I was actually looking at the moonlight in evans looked quite nice.
Oh wow... Is that actually a thing that people steal the lights from your bike... I would of for sure left them on.
First commuter bike. What do I need to get now...?
- Thread starter Moyster
- Start date
Page may contain affiliate links. Please see terms for details.
I was actually looking at the moonlight in evans looked quite nice.
Oh wow... Is that actually a thing that people steal the lights from your bike... I would of for sure left them on.
vickster
Legendary Member
Other retailers are of course available, eg Merlin are competitive for accessories
https://www.merlincycles.com/abus-bordo-5700-folding-lock-80cm-283900.html
https://www.merlincycles.com/moon-rigel-rechargeable-front-light-239627.html
https://www.merlincycles.com/abus-bordo-5700-folding-lock-80cm-283900.html
https://www.merlincycles.com/moon-rigel-rechargeable-front-light-239627.html
Last edited:
vickster
Legendary Member
Accessories are a bargaining point when you buy a new bike. A £10 discount is £10, but £10 of accessories are £10 for you but £2.50 for the retailer.
Anything attached to the bike by quick release can be quickly stolen. Bolted on bits seem more thief resistant.
For lights, German standards are the best.
If you use a rear luggage rack, pick one with a rear lamp bracket.
Mudguards, lock, lights, luggage rack, bags, helmet, gloves, reflectors, water bottle holder, repair kit inc spare inner tube.
Anything attached to the bike by quick release can be quickly stolen. Bolted on bits seem more thief resistant.
For lights, German standards are the best.
If you use a rear luggage rack, pick one with a rear lamp bracket.
Mudguards, lock, lights, luggage rack, bags, helmet, gloves, reflectors, water bottle holder, repair kit inc spare inner tube.
annedonnelly
Girl from the North Country
- Location
- Blyth, Northumberland
I think outside a supermarket they're likely to be removed and chucked into the bushes - just for a laugh. Pretty sure that's what happened to mine the one time I had them nicked.
I like the sort where the bracket stays on the bike & the light clips in. That means you don't have to adjust the direction of the light every time you refit it. But there seem to be fewer and fewer of that type about.
vickster
Legendary Member
PedallingNowhereSlowly
Senior Member
RE grips and hand comfort.
Are you wearing any cycling gloves?
I got a couple of pairs of fingerless el-cheapo ones from either Lidl/Aldi/Decathlon which I use this time of year.
Unfortunately, bike thieves are everywhere and they can easily defeat a lot of locks, without tools. I would recommend a Squire D16/230 for anywhere you leave the bike unattended. AFAIK, it is the cheapest D-lock on the market that will resist an angle grinder for over 10 minutes.
If you really don't want to justify £125 on a lock, there is the Pragmasis DIB D-Locks for ~£54 plus postage. Sadly the chap who runs this business is shutting up shop later this year, but there was a recent road.cc article highlighting all the marks on one of the contributors DIB-D locks:
Not sure those are angle grinder resistant, but probably better than anything else you will buy for the money.
Don't be complacent about locking up your bike. Trust no one.
A good lock is a one off investment and will probably out-last the bike. For less than one years worth of vehicle excise duty.
Edit: The Pragmasis DIB D-lock won't resist an angle grinder attack, but it is still probably as good as you will get for the money short of that
Are you wearing any cycling gloves?
I got a couple of pairs of fingerless el-cheapo ones from either Lidl/Aldi/Decathlon which I use this time of year.
Unfortunately, bike thieves are everywhere and they can easily defeat a lot of locks, without tools. I would recommend a Squire D16/230 for anywhere you leave the bike unattended. AFAIK, it is the cheapest D-lock on the market that will resist an angle grinder for over 10 minutes.
If you really don't want to justify £125 on a lock, there is the Pragmasis DIB D-Locks for ~£54 plus postage. Sadly the chap who runs this business is shutting up shop later this year, but there was a recent road.cc article highlighting all the marks on one of the contributors DIB-D locks:
https://road.cc/content/news/pragmasis-wind-down-production-bike-locks-309457
Not sure those are angle grinder resistant, but probably better than anything else you will buy for the money.
Don't be complacent about locking up your bike. Trust no one.
A good lock is a one off investment and will probably out-last the bike. For less than one years worth of vehicle excise duty.
Edit: The Pragmasis DIB D-lock won't resist an angle grinder attack, but it is still probably as good as you will get for the money short of that
Last edited:
A lot of good advice so far.
I'd say the first thing you need is a saddle bag of some sort - I like the Topeak Aero Wedge (here) as you can quickly remove it from the saddle, which I do if leaving it outside the supermarket in questionable areas or at night.
Then you need at least one inner tube, and a good pump - something you can attach to your frame on the bottle cage mounts is good - I tend to use Lezyne pumps but the Halfords Advanced pump is also really good - I have one for Mrs C. Just leave it on the bike at all times - then you have it when you need it.
The saddle bag should have at least one inner tube (depending on the size of your bag), some instant patches (such as Park Tool, or Skabs) which let you quickly repair a puncture at the road side. Tyre levers (Park Tool, Pedros or the Bontrager Red) - getting good levers is really important, bad levers make your life harder - you should be able to remove and put on a tyre without them, but it's quicker and easier on your hands to use levers. Have more than one, and know how to use them - tips here.
A good multi-tool is also important, this largely comes down to preference, I use the Topeak Hexus X but any good tool here is worthwhile.
Don't skimp on the quality, it's tempting to get cheaper tools, especially when starting out, but if you're commuting and you have a problem then you need to be off quickly.
A good lock is an investment, I've had some of mine for more than a decade - I tend to use a d-lock, the Kryptonite Evolution Mini 5 is always in my backpack - it's reasonably light for d-lock and I've not had any problems locking my bike to most things. I also carry a separate cable lock just in case. Remember, you're just foiling opportunistic thieves and for those who are equipped to remove locks you just want a better lock than the bike next to yours.
Also worth getting are some decent gloves and a light rain jacket for now - then re-think clothing later in the year when it starts to get colder.
I'd say the first thing you need is a saddle bag of some sort - I like the Topeak Aero Wedge (here) as you can quickly remove it from the saddle, which I do if leaving it outside the supermarket in questionable areas or at night.
Then you need at least one inner tube, and a good pump - something you can attach to your frame on the bottle cage mounts is good - I tend to use Lezyne pumps but the Halfords Advanced pump is also really good - I have one for Mrs C. Just leave it on the bike at all times - then you have it when you need it.
The saddle bag should have at least one inner tube (depending on the size of your bag), some instant patches (such as Park Tool, or Skabs) which let you quickly repair a puncture at the road side. Tyre levers (Park Tool, Pedros or the Bontrager Red) - getting good levers is really important, bad levers make your life harder - you should be able to remove and put on a tyre without them, but it's quicker and easier on your hands to use levers. Have more than one, and know how to use them - tips here.
A good multi-tool is also important, this largely comes down to preference, I use the Topeak Hexus X but any good tool here is worthwhile.
Don't skimp on the quality, it's tempting to get cheaper tools, especially when starting out, but if you're commuting and you have a problem then you need to be off quickly.
A good lock is an investment, I've had some of mine for more than a decade - I tend to use a d-lock, the Kryptonite Evolution Mini 5 is always in my backpack - it's reasonably light for d-lock and I've not had any problems locking my bike to most things. I also carry a separate cable lock just in case. Remember, you're just foiling opportunistic thieves and for those who are equipped to remove locks you just want a better lock than the bike next to yours.
Also worth getting are some decent gloves and a light rain jacket for now - then re-think clothing later in the year when it starts to get colder.
If it is not bolted or welded on, some people will nick anything if they think they can get a couple of quid for it.
Hi, me again.... This is may sound like a stupid question. On my bike it says max tyre sizes 27.5x2.00" I assume its 27.5 inches in length & 2 inches width. so in centremetres/mm that would be 70c/700 x 5c/50.
So (Schwalbe Marathon Plus 700 x 38c puncture protected road bike tyre s tube s) is what i can see, that should fit fine? I assume the length obviously needs to stay the same and the width can change because it has less of a side wall. Not sure if that's the right thought process behind it...
It gives me the option to buy the inner tubes too either Schrader Tubes or Presta Tubes? Is their any difference between the tubes. Also with my current 50C tyres would i need different replacement tubes or are they pretty much universal? Okay... I googled this half way through presta & schrader are the valves & the inner tube sizing does matter but there's a universal one that would cover both tyres so 700 x 30-50.
vickster
Legendary Member
Or they don't have their own and don't want to pay.
Schrader vs presta - depends what you have already.
Personally I hated M+ heavy, sluggish, poor grip and a pain to fit and expensive
Last edited:
Locks wise I'd stick to Sold Secure Gold as a minimum and even though you have safe storage at your employer I'd lock the bike if possible.
If you can afford it and it will fit where you need to lock it get a Litelok X1 angle grinder resistant lock (resistant, not proof!)
If you're just locking up briefly for shopping and rate the convenience and flexibility (eg. to lock round a lamppost) then folding locks are good but again go for sold secure gold. I've got the Foldylock Forever for shop stops, or the Foldylock Compact is half the weight but still rated silver. This website is very good for reviews.
Your wheels have QR skewers so, assuming you lock through the rear wheel that one is safe, but someone could walk off with your front wheel in 5 seconds with no tools. So either a cable or consider a security skewer. I got a set of these but just use the front one. It has 7 lobe fixing on the bolt. Keys to unscrew these are available but it's obscure enough that the opportunist wheel thief is unlikely to be carrying a full set of security bit tools. There's no faffing with a cable, but make sure you keep the key with you or you're pushing the bike home in the event of a flat. I keep mine fixed to my multitool with an elastic band.
A decent pannier is way better than most backpacks but for commuting I now use the Osprey Metron 24 backpack. It's the most comfortable backpack I've ever worn and the "airscape" back does a good job of keeping the pack away from the skin of your back and allowing airflow. Expensive for a backpack but I love it.
If you can afford it and it will fit where you need to lock it get a Litelok X1 angle grinder resistant lock (resistant, not proof!)
If you're just locking up briefly for shopping and rate the convenience and flexibility (eg. to lock round a lamppost) then folding locks are good but again go for sold secure gold. I've got the Foldylock Forever for shop stops, or the Foldylock Compact is half the weight but still rated silver. This website is very good for reviews.
Your wheels have QR skewers so, assuming you lock through the rear wheel that one is safe, but someone could walk off with your front wheel in 5 seconds with no tools. So either a cable or consider a security skewer. I got a set of these but just use the front one. It has 7 lobe fixing on the bolt. Keys to unscrew these are available but it's obscure enough that the opportunist wheel thief is unlikely to be carrying a full set of security bit tools. There's no faffing with a cable, but make sure you keep the key with you or you're pushing the bike home in the event of a flat. I keep mine fixed to my multitool with an elastic band.
A decent pannier is way better than most backpacks but for commuting I now use the Osprey Metron 24 backpack. It's the most comfortable backpack I've ever worn and the "airscape" back does a good job of keeping the pack away from the skin of your back and allowing airflow. Expensive for a backpack but I love it.
PedallingNowhereSlowly
Senior Member
ETRTO size is 50-584
Shrader valves are the ones that resemble what you see on a car tyre, which according to the spec is what your bike should have:
So for tubes, these will fit:
https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/inner-t...52829-tyres-50584-60584-40622-to-62622-40635/
I'm not sure why you want to change the tyres, but these are the size you want in regular Schwalbe Marathons:
https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/tyres-l...olding-tyre-with-reflex-275-x-200-inch-50584/
Last time I was in the market for a pair, I felt £45 a tyre was too much so I went searching eBay for some alternatives and got some new-old-stock from a large brand competitor for £12 each
Sorry, a lot of information is being fired at you on this thread.
Prioritise working out how to secure your bike. The rest is a problem, when it is a problem.
Getting your bike nicked is not how you want to solve the other problems!
Dogtrousers
Kilometre nibbler
Tyre sizings are a nightmare. Personally I try to stick to the ETRTO ones in mm as given by @PedallingNowhereSlowly gives above. It should be somewhere on your tyre. They tend to be unambiguous.
But don't be in too much of a rush to upgrade your tyres. Yes, it's true that new bikes tend not to come with the best tyres but look at it this way - you need to get a bit of puncture fixing practice in so why not do it early?
But don't be in too much of a rush to upgrade your tyres. Yes, it's true that new bikes tend not to come with the best tyres but look at it this way - you need to get a bit of puncture fixing practice in so why not do it early?
