Essential Biking Accessories
 

Hello, I just got my first road bike (a Trek 2.1) and now need to get completely outfitted with new accessories. Anybody recommend their essential accessories plus their favorite brands. I'm in NYC so will be doing some cold weather cycling.

Also, are there downsides to having pedals that are two sided (one side to clip-in and one side for regular shoes)? Those type of pedals intrigue me.

Thanks in advance for the help.

Congratulations on the new bike.

You might want to post in The Northeast Forum.

get a track pump for home. it take a couple of strokes to top up the bike before riding.
co2 inflator or portable pump (either frame pump or mini pump) for punctures on the road. getting stranded is no fun.
puncture repair kit and spare inner tube.
saddle bag for putting these things in.
nearly forgot....helmet.


These i would think are first things. other stuff you can build up gradually like cycling shorts, jersey ... other clothing as and when conditions require it.

cold weather? Something to cover your face.

hey dlion

was this bike a christmas present? nice.

not your eyes mind lol

Get a pump for home, a pump for the road, a patch kit, and a spare inner tube. That's really all anyone "needs", in the sense that we all need to be able to keep moving along. A nice multi-tool is a good if you're going to be further than, say, 15 miles from home.

Good pump: http://www.artscyclery.com/descpage-8462.html
Good road pump: http://www.amazon.com/Topeak-Road-Mo.../dp/B002AGJRHO

Avoid mini-pumps, IMO.

Good multi-tool: http://www.amazon.com/Crank-Brothers.../dp/B001O07WK6

And keep your bike alive, lube your chain every 150 miles or so.

Water bottle cage(s)- I like camelbak

Pedals & Shoes- Your preference

A new saddle if you are unhappy with your current one

2 spare tubes.
And know how to change a tube before you need to.

Get flashing lights for front/rear. Especially helpful in spring/fall when the sun doesn't stay out long but may be a nice day after work. :)

Mainly weight and ground clearance when cornering fast while pedaling. The "clip-in" side will use SPD mountain bike type cleats on the shoes, which must be compatible with this type of cleat.

With the snow we just had you probably won't be doing a lot of cycling any time soon!

Instead of the two sided pedals, mountain bike pedals might work especially if you plan on walking during your rides.

Check out Speedplay pedals instead of two sided or mountain bike pedals. They give you a very convenient two sided clip in capabilitiy so that you don't have to orient your pedal when starting off, and when you want to use ordianry shoes, you can slip on some $15 plastic pedals that are made for street shoes. Also, a cyclometer is something that you'll want so that you get a feel for speed and cadence (make sure that you get one with cadence capaibility).

Why a flashing light? I think flashing front lights are the worst development in cycling in years. While you may think that being seen is the most important thing in the world, being misunderstood makes it worse.
Flashing lights carry a meaning in the traffic world. They're either used for emergency vehicles, or turning movements, or warning lights for stopped vehicles. Confusing a driver doesn't make them safer.

What I love seeing is a rider at night with a flashing front light, but he's wearing all black.

You're going to spend a lot more than you think right now, but you'll have fun doing it--and seeing the results.

Personally, I think one of the most gratifying parts of cycling is doing the maintenance and keeping your bike in top condition. And to do that properly (really, to it to any decent level, IMO), you need a work stand of some kind.

this is appalling. we all have the terrible affliction of endless bike purchasing and as soon as a new guy shows up we try to corrupt him as quickly as possible.

At least nobody told him to get a Power Tap. Yet.

I believe you are mistaken here. I am of the opinion that a flashing light is much more likely to be noticed than a solid one. Actually helped one of my kids with a school science project on this very subject a while ago. I can go into details if you like but the flashing light was the clear cut winner in terms of drivers noticing them.

I'll equate this to how the human eye works. This old soldier and mountain boy knows very well how just holding still in the woods makes a body hard to notice even if they are not camoflauged. But let that body make a movement and the eye picks up on them right away. I'd suggest that a blinking light is noticed pretty much for the same reason.

Or aero wheels. Or a coach.

ftfy

;)

Unfortunately, starting road riding in the winter makes this a more expensive proposition. The clothing needs alone drive the cost of riding way up. Jacket, bibs/tights, gloves, booties, and base layers aren't cheap. Necessary, but not cheap.

As they say in so many hobbies: welcome to bicycling. Sorry about your wallet. :thumb:

well he asked for it.
;)

If you're looking to ride through the winter then it helps to have the following:

1. long sleeve base layer
2. winter cycling jersey...merino wool ones are great
3. thermal jacket
4. I would go straight to road pedals because they're the best for that specific discipline unless you just plan on doing short commutes/rides and want a shoe to walk around in. If so MTB shoes and pedals are fine. For road pedals the two most common are Look Keo and Speedplay, the former being single sided entry and the latter dual sided entry. If you have knee issues then Speedplay's are great since they provide a lot of float (up to 15 degrees of it if I remember correctly)
5. Safety lights for the front and rear. Planet Bike Superflash is great for the rear and the Planet Bike Blaze for the front, just keep in mind the Blaze will only be good as a safety light. If you want something to illuminate the road then there are other options but they tend to be expensive for the models which provide a high lumen output.
6. Wool socks
7. Winter specific shoes or research the multiple ways people insulate their road shoes for winter use

Good clothing is a must. I just bought some moisture wicking shirts at target. They look exactly like jerseys but without the elastic bands at the bottom. Long sleeve and 1/2 length zipper in the front. $20. The cheapest jersey at the LBS is about $50. Recommend you update the wardrobe for a New York winter before spending a lot of gizmos. Just get a bag for under your saddle to carry a spare tube and a change kit with pump. That's about all you need right now. A cyclometer is cool to track the miles and speed.

Nice, but the OP was interested in two-sided pedals that allowed the use of normal shoes on side or shoes with cleats on the other, not pedals that required cleats on both sides. Duh.

beer

Look into some spd-sl pedals. I know you said your looking for dual sided pedals but with spd-sl you get a pretty large platform for normal shoes if you don't want to wear cycling shoes. I've used normal shoes on my spd-sl 105 pedals and didn't have any issues.