Have I forgotten anything?!

[caimg]

So 2 days ago I bought my Carrera Subway (thanks for advice, guys!). Thanks to the snow here in London it had about 30 mins of use on Saturday and that's about all.

However, my excitement for having my first bike for just over a year has led me to make sure I've stocked up on essential gear whilst the black ice disappears. In the past the most I'd got was a chain lock, cable lock, lights and helmet, but since joining this forum last week all you obsessives have whet my appetite! Already I've bought a Kryptonite fahgeddaboudit, hi-vis jacket and top, padded shorts, grip karrimor gloves and a waterproof case and mount for my iPhone 4. Overboard? Maybe...but I feel like I have the bug already!

I've been planning on using my hefty covers chain to lock wheel to wheel but is that weight-overkill? Do most people use a lighter, less bulletproof cable to lock wheel to wheel? (bearing in mind the Subway has quick release wheels).

Is there anything anyone thinks I've missed? I was happy with my hi vis jacket, top, padded shorts and gloves coming to only £27 from sports direct - perfect place to pick up cycling bargains if you can avoid the chavs

 

[biggs682]

what about a spare bike or perhaps like most of us on here a couple of spare bikes , you can never have to many bikes !

 

[MattHB]

Go for a co2 inflator rather than a pump. If your clumsy like me you might rip the valve out of the tube with the silly mini-pumps available. Very glad I did, they're tiny as well and refills are dead cheap.

 

[gary in derby]

kitchen sink if you have room, lol. seriously though. Allen keys,tyre levers(plastic) spare tube or two. pump or co2 choice is yours. also very contentious issue on here but being from London, a helmet is a good idea. Oh and one last thing have some fun.

 

[Rancid]

i have one of the water proof Iphone mounts for my bike and i love it.
I use NAVFree GPS as it has a walking mode which uses paths and parks etc, excellent for cyclists.
where ever i want to go i just punch in the post code and off i go.
It also auto corrects as you ride so if you don't like the look of a main road you can head off piste and it will auto correct the route.

its called NAVFree and yes it is free, with very minor and not very annoying add bar at the bottom.
Well worth the download.

Another thing i have that you don't mention is a mirror.
i have tried the helmet mirrors and the handle bar mirrors and i didn't really get on with either of them.
in the end i got one of the Bike Eye Bike Mirrors for Halfords (12 squids).
It fits to the bike frame and seems a little odd to start but it dosnt vibrate at all and is very sturdy indeed.
there's a couple of right hand turns i make on fairly busy main roads.
the mirror allows me to check what's going on behind me without taking my eyes off the road.
definitely worth the money.

 

[caimg]

I'm thinking of using mapmyride on my iPhone...I've used mapmyrun in the past and this seemed like a good alternative?

I feel like a bit of a douche having left out repair equipment! I guess I should get myself a replacement tube, pump etc. I've never made a repair on a bike would you believe (mostly because I didn't have my last 2 long before they were nicked) so I'm definitely taking for granted the chance that I'd get a puncture / tyre failure of some kind.

Helmet I already have, couldn't believe reading the TfL guidelines that buying a helmet is near the bottom of the page as some kind of optional extra...this should be a nailed-on part of cycling regulations, especially for London!

Mirrors I definitely hadn't thought of...is this a popular choice?

 

[ColinJ]

I guess I should get myself a replacement tube, pump etc. I've never made a repair on a bike would you believe (mostly because I didn't have my last 2 long before they were nicked) so I'm definitely taking for granted the chance that I'd get a puncture / tyre failure of some kind.

Practise replacing tubes at home in the warm; you don't want to be standing at the side of the road in sub-zero conditions as it is getting dark, trying to figure out what you should be doing! Definitive instructions in this long article (US spellings)!

I recommend swapping good tubes for punctured ones out on the road and leaving tube repairs until you get home. I carry 2 spare tubes and a kit so I am covered for pretty much any eventuality. (If you run over a lot of broken glass you could easily get front and rear punctures at the same time, and you want to be able to cope with that and a subsequent puncture. It's rare to get 3+ punctures in one ride, but it does happen, especially if you fail to take whatever caused the puncture(s) out of your tyre(s))

 

[caimg]

Mega, thanks for that Colin I'll have a read of that when I get home later. Agreed, not the weather right now to be learning how to fix something in an emergency for the first time...

 

[fossyant]

So you are in London, so you need a £300 HD camera and an airzound or bell at least. Then a youtube account to upload all these pesky motorists to.


Only kidding !

PS Can you leave one of the heavy locks at work ?

 

[HLaB]

I've changed my QR skewers on the town bike to allen key ones, if I'm leaving the bike for more than few minutes I carry a Kyrptoflex cable although I don't cycle in anywhere bigger than Edinburgh. Tool wise I prefer a multi tool, less fuss than separate allen keys, I went for the Topeak Hexus as it also has a chain tool and its side walls are tyre levers. I also carry a quick link in the event that the chain snaps. I only carry one spare tube, touch wood that suffices for me (although I've started carrying two on longer solo rides). I prefer a pump to a CO2 cartridge also but each to their own there :-)

 

[caimg]

Haha I can't think of anything more antagonising to motorists than an airhorn on a bike...if you get nailed by a crap motorist no amount of airhorning will get me out of that.

Unfortunately / fortunately I'm self employed (musician / teacher) so I don't have a regular place of work, meaning leaving anything anywhere is pointless. If I have to get a backpack to carry the fahgeddaboudit and my hefty chain lock (and repair kit stuff etc) then I will, but if a lighter (but sturdy enough) cable for the wheels is an option that'd be ideal...

 

[MattHB]

I'm thinking of using mapmyride on my iPhone...I've used mapmyrun in the past and this seemed like a good alternative?

I feel like a bit of a douche having left out repair equipment! I guess I should get myself a replacement tube, pump etc. I've never made a repair on a bike would you believe (mostly because I didn't have my last 2 long before they were nicked) so I'm definitely taking for granted the chance that I'd get a puncture / tyre failure of some kind.

Helmet I already have, couldn't believe reading the TfL guidelines that buying a helmet is near the bottom of the page as some kind of optional extra...this should be a nailed-on part of cycling regulations, especially for London!

Mirrors I definitely hadn't thought of...is this a popular choice?

Mapmyride is great. But I use the website for route planning and then use cyclemeter for following it and tracking. Mapmyride I find is too crashy and it looses link with ant+ sensors for a past time which is really annoying!

 

[caimg]

Ah maybe that's what I should do Hlab...my saddle isn't QR at least. *sigh* I was so wrong thinking my spending had stopped at the the purchase of the bike...

 

[freewheelwilly]

just dont forget your bike...

 

[caimg]

Thanks for the cyclemeter tip - I've used the runmeter app and that's fab, hadn't thought to look for a cycle version!