Necessary Gear?..
Discussion
So, I've been putting off buying a bike and cycling to work for a while, but with my car having issues recently and me being forced to use public transport *shudder* to get to work, I wish I'd have stopped procrastinating and actually bought a bike!
As was suggested in a previous thread by some folks on here, I think I'm going to go for a Carrera Crixus cyclocross bike (they're pretty cheap atm in Halfords).
As far as gear goes, what should I be looking at?
Lights, Gloves, Warm Clothing, and considering I'm cycling to Birmingham - A Machete, A full face mask (with independent oxygen supply), Flares?
As was suggested in a previous thread by some folks on here, I think I'm going to go for a Carrera Crixus cyclocross bike (they're pretty cheap atm in Halfords).
As far as gear goes, what should I be looking at?
Lights, Gloves, Warm Clothing, and considering I'm cycling to Birmingham - A Machete, A full face mask (with independent oxygen supply), Flares?
How far is your commute? Mine is only a few miles so I don't bother with tubes and patches and all that. I reason that a slow puncture will get me mostly home, and even a catastrophic failure would at worst case mean a few miles walk either back to work or (preferably) home. I do carry a few Allen keys in case of rattles, and I keep a decent frame pump at work (it doesn't actually fit my frame...)
Clothing wise I have cycling legs (Aldi) and 'lobster' gloves (Aldi) and a cycling jacket (you've guessed it - Aldi). I wear normal tops, and in the summer I wear normal (non-cycling) shorts. I wear normal trainers with toe clips - you're not racing so you don't need clip-in shoes and pedals. Normal pedals are fine - I have old fashioned toe clips because I am used to them and find my feet slip without them, but if you've never had them you might not need them. Wearing normal shoes means it's cheaper and you can walk. You will get all sorts of advice of things you 'need' but as long as you are warm enough you don't need anything else.
My most useful addition has been a pannier rack. A laptop and a change of clothes on a rack is much easier to deal with than in a rucksack.
Clothing wise I have cycling legs (Aldi) and 'lobster' gloves (Aldi) and a cycling jacket (you've guessed it - Aldi). I wear normal tops, and in the summer I wear normal (non-cycling) shorts. I wear normal trainers with toe clips - you're not racing so you don't need clip-in shoes and pedals. Normal pedals are fine - I have old fashioned toe clips because I am used to them and find my feet slip without them, but if you've never had them you might not need them. Wearing normal shoes means it's cheaper and you can walk. You will get all sorts of advice of things you 'need' but as long as you are warm enough you don't need anything else.
My most useful addition has been a pannier rack. A laptop and a change of clothes on a rack is much easier to deal with than in a rucksack.
blugnu said:
I don't bother with tubes and patches and all that. I reason that a slow puncture will get me mostly home, and even a catastrophic failure would at worst case mean a few miles walk either back to work or (preferably) home.
5 mins changing a tube vs walking a few miles is a no brainer for me, especially if you already have a bag to bung the stuff in.mudguards and overshoes. Keeping the feet dry and warm is vital.
I carry a puncture repair kit and pump. All my punctures tend to be pinch punctures and with the high pressure of a road tube they go from 80 psi to zero instantly. I carry the instant patches now so I dont have to faff with glue.
Good lights. In this weather I run them day and night. I use the C&B Seen 1200 lumen front ones, with 400 lumen rear. I cycle pitch black country lanes to work though but when filtering traffic they are bloody good at getting you noticed.
Warm gloves.
I keep a set of clothes at work with a spare set of clothing in case i get soaked in the morning.
Latest thing i've bought is a snood and a head band to keep my ears warm under my helmet.
I carry a puncture repair kit and pump. All my punctures tend to be pinch punctures and with the high pressure of a road tube they go from 80 psi to zero instantly. I carry the instant patches now so I dont have to faff with glue.
Good lights. In this weather I run them day and night. I use the C&B Seen 1200 lumen front ones, with 400 lumen rear. I cycle pitch black country lanes to work though but when filtering traffic they are bloody good at getting you noticed.
Warm gloves.
I keep a set of clothes at work with a spare set of clothing in case i get soaked in the morning.
Latest thing i've bought is a snood and a head band to keep my ears warm under my helmet.
As has already been said you basically need:
Stuff to fix a puncture
Stuff to be see/seen
Stuff to keep warm.
The exact form the last one will take depends on how far you have to go. Less than five miles and I'd just wear normal clothes with cheapo waterproofs if necessary. More than ten and I'd definitely want 'proper' cycling gear (which needn't cost much at all).
There are a few little things that I find can make a big difference to cycling in winter - silk liner gloves, buffs and arm warmers are by no means essential but are cheap and do make a difference. Overshoes are a bit more but I got a pair for Christmas (having never used them before), and wish I'd got some years ago.
Stuff to fix a puncture
Stuff to be see/seen
Stuff to keep warm.
The exact form the last one will take depends on how far you have to go. Less than five miles and I'd just wear normal clothes with cheapo waterproofs if necessary. More than ten and I'd definitely want 'proper' cycling gear (which needn't cost much at all).
There are a few little things that I find can make a big difference to cycling in winter - silk liner gloves, buffs and arm warmers are by no means essential but are cheap and do make a difference. Overshoes are a bit more but I got a pair for Christmas (having never used them before), and wish I'd got some years ago.
bakerstreet said:
Just carry some spare tubes. When its pitch black and pissing it down, you don't want to be patching a tube.
Amen to that! A small head torch can also be very useful, it's surprising how many easy simple fixes are impossible out on a dark country lane. Just keeping track of your kit when you stop to fix something in the dark can be hard.Lights - always have two front and two rear. Make one of each battery (single AAA) and one rechargeable. You can always carry a couple of spare small batteries, and I for one am never quite sure how long my rechargeable lights are going to last.
My "Essentials list"
This lot lives in a Lezyne caddy sack and gets thrown in a backpack, camelback or a back jersey pocket depending on the ride:
2 x Tyre Levers
1 x Metal Tyre lever (Never actually used it on tyres. Used it as a lever, to clean crap out of an MTB etc)
1 x Tyre Boot
2 x Chain links
1 x Patch kit (When you've used your tubes and puncture AGAIN)
1 x Bike Multitool (Which includes a chain splitter)
1 x Multitool (Leatherman style - the pliers etc come in handy)
1 x small pack of sugar tablets (emergency bonk ration)
Sounds like a lot but it's a compact package that should solve every problem I've come across.
In a clip-in Fizik saddlebag I keep a pair of tubes, I swap the same saddlebag over between road bikes and have a separate one for the MTB.
Always keep two tubes - the amount of times I've punctured twice in quick succession is legion.
Light wise, the ebay crees are cheap. Very cheap. Also very bright.
Cheap enough to buy a pair and have a spare battery and charger. Battery life should be about 4 hours (that's pushing it, call it 3.5) and a spare battery means you're good to go all night.
To get a noticeably better light you really need to put a zero on the price.
Here's a random link to what I'm talking about
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/New-Generation-Upgraded-...
There are cheaper, I'm sure a mate just bought one for less than £20.
I'm currently using a 6 cell battery pack good for about 6 hours life, sub £20 on ebay.
Always have a spare light. A small clip on like a knog blinder etc is good enough as a "be seen" light just in case something happens.
Rear lights, 3 is my normal assortment. I ran one on a normal rear mount, one each on the chainstays last year. If one dies, goes flat, falls off, gets covered in crap etc then you have spares.
They don't have to be expensive, Planet X does perfectly serviceable rear lights for about a fiver.
Above that, something like a Magicshine MJ-818 is ludicrously bright and hooks into the same battery pack the crees linked above use. I save it for bad weather or fog - it's ludicrously bright and throws a 6 foot puddle of light behind the bike.
Advice varies from all of us BUT the core remains the same - multiple lights. Bright lights, enough kit to fix a common mishap.
This lot lives in a Lezyne caddy sack and gets thrown in a backpack, camelback or a back jersey pocket depending on the ride:
2 x Tyre Levers
1 x Metal Tyre lever (Never actually used it on tyres. Used it as a lever, to clean crap out of an MTB etc)
1 x Tyre Boot
2 x Chain links
1 x Patch kit (When you've used your tubes and puncture AGAIN)
1 x Bike Multitool (Which includes a chain splitter)
1 x Multitool (Leatherman style - the pliers etc come in handy)
1 x small pack of sugar tablets (emergency bonk ration)
Sounds like a lot but it's a compact package that should solve every problem I've come across.
In a clip-in Fizik saddlebag I keep a pair of tubes, I swap the same saddlebag over between road bikes and have a separate one for the MTB.
Always keep two tubes - the amount of times I've punctured twice in quick succession is legion.
Light wise, the ebay crees are cheap. Very cheap. Also very bright.
Cheap enough to buy a pair and have a spare battery and charger. Battery life should be about 4 hours (that's pushing it, call it 3.5) and a spare battery means you're good to go all night.
To get a noticeably better light you really need to put a zero on the price.
Here's a random link to what I'm talking about
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/New-Generation-Upgraded-...
There are cheaper, I'm sure a mate just bought one for less than £20.
I'm currently using a 6 cell battery pack good for about 6 hours life, sub £20 on ebay.
Always have a spare light. A small clip on like a knog blinder etc is good enough as a "be seen" light just in case something happens.
Rear lights, 3 is my normal assortment. I ran one on a normal rear mount, one each on the chainstays last year. If one dies, goes flat, falls off, gets covered in crap etc then you have spares.
They don't have to be expensive, Planet X does perfectly serviceable rear lights for about a fiver.
Above that, something like a Magicshine MJ-818 is ludicrously bright and hooks into the same battery pack the crees linked above use. I save it for bad weather or fog - it's ludicrously bright and throws a 6 foot puddle of light behind the bike.
Advice varies from all of us BUT the core remains the same - multiple lights. Bright lights, enough kit to fix a common mishap.
Daveyraveygravey said:
Amen to that! A small head torch can also be very useful, it's surprising how many easy simple fixes are impossible out on a dark country lane. Just keeping track of your kit when you stop to fix something in the dark can be hard.
Lights - always have two front and two rear. Make one of each battery (single AAA) and one rechargeable. You can always carry a couple of spare small batteries, and I for one am never quite sure how long my rechargeable lights are going to last.
I tend to carry a spare lights for front and back as its easier to just switch lights than change batteries, especially when you are cold. ALso changing batteries on my cateye rear lights isn't straight forward as I tape up all the joints to keep the water out. I used to carry batteries, but to be honest its all extra weight and I know it isn't much but every bit you can save is a bonus. Lights - always have two front and two rear. Make one of each battery (single AAA) and one rechargeable. You can always carry a couple of spare small batteries, and I for one am never quite sure how long my rechargeable lights are going to last.
Another tip is to keep the contents of your saddle bag organised. Everything in my saddle bag is wrapped together using rubber bands, so its all neat and doesn't go everywhere when you take it out.
In my saddle bag:
2 x tubes
1 x multi tool (Mini tool 6 I think)
4 cable ties
2 x c02 canisters
1 x canister inflator
1 x quick patch
Edit: Forgot tyre levers. I have the Schawble ones and they are brilliant
I used to carry a chain splitter and links, but I tried to do my wife's chain and I failed miserably, so I no longer carry it. If my chain snaps, its a taxi or calling Mrs Bakerstreet!! I know this is rubbish, but I didn't see the point in carrying it if I didn't know how to use it.
Edited by bakerstreet on Thursday 22 January 21:49
Daveyraveygravey said:
bakerstreet said:
Just carry some spare tubes. When its pitch black and pissing it down, you don't want to be patching a tube.
Amen to that! A small head torch can also be very useful, it's surprising how many easy simple fixes are impossible out on a dark country lane. Just keeping track of your kit when you stop to fix something in the dark can be hard.Lights - always have two front and two rear. Make one of each battery (single AAA) and one rechargeable. You can always carry a couple of spare small batteries, and I for one am never quite sure how long my rechargeable lights are going to last.
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