Diary of a newbie

Bazinga!!!

Greetings one & all.

New member, 1st post so be gentle now.

Finally took the plunge and ordered my 1st bike for 30 years. After much soul searching I've decided on a Dolan Multicross, with SRAM Apex, SKS mudguards & Mavic Askium wheels. I've ordered flat pedals and toe clips for now until I get used to riding the bike, changing gear etc...but will look to go SPD asap.

Reason for bike purchase is for commuting to work an average of 4 times a week come hail, rain or shine. I work 12+ hour shifts and a mixture of days & nights. Reason for bike choice is terrain, trusted brand name & decent spec for the money. I'm lucky enough to work very near to Dolan's bike shop and the staff in there have been absolutely 1st class with me.

I'm utilising my LBS for other essentials that I think I may need including:
decent set of lights
saddle bag
spare tubes & puncture repair kit
pump
multitool.

I already have a helmet & some clothing but would welcome any suggestions for other essentials I may have missed.

My bike arrives in 2-3 weeks and I'm counting down the days.

Sprool

Gel gloves
Cycling jersey to match the colourscheme of your bike is a must.
Team Sky-branded water bottle and cage
good quality bike lock

Bazinga!!!

Thanks for the quick reply guys.

Some good (& now I come to think about it) obvious suggestions.

Sprool - do you recommend gel gloves all year round or just for autumn/winter?

Oxoman - thanks for the commuting advice, it's something I've not considered before. With regards to padded shorts, I've got a cheap pair with a blue padded insert & a slightly more expensive bibbed 3/4 length pair with a red padded insert. Is this a universal colour coded system with blue being not very good & red being better or do you just generally get what you pay for?
Also, pardon my ignorance (it is a genuine question) but what is the proper way to lock a bike? Can you, or anyone else, recommend a good bike lock?

Once again thank you for your replies.

chuckla

A bike has to be locked through he rear wheel and frame (seat stay) front wheel also if quick release a d it as to be to an immovable object or it won't be covered by insurance

Bazinga!!!

chuckla wrote:

A bike has to be locked through he rear wheel and frame (seat stay) front wheel also if quick release a d it as to be to an immovable object or it won't be covered by insurance

Thanks. Sounds obvious when you think about it. Would one lock be sufficient or do you advise two?...or is two too much.

Not considered bike insurance before. Any recommendations out there?

BigLee1

You should be able to get it covered on your house contents insurance.
Get some of the Bolle £10 safety specs for keeping flies out of your eyes
Your arse WILL hurt when you start no matter what shorts you get
Bin the toeclips and just get some flat mtb pedals then you can get spd`s and shoes later, toeclips are bloody dangerous! You can pick some spd`s up for about £20 and shoes a bit more, overshoes are excellent for keeping your feet warm when its raining or cold. MTB stuff is usually more practical
How far is your commute?
If you wear a rucksac and a hi viz vest put the vest on the bag not you
Plenty of lights threads on here, do you want to see or be seen? that will dictate your lights, get a good back one tho

Bazinga!!!

BigLee1 wrote:

You should be able to get it covered on your house contents insurance.
Get some of the Bolle £10 safety specs for keeping flies out of your eyes
Your ars* WILL hurt when you start no matter what shorts you get
Bin the toeclips and just get some flat mtb pedals then you can get spd`s and shoes later, toeclips are bloody dangerous! You can pick some spd`s up for about £20 and shoes a bit more, overshoes are excellent for keeping your feet warm when its raining or cold. MTB stuff is usually more practical
How far is your commute?
If you wear a rucksac and a hi viz vest put the vest on the bag not you
Plenty of lights threads on here, do you want to see or be seen? that will dictate your lights, get a good back one tho

Commute is approx 30 miles round trip. Mostly uphill on the way to work but then mostly down on the way home

Come to the conclusion that with regards to clothing (& indeed most things cycling related) that on the whole you get what you pay for.

oxoman wrote:

For locking i do as Chuckla recommends but i also have a good quality wire loop that goes through the front wheel and back onto the D shackle. As to padded shorts pad colour relating to quality i'm not sure, i know Decathlon do colour code theirs but not sure about others. As to rear light i have recently got a smart lunar r2 2 x 1/2 watt led from JeJames for a £10 and don't know why i wasted money buying my previous lights. see link
http://www.jejamescycles.co.uk/smart-lu ... tAodLiEA-w
As biglee mentions a lot depends on whether you want to see or be seen, but good one to look at is Moon XP300.
Good luck

Thanks for the advice, much appreciated. I've seen a Moon Comet bike light on Amazon which seems reasonably priced & gets good reviews so may go with that.

Bazinga!!!

Sono così eccitato...just had phone call from bike shop. Picking her up tomorrow afternoon. 1st impressions & pics to follow.

djm501

BigLee1 wrote:

Your ars* WILL hurt when you start no matter what shorts you get

Mine never has, you may get lucky like me :-P 8)

Bazinga!!!

Bazinga!!! wrote:

Sono così eccitato...just had phone call from bike shop. Picking her up tomorrow afternoon. 1st impressions & pics to follow.

1st Impressions???

Wow!!! Wow!!! Wow!!! Blown away by how light & fast the bike is compared to my 25 year old mountain bike. While I wouldn't say going uphill was a breeze it was so much easier than I have been used to. Downhill was scarily fast at times but by the end of my 1st ride (14 miles) I was grinning like a kid in a sweet shop. I'm looking at her as I'm writing this post & I want to go out again right now.

I'll settle for a short ride to my LBS tomorrow to pick up some bits & bobs then my daily commute starts Saturday. I'll post a pic when I can figure out how.

Ladies & gentlemen...I'm officially a cyclist!!!

BigLee1

Congratulations!!

Bazinga!!!

1st 3 days of commute finished & got to say so far so great. This may have a lot to do with the weather as it's been nice & sunny. Early starts are nice & cool but a lot warmer on the return home. Will have to rethink my clothing strategy. Starting to see the possible benefits of investing in some arm & leg warmers. So far no sore ars* but commute only 14 miles each way.

One thing I am surprised about is I actually find I have more energy after arriving at work (& after a quick shower & change). When I return home it's usually about 08:30-09:00pm & I find I'm quite hungry. Can anyone recommend some good, healthy food that will replace lost energy but not weigh on my stomach before bed. It would be much appreciated.

willow71uk

Omelette! quick easy and you can make it as healthy or non healthy as you like.

Bazinga!!!

willow71uk wrote:

Omelette! quick easy and you can make it as healthy or non healthy as you like.

Good advice, thanks! Don't know why I didn't think of that...Doh!!! :oops: