General Cycling Discussion - Accessory shoping... stuff that I need, nothing I don't

I have been able to narrow down the roadie I'm gonna buy, but I'll also need the rest of the stuff. Here is my list (prices in Canadian):

Shoes: Specialized $70
Helmet: $50
Shorts (1): $50?
Simple jersey (1) :$50?
Breathable rain jacket: $60
Computer: $40
lights: $50
Extra bottle bracket + bottles: $25??
Saddle bag + tool set: $50

Total: ~$500 (not including tax)

Sheesh :rolleyes:

I guess some of the stuff can wait till my next pay cheque, but I think the above is more or less essential.

Maybe somebody could add something in I have missed or help me take out things I don't need?

Do you already have a good pump? Talk about essential!:)

I have one in the garage, but are you talking about one I can carry?

I didn't think it would be essential since I don't see many riders with them.

Yes I was talking about a small portable one. At least on an MTB it's essential. I used mine just a couple days ago. Darned Locust trees! :mad:

Originally posted by Amir R. Pakdel
I have one in the garage, but are you talking about one I can carry?

I didn't think it would be essential since I don't see many riders with them.

Unless you don't mind walking with your bike its not very essential hehe :D
I would ditch the shoes and go for other things first...but thats just my opinion.

Camel-Pak=no need for tool bag or water bottle racks.
Computer
light set
tool-bag/with tools=park small tool set
Extra chain links
extra tube/lube <----going to need that when your screwed without a spare tube.
PUMP (carry dust tape if you don't want the pump)
band aids (trust me)
Helmet
Padded riding shorts
Don't need a jersey right away.

I think thats a good starter kit.
Have a wonderful day and take care! :beer:

Just my 0.02 cents worth.
I rode for six years without a computer, and even though I have one now, I don't consider it a must have. If I had to choose between a computer and a pair of good cycling shorts, or a helmet, I would choose the latter.
I carry allen wrenches in the size on my bike only(three), a pair of small needle nose pliers, tube, patch kit, one small straight screw driver(would carry a philips if I needed one), tire tools(dismount), Tire pump. I also carry two water bottles. Being primarily a Roadie, I watch the weight. Probably why I have never gone with a camelback. That, and in my local riding range I know where the watering holes are. I average three flats a year while out and about. These tools have so far, always been enough to get me home. ride long and prosper. Stan:D

Originally posted by Coffee

Don't need a jersey right away.


heh, yeah you are right.

Almost every rider I have seen on a roadie has been wearing a the jersey so I unconciously listed that as "essential".


I rode for six years without a computer, and even though I have one now, I don't consider it a must have. If I had to choose between a computer and a pair of good cycling shorts, or a helmet, I would choose the latter.

The thing is that I plan to train for competetion, and I have found that the only way I can improve my performance is by pushing a bit more every once in a while, and tracking my speed etc. helps me a lot.

Originally posted by Amir R. Pakdel


heh, yeah you are right.

Almost every rider I have seen on a roadie has been wearing a the jersey so I unconciously listed that as "essential".



The thing is that I plan to train for competetion, and I have found that the only way I can improve my performance is by pushing a bit more every once in a while, and tracking my speed etc. helps me a lot.

Yeah and crashing like a fool with that jersey on makes it worse hehe...I just use a nice white wife beater under shirt...so when I crash people look and think "ooh, ok hes new" but if you wear a jersey they think "what a doo-fus, he thinks hes all pro". Hehe. Thats a joke of course. ;)

I wouldn't ride without a computer for training or just recreation and heres why:

-A begginer wants to know his limits as does the professional, so if you ride to far say "25mi" you want to know that limit the next time you go to ride/train.

-Most trails have speed limits and I swear I have seen 1 guy get totally embarrased by a park ranger for ripping threw a trail around 25mph

-Someone ask you what time it is and all you do is look down and tell them :)

-How long did it take you to get to your job

-Why not, there cool looking and even people that don't bike think so and if you can dig anything up thats cool about biking then do it! hehe :D

I almost forgot!

-When you crash and people stop to help you, you can say "did my computer make it?...TELL ME SHE DID!".

And when you eat it on the fastest part of the trail you can use the max speed function and see just how fast you were going when you ate it. Hitting a tree stump with your pedal at 28mph hurts.

Gloves are not an optinal extra. If you take a spill, they will protect your hands from a skinning. You can live with severe grazing on other parts of your body, but without gloves, you find out who your real friends are.

If you are riding every day, you need clean shorts every day. Can you manage that with 1 pair.

A simple repair kit, allen keys, pump, spare inner, spare patches and tyre levers are essential. Dont ride without them unless you can happily walk home. I change my repair kit according to the distance, adding cables, leatherman/pliers, chain tool, only for longer day rides.

You can pick up some of your list (eg water bottles/cages) from the clearance bin at many bike shops. It is always cheaper to buy summer gear in winter and winter gear in summer.

Originally posted by MichaelW


Gloves are not an optinal extra. If you take a spill, they will protect your hands from a skinning. You can live with severe grazing on other parts of your body, but without gloves, you find out who your real friends are.







If you are riding every day, you need clean shorts every day. Can you manage that with 1 pair.







A simple repair kit, allen keys, pump, spare inner, spare patches and tyre levers are essential. Dont ride without them unless you can happily walk home. I change my repair kit according to the distance, adding cables, leatherman/pliers, chain tool, only for longer day rides.







You can pick up some of your list (eg water bottles/cages) from the clearance bin at many bike shops. It is always cheaper to buy summer gear in winter and winter gear in summer.





I'll second all of that!





Get one pair of shorts for each day you plan on riding; don't worry about getting Perl Izumis; I wear the El Cheapo brand (Performance Bike (http://www.performancebike.com); one of the sponsors of this forum), which cost about 60% less than Izumis. Make sure that you get the shorts with chamois, though!





Get the cheapest cages you can find, and water bottles can often be found for free -- I've two that have the logos of local businesses on them, and they hold water just as well as the more expensive bottles ;) . Camelbaks are a preference; I like them for long rides, but the cooling effect of a lycra-covered back can't be denied. Since you are a newbie, I'd recommend one -- since the tube is *there*, you tend to drink more water, which is essential to *any* physical activity.





You might also want to buy a few packs of gel (like Clif Shots), and throw them in your pack -- I've had two occasions where I would have been in a serious mess without that little bit of energy (I had planned a 30mi ride, and ended up doing more like 60...)





Jerseys are nice (I own a few), but they are totally optional. If you decide to get a few, don't spend the incredible amounts of cash for some slick team jersey; great short- and long-sleeve single-colored ones can be had for around.





(Ok, I do own *one* team jersey, but it was on sale, and it has a big "USPS" logo on the front. :D ).

Amir, IMO a jersey is essential. Unlike a t-shirt, it won't get soaked and disgusting in sweat, and you'll really appreciate those pockets. You can get a good quality one for $28 [Canadian] at Mountain Equipment Coop [look here (http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=16005&bmUID=1019328485480)]. If there is no MEC near you, you can order online -- shipping is free in Canada.

If I can go through your accounting...

Shoes: Specialized $70
Helmet: $35 [You can find something workable from Louis Garneau, like the Alien, at around this price.]
Shorts (1): $32 [at MEC. They're not the greatest, but they're not bad]
Simple jersey (1) :$28
Breathable rain jacket: Not necessary. Spend $10 on one of those cheapo clear plastic rain jackets and cut off the sleeves. You're going to be wet from sweat anyway, you only need to keep the chill out.
Computer: $16. Get a cheap one like the cateye Velo 2. All you need from a computer is trip distance, odometer, time and current speed. The other stuff is nice, but not essential. A computer showing speed IS essential if you're training or you're going to be in group rides.
lights: Not necessary. It stays light in Canada until 7:30 at night now, and will until September. You will probably be doing very little, if any, riding at night. Besides, a really effective lighting system will cost more like $100. Save the money.
Extra bottle bracket + bottles: You can get a bottle cage at MEC for $3 and a couple of bottles for $2.75 each. That's $8.50.
Saddle bag + tool set: $31.50 MEC has a seat bag for $15 and the Park MTB-2 micro tool kit for $16.50.

That all comes to a grand total of $215. Hey, at that price, you can spring for an extra jersey and shorts and a couple of pairs of coolmax socks and still be well under $300.

That all comes to a grand total of $215. Hey, at that price, you can spring for an extra jersey and shorts and a couple of pairs of coolmax socks and still be well under $300.

Hehe wow, that's amazing. The price cut to half! :beer:

I didn't know MEC had cycling gear. I love their products.

And I just love those simple jerseys. I didn't want anything with flashy logos or anything anyways. With these simple colors now I can go ahead and try to get a color match with my bike :D

Yeah yeah, I know, that's newbie of me, but hey it's simple things that get me excited.

I use lights in summer and winter. Today for the first time, I left them at home for a short ride around town, and ran into a sea fog !.
Very often, day rides can get extended into dusk or night rides by a mechanical fault or a detour. An LED rear and front will at least get you seen and these days they are pretty small.
Vancouver winters should be fine for riding if you take the usual wet/cold precautions. I knocked together a homebrew battery lighting system for £40 that has seen me through 3 winters so far.

check out nashbar. com
big discounts

I use Longcycle.com for much of my apparel. Their "grabbag" specials are a deal if you're not particular about what name might appear on them. I got 2 pair of nice 8 panel shorts for under $50US. My 2 pair have the logo of the now (assumedly) extinct Schwinn-Toyota team. Being a bit of a retro rider I find that both cool and appropriate. Btw they practically give away Coolmax socks.

(No I don't work for them)

Jerseys are nice but Coolmax shirts have the moisture benefits and cost alot less but the lack of pockets can be irritating.

Shop around.

:beer:

Originally posted by Amir R. Pakdel
Hehe wow, that's amazing. The price cut to half! :beer:
Glad I could help. :D

If they don't have what you need at the store near you, I find their mail/web order quite efficient. It takes about three days to get an order from them in Montreal -- and shipping is free in Canada.

[For those of you who are wondering about MEC (http://www.mec.ca/), it's an institution in Canadian sporting supplies. It has always carried the best in outdoor and adventure sports supplies at excellent prices and has even outfitted Polar and Himalayan expeditions. What are their prices like? Their basic jerseys are the exact same quality as Nahbar's and Performance's and sell for $28 Canadian -- that's $17.77 US -- and there's no shipping cost in Canada. Almost every cyclist I know has stuff from MEC. The downside is that the selection of bike stuff isn't huge, though there's lots of stuff for kayaking and rock climbing, and you have to pay a $5 one-time feel to become a member of the coop... but that fee gives you a share in the coop, which gives you voting rights and a lifetime subscription to the catalogue.]

MEC really is fantastic - I spend way too much money there.

On the bike gear they do carry, they generally have the best prices.

Originally posted by MichaelW
Gloves are not an optinal extra. If you take a spill, they will protect your hands from a skinning. You can live with severe grazing on other parts of your body, but without gloves, you find out who your real friends are.


Just a small aside here: if you're sticking your hands out when you crash you're not doing it properly. Keep those extremities in close to the body and let the more robust bits take the blows.

Everytime I hear of mountainbikers breaking collarbones I think 'there's another bozo holding his head up and sticking his hands out in a vain attempt to break his fall.' Tuck and roll people. Tuck and roll.

ps. I would like to add another vote of approval fer MEC's gear. I'm just putting together an order of bike shorts to email to them in fact, since the ones I bought from them three years, and many thousands of kilometers ago are starting to show some signs of wear, not to mention my date.

i guess i'm just gross, i dont mind wearing a dirty pair of shorts as long as they are dry, and i dont mind a sweat soaked shirt while i'm riding... i dunno, why worry about being clean right before you get nasty is how i look at it, i shower when i'm done and the shorts get washed before they get too bad, but then again i'm dirt poor and i'm down to the bare essentials. I just carry some spare in a can stuff and my cell phone... hopefully the sutff works if i ever get a flat and if not, i'll just call somebody, but i haven't gone too terribly far yet.

Originally posted by Amir R. Pakdel
I have been able to narrow down the roadie I'm gonna buy, but I'll also need the rest of the stuff.
Maybe somebody could add something in I have missed or help me take out things I don't need?
Most new bikes don't come with pedals. Have you decided which pedals you are getting?
You'll also need cleats for the shoes.

Originally posted by RonH
You'll also need cleats for the shoes.
Pedals alwyas come with cleats unless they fall off the back of a truck.

This year, I decided I really needed a new helmet (giro- ideal for people who, like myself, have really small heads) and new goves. After going out for an 80 k ride I realized I also needed new shorts since only one pair has padding thicker than tha pad on a bandaid. Yowch! So I've ordered two new pairs of short shorts, so I won't have to worry about my tan looking stupid. I also realized that I needed a new pair of tights and long-sleeved jersey for colder weather. I got all this stuff on sale at Nashbar and performance at good prices. I can't afford Pearl Izumi, but the house brand is pretty good and very reasonable and they had my size.

Now, I find I have to get some head sweats (I call them head shmatas). My hair is not long enough for a ponytail and too long in spots so it sometimes escapes from the helmet and flops in my face- annoying!

I think I've spent enough already for the year.

Originally posted by wabbit

I think I've spent enough already for the year.

Blasphemy!!! :D

I bought 8 slightly used jerseys on ebay for less than 100 dollars. I would NOT recommend getting shorts this way.

I'll chime in. Get a good, very bright, blinkie and stick in your seat bag. Dusk on a shaded parkway will pay for it. Get an extra tire and two tubes. It's nice to have a spare on hand. Where you can, with the stuff you'll use regularly, opt for the highest quality (though perhaps not most expensive) you can. It'll be likely be cheaper in the long run. Especially with shoes and bibs.

Gloves are not an optinal extra. If you take a spill, they will protect your hands from a skinning. You can live with severe grazing on other parts of your body, but without gloves, you find out who your real friends are.



Gloves are also great for helping absorb some of the road vibration. I never rode with gloves when I was riding my old mountain bike on the street (with asphalt slicks) but when I started riding my road bike, my first longer haul (maybe 25-30 miles) my hands got SO numb. I couldn't feel anything with the first three fingers on my left hand for the entire next day. I bought a pair of fingerless gloves, but I wish I'd gotten ones with full fingers, as I have a habit of riding with my index fingers on the brake/shifter levers, and often end up with numbness along the outside edge of my fingers.

Me, I don't have much for accessories. I have gloves, lockup equipment, two bottle cages, two bottles, frame pump, front-and-rear LED blinky-visibility-lights, tool bag (containing: allen-key set, folding screwdriver, box of bandaids, extra innertube, tire-levers, ponytail holders, small bottle of sunscreen, and a plastic baggie with $5 in it). I'm slowly amassing my winter gear, and am eyeballing REI (http://www.rei.com) and Primal Wear (http://www.primalwear.com) for warm-weather clothing stuff. Check out Primal's 2004 stuff. The prices are very agreeable.

I'm waiting until next summer to get shoes and clipless pedals. I'm probably going to have to save up for SIDI "mega" shoes because I have awful Yeti feet, and they are hideously expensive shoes. :(

This thread has been exhumed.

MEC has cyclecomputers starting at about $12. Rear LEDs for 3.75.

Sportjunkie has cheaper helmets.

I just can't understand why people place such importance on gloves- I've never used them. Scraped up hands once or twice 5+ years ago, no big deal.

I have been able to narrow down the roadie I'm gonna buy, but I'll also need the rest of the stuff. Here is my list (prices in Canadian):

Shoes: Specialized $70
Helmet: $50
Shorts (1): $50?
Simple jersey (1) :$50?
Breathable rain jacket: $60
Computer: $40
lights: $50
Extra bottle bracket + bottles: $25??
Saddle bag + tool set: $50

Total: ~$500 (not including tax)

Sheesh :rolleyes:

I guess some of the stuff can wait till my next pay cheque, but I think the above is more or less essential.

Maybe somebody could add something in I have missed or help me take out things I don't need?

I would add in gloves (help prevent handlebar palsy), and a frame pump. (with tire levers and a spare tube) I would save money on all of the above by shopping at MEC, as someone else has already detailed. I wouldn't go for the cheapest helmet you can find, because the cheaper helmets have less ventilation in them, and are therefore more uncomfortable. An uncomfortable helmet is one you never want to wear.

I bought 8 slightly used jerseys on ebay for less than 100 dollars. I would NOT recommend getting shorts this way.
Thanks for the response THREE YEARS LATER
There are plenty of other much newer threads on the same topic that you could have replied to

CHECK THE FRAKKING DATES PEOPLE

Hey- that's actually quite funny. Is this a variant on standard trolling technique or something?