Newbie Cyclist - what kit do I need?

[beeboo]

So I'm going to get me a bike! (Dahon Cadenza for those who're interested). I'm all excited!!

Getting it through a cycle-to-work scheme so I want to buy most of the kit at the same time because you get 40% off everything


So, what do I need?

So far I'm planning to get a big lock, and a helmet, and a bag for the bike.

But what else?

Also, obviously at the bike shop everything is priced quite high and they don't discount for people buying on the CTW scheme, so is there anything that maybe cheaper to buy elsewhere?

 

[Boris Sprinkler]

Pump.
Spare inner tubes.
alan key set

 

[Geri]

A decent breathable waterproof jacket (Altura do some nice women's ones) and a pair of waterproof trousers. You can usually get jackets cheaper online, I paid about £20 for mine and it was almost £60 in the local cycle shop.

 

[gaijingirl]

Lights!!! Good ones are expensive but worth it (IMO). I also always wear cycling glasses - when I don't I always seem to get shit in my eyes - but I would wait and see if you feel you really need them.

 

[beeboo]

Pump.

oooh my bike has a pump built into the seat post - how cool is that?

*jumps around excitedly*


anyway as you were...

 

[beeboo]

Lights!!! Good ones are expensive but worth it (IMO). I also always wear cycling glasses - when I don't I always seem to get shit in my eyes - but I would wait and see if you feel you really need them.

yep I realised I hadn't written lights on my original list

I've got a pair of massive sports sunnies I bought for skiing that had interchangable clear lenses so I'm set for that. They make me look like I'm about to set up a bunsen burner, but no matter

 

[mauvais]

£40 on a helmet.

One of these (Cateye LD-600) for £15:

and something like this (EL220) for £25:

or a set might give you some saving.

The only moderately good lock's an Abus D-lock, and they cost £50 and weigh a ton. Cables like those from Kryptonite, and an average padlock like anything from Wilko, might help as a deterrent though.

Mudguards if appropriate to your type of bike; for an MTB then Crud front and rear probably costs about £35 total.

Also I recommend: puncture repair kit as well as tubes, GT85 and some proper lubricant oil, a footpump with a pressure indicator (Motor World for a fiver), and a car sponge.

 

[George & Bill]

IMO you don't need to spend more than £25-£30 on a helmet (from Specialized or Giro) unless you have a funny size/shape head. These cheaper ones tend to be one-size, but as long as they stay put on your head without the chin-strap done up, they will be just as good as the more expensive ones (they conform to exactly the same standards) - and the difference in ventilation will be marginal.

Those Cateye lights are very good but the Smart ones are better value and IME tougher. - they only cost about £20-25 for the pair, as opposed to £40-odd for the Cateyes.

Happy riding!

 

[Geri]

I got a really cool Giro women's helmet, which is white with green flowers on. I've never really got on with helmets before but this one is so comfortable, you hardly notice that you are wearing one.

The only problem is that I have difficulty getting my sunglasses on with it, I can't get them over my ears properly.

 

[The Groke]

oooh my bike has a pump built into the seat post - how cool is that?

*jumps around excitedly*


anyway as you were...

Problem with those things is that your arse will start to inflate when you go over speed humps...

 

[Sigmund Fraud]

Those Cateye lights are very good but the Smart ones are better value and IME tougher. - they only cost about £20-25 for the pair, as opposed to £40-odd for the Cateyes.

Yep, spot on. Cateye are ok lights but fragile and the brackets are crapski. SMART lights outperform them in every way imaginable.

 

[Herbsman.]

Cateye lights are indeed crapment. They fall apart really easily; you'll see when you accidentally drop one on the floor and lose the batteries in a bush.

 

[Herbsman.]

has no-one mentioned puncture repair kit btw? might be a good idea to get a couple in case you puncture your spare tube

you might fancy a pair of waterproof gloves too. i would have some myself but i'm hardcore.

 

[Kripcat]

I've not even got a spare tube, let alone a repair kit. Not had a puncture yet in 8 months or so of regular everyday cycling. I live life to the max. Ganna kick myself when I finally do get one though.

 

[Herbsman.]

ha, you've just jinxed yourself, get a spare tube and some tyre levers tomorrow.

i spend a lot of time using a screwdriver to dig large slithers of glass out of my puncture proof tyres. there are huge cuts in the tyres and you can see the puncture proof lining at the bottom of each cut. so i dread to think how many punctures i'd have had with normal tyres!

 

[Cloud]

Having once had the pleasure of pushing a bike twenty miles home, I'd say levers, tube, chain device. Forget puncure kits, just buy ultra cheapo get me home tubes from Decathlon.

I once finished a ride by stuffing my tyre with grass after a flat. It actually works.

 

[heinous seamus]

I'm also a newbie cyclist. I quite fancy a wing-mirror on me bike and also an odometer. I've had a look on ebay; should I just buy the cheap as fuck ones or is there any point going a bit more 'upmarket?'

 

[mauvais]

Wireless is nice because there's no contacts to corrode or wires to get chopped up. Means two batteries to replace though. Other than that they're all similar.

 

[speedfreek1000]

One of those YELLOW workman waistcoat type thing with reflective strips.

You tend not to get hit by cars and buses in bad light and the dark.

 

[Herbsman.]

apparently something with sleeves is better because it makes you look wider, so you're given more room

 

[HAL9000]

I used to work cycle a lot (but not in London).

YELLOW workman waistcoat, good idea I use to have one.

Lots of flashing led lights, I don't think they're legal but police wont stop you. LED's are good for long battery life. (you only need to spend loads, if you need to illuminate the road in front of you i.e. roads without street lighting.)

Good saddle. I use to have this saddle fitted to my bike (takes a few weeks to bed in, then very comfy)

http://www.biketrax.co.uk/products.php?plid=m2b51s82p337

(not sure if girls need a bigger version of that saddle

http://www.biketrax.co.uk/products.php?plid=m2b51s82p0)

 

[Cid]

I'm also a newbie cyclist. I quite fancy a wing-mirror on me bike and also an odometer. I've had a look on ebay; should I just buy the cheap as fuck ones or is there any point going a bit more 'upmarket?'

I wouldn't go for wing mirrors, you should be doing 'lifesavers' every time you do anything anyway, mirrors can lead to complacency. Cycle helmets don't restrict movement or vision (unlike motorbike helmets) so checks are quick and easy to make.

Bikes in general:

Swap all the quick releases (seatpost, hubs) for allen key releases... If you lock the bike outside a shop for 10 minutes it can make all the difference.

Invest in a footpump (as well as a hand pump ofc) if you can afford it.

For bike maintenance go to the parktools website (they sell great tools as well, but they're expensive and not necessary for the casual biker).

Go clipless when you can afford it and feel comfortable enough cycling, just get so much more power.

Get some tire levers and a few spare inner tubes.

A good set of allen keys is essential, you need the ones with chamfered ends, the older ones that are straight all the way down can cut the key slot (and the key). You can get tools that incorporate allen keys, tire levers etc but the tire levers will invariably break quite quickly.

For maintenance you'll need some chain lube and the great, amazing GT85 lubricant as well as assorted rags, buckets, screwdrivers and random bits of wire (these serve no real purpose, but will appear nonetheless).

 

[Miss-Shelf]

For maintenance you'll need some chain lube and the great, amazing GT85 lubricant as well as assorted rags, buckets, screwdrivers and random bits of wire (these serve no real purpose, but will appear nonetheless).

great advice cid

 

[beeboo]

Thanks for all the advice

One of those YELLOW workman waistcoat type thing with reflective strips.

I'm definitely getting something like that - as a driver I know how much difference it makes between "urm, is that a cyclist?" and "CYCLIST!!!!"

 

[Orang Utan]

A cycling wig is essential

 

[Skorch]

I've been cycling to work for the last two years and I've never had a puncture. I've had a chain snap, but there's no way I'd lug around all that extra weight for once in two years. I don't really see a point in those little hand pumps. I'd spend the money on a decent full-sized pump you keep at home. How else are you going to get your psi up to 80?

 

[lighterthief]

Don't buy anything until you know you need it. Otherwise you'll waste money.

However, my best investment was a track pump to keep at home - makes pumping up tyres sooooooooo much easier.

 

[eoin_k]

These have all come up before but in my opinion these are the essentials:

Good lock - expect to spend about £50.

Pump

Puncture repair Kit

Spare Inner Tube - so that you can use the repair kit in the comfort of your own home rather than on the side of the road, in the rain.

Tyre Leevers

Square spanner

Allan keys

Chain lube

Fairly good lights

Waterproof breathable lightweight jacket, if you are planning to use your bike for commuting/as your main form of transport.

 

[beeboo]

Thanks eoin k - might print that out and take it to the shop with me

lighterthief - don't want to spend on unnecessary stuff but when it's at least a 40% discount on anything I buy at the same time as my bike, then it's got to be worth stocking up on essentials!

 

[Herbsman.]

A cycling wig is essential

Cyclists may be safer wearing a long-haired wig than a helmet, new research suggests.

In England, a Bath University study found drivers gave a wider berth to cyclists with long hair than those wearing helmets.