Today’s QT is something that came to me when preparing for the ice and snow storm Atlanta was forecast to be pummeled by last weekend. If you’ve ever lived in a Southern city – or anywhere else that seldom, but sometimes, gets smacked with a little snow and ice – you’ll know what I’m talking about.
Here, the mere forecast of frozen precipitation sends citizens scurrying to the grocery store for bread, milk and eggs, to the hardware or big box home goods store for snow-melt, snow shovels and sleds, et al.
Having grown up in the Midwest and dealt with real winter weather year in and year out, the whole thing still makes me chuckle a bit every time it happens. But I understand, too, that if you’re not used to it, you tend to panic a bit and expect the worst (which usually comes to pass in Atlanta, especially traffic-wise!).
While watching this play out last Friday, the thought came to me that the same dynamic is at play among some cyclists I know regarding some typical cycling “staples.”
I’ve heard from numerous buddies and cycling friends that they really need to go buy a new [insert standard item here] to replace their old or worn-out one.
And that’s exactly what they do – buy one chain, one set of brake pads, etc., instead of stocking up so that each time the item needs to be replaced, they don’t have to scurry about to purchase another one.
Keep a Stock of Cycling Provisions on Hand
Think of all the things you regularly have to replace on a bike (and on other equipment), some more often than others:
- tubes
- chains
- cleats
- tires
- batteries
- brake pads
- cassettes
- tube patches
I could surely go on. The point is, if it’s an item that you know you’re going to need at some point during the next few months, why not stock up? Why risk missing a ride – or keep riding on faulty equipment that needs to be replaced – because you don’t have an extra on hand to immediately replace the old one?
I almost always try to buy things on sale, and in quantities large enough to last for a year or longer. That means buying not one tire at a time, but maybe four; not one even two tubes, but perhaps four to six; not one chain, but at least two. And so forth for many of the products mentioned above.
Most of these regularly-replaced items are small and take up very little storage space. And most last for a pretty long time. So keep extra “cycling provisions” on hand and save yourself the scurrying in your time of need.
—John Marsh
If you have an idea for a QT, fire away. We’re always looking for good info we can share with fellow roadies. We would love to hear from you with any suggestions you have. Contact us by clicking Quick Tips Ideas.
—John Marsh & The RBR Team
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