Accidents can happen on the bike, and while we can’t always prevent them, we can help prepare for them in a variety of ways.
Cycling first aid kits have proven to be of great help, and while some riders refuse to leave the house without one, others feel it’s additional and unnecessary weight.
A first aid kit doesn’t mean you have to empty your bathroom cabinet for all sorts of bottles, pills and dressings. First aid is essentially the first port of call-in case of an accident or emergency. As we aren’t all qualified healthcare professionals, most of us are only skilled enough to use the basic essentials, anyway.
We take cycle safety very seriously at Spokeherd, so we decided to take a gander into how necessary it is to carry first aid supplies.
- In the outdoors, burns, crushing, skin inflammation and falling from the bike as other common injuries experienced. By using bicycle first aid kit, we do not imply you’re not going to fix a broken leg in the field, but you could make the potentially very long trip to the hospital more comfortable and reduce the chances of further injury in the process.
- For most of wound’s managements, it’s better to clean your wounds before you do any medical treatment. In wound care, there are some factors you can’t control, these include your genetic background or pre-existing medical conditions, both of which can have a huge effect on your body’s wound healing capabilities.
- One needs to clean the fresh small wounds with wipes and Antiseptic Towelette. Prepare several pieces of towelette in your bicycle first aid kits would be useful. If the wound bleeding, try to fix it with plasters, gauds pad, or pressure bandage which it depends on bleeding situations. For small cuts, the plasters would be enough to seal wounds
Below are a few must have first aid kit for cyclists that can fit in a waterproof zipper pouch or a plastic bag:
- Face Shield -Helps in CPR, it’s good to have a barrier to prevent infection between you and the one who needs CPR.
- Triangular Bandage – It can be used as a sling or a pad to stop bleeding.
- Crepe Bandage – It is used to create pressure on wounds, reducing swelling or to hold padding in place.
- Non-adherent dressings – These are used to cover abrasions.
- Band-Aids – These are for small wounds
- Gauze – It is used to clean wounds.
- Saline Solution – It is used to help in cleaning wounds
A standard first aid kit is easily available in the chemist shop that one can buy and add on to the supplies according to their requirements.
It’s important to carry local hospital information for safety, and important numbers of your relatives and friends.
