What are the essential accessories needed?
 

I just bought my first bike, a Specialized Sirrus Comp, which I plan on using for primarily for fitness and commuting. My plan right now is to get up in the morning and hit the road to build my fitness level up and once I'm in better shape start riding to work which is only 6 miles but it's all up hill from my house.

My bike came with a Cateye computer and water bottle holders, but what else do I need to have it ready to tackle all season riding and commuting? For instance, do I need to get a under seat tool bag, front and rear lights, pumps, fenders...the list goes on. If your bike was bare what you purchase right away? Thanks for your input.

Common accessories for commuter bikes include lights, a rear rack, fenders, and some sort of storage system (panniers, trunk bag, milk crate + backpack). You'll probably also want a frame pump, patch kit, spare tube, tire levers, and a multi-tool.

You already pretty much know the basics. Just add a lock or two and enjoy the ride.

I wouldn't bother with the seat tool bag. It'd be just one more thing to have to mess with whenever you got off the bike. It's good for pleasure rides when you're traveling light, but useless for commuting when you're probably carrying another bag anyway.

I'm getting ready to finish the basic kitting of my bike tomorrow. I've already got a computer, water bottle and cage, and rear light: tomorrow I'm getting the front light, mirror, rear rack, and a stem to make the bike fit properly...and possibly some different tires.

The essentials, for me, are rear light, front light, and mirror, and making the bike fit properly. The rest can be worked around.
I say a mirror is essential gear because ears won't tell you how much room the car's going to give (or not give) you when they pass and hybrids are both really quiet and getting more common.

Where will you be parking the bike at work? How much is your bike worth? The reason I asked those questions is because if you bought the bike within the last year you paid around $900 for it. And if your parking it in an area that is subject to crime do you really want to trust a $900 bike to $150 locks? Any lock can be defeated and be defeated quickly. If the bike is over 5 years old the value of it isn't much and may not be an issue if it gets stolen. If getting it stolen is worry for you then if I were you I would buy a cheap used bike for $100 or so and lock it up at work with a medium duty lock and not worry about your better bike being gone when you get off work.

You could get a large handlebar bag and put all your stuff you need for work in there, and some bags have quick disconnect feature and come with a shoulder strap, thus the handlebar bag turns into a shoulder bag. You could get a messenger bag but those you have to ride with it slung over your shoulder, some are ok with that others are not.

Another poster gave you list of stuff to carry, adding to that I carry a ultralight folding tire I keep bound with a couple of those strong black rubber bands that inner tubes use. A tire like that can fit in a seat bag, or in a handlebar bag. A spare tire is great thing to have if you by some weird chance destroy a tire, and usually the tube too, you can slap on the spare stuff and get to work without to much delay. I also carry a Park Boot patch in case I get a cut in the tire I can reinforce it from under the tire to prevent a tire bulge, and then a small tube of SuperGlue to fill in the cut from the outside. Doing that will prevent any other road debris from entering into the same cut and blowing the tube.

If your going to be using lights of any kind you should carry spare batteries just in case a light goes dead while trying to get home. I carry one set of AA and AAA bats for my front flasher, bar end lights, helmet lights, and my main rear light, but I only carry one set of each because it's unlikely all those lights bats would die at the same time.

Carry personal ID and medical cards with you. And please wear a helmet.

Since you want ESSENTIAL stuff, I'd suggest the following:

Spare tube + tire + tool kit + in a saddle bag
Frame pump
Lights + batteries
helmet
helmet mounted Mirror
bell / horn
a cheap bike
good locks
Rear rack + 1-2 bags for said rack
water bottle + cage

Tire Repair kit:
It's much better to have it and not need it, than need it and not have it. same with lights. One thing I would add is that you should practice removing and installing a new rear tube until you can do the whole process in about 5 minutes. My friend made this mistake and ended up having to flag someone down at because she had all of the tools, but none of the skill.

Helmet mounted mirror:
I've tried using handlebar mounts, but they require adjustment whenever you change your position or bump into em. I never wear a helmet, but I'm gonna buy one simply because it's safe in 2 ways (3 if you mount blinkers on your helmet)

Horn:
i've used bells before, and i have one on my bike for the trails and really cold winter riding, but if I'm doing some serious bike commuting on the busy roads at rush hour, I have an airzound bike horn. For those who don't know, it's an air horn you pump up using a regular bike pump, and blares out a 120 decibel honk with just a button press. If you're not interested in getting a fancy horn, at least get a cheap one. In the morning, you get people who are texting while blasting music with their windows up and don't hear you ringing your bell. A quick blast from the horn lets em know you mean business.

Cheap bike:
I know it seems like a terrible idea to put mileage on a cheap bike, but with some slicks, a bit of tuning, even the cheapest bike is ridable to work. If you can't get a cheap bike, I highly suggest that search your workplace for somewhere you could stash your bike indoors, just be careful that you don't track in dirt or leave puddles. If you would really wanna be on the safe side, buy a lock and at least lock the rear wheel to the rear triangle to prevent someone from rolling your bike out. if you're paranoid, lock it to something indoors like I do. A buddy of mine works half a block away from a police precinct and kindly asked the officers if he was allowed to lock his bike up in front and not have to worry about people stealing it.

Rear Racks:
backpacks are alright, but they make your back sweaty and gross. combined with sitting in an office chair all day might result in some serious BO by the end of the day. a great way to lessen this is to buy a messenger bag that can hang from a rear rack. Racks are also handy for all sorts of other stuff and definitely a must have for a commuter

Water bottles and cages:
Depending on your skill level you can have 1 or 2 water bottles mounted on your bike, but you should at least have one. Most people drink coffee first thing in the morning, and that makes you dehydrated. you might not notice it when you're at home, but as you ride you'll quickly find your tongue replaced with a desert and that can be easily fixed by taking a nice long swig at a red light

I think that covers everything, but I might be wrong.

Multi-tool, flat repair kit + tube, full coverage fenders, decent blinky lights for front and rear if riding near sundown/sunup, a good luck charm, and slick tires if the bike has knobs.

I recommend a Radbot 1000 and Planet bike 1 Watt Blaze for cheap but very bright lights.
vittoria randonneur are my favorite tires at the moment for commuting.
Serfas fenders from amazon are cheap and of decent quality, SKS Longboard fenders are probably the most effective.

A rack and panniers is nice, but a book bag works just fine. The cheapest way to get weight off your back is to get a rack, bungee a bread rack to it, and bungee a back pack to that.

Did you notice the sticky at the top of this forum called, 'Commuters Useful Threads'? It has the information you're looking for.

Rear Rack
Light set (Front and rear)
Frame pump
Patch Kit and Tire levers
Noise maker (Horn, bell, something), yes, even when not on a road, and just using MUP's
OPTIONAL - Gloves (I like them, since they add a bit more padding)

What they said !
Plus
Your riding to work in the morning when eveyone is half asleep, texting and drinking coffee / eating behind the wheel...Get good tubes & tires & keep an eye on the air pressure...Get a few good bright flashing lights for the front and rear. How hard is it for you to see cyclists in the morning ?

Best Wishes !

at the most basic level, the only absolutely essential piece of equipment that you need to be a bicycle commuter is a functional bicycle.

as for the accessories, their importance will vary from person to person:

- some will say that racks and panniers are essential, but the backpack commuter might say otherwise.

- some will say that a water bottle and cage are essential, but the commuter only going 3 miles might say otherwise.

- some will say that fenders are essential, but the commuter in phoenix might say otherwise.

- some will say that lights are essential, but the commuter who rides exclusively in daylight might say otherwise.

- some will say that a helmet is essential, but the commuter who doubts the safety of helmet wearing might say otherwise.

- some will say that a good lock(s) is essential, but the commuter who has indoor secure storage at work might say otherwise.

- some will say that a flat repair kit and pump are essential, but the commuter rolling on marathon pluses might be a dice-roller and say otherwise.


in other words, there are no essential accessories in a general sense. individual circumstances and preferences will determine each individual's choices for the commuting accessories they feel they need.


for me, these are my essentials, in order of importance

1. saddle bag with flat repair kit (tube, patches, levers, CO2 pump, multi-tool)
2. helmet
3. lights
4. backpack
5. water bottle and cage

1: Be able to repair a flat----patch kit/tube,pump/Co2 thingy,tire irons. Practice removing the tire a few times.
2: Water bottle
3:If you ride at night,you need a front and back light.

That's it! Everything else is gravy.....

Gloves are optional until you take a spill and slide your palm along the road for 5m, then they become compulsory.

Make sure you have a flask full of whiskey.

that's not just good "essential accessories for bike commuting" advice; it applies to life in general.


"May the good lord bless me with any and all disease for which whisky is the cure"

- some old Scottish sot

Six miles isn't that far. You will always be at most 3 miles from home or work. Point is, that if you don't mind walking a couple miles, you can probably get away without flat repair gear. Maybe ride with a pump. Most flats leak slowly enough that you can ride 15 minutes or so before you lose pressure.

Fenders are nice when it rains or there is water on the ground, but not essential unless you don't want to get soaking feet and a streak up your back (some people don't care).

I've never found a bell or mirror to be esssential. This probably depends to some degree on your route.

Lights are a legal requirement in most places if you ride at night.

If you will be riding in snow or cold temperatures this is easily doable with the right gear (yes, even well below 0F), and potentially life threatening without. Studded tires are strongly recommended. See the winter forum section.

For me, a cell phone is essential, if for no other reason to let my wife know I'm not dead if I need to stop for a mechanical issue.

I never bothered with water on my commute (was 45 minutes, now its 4) or a cycle computer.

Paul

Legs, and some form of clothing. Everything else makes riding the bike easier, or more full proof, or whatever, but don't let anyone tell you you can't ride a bike to work without a tool kit, frame pump, cargo rack, spare fork, and three mirrors.

If I had to ride back 5 miles because I forgot something, it would be for lights if my ride home was in the dark. Everything else I could find a way to deal with.

Lights and something to carry your stuff in.

I use a mirror, am getting some fenders put on, have a cargo rack, etc. But at the end of the day, I have lights on my bike and a messenger bag that holds all my junk. Water's nice too.

That being said, I do a stretch on an overpass with no shoulder and heavy traffic followed by a left turn into a parking lot. The cheap handlebar mirror I picked up a few weeks ago has been a major quality of life improvement.

Thanks for all the replies and suggestions. As the bike I bought was used I decided to take it to my LBS for a full tune up. While there I splurged and bought some nice accessories for my bike that they will install while they work on my bike. I ended up buying full size fenders as I live in Seattle, rear rack with a good size rack bag, front and rear lights, floor and portable pumps, multi tool, flat repair kit, water bottles, car carrier, and a set of Ergonomic grips with the full size bar ends. I'm pretty excited and can't wait to pick it up tomorrow and starting riding.

For me a pannier set/ trunk for the back rack is essential to my commute. I chose the Topeak MTX system with the fold-out panniers; great system, sturdy, durable and easy to use.

The other necessary is a light, even if you think that your commute will be daytime only, you never know when the boss will stick you with a huge project at 4:30 that lands you on the road at 9 pm in the dark. I recently purchased the NiteRider Cherry Bomb (http://randomstreamoc.blogspot.com/2...ike-light.html) This thing is extremely visible, I use it even pre-dusk just to be careful. (It also comes in handy for early morning commuting in the fog, which I am sure you will experience in Seattle)

Enjoy your new lifestyle!

-J