Accessories
The good news is that once you've got your bike, there's still more shopping to do! The bad news is that you're not quite done spending money. There's an assortment of things you'll need and things that'll make your ride better. The things you need generally have to do with safety. The things you'll want will make the ride more comfortable. Clothing is a matter that falls somewhere between the two. Cycling clothing helps make the ride more comfortable since it typically offers very little resistance and, of course, bike shorts also offer extra padding in the seat to soften otherwise hard bike seats. On the other hand, since cycling is an outdoor activity, the right clothing will also protect you from the weather.
Safety
Accidents happen. Some can be prevented, others cannot. In general, with bikes, preventing accidents means being seen. For the daytime, visibility depends on how you ride whay you wear. At night, being seen means riding with lights. Today's lights are compact, bright and long running. Any cyclist who rides after dark needs two lights: a head light and a blinking tail light.
The older generation of head lights were bulky, bright and short lived. Typically, the batteries were size of a water bottle, lasted less than an hour and degraded rapidly over time. Batteries have shrunk drastically in the last few years. The big revolution, though, has been LED lighting. With the advent of white light LEDs a few years ago, ultra efficient bike lights started showing up on the market. The early ones would not project a beam very well even if they were bright. The best of current breed, on the other hand, throw a very bright beam a considerable distance with good focus. Plus, they run for two to five hours on rechargeable AA batteries. You will find two basic types of headlights on the market. The less exepnsive ones, $20-$50, emit very bright white light, but do not project that light. They will make you seen. The more expensive variety actually project a strong beam. These cost anywhere from $80 to $400. Yeah, you read that right. $400 for a bike light. You can get an effective, old style, halogen light at the bottom end of that range. The new compact and energey effecient lights start around $120. Expensive though they might be, a good light is worth every penny even if it prevents an accident just once.
I field one of the last of the Halogen models. It's reasonably compact, very bright and focuses well. Because it's the old technology, it was also cheap. For the next year or so, old style halogen lights will most likely be on clearance. The light below is Planet Bike's Alias Halogen light. I spent $80 on it in 2006. This model has been discontinued.
The light that can really save your life is the tail light. Tail lights let drivers know where on the road you are. Most tail lights are LED based lights that have several run modes. I prefer the blinking mode because it grabs the attention of drivers who might not be as alert as they would be during the day. The tail light pictured below is another offering from Planet Bike. I spent $12 on it several years ago.
Do you really need lights? The answer, based on my experience, is yes!!! Many years ago I worked on a swing shift and got off at one in the morning. My ride during that time was some eight miles along mostly deserted roads. Mostly is the key adjective. During the two years I made that commute, I had several drivers pull up next to me at stoplights and tell me that they had spotted my tail light a mile away. Some of them told me that the blinking light woke them up. Others said that really paid attention to it thinking that it was a light on a police or road construction vehicle. The head lights meanwhile have, time and again, revealed hazards to me well before I encountered them, giving me plenty of time to avoid them.
Some accidents just happen. On a bike, you fall when something goes wrong. Most of your body is resilient enough to survive a fall with little more than scrapes and bruises. Your head is a different story. When I broke my collar bone in a very dramatic crash, it healed with the help of a brace that immobilized it. Head injuries often do not heal. Cognitive impairment from closed head injuries is permanent. Don't take any chances, wear a helmet. The crash that snapped my collar bone also landed me on my head very hard. I walked away with only the scratches and the broken bones because I was wearing a helmet.
Helmets today meet very stringent safety standards first developed by the Snell Foundation. These standards were adopted as Federal safety standards in 1997 and all bicycle helmets along with motorcycle helmets meet those standards. If you purchase a helmet from reputable dealer, it will have a sticker on the inside that says that it complies with U.S. CPSC standards. If that sticker it not present, do not buy the helmet. Modern bicycle helmets are designed to carry the energy of a crash away from your head and have a lifetime of exactly one crash. Replace your helmet after any crash in which your head makes contact with the ground. Helmets can cost as little as $30 and, as with all things, the sky's the limit. Most good helmets will cost between $50 and $70. They come in many styles and colors. Go with the one that feels the most comfortable and get it in a bright color. The color makes you visible. Many manufacturers, perhaps in an attempt to capture the edgy youth market, have begun making helmets in black, gray and camouflage. Do not make this fashion mistake! White is the new black. Go with a color that stands out. Remember, being seen is the first step in avoiding close encounters with cars.
The helmet pictured below is from Giro. It's a mid priced model that's served my wife well for a couple of years now. I use a Bell Helmet myself.
Comfort and Security
Although most people dread the onset of winter, the most perilous weather time of year for cyclists is the dead of August. Heat can sneak up on you especially on a long ride. Carry water in the summer. You might not drink it all, but you will want to have enough for your ride. Water will cool you off better than just about anything else. Sports drinks do the commuter little good. Those drinks were designed for competitive riders doing long distance training. For most of us, they're just a waste of money.
The vast majority of bikes these days have holes in their frames for attaching hardware to hold bottles of water. Spend the ten or so dollars to outfit your bike with one or two bottle cages as they're called. Many times, bike stores will throw the water bottle itself in for free with the purchase of a new bike. In any case, water bottles are cheap. Typically they have screw on tops that have little valves you can open with your teeth to take a sip.
Many people use the new hydration packs. The packs are small backpacks with a bladder of water built into them. A tube usually runs from the bladder along the strap to a point near your mouth. This lets you drink without taking your hands from handlebars. I don't use one myself, but many people like them.
In addition good water bottle, you'll want to carry a pump and the means with which to patch or replace an inner tube. There are a wide variety of compact tire pumps on the market today and most are both inexpensive and well made. These compact pumps can be easily mounted on your bike's frame. Along with the pump you will need tire levers and either a spare inner tube or patch kit. I prefer to carry spare inner tube in my bike packs, but a patch kit can be carried in your pocket. Pictured below is my pump and tire changing kit.
Lastly, when you get off your bike and park it, you'll want to find exactly where you left it when you come back. That means you need to protect your investment with a good lock. I use a combination of U-Lock and cable.
This picture shows Kryptonite U-lock and a cable. U-locks, called that because of the their shape, slide around your frame and some immovable object on the street. Most cities in recent years have made hitching posts and other facilities available to secure your bike. Parking meters and rails will also provide a secure hold for your lock. However, by itself a U-lock will only secure your bike's frame. Most modern bikes have quick release wheels which, while making tire changes a snap, also make it easy for thieves to steal your wheels. You can either remove your front wheel, lean it next to your rear wheel and slide your U-lock through both wheels and frame. This is not always possible, so I augment my lock with a cable run through both wheels and looped through U-lock.
What to Wear
Believe it not, cyclists aren't just showing off their tight, muscular buns when they wear those tight shorts. There is, in fact, a method to this exhibitionism. As you might expect, shorts made out of spandex(lycra) move with your body when you pedal. In addition, they won't snag on parts of the bike. Plus, they're cool when the weather turns warm. You generally can't see the most important feature of cycling shorts. Most cycling shorts have a padded crotch that serves both to cushion notoriously uncomfortable bike seats and to absorb sweat that would otherwise irritate sensitive skin. Below you see a smartly dressed cyclist in tight shorts. Next to him you see what his shorts look like when turned inside out. Note the chamois pad that covers the seat. That's what softens the ride.
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Aside from shorts, all you really need is a comfortable top. T-shirts are fine. Cycling jerseys are expensive and give you little besides handy pockets in back. Gloves are nice to have since they both cushion your hands and protect them during a crash.
For nasty weather you'll want a good, gore text lined jacket. This will keep both water and wind out. For your legs, wear a good pair of cycling tights. I have two pairs. One is just a thick, lycra weave suitable for mild fall nights. For colder weather I own a pair of fleece lined tights. Most of my outerwear has reflective strips sewn in to make my visible at night. You'll see some of those in action in the section on night riding.
Carrying Loads
Recreational cyclists need to carry little besides the tools needed to make tire changes. Commuters have greater needs. We need to carry all the stuff we use at our workplace with us. I'll use myself as an example. I carry the following with me to work every day:
- Day Planner
- binder with assorted papers
- 1-2 text books
- change of clothes, business casual
- lunch
- bike headlight
- tire change kit and multi tool
- assorted sundries such as hair brush
- bike lock
- light, waterproof jacket.
Most professionals carry a similar load minus the text books. Backpacks work well for carrying the essentials, but come summer, they'll leave your back sticky with sweat. Panniers offer a more comfortable way to carry the stuff you need for your day. Pannier is French for basket, and, being a few lengths ahead of everyone else when it comes to cycling, the French were probably the first people to baskets on bikes. Panniers today are basically saddle bags that attach to a rack over either front or read wheels. A low end set of panniers from a retailer like Performance will run you between $60 and $80. Purchase the largest your budget will permit. Over time, you'll expand into that capacity whether you want to or not. The more you spend the tougher the panniers and the longer their life span. Touring cyclists rely on their panniers to hold their shelter and food, so they'll think nothing of spending $200 or more on a set. Arkel offers a wide selection for panniers for the serious touring or commuting cyclists. Jandd is another good vendor of bike packs. While pricey, their packs are very rugged. The pair I owned lasted close to eight years. Currently, I field a pair of Performance panniers purchased at a time of budgetary duress. They're reasonably well made and have seen three seasons without showing much wear. They're pictured below on my bike.
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If your hauling needs are lesser, you might be able to make do with a small rack pack like the one shown below on my wife's bike. This one is even insulated making it ideal for holding a lunch. It also has side pockets to carry small things like wallet and keys along with a tire change kit.
