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6 things every new road cyclist needs Dec 2018Get in gear - 6 essentials every new road cyclist needs in their starter kit
Are you new to road cycling? The good thing is that it’s pretty easy to get into road cycling, and apart from the main purchase of a bicycle, it’s not the most expensive pastime you could pick from a long list of regular hobbies that British people partake in. But there are some other essentials...
If you are looking to get into road cycling and you’re not sure what you need to get started, we’ve listed some of the key things you might want to consider. Top of the list is a bike, obviously, but beyond that, you really don’t need much else - just plenty of enthusiasm and energy to turn the pedals. As you find yourself getting more into cycling, there are a few useful things that can make cycling more comfortable and enjoyable.
We’ve listed some key road cycling products in order of importance, starting with...
1. A bike
An obvious one this, but if you’re going to take up cycling of any sort, you’re going to need a bike. Now is a really good time to buy a new road bike, there is a lot of choice at a huge range of prices, and the quality of bikes across the board is really good.
Sure, you can easily drop £10,000 on a Tour de France replica, but there are lots of bargains to be had for under £500 if you don't want to spend too much.
Read more: The Best Road Bike Bargains for under £500
Bikes come in many guises, this guide gives a good overview of the different types of road bike available on the market.
Read more: Beginner's guide to bike types
And if you're not sure where to start with buying a road bike, let us guide you to making the right decision, with this helpful guide.
Read more: Buying your first road bike — everything you need to know
2. Padded shorts
If you’re just planning on very short cycle rides, to the office or college, for example, you can get by just fine with regular clothes. There’s no need to wear anything special.
If you want to get into road cycling properly and tackle some longer distances, perhaps even enter a sportive or join your local club, a really good investment is a pair of padded shorts. Your bum will thank you.
They can be worn on their own, or concealed under baggy shorts if you prefer, and they provide a thin padding that provides a bit of cushioning against the saddle, and can substantially improve comfort on longer rides. Just remember, no underwear under padded shorts.
Read more: Cycling shorts — everything you need to know
You can spend anything from about £40 to over £300, so there really is something for all budgets. Here’s our buyer’s guide
Read more: Best cycling bib shorts — your buyer’s guide & 9 great choices
Read more: Best cheap cycling shorts
3. Cycling jersey
A cotton t-shirt might be just fine for shorter rides, but they’re not really designed for the demands of a longer cycle ride.
A cycling-specific jersey is made from a fabric designed to keep you cool in the heat, and keep you dry when you break a sweat. They also have a long zip for ventilation, and three rear pockets for carrying food and other supplies that you might need on longer trips.
Cycling jerseys also come in many varieties designed for different conditions, from cold weather to hot weather jerseys, and can be worn with other clothing accessories like arm warmers and gilets.
You can pay anything from £5 to £130 for a jersey, here’s our buyer’s guide.
Read more: Buyer's guide to summer cycling jerseys — plus 14 of the best
4. Water bottle and bottle cage
Cycling can be thirsty work, especially in the summer heat, so keeping hydrated on longer rides is of paramount importance. Most road bikes have bolts on the frame (down tube and seat tube) that allow you to fit a special bottle cage into which a cycling bottle can be fitted.
You can stick a bottle of Coke or Lucozade in a jersey pocket or even a bottle cage, but the former isn’t very comfortable and the latter isn't the most secure. A cycling water bottle can also be reused hundreds of times, is easy to clean and is easy to drink from on the move.
5. Pump, spare tube, basic tools and chain oil
There are two things that any cyclist embarking on a ride really shouldn’t leave home without, and that’s a spare inner tube and pump. Nobody plans to puncture, but they do happen from time to time, so it’s worth being prepared so you don’t have to phone home for a lift.
A local bike shop will help you choose the right size spare inner tube (or you can read our guide below), and a pump doesn’t have to cost a lost. You can carry both in a jersey pocket or backpack, or better still is to stash the inner tube in a saddle bag, and mount the pump to the frame with the often supplied brackets.
Read more: How to repair a punctured inner tube
Read more: Video: Greg LeMond shows how to quickly change an inner tube
Another thing you might want to consider is a multitool. Multitools are the cyclist's equivalent of a Swiss Army knife, with a range of tool bits that can be used to make adjustments to the bike, such as raising or lowering the saddle height or tweaking the gears.
If you are really getting into cycling and doing regular rides, you’ll want to keep the chain well oiled so the gears work smoothly and quietly. Chain oil, or lube as it’s commonly called, is available from any good bike shop and a small bottle lasts a long time and doesn’t cost much.
Read more: How to clean and lube your bike's chain
Read more: The best multi tools — get the right bits to fix your bike's bits
6. Computer
Because everyone wants to know how fast and far they’ve cycled, don’t they?
This isn’t an essential product at all, but as any cyclist knows all too well, the most likely question you get from friends, a partner or family after a ride is how far did you ride and how fast did you pedal? And if you are new to cycling, it’s fun to track your distance of a ride and use that to measure your progress as you get into road cycling.
Cycle computers can also show you how fast you’ve ridden, your average and max speeds, how much climbing you’ve done, and other measurements like cadence and heart rate. And as this guide below shows, they don't have to cost a fortune.
You can use a smartphone to record your ride using one of the many available apps, and this is another option, but a small dedicated computer fitted to your bike will cope with rain and hte battery will last a very long time. More expensive computers use GPS and can be plugged into a computer to download all the data.
Read more: Cycle computers — everything you need to know
And yes, we thought about including a helmet in this list, but as it’s not law to wear a helmet when cycling, we feel it’s up your own discretion whether you choose to wear a lid. If you feel safer wearing a helmet then go for it. Good cycling helmets can be bought for as little as £20, just make sure they comply with European standards, to look for certification stickers inside the helmet .
Read more: Best cheap cycling helmets
Is there anything we’ve missed? Let's hear your suggestions in the comment section.
David worked on the road.cc tech team from 2012-2020. Previously he was editor of Bikemagic.com and before that staff writer at RCUK. He's a seasoned cyclist of all disciplines, from road to mountain biking, touring to cyclo-cross, he only wishes he had time to ride them all. He's mildly competitive, though he'll never admit it, and is a frequent road racer but is too lazy to do really well. He currently resides in the Cotswolds, and you can now find him over on his own YouTube channel David Arthur - Just Ride Bikes.
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127 comments
cycleings shoes & clipless pedal comes in way before the computer. A computer, come on its not exacly somthing that you need.
∞ -1. Expensive carbon bike with 2 different sets of carbon wheels an a teamcar with driver.
∞. Bicycle computer
I would say that it is very irresponsible on road.cc part to give such an advice, especially to new cyclists. New cyclists should be encouraged to wear helmets. There is no reason not to wear them.
+ Strava
I would say a snood/buff is fairly important when riding in any sort of colder weather. You can layer up and still be cold without one. It can help stop you getting a sore neck from a cold breeze over it. Even on warm days it will help keep the early morning chill off and can be worn over your mouth as you warm up to help stop throat burn.
The same goes for gloves in any less than perfect conditions!
There's lots of reasons to not wear a helmet: http://www.howiechong.com/journal/2014/2/bike-helmets
Also, there's precious little data to support the view that helmets increase riders' safety, so it's not irresponsible at all to leave it up to someone's discretion.
However, I do think they should have mentioned gloves. In my view, they're the number one safety item on a bike that are also beneficial for comfort as well. Whenever I've come off my bike, I've instinctively used my hands to protect me and I've been glad to have the gloves take the brunt of the damage.
[/quote]
There's lots of reasons to not wear a helmet: http://www.howiechong.com/journal/2014/2/bike-helmets
Also, there's precious little data to support the view that helmets increase riders' safety, so it's not irresponsible at all to leave it up to someone's discretion.
However, I do think they should have mentioned gloves. In my view, they're the number one safety item on a bike that are also beneficial for comfort as well. Whenever I've come off my bike, I've instinctively used my hands to protect me and I've been glad to have the gloves take the brunt of the damage.
[/quote]
biased and unfundamented.
Actually, lights need to be on that list, and in quite a high position. In the UK, they are a legal requirement, and will do more to prevent you being in a collision with another vehicle, than a helmet will at saving your noggin after one.
London Cyclist had a really good article a few years back by an RAF pilot on why you should always commute (or even on solo rides) with flashing lights even during the day [saccadic masking].
This is a cycling as sport article and has very little relevance for cycling as a viable transport option. For the latter:
1) Bicycle. One that allows you to ride in a comfortable position which affords a good view of the road ahead. Number and spread of gears should suit the terrain where you typically cycle.
2) Helmet. Goes without saying really. Especially if you are just starting out. No need for a trivial fall to turn into a funeral.
3) Powerful front and rear lights. Day and night. Helping others to see you reduces the odds of an accident considerably. A hi viz belt is also a sensible option to wear with normal clothes.
4) Being comfortable on the bike will be the difference between sticking with it or sticking the bike in the shed, only to see the light of day for a couple of weeks every summer. Mudguards, to avoid a soggy arse, a quality rack and panniers, to avoid a sweaty back, gloves, cold hands don't react quickly and underwear that wicks moisture and traps warm air.
5) Lock(s) for frame and wheels. There are always thieves about. Remove everything that is easily removable and put them in your pannier when leaving your bike unattended.
6) Spare inner tubes, pump and basic tool kit. You will get a puncture sooner or later so buy some basics and get to know how to use them before you actually need to use them.
And. So. What.
Pushing new cyclists to wear helmets risks discouraging new cyclists. Certainly when I first started it pissed me off when occasionally complete stranger cyclists would ask why I didn't have a helmet on.
Do people giving advice to new drivers start by suggesting it would be safer to not use a car for travel if any alternative is available? Stop strangers in cars and ask if they couldn't have walked or taken a bus?
Yet the reduction in total mobidity from a driver choosing another mode of transport where possible is greater than that which would result from a cyclist adding a helmet, so I don't see why people nag about one but not the other.
If one must give safety advice, I reckon it would be more useful to point out things like the dangers of the door-zone or riding in the gutter, and warn about how dangerously misleading a lot of painted-on "infrastructure" is. And even then one should be careful about how patronising one is about saying it.
And. So.....
I wrote a list of essentials for cyclists who don't give a toss about Strava but would like to get around safely and efficiently on the roads using a bicycle.
And. So. Do you want to comment on that list, or would you rather be a muppet and play the man not the ball, as usual?
There. Fixed it for you. Free of charge.
Your point seems to be "My version of cycling is superior to others, we are we bothering about anything other than what I approve of? Step into line!".
But then that seems to be your MO in other threads: you alone have a monopoly on wisdom, everyone else is a dolt. I'm not the only one to notice.
Incidentally I see you couldn't resist it, another cyclist has died and you're wanking yourself blind with condescension on another thread about it. Enjoy.
No. More a case of .... you saw the name L.Willo and felt compelled to pick a pointless fight. Well knock yourself out, I am done here.
You're accusing me of picking pointless fights? Haha, physician heal thyself!
Clipless pedals? Not needed. Pro cyclists, TTers, audaxers and tourists have all ridden perfectly well for decades without them.
Helmet? Not needed. It should go without saying, really (see above).
Computer? Not needed (see above).
Cycling jersey? Not needed. It's only a variation on a t-shirt, just buy a decent cut and/or size smaller if you don't like it to flap.
Water bottle? Not needed. Unless it's really hot a normal person can easily ride for up to 2 hours without needing a drink. This does not apply to fools who've bought into the hydration/electrolyte sales hype.
If you have tightened the bolts up properly you're unlikely to need a multi-tool.
Yes all these things can make cycling more enjoyable but they are definitely not *needed*. But since some people seem to put more effort into (or have more interest in) shopping than riding then these rather pointless listicles will continue to be published.
This is literally the most pointless thing i have ever read in my life. I blame myself. i don't understand why i kept reading. I knew it wouldn't get any better or suddenly become interesting after the dull opening gambit. Reading this was akin to watching a car crash and I feel dirty.
Six things that all new road cyclists need:
1. You must have a strong opinion about helmets. Don't worry, you need not actually have any understanding of materials science, neurological injury or statistical analysis.
2. Ditto the above re disc brakes. You don't even need to have tried them, there are plenty of tried and trusted phrases on both sides of the argument which you will quickly pick up from most cycling forums.
3. You must get a Road.CC account. This will provide you with a platform on which to pontificate on the above subjects and others: lights, mandatory insurance, hi vis clothing, shared cycle paths, steel v carbon v aluminium, tyres etc, there's pretty much something for everyone. Don't be shy!
4. Do not, whatever you do, spend more than £1k on your first bike. If you do spend more than £1k, tell people that it cost £1k. They will be suitably impressed, tell them it cost any more and they will think you are a dick.
5. A mobile phone - Bollocks to all that fixing punctures at the side of the road crap. Call the missus at the first sign of trouble or bad weather to come pick you up.
6. Spend some time developing a keen sense of paranoia. Trawl youtube for 'bike rage' helmet cam videos. You will quickly get an understanding that most car drivers are crazed homicidal lunatics and that most helmet cam posters are crazed suicidal lunatics. With a bit of practice you should not be able to ride more than 100yds without coming into conflict with another road user. Then come here and bitch about it.
Enjoy
The thing every new cyclist needs the most: below a well meant article to help him/ her, a vitriolic, finger-jabbing, small-cocked, spittle-flecked series of post from supposedly keen cyclists. That'll certainly encourage people to get on the saddle.
It now seems getting involved in their first helmet debate on Road.cc is now as much a rite of passage for new cyclists as the first time they forget to unclip before stopping...
Strava account, or similar. Amazing how good Strava is for getting people hooked. My other half spends ages looking at her ride afterwards and it helps that she has friends on it too.
Well my only issue with the list is on the cycling shorts - the bit where it says don't wear underwear. I've always worn underwear under my cycling shorts. Am I the only one??
Yes. Yes, you are.
one of the great things about cycling is the opportunities to discover how you're doing it all wrong. Of course, the internet allows many, many more such thrilling encounters than would have been possible for my dear Grandparents in the inter-war Clarion Club, but remember this ...
on this forum, you only get told you are doing it wrong by cyclists who have also accepted the correctness of using a computer. If you join a club, then you might still be lucky enough to be told that you are doing it all wrong by those who regard computers as stupid and wrong - and now you're into a whole new area!
all the above - good quality gloves and lights depending on your journey, mudguards if you don't like a wet arse, and you only really see the value of good shorts once you've had them then don't - I did a quick ride the other day just in normal shorts and what turned out to be a very loose fitting pair of undergarments beneath. Dear lord, it was 10 minutes of very gingerly altering position to and fro until I got back, terrified I was going to geld myself. Now I remember what is so important about good shorts, I don't notice they are there ...
just ride your bike, it's great. I took my boy on an Evans Ride-It yesterday. It was in an area I thought I knew, but it mainly all roads I'd never been on, sun shone, I met an old friend, my boy smashed his distance record ... it was awesome, riding for fun, not to get to work or before dawn in the rain - normally the only chances I get to go out. Just ride, you will figure out what's important after a while
No. No, you're not.
Do what you find most comfortable.
Oh how I loved not having to dress as a cyclist while riding a bike in Copenhagen over the weekend.
Where's power meter on the list?
I've just got one and now I spend my time not looking where I'm going. Good job I remembered the helmet.
As for helmets, some people just won't be told. My mate got wiped out without a helmet on, fractured skull, coma for 2 weeks.....comes back after long and painful rehab....still won't wear a helmet.
cheer riotgibbon, your post made me smile. There's no end of people telling you what to do/not do. I use a 9 year old Garmin unit to navigate, but when I led a CTC ride last year some riders looked at me like I was using witchcraft !
Oh, and definitely do what is most comfortable - how people laugh at my gloves . . . but I'm not the one with cold fingers.
No, he's not. I know someone who didn't find this out until she rode a 50 mile time trial. Ouch! Needless to say, she has never wore anything under her padded shorts since.
Thanks for your input. I would argue your point, but I have no idea what it is, nor what "unfundamented" means. Can anyone translate that into English for me please?
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