Beginners checklist

UXB

Hello folks, after a recent trip to the doc's and being told i have very high cholesterol 7.9 :shock: i have decided to change my lifestyle, i have already made big changes to my diet plenty of fruit and vegetables now as opposed to pizza, currys etc, but obviously diet is not enough so have decided to give MTB a go.

I used to love cycling as a youngster, raleigh tomahawk, then a chopper, then a grifter, anyone remember these :?: but i haven't ridden a bike for at least 30 years and boy have things changed, where did my 3 gear sturmy archer's go lol

Now i don't intend to do any serious off road MTB just local parks, woodland trails etc, so what gear do i need,

I have allready ordered a bike, http://www.decathlon.co.uk/rockrider-53 ... 06682.html hope it's adequate :?:

What else do i need, i think a helmet is a must, but what about all the other bits and bobs, shorts, gloves, tools, spares etc, probably obvious to those in the know but not to an old man who hasn't ridden for decades

Many thanks
Dean

MTBUK

If your new too it, or coming back to it, may i recommend some padded base layer shorts, and some comfortable gloves. The rest such as tools... pumps..... tyres... tubes... can be brought from any LBS or Halfords

chez_m356

UXB wrote:

I have allready ordered a bike, http://www.decathlon.co.uk/rockrider-53 ... 06682.html hope it's adequate :?:

very adequate, one of the best you can get for that price, you more or less covered the other bits and bobs, two things i'd recommend besides those is a water bottle/hydration pack and some form of eye protection, nothing worse than getting something in your eye when your on your bike

andhr

Helmet - absolute must!
Shorts - ideally padded or with a padded base layer
Gloves - nothing complicated, fingerless or whole-hand is your choice really
Eyewear - sunglasses or some relatively cheap biking glasses (Decathlon's are pretty good for the money)
Multitool - which covers every regular size on your bike
Puncture repair kit - self-adhesive patches and a couple of tyre levers reduce the size
Spare inner tube - keep it light, i.e. not self-sealing
Pump - CO2 pumps are small, but remember 1 cartridge = 1 tyre.

Food - hi-energy snack, if you need it
Liquid - either water or a hydration drink (ideally the latter and then you don't need food)

Something to put it all in... a Camelbak or cheap equivalent (try the Rockrider ones from Decathlon) to fit it all.

If you're going on any more technical woodland trails, or anywhere you might fall off, get a basic first aid kit (the type used for hiking are good).

Take your phone, and make sure it has a protective case and isn't in a pocket it can fall out of (or be fallen on to as I once learned)

UXB

Thanks guys, one other thing i have been reading about that sounds useful is a bike trip computer, i think it would be good to be able to set goals and to monitor improvement, i don't want to spend a fortune any suggestions, seen some in tesco and halfords for under a tenner would these be ok ? and wired vs wireless any advantages either way :?:

The Rookie

Smart phone apps work better than most bike computers for what you want, strava or sports tracker are good for example.

andhr

The Beginner wrote:

Smart phone apps work better than most bike computers for what you want, strava or sports tracker are good for example.

+1; get a good bar mount case for a smartphone (if you have one) and install Strava app.

Alternatively, I'd go for a wireless computer (ideally with a GPS as it's info will go right into a training website lilke Strava) less faffing with wires and the batteries last months.

cooldad

If you are going to carry a smartphone, stick it in your camebak. Bar mounts are a dumb idea, you will crash, it will break and you will cry.

andhr

cooldad wrote:

If you are going to carry a smartphone, stick it in your camebak. Bar mounts are a dumb idea, you will crash, it will break and you will cry.

I will probably cry when I land on my Camelbak too!

greatesthits

cooldad wrote:

If you are going to carry a smartphone, stick it in your camebak. Bar mounts are a dumb idea, you will crash, it will break and you will cry.

As above, I tried a barmount for my smart phone, OK on smooth roads but off road bounced right out of the holder, smash Grrrr

compo

Forget getting cycle glasses, they are overpriced. Get yourself down to Screwfix; I got some safety glasses for £6.99 and they are unbreakable.
And I mean unbreakable: I have worn them for about 2 years and even ridden over them, yet there are only a couple of dents on the frame

chez_m356

compo wrote:

Forget getting cycle glasses, they are overpriced. Get yourself down to Screwfix; I got some safety glasses for £6.99 and they are unbreakable.
And I mean unbreakable: I have worn them for about 2 years and even ridden over them, yet there are only a couple of dents on the frame

get a nice choice of lenses with them for sunny days do you ?

felix.london

compo wrote:

Forget getting cycle glasses, they are overpriced. Get yourself down to Screwfix; I got some safety glasses for £6.99 and they are unbreakable.
And I mean unbreakable: I have worn them for about 2 years and even ridden over them, yet there are only a couple of dents on the frame

Good way to damage your eyes if your riding 'round my neck of the woods

felix.london

Btw - this is a very good pump;

Topeak Morph Mountain Pump
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=2908

Not silly small, kinda mid-sized but you'll be thankful of that when your sitting trail side in the rain with cold fingers. Works like a mini-track pump and seems pretty tough too

andhr

greatesthits wrote:

cooldad wrote:

If you are going to carry a smartphone, stick it in your camebak. Bar mounts are a dumb idea, you will crash, it will break and you will cry.

As above, I tried a barmount for my smart phone, OK on smooth roads but off road bounced right out of the holder, smash Grrrr

You cried too?

Hence 'good', but they're not cheap, and tbh if I'm doing anything where I'll probably crash I'd cry more at damaging my bike than my phone :-)

YeehaaMcgee

cooldad wrote:

If you are going to carry a smartphone, stick it in your camebak. Bar mounts are a dumb idea, you will crash, it will break and you will cry.

^^This. You can get a decent wireless bike computer for about £20. No real hardship if it gets smashed. And you'd still have a phone.

felix.london

Especially as phone will get smashed after a crash, which is when you could actually need it the most!

UXB

I won't be going down the attach phone to bike route, my phone cost more than the bike , think i will pick up a cheap computer from tesco seems to do all that i need, while i am there i think i will pick up a cheap £10 phone as well just for emergencies.

Rocketmagnet

As your just starting & intend to ride non technical your really just looking for the basics.
Helmet, gloves, padded shorts.. other clothing such as normal T shirts, trainers etc although not ideal
are functional and a good way to get going at minimal expense.
Normally i'd recommend as good a helmet as you can realistically afford that fits well but something in the
30-50 range is a good bet here.

I'd also recommend a multitool + puncture repair kit + mini pump and know how to use them ( a spare innertube
is useful and saves time especailly in foul weather).

A pack particualrly a hydration pack to carry water and your tools but a good one will be in the £50+ range.

One thing you'll need more than anything else is serious determination, it's significantly harder physically than you expect
or remember. Unless your pretty fit it will be very tough on the climbs but you do get used to it eventually
though you'll be convinced your not . One things for sure once you do get over the initial shock you'll
be eyeing up the blue/red routes at a number of trail centres... then it will be a new bike / upgardes whenever you can afford it :twisted:

I had a Grifter... still got it actually.

dhobiwallah

All good advice above^^

Some people don't like wearing a pack. As you are unlikely to be going for whole day epics initially you might want to consider a saddle bag (attaches under your saddle) for tools and a water bottle (you will need to get a bottle mount if you haven't already got one on the bike). Chain reaction have bags for under a tenner and bottle cages for 2 quid if you need to keep costs down...

You don't mention your size - but most people trying this out for medical reasons are *ahem* 'larger'. Steer clear of the lycra or you will look like sausages! Lycra padded shorts are fine (in fact advisable) - but wear baggies over them for the sake of your dignity...
MTB clothing tends to be sensibly sized. If you end up with 'cycling' clothing then look at sizes v carefully. I take a Med in plenty of casual tops - yet in some (Italian) cycle brands I would nearly be a XXXL!!!

felix.london

As the winter's edging closer I'd recommend a set of lights - even just a couple of cheap LED flashing ones to have in your bag

You can set out on a ride in the afternoon, have puncture half way through or some other problem and before you know it - you're riding back home or to the car and it's getting dark

YeehaaMcgee

felix.london wrote:

You can set out on a ride in the afternoon, have puncture half way through or some other problem and before you know it - you're riding back home or to the car and it's getting dark

That's actually a very good point. Keep the lights on your bike in winter, because you never know when they may come in handy.

anj132

Pretty much what has been said. I don't think chain lube has been mentioned so I'm putting that in! Let's put in a chain tool and spare powerlinks as well.

Oh the bike comes with toe clips, so perhaps some cheap grippy pedals. Something like Wellgo b54 around £25 do the job.

You can also do things on a budget when starting off.
For example:
Hydration pack - Tesco £13
Padded shorts - Sports World - £10

Lidl just had a load of bike stuff, they might still have some stuff there. Helmet, which I got, is comfy for a tenner. Lights were under a tenner.

I reckon some sort of checklist would be good as a sticky.