How much to buy extra for a complete beginner?

omarm

Me: complete beginner
About to buy a Rockrider 5.2 (if they have stock)
I've read the beginners guide on this site - really useful

For the 'other' things I need to get, can someone give a very rough guestimate of how much extra I need to budget for?

This will help my thinking

Thanks


Omar

Chunkers1980

£10 for a helmet, £3 puncture kit, £5 pump, the rest you should have.

The Rookie

Depends where/how you intend to ride....

I carry enough to fix a chain, also spare tubes as doing a puncture trail side is a real PITA.

omarm

>> £10 for a helmet, £3 puncture kit, £5 pump
ok, sounds good
question: is a pump from the pound shop a good or bad idea?

The Beginner wrote:

Depends where/how you intend to ride....

I carry enough to fix a chain, also spare tubes as doing a puncture trail side is a real PITA.

what do i need to fix a chain?
how much do spare tubes cost? are these universal for all tyres? are there many different brands or combinations to choose from?

thanks

Chunkers1980

is a pump from the pound shop a good or bad idea?

Dunno yet. Mine is in my bag and will be out when it's needed, but hasn't yet. But that's not my only pump.

chrisw333

I think a pump from a £ shop is a pretty bad idea. You may get lucky but I've seen plenty of pumps that simply break or just don't work. I'd spend a few quid more - it's worth it when you get caught and need one.

To fix a chain you need a chain tool (or multi tool with a chain tool on it) - prob 10-15 quid. And simplest method is also to have a 'quick link' which is a spare quick release chain link (such as KMC chain link for about 4-5 quid from Wiggle - the 'speed' eg '8 speed' / '9 speed' refers to how may cogs you have on your cassette). This may sound like overkill, but between us me and my mates have probably snapped about 5 chains in the last couple of years. You realise how useful they are after the first time you snap your chain in the middle of nowhere. I consider this essential kit now. Watch a you tube video of how to do it.

Spare tubes - £2-£5.00 depending on where you get them - try Wiggle, chain reaction & Evans. they are pretty standard, assuming you have a 26" wheel bike you will probably need a tube that is 26 x 1.75-2.25 (the latter numbers are the width of your tyre - just make sure your actual tyre width falls in the parameters). Then you need to look at the valve type - are your valves like car tyre valves (shraeder) or thin ones with a screwy bit on (presta)?

You may want to consider padded shorts - Aldi, Decathlon or Lidl will do to start - to wear under your own normal shorts and perhaps gloves. A rucksack or bottle cage can be a good idea too for longer rides.

Rushmore

Literally, all you need is a helmet and a spare tube and a pump.

However i'd also recommend a water bottle and cage...

i'm guessing as you are a complete beginner your not going to go too far off the beaten track, so multitools and such can wait ( I STILL don't carry a multitool ) although i probably should...

The Rookie

I carry a short length of chain so if a chain gets mangled I can splice it in, only had to do it once but if I hadn't had it it would have been a 10 mile walk to the car!

Pound shop pump not a good idea as has been said.

Spare tubes, cheap as you like, Tesco were doing them for £2.16 at one point!

chrisw333

Rushmore wrote:

I STILL don't carry a multitool

nor did I, until my chain snapped 5 miles from home.

But Rushmore is right, you're pretty unlikely to need one initially and would be very unlucky to snap a new chain in your early cycling days.

You may want a couple of tyre leavers to help fix punctures, but these are very cheap.

omarm

thanks guys for replies - all really useful

i plucked up the courage to invest in a rockrider 5.2 - instead of a 'good looking' sub £100 bike from elsewhere
(muddyfox hornet i bought was returned to argos after getting advice here)
but then i thought... maybe i've got to fork out another fortune buying loads of extras???
it's reassuring that i don't have to spend that much more

PS don't know why, bikeradar emails always go to my spam folder - using google apps

geo123456

They sell mini pumps in decathlon think i payed £4 for mine not used it yet so cant say if its good or not. were do you buy a spair bit of chain and are they all the same fittings

PashleyRider

yeah Decathlon also do 2 tubes for £3 get a points card, and you should hopefully get enough to get some bits free

omarm

PaulOliver wrote:

yeah Decathlon also do 2 tubes for £3 get a points card, and you should hopefully get enough to get some bits free

points card? i looked at this. they had some rubbish flash animation that didn't actually give much information
what do u get from the points card?

PashleyRider

you apply for it in store, and you get a certain amount of points per £1 spent. Once enough points are collected you get a £6 voucher. I had enough from my 6.3 to get £6 off my hydration pack and have nearly enough points to get another £6 off.

Another thing worth buying is a spare mech hanger, always worth having in your tool kit

Rushmore

PaulOliver wrote:

Another thing worth buying is a spare mech hanger, always worth having in your tool kit

lol wut?

:roll:

PashleyRider

Whats wrong with that suggestion? Saves a trip to Decathlon if you snap it (not everybody lives 5mins from a store), and they often have to order them in apparently, so it just means more time off the bike. I know I would struggle to find the hanger for my 6.3 at other bike shops...

mrmonkfinger

Rushmore wrote:

PaulOliver wrote:

Another thing worth buying is a spare mech hanger, always worth having in your tool kit

lol wut?

:roll:

Mash your dérailleur on a tree, and you will see the wisdom contained in that statement.

:roll: :roll: :roll:

mrmonkfinger

omarm wrote:

is a pump from the pound shop a good or bad idea?

Over the last few years, I've broken several £25 track pumps.

The tiny £1.50 pump is still going.

PashleyRider

I have broken plenty of mech hangers both on the trails and whilst doing trials (mech takes once heck of a beating when you slip on a sidehop), not once broken a mech whilst doing so... and they have ranged from nasty Sora things to XTR. A mech is also easily available from any bikeshop, unlike his mech hanger potentially.