Hey there everyone. I am new to cycling and need to know what are the main things that I should be buying aside from the obvious bike and helmet. I am thinking the accessories that I require. Any advice is great!
I highly recommend an aqua pack for gatorade or water. This is great as it is on your back and you have the straw part coming close to your mouth. Also a mirror is very handy for when you are cruising downhill and need to know who is behind you.
Well, I'd say some other good basics for the ride (which is done in daylight) would be some spare tubes, a patch kit, an air pump, possibly some tire levers and an air pressure gauge...all of it will be useful for changing a tire if you get a flat.
A small bike multitool, some zip ties and some duct tape (I wrap some around my pump) can also be very good to have for other roadside repairs.
None of this has to be expensive (the MEC Filzer stuff works just fine and is inexpensive)...but the investment can be useful if something breaks when you're out for a ride.
My belief is that above anything you need to be comfortable, or else you will find other things to do . To this end...Well padded bike shorts, well padded gloves, and finally a comfortable saddle on you bike. I leave my house and at one time or another forget every other peice of equipment that I own and I seem to get along fine; however I NEVER leave without these. Just a thought.
P.S. Bike Shoes with clips are the catalyst to the most significant improvement in my biking performance tht I have ever experienced. Consider upgrading if you only have baskets or flat pedals on your bike; they are well worth the money.
Thanks for the help. I have already went out and bought a new saddle that was fitted for me but have yet to get some shorts. They are pretty expensive so maybe some of you know a place where they come cheaper.
MEC has a fair bit of stuff that is pretty decent :) Even if you don't go for a full set of shorts, you can get some liners that you can use with sweats or regular shorts to do the same thing.
