bike newbie - equipment

I put security skewers on one of my bikes after I left it locked up at the station and came back later that night to find the local scrotes had gone down the entire rack of bikes, pulled out all QR skewers and variously chucked the bits on the tracks or into the undergrowth

The gravity skewers are all well and good with no tool to lose, but some designs "can" be easily defeated with one very simple item - I'm not going to say how, but it's obvious if you think about it a bit.

One of my other bikes has skewers that need a special tool - I keep the tool taped to the only spare tube I have for that bike, so it doesn't get lost/forgotten.

The ones that use a pentagram tool, such as the Oxford ones, aren't that secure, as it's easy enough to make a replacement/spare tool by filing down an old hex hey, or even just buying (stealing if you're a thief!) another set.

ALL designs can be easily defeated with the right tools and a determined thief and, by their nature, are cheap and easy to replace.

It's worth remembering you can still fix a puncture, even if you can't get the wheel off until you get home.

I use bolt croppers on mudguard stays.

If you're going to go for the Ortlieb panniers there's usually a discount available from the Sustrans shop (or just get 2nd hand on eBay - panniers will be dirty within days so I don't really see the point of buying brand new). I've got some Carradice ones. Altura or Endura usually have good budget options. Pretty much any rack will do you, but I'd recommend that you get one with a three support configuration - having a leg going down from the centre of the rack means you can use the anti-sway clips on panniers to stop them rattling around.

As to lights if you're intending to commute through the winter go with a dyno setup if you can. £100 tops for a fit and forget solution to lighting, and having a light down at the fork crown is much better than dazzling oncoming drivers and peds with a bar or head-mounted one. If you're running a rack and panniers you can mount the rear light on the rack and have a very neat and reliable setup. 

Lights and the dyno wheel are best imported from Germany - have a look at Taylor wheels. Best lights for the job are generally B&M - I've got a Cyo Premium https://www.rosebikes.co.uk/b-m-lumotec-iq-cyo-premium-t-senso-plus-fron... that more than copes with unlit country lanes.

If you’re after pannier bags, get Ortlieb ones. They are properly genuinely watertight. I’ve ridden in the absolute pouring rain with those and all my stuff has been dry. They’re not cheap, but they are worth it.

+1 on the angle grinder if you have one, but a junior hacksaw will also do the job and you'll burn more calories, lose a few grams of fat and therefore be faster on the bike!

As for "tips", pump your tyres up regularly to keep punctures at bay, invest in a good jacket (Castelli Perfetto for me, can be had for £100) and gloves (lobsters!) for winter, and get yourself a "tool bottle" to put your mini-pump, spare tube, nitrile gloves, spare chain link, puncture kit, tyre boot, backup lights, multi-tool, emergency tenner etc in - that way, you'll always have all that stuff with you, no matter what clothes or bag you're using.

Pitlocks aren't a bad idea, even if you have cheap wheels - bike thieves will nick anything, especially if all it takes is a spin of a QR lever.  £30 well spent in my opinion, if only for the peace of mind.  It's not unheard of for thieves to nick wheels, ensuring that the bike doesn't get moved, then come back at night for the rest of the bike.

Enjoy your riding!

I've fitted a few sets of SKS mudguards now and got it down to a fine art. The whole job is much easier if you use an angle grinder to cut the stays but beware it leaves the cut ends extremely hot!

Mudguards, the stuff of nightmares! I don’t lose my temper often but have done on a handfull of occaisons with mudguards.  When they’re fitted well and are completely silent, it turns cycling in the rain into something weirdly beautiful!

I recommend any of the full length SKS and my tip is to have rubber washers (or some kind of improvised rubber material) at any contact point between the mudguard and bike.  Metal on metal will resonate through the bike and any pothole, curb or stone will become that annoying clattering sound that makes me weak and not in a good way.

Also don’t be afraid to customise and bend the metal ‘stays’.  Once you know the length to have it set at, make sure to get that extra bit cut off (LBS will probably do this for free), otherwise your mudguards will be too high off the tyres or you’ll have ugly snagging poles sticking up.  I cut one whole stay off from 4 (for each wheel) to fit my disc brakes and it doesn’t affect anything in a detrimental way.

Fitting mudguards is a bit of an art, you might want to let Decathlon do it for you if you're nearby, or your local bike shop (LBS). I've got Tortec Reflectors on mine - brilliant for commuting, loads of coverage and reflective strips on the sides which are a massive safety improvement after dark.

I had a Saris Bones 2 for a while with hatch huggers which stop the metal clips from rubbing your paintwork. You can also lock the bike to these.

I doubt anyone would nick the wheels off a Triban 520. I've got an Oxford Shackle and cable (SoldSecure Gold) but hardly ever use it, too much of a faff and when I was commuting my work bike parking was secure enough not to use a lock. 

I bought a load of old (soon replaced) cheap junk when I first got properly back on the bike 6 years ago. Am sure not everything out there that’s low priced is garbage, but my advice is to avoid the Sports Directs of this world - Decathlon sell a mixture of the good, the bad and the ugly, so they’re a good start (if you can weed out the crap - price isn’t always a reliable indicator).

I quickly found that if I love what I’m riding and what I’m wearing then I’ll get on the bike no matter what the weather.

Good luck!

ps, the Galibier Tourmalet rain jacket is only piece of kit I still love from many years ago, my only recommendation as we’re all so very different.

Decathlon product page states "The frame accepts full mudguards, tyres up to 32 profile and a rear pannier rack" so you should be able to fit proper mudguards OK, though the text may mean 32mm tyres OR full mudguards. But those M-Part ones are 55mm, which is over 2". Might be better off looking at SKS or Tortec 700x27-35 (e.g. here).

Car rear rack: I picked up a Halfords high mount rack locally via ebay. It's a no-frills job but fits fine on my hatchback. As long as you tension the straps adequately it will carry 2 or 3 bikes securely.

If you intend to leave your bike in an insecure place for any length of time I'd advise using 2 different types of lock e.g. D-lock through frame & rear wheel plus armoured cable or chain through the front wheel & frame. I use Kryptonite series 2 and cable on the odd occasion I leave it in town for any length of time, otherwise a cheap combo cable for nipping to the shops. It depends on how much you want to spend and how much weight you're prepared to carry. Some good advice at http://thebestbikelock.com/

Accessories: a minitool, pump, tubes etc to keep you rolling. You will eventually need some lights. Good, bright (but not dazzling) lights should be backed up with reflectives - the clip-on Salzmann spoke reflectors are great and some people apply reflective tape. You can get Scotchlite black reflective tape that looks like plain black tape in daylight. Some people use a reflective jacket or rucksack cover.

Most important is good road positioning and being able to anticipate the hazards you will encounter - mostly ignorant/blind/aggressive drivers. Riding out of the gutter will reduce the number of punctures you suffer. Choice of route may improve the commuting experience, sometimes it's worth riding further to have a less stressful ride.