- Good day everyone I hope you're well?
We are here in the beautiful city of Santiago
having just done the Andes Pacifico Enduro Race.
Now it's a hell of a race, five days, lots of stages
and requires a lot of packing so in this video
we're going to be looking at how to
best pack for an enduro race.
(upbeat music)
- Aah!
(swoosh)
- So for this race I used a backpack
but there are lot's of ways out there that you
can carry your gear with you.
In your pockets, or dare I say a bum bag,
or having things strapped to your bike.
Manufacturers have come up with lots of clever ways
of attaching tools and straps and anything little,
multi-tools, that can really make your life a lot easier.
But let's begin with taking a look at what my
set up was for this race.
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(tires on gravel)
So first essential I had for this race was inner tubes.
Now I've got one that's strapped to my bike here.
And I did have another one knocking around somewhere
but I can't seem to find it, find it anywhere.
Henry!
Do you know where that tube went?
Right, well I, I'm sure it's being
put to good use somewhere.
(slurps)
Okay, so lets take a look at the rest of those, sort of,
essential bits you're going to need to an enduro race.
Number one we have here, the mini pump.
Really useful for getting those
spare tubes inflated quickly.
If you haven't got a pump, the CO2 Cartridge.
Really useful for getting those tires up quickly
but don't forget you're going to need the adapter for the end.
We've also got power links.
Snap chains are no fun for anyone
and can leave you stranded.
So a quick link like this is going to get you out
of a lot of trouble.
One of the biggest essentials for anything
and it can fix most things on your bike,
is the multi-tool.
Now we've got this nifty little Topeak ratchet system.
Loads of different attachments on there.
T25's, you've got your Allen key bits, a couple of
tire levers and a chain breaker.
So that is probably going to fix most of your
trail side problems.
Our final couple little of essentials, which I think
you are really going to need are,
pre-glue patches,
get you out of any trouble.
Should, unfortunately, you puncture that tube in there,
you've even got a back-up.
And, obviously, you've got to get those tires off somehow,
so,
tire levers.
Make sure you've got a couple because sometimes
pretty awkward.
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So then this race was a gnarly one,
and, like I said, a few extra essentials were needed
on this one.
So, more bike specific,
a spare hanger.
If you are miles and miles or kilometers and kilometers
away from a, the finish.
And you take a big old rock strike to the mech
and it bends the hanger,
you might not have a way of bending it back.
So just putting a spare one on is a lot quicker
and hassle free.
Also getting that suspension dialed in.
'Cause I had the space in my pack, I had
a shot pump.
Getting those pressures dialed in,
especially here where the heat can really affect things,
is going to be crucial as well.
This handy little tubeless tire plug from Muc-Off.
Now what this is, let's have a look.
Is like a needle you'll poke through the tire,
which will have a rubber plug in here,
you pop it through and pull it out
and that blocks up the hole that you will have
had in the tire hopefully.
And with the sealant, when spinning around,
will seal that hole and hopefully get you to
the finish of the stage.
- [Man] Tough ending.
- Now like I said, I took a shock pump with me.
And as well as adjusting my shock pressures,
I had a pressure gauge with me.
Also to check my tire pressures, should I puncture,
or should I think that they're, they're not running
quite right and I wasn't comfortable getting
the right grip,
combined with my little pump I took with me,
I can adjust my tire pressures in between stages
for maximum grip.
(funky bass music)
Now it was mega hot out here.
Temperatures were above 30 degrees and my fair
British skin was not faring so well sometimes.
So,
SPF50.
Much needed because otherwise,
I'd be a lobster right now.
Again, space in the bag but I took a little
pouch of Muc-Off sealant.
Again, should I have got a hole in my tire,
lost a lot of sealant and needed to top it up,
this, sort of, handy pouch doesn't take up a great
deal of space and is really convenient for just
popping back in there and making sure things
are topped up.
We've got a couple more.
One spare pads, specific to my brakes obviously,
I know it sounds silly but just make sure
you've got the right pads in there.
Not necessarily the right compound but the right
fitting pads.
Just in case you burn 'em out, they wear out, contaminated,
you've got another set in there that you can use.
And finally, last but not least, was some cable ties
and tape because let's face it ...
- How'd you fix it?
Easy.
Cable ties.
- Okay, so that is what I packed for this
Andes Pacifico Race because it is a big 'ol race.
But like, so you may want to carry a slimmed down
version of this.
Now sometimes I don't like to carry a pack,
so I will carry those bare essentials either
strapped to my bike or in my pockets
just for convenience and not having to carry
a backpack around with me all day.
All right then, so to summarize my top tips for
packing for an enduro race,
take anything that is bike specific with you.
Also have a look at the course map beforehand.
This way you can figure out any food stops
and water stops to maybe, like I said,
if you are going minimalist, you can plan where
your water stops are.
Now thirdly, do your research on the event.
How much climbing there is, what the distance is,
how tough it is can really effect what you're going to pack.
Speaking of packing, I've still not found that second
inner tube anywhere.
- [Henry] I found that in your room, bud.
- Yeah, thanks mate.
Cor, I don't know.
Thank you for watching.
I hope these tips on how to pack for an enduro race
have really helped.
And we'd love to hear what you think in the comments.