while I’m huffing and puffing the entire time, I start to get my GoPro stuff out thinking this is the day. I have everything I need. Except the freaking case for the GoPro.. FeelsBadMan. I just sat there, didn’t move, just looked aimlessly into the woods.
I was still able to ride and do the trails I wanted but ever since I got into MTB I always wanted to get videos to show my wife and friends. After waiting 11 months of recovery and getting super antsy, I was stoked to finally get some.. Welp, not that weekend. lol Not as bad as forgetting your bike but still soul crushing for me.
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I have a couple:
Tubes – I had a string of 5 rides in a row where I flatted and never had a tube with me. I kept telling myself “it can’t happen again” and going for a ride. Worst thing was they all flatted at the furthest point I was planning to go on each ride. For my winter beater/commuter, I switched to thorn resistant tubes. They are heavy but they work.
Brain – Last week I rode to work and neglected to zip the pocket with my wallet and phone. Got to work – phone – no wallet. Fortunately it was right at the end of the driveway in the street at work. Saved a very agonizing back tracking ride.
Tools – I had shortened my chain a couple days before a ride and did a quick test ride with tools and quick link in my saddle bag. When I hit the trails later in the week, I though “I don’t need these”. Less than a half mile into the ride my chain was all over the place and popping and ultimately broke. Fortunately, I had kept the tools in my bag and was all fixed up within 5 minutes. Disaster averted. Ride saved.
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On the long 8 hour drive to the cabin, I realized I forgot my water bottle at home (I carry a backpack but just don’t like the weight of water on my back). Stopped at a Walmart, bought a cheap bottle, filled it full of water, put it in the freezer the night before and then promptly forgot it as I was leaving for the trails. Realized I left it back at the cabin, bought another one at a bike shop and then went to the trails. That night, I put the newest in the freezer, next to the first one, got up in the morning and drove to the trails, where I discovered I left the the water bottle in the freezer. Again. Back to Walmart for a third damn water bottle. Sheesh.
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Once left my bike after a ride. Just leaned it up on the fence near the trailhead, cleaned up, dressed and just drove off in blissful blinders. After 30 minutes absolute panic, rush back to trailhead to find NO bike. Some a-hole took it. Huge sigh. (And blue streak). What do you do?
Got a new rig a few weeks later but let’s face it, I’m suffering with latent emotional scarring but hey being the trail helps 🙂
Another time, packed up the whole kit, beautiful weather, time was good, trail was sweet, bike was in fine shape. Arrived at trailhead to realize my front wheel was back home! (Mmm how far could I wheelie?)
I figure the stuff we (read “me”) forget, lose, blank out over is part of the therapeutic process of biking. We all juggle so much inside our heads and outside. Simply getting out can be such a battle and losing some things here and there shows how much we carry and how much we should carry.
See you out there, well, at least at trailhead looking wistful.
Cheers,
Framebreaker
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Before I had my bike rack I had to put my bike in the back of my SUV. I had to take the front wheel off to fit it.
Got the bike in and drive off to the trailhead. Went to get everything back together and realized my front thru axel is still sitting on my workbench, 45 minutes away.
Thankfully there was a LBS not far that had one in stock!
Do I store that thru axel with me as a spare now that I’ve been through this?
Nope.
Because I don’t learn from my mistakes!
At least I don’t have to take my front wheel off anymore though.
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