Mudguards! Panniers! Helmets! Dinosaurs!

[Firoz Taverbi]

Okay, maybe not the dinosaurs.
I am a total cycling beginner, and am hoping to use my new bike (a solar stealth MTB we found on sale...) to get around campus at university. The bike arrived this morning, and now I'm looking for all the extra bits I need and want for it. The only problem is, I don't know anything about biking and everything I've found online has either been completely useless or apparently written in a completely different language! If anybody here could give me a little advice here, I would really, really appreciate it.

First off, here is my bike (I sincerely apologise for the poor lighting and quality!) :

I've got locks and helmets sorted already, so now I'm looking for mudguards so, as my father so eloquently put it, I don't get "covered in s***" every time it rains. The bike has these small holes in the frame that my Dad says are for mudguards (there's another one on the front):

I don't have much money left from my savings, so what I really need is a cheap solution even if it isn't the best thing out there. The wheels are 26". Could anybody advise?

The second thing I'd really like is a set of panniers for carrying schoolbooks/shopping/dinosaurs. However, I think because the frame has rear suspension, there isn't really anything for a rack to attach to on the frame (there isn't much space under the saddle, either). The frame by the wheels has these two holes either side, which I assume is for a rack:

However, my Dad says that a rack supported purely by that section of the frame won't be able to hold very much weight at all, and I'd be better off with a rucksack. Should I eschew his advice and go with panniers anyway? I'm not planning on using them for anything extremely heavy, and since I'm an inexperienced cyclist I think the lower my centre of gravity can be, the better. And if so, what kind of a rack will I need?

Any advice or other sorts of help would be really useful! Thanks a lot for reading!

 

[HovR]

Indeed you won't easily be able to attach a traditional rack to that kind of frame, although you could use the type that clamps on to your seat post (might need to raise the seat a bit).

There are two main types of mudguards. The type that you see on town bikes and some road bikes that wrap around the whole wheel and attach via screw points, or the mountain bike style (rear clamps on to the seat post, front clamps on to the tube near your front wheel). This type doesn't give as much coverage and protection, but should easily fit your bike.

Also, with winter closing in, don't forget lights!

 

[HovR]

Here's a seat-post rack:

And here's a set of fitted MTB guards:

 

[xpc316e]

Is there such a thing as a Bicycle User Group at your university? If so, you might get good advice, help with fitting accessories, etc.

 

[sheddy]

Get a lock, pref a D lock rather than a cable

 

[Firoz Taverbi]

@HovR
Thanks for the advice on mudguards. I think I'll go with the mountain bike style ones, because I'm getting most of this stuff on the internet and I don't want the hassle of having to return something that doesn't fit... As for the racks, I'm going to have another sweep of what's out there and see what I can find. I feel more comfortable with the seat lower, so I'd rather not have to raise it to fit in more gear unless I have to.
Thanks, also, for the reminder about lights! I really don't want to do without those.

 

[Firoz Taverbi]

@xpc316e
There is, but I'd like to get as much sorted while I'm still at home as possible. Still, I'll definitely join and see if I can get help for anything I don't manage to sort out before I leave.

@sheddy
I've already got one lock (I might get another if I have money left over...), a D lock with a cable. After reading dozens of horror stories about stolen bikes, I decided the extra security would be worth the weight. Thanks anyway!

 

[jackhandy]

Being strapped for cash, Asda have a decent selection of perfectly good bike kit; TkMax also have budget gear: Full mudguards for a fiver ( more efficient than mtb ones). And, if you're a real tight-arse, there's mtb mudguards in the 99p shop

It all does the job &no-one's likely to nick it.

 

[Firoz Taverbi]

Being strapped for cash, Asda have a decent selection of perfectly good bike kit; TkMax also have budget gear: Full mudguards for a fiver ( more efficient than mtb ones). And, if you're a real tight-arse, there's mtb mudguards in the 99p shop

It all does the job &no-one's likely to nick it.

(I only just noticed the "reply" button!) Thanks a lot! I'd probably splash out on something better if I a) had the cash and b) knew what I was doing, but for now I'd just like to get something cheap that does the job. I'll definitely look into those!

 

[Deleted member 20519]

The only problem is, I don't know anything about biking and everything I've found online has either been completely useless or apparently written in a completely different language!

http://www.sheldonbrown.com

 

[Dan_h]

I normally use a rucksack for commuting, it is about 16 miles each way and the rucksack is fine. I have a change of clothes, shower stuff, lunch and some paperwork. If I need to take a laptop then that gets strapped on a seatpost mounted rack (still use the rucksack though!).

 

[Firoz Taverbi]

http://www.sheldonbrown.com

AASHTA...!

I normally use a rucksack for commuting, it is about 16 miles each way and the rucksack is fine. I have a change of clothes, shower stuff, lunch and some paperwork. If I need to take a laptop then that gets strapped on a seatpost mounted rack (still use the rucksack though!).

I might just use a rucksack for the first few months, then, until I get my footing with the bike and what kind of travelling I'm going to be doing. My main worry is that the rucksack I've got (a paltry 10l daysack) won't be big enough for anything substantial, like my 1000+ page textbooks or weekly shopping; I've always used messenger bags much more. Maybe what I need to get is a bigger rucksack!

 

[trampyjoe]

I've got nothing to add that hasn't already been said.

However, congratulations on moving out of Orpington and good luck at Uni (you're a bit late starting aren't you?) .

 

[ufkacbln]

If I am right, the whole rear triangle of the bike moves with the suspension?

In that case standard mudgards and a three point rack will fit.

By a three point rack, I mean one like this where the two legs fit on to one of the pair of holes by rear axle (3rd image), and the other fits onto the hole in the 2nd image.

All you need to do is "offer it up to the bike" before you purchase to ensure it won't affect the rear suspension travel at its limit

Won't carry as much as a four point rack, but will carry more and be safer than a seatpost mount as these can swing into the wheel

 

[ufkacbln]

I've got nothing to add that hasn't already been said.

However, congratulations on moving out of Orpington and good luck at Uni (you're a bit late starting aren't you?) .

My wife works at Southampton University and this is registration for them.