[Anna Marie Hughes]

With the coronavirus restrictions there haven’t been as many opportunities lately to go on rides with groups of friends or join in on a club ride. It’s been harder to pick up those little bits of cycling know-how here and there as a beginner, so…

We want to compile a guide with the best snippets of things you wish you’d known when you started out and the best advice you were ever given.

Share in the comments below or email to tech@road.cc

Topic

[Kapelmuur]

I’m a sucker for collecting

I’m a sucker for collecting retro jerseys, but 75% of the collection came from eBay at £10/15.

All my kit when I started cycling and didn’t realise it would become a regular part of my life was from ALDI and I’m still using some of it.

The only items I didn’t skimp on were shorts, but there are always good offers on the big online suppliers.

[Kendalred]

Don’t ride too close to the

Don’t ride too close to the edge of the road – you’d be suprised at how many cyclists I see practically skimming the edge of the carriageway. Make room for yourself if you suddenly have a wobble or need to dodge a pothole – about 1-1.5 metres. Riding too close to the edge also encourages idiots to make dangerous passes even more than usual.

Learn to love bike maintenance – as has been said before, once you make the outlay for the right tools, it’ll save you loads and give you a sense of achievement. Further down the line build your own bike – a very satisfying thing to do.

On the flatter sections, try and pedal ‘in a circle’, rather than simply pushing down on the pedals (easier when you are clipped-in to the pedals). On the hills, try getting out of the saddle now and then, even if it’s just to add variety – it’s a good skill to have for the really steep inclines. 

Most of all enjoy it – safe in the knowledge you are doing a great thing for yourself, your local environment and the planet as a whole.

[TheBillder]

Both of these points are
Both of these points are excellent but the second is excellenter.

I have to remind myself, often after work when sprawling with a gin is calling me with its siren voice, that I’ve never come back from a ride wishing I hadn’t gone. Even if I’ve crashed or punctured. Perhaps I’ve been lucky, but I’m not so sure. There’s just something about riding, even if just for half an hour.

My addition though is always budget time and money for a cake stop.

[wtjs]

Fantastic and cheap Aldi

Fantastic and cheap Aldi cycling kit has only come to this area in the last couple of years. Anything you get there is worth it! The latest front and rear LED bike light pack is the best value ever at £15, and if they come back into the stores: get the packs with the 40 off long thin spoke reflectors and springy band reflectors which fit round your ankles and act as cycle clips.

[ktache]

Learn some basic bicycle

Learn some basic bicycle maintenance.

You will save some money and keep riding longer.

[pablo]

Don’t buy a new bike buy
Don’t buy a new bike buy something used and preferably cheap as what you think you want in a bike often changes after the first few months as you learn.
Clothing is really important more so than that first bike but you don’t need to spend a fortune. The best investment is bib shorts or big tights with padding but not shorts as they move around. This will mean your soft bits remain comfortable and you won’t throw your bike away after the second ride even if you look a plonker to 95% of the general public.
A small toolkit (pump, spare inner tube, and tyre levers) is a must.
Don’t worry about what other people think Inc Family, Friends, other cyclists, or random idiots. Just ride your bike everyone starts the same way.

[Captain Badger]

A bike consists of a few

A bike consists of a few simple components – wheels, diamond frame, drivetrain gears , brakes and steering assembly. These components have remained largely unchanged for decades. Input (spending hundreds/thousands of quid) will have little effect on output (getting from A to B)

[Steve K]

Best advice I can give is
Best advice I can give is just get out and ride. The more you ride, the easier it will become and the more you will enjoy it.

Oh, and ignore the ‘rules’.

[Compact Corned Beef]

Always have whatever you need

Always have whatever you need to fix a puncture on you, even if it’s just a 10 minute ride to the shops. That 10 minutes ride is a long walk home, especially if you’ve got a week’s worth of shopping in a backpack and you’re pushing a bike with a mushy tyre.

[hawkinspeter]

If you’re always comparing

If you’re always comparing efforts on Strava – try to remember to just go for a gentle pootle once in a while and enjoy the scenery.

Also – don’t second guess yourself about going for a ride. If you’re not sure about the weather etc. just get dressed for it, start cycling and see how you go – you can always decide to stop and go back home.

[Mungecrundle]

Cycling is extremely faddy.
Cycling is extremely faddy. Be aware of which contentious issues are currently hot or you will be scorned.

A while back it was all about helmets, more recently disc brakes. Titanium v Steel v Aluminium is fairly evergreen as a topic. However to be cutting edge you are going to need an opinion on transgender athletes and LTNs*.

*Don’t know what a LTN is? Get off the forum until you have spent 5 minutes with Google and become an expert! Bloody noobs!

[cyclefaster]

Don’t spend a fortune on

Don’t spend a fortune on cycling gear. You can get some decent budget kit and buy more of the branded stuff if you are still into cycling in a years time. 

Watch GCN videos on youtube. There are loads on there (some hit and miss) but you can pick up a lot of tips on maintenance of your bikes or just enjoy people talking about cycling.

Listen to other peoples advice, but make your own mind up. Others don’t always know best.

[Author]

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