The Pit Bag

If you are supporting a rider at a race, The Pit Bag is one of your most important pieces of backup. It must contain the solution to every issue you might reasonably expect to encounter during the race. You should check the contents before every event and ensure that you promptly replace any supplies that you use up. Also check that any battery powered items are fully charged.

This is a guide to our pit bag, written on the go as we packed it for the 2025 World Championships.

Contents of our pit bag for the 2025 World Championships

The bag

Firstly, the bag itself. It’s a 20L backpack, which leaves your arms free to carry a bike and/or spare wheels. It’s 100% waterproof to protect the contents in all weathers. It also has a top handle so that you can hang it on the end hooks of the metal barriers that often divide the pit boxes. It has a zip pocket for small items. An alternative is a tool backpack, with built-in pouches for your tools. I’ve seen other people using them in the pits and they look really handy, but I’ve never seen a fully waterproof one.

Checklist of contents

The contents can be divided into 4 easy-to-remember groups: pressures, problems, cleaning and care.

Pit bag checklist

Pressures

It’s up to you whether you prefer a track pump or an electronic inflator – just make sure electronics are charged! The same with digital pressure gauges – make sure you have a spare battery. If you are with a group like EvoDevo, remember to cross-calibrate your pressure gauge with the reference gauge beforehand. We use a calibrated analogue gauge, generously provided by LowMass Wheels, and a Bosch inflator with an adapted end.

Problems

You should have your rider’s spares bag – exact contents are discussed in another post. When we pit for EvoDevo, we can’t carry spares for every possible bike so unless we have a spares bag for the rider, we would only have a few components related to our own bikes just in case. Next you need a mini toolkit to deal with a range of issues. Our pit kit comprises: Torx drivers, screw drivers (flat and Pozidriv), Allen keys, pliers, chain splitter, chain link tool, adjustable spanner in a tool roll, plus a selection of cable ties, electrical tape and a Stanley knife.

The Naylors' pit bag tool roll

In an ideal world you’d have duplicates of these items so that you aren’t constantly swapping things in and out of your main toolbox, which risks forgetting something at race time.

Cleaning

You need towels or cloths to wipe down the bike after jet washing, plus what we call a “piggling brush”.  We use Muc-Off’s claw brush. Basically it should be something with a combination of small soft and hard details that can get into narrow spaces and “piggle about” to clear stubborn little bits of muck. You should also have GT85 for finishing and de-icer in freezing temperatures.

Muc-Off's claw brush is useful for dislodging trapped bits of muck

Care

You must remember to carry any medications your rider might require urgently, such as inhalers or EpiPens. We carry a first aid kit too if we’re with EvoDevo, but there will always be medics available on site. If you are packing your own, here's a guide to what should be in it.

Finally, remember to care for yourself. Protect your hands with gloves because if you let them get cold, you won’t be able to work quickly when problems arise. We tend to wear disposable medical gloves in general conditions as they are waterproof, slightly warming and still allow full use of your fingers. We put Site gloves over the top if it’s very cold.

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