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6 things every new road cyclist needs Dec 2018Get in gear - 6 essentials every new road cyclist needs in their starter kit
Are you new to road cycling? The good thing is that it’s pretty easy to get into road cycling, and apart from the main purchase of a bicycle, it’s not the most expensive pastime you could pick from a long list of regular hobbies that British people partake in. But there are some other essentials...
If you are looking to get into road cycling and you’re not sure what you need to get started, we’ve listed some of the key things you might want to consider. Top of the list is a bike, obviously, but beyond that, you really don’t need much else - just plenty of enthusiasm and energy to turn the pedals. As you find yourself getting more into cycling, there are a few useful things that can make cycling more comfortable and enjoyable.
We’ve listed some key road cycling products in order of importance, starting with...
1. A bike
An obvious one this, but if you’re going to take up cycling of any sort, you’re going to need a bike. Now is a really good time to buy a new road bike, there is a lot of choice at a huge range of prices, and the quality of bikes across the board is really good.
Sure, you can easily drop £10,000 on a Tour de France replica, but there are lots of bargains to be had for under £500 if you don't want to spend too much.
Read more: The Best Road Bike Bargains for under £500
Bikes come in many guises, this guide gives a good overview of the different types of road bike available on the market.
Read more: Beginner's guide to bike types
And if you're not sure where to start with buying a road bike, let us guide you to making the right decision, with this helpful guide.
Read more: Buying your first road bike — everything you need to know
2. Padded shorts
If you’re just planning on very short cycle rides, to the office or college, for example, you can get by just fine with regular clothes. There’s no need to wear anything special.
If you want to get into road cycling properly and tackle some longer distances, perhaps even enter a sportive or join your local club, a really good investment is a pair of padded shorts. Your bum will thank you.
They can be worn on their own, or concealed under baggy shorts if you prefer, and they provide a thin padding that provides a bit of cushioning against the saddle, and can substantially improve comfort on longer rides. Just remember, no underwear under padded shorts.
Read more: Cycling shorts — everything you need to know
You can spend anything from about £40 to over £300, so there really is something for all budgets. Here’s our buyer’s guide
Read more: Best cycling bib shorts — your buyer’s guide & 9 great choices
Read more: Best cheap cycling shorts
3. Cycling jersey
A cotton t-shirt might be just fine for shorter rides, but they’re not really designed for the demands of a longer cycle ride.
A cycling-specific jersey is made from a fabric designed to keep you cool in the heat, and keep you dry when you break a sweat. They also have a long zip for ventilation, and three rear pockets for carrying food and other supplies that you might need on longer trips.
Cycling jerseys also come in many varieties designed for different conditions, from cold weather to hot weather jerseys, and can be worn with other clothing accessories like arm warmers and gilets.
You can pay anything from £5 to £130 for a jersey, here’s our buyer’s guide.
Read more: Buyer's guide to summer cycling jerseys — plus 14 of the best
4. Water bottle and bottle cage
Cycling can be thirsty work, especially in the summer heat, so keeping hydrated on longer rides is of paramount importance. Most road bikes have bolts on the frame (down tube and seat tube) that allow you to fit a special bottle cage into which a cycling bottle can be fitted.
You can stick a bottle of Coke or Lucozade in a jersey pocket or even a bottle cage, but the former isn’t very comfortable and the latter isn't the most secure. A cycling water bottle can also be reused hundreds of times, is easy to clean and is easy to drink from on the move.
5. Pump, spare tube, basic tools and chain oil
There are two things that any cyclist embarking on a ride really shouldn’t leave home without, and that’s a spare inner tube and pump. Nobody plans to puncture, but they do happen from time to time, so it’s worth being prepared so you don’t have to phone home for a lift.
A local bike shop will help you choose the right size spare inner tube (or you can read our guide below), and a pump doesn’t have to cost a lost. You can carry both in a jersey pocket or backpack, or better still is to stash the inner tube in a saddle bag, and mount the pump to the frame with the often supplied brackets.
Read more: How to repair a punctured inner tube
Read more: Video: Greg LeMond shows how to quickly change an inner tube
Another thing you might want to consider is a multitool. Multitools are the cyclist's equivalent of a Swiss Army knife, with a range of tool bits that can be used to make adjustments to the bike, such as raising or lowering the saddle height or tweaking the gears.
If you are really getting into cycling and doing regular rides, you’ll want to keep the chain well oiled so the gears work smoothly and quietly. Chain oil, or lube as it’s commonly called, is available from any good bike shop and a small bottle lasts a long time and doesn’t cost much.
Read more: How to clean and lube your bike's chain
Read more: The best multi tools — get the right bits to fix your bike's bits
6. Computer
Because everyone wants to know how fast and far they’ve cycled, don’t they?
This isn’t an essential product at all, but as any cyclist knows all too well, the most likely question you get from friends, a partner or family after a ride is how far did you ride and how fast did you pedal? And if you are new to cycling, it’s fun to track your distance of a ride and use that to measure your progress as you get into road cycling.
Cycle computers can also show you how fast you’ve ridden, your average and max speeds, how much climbing you’ve done, and other measurements like cadence and heart rate. And as this guide below shows, they don't have to cost a fortune.
You can use a smartphone to record your ride using one of the many available apps, and this is another option, but a small dedicated computer fitted to your bike will cope with rain and hte battery will last a very long time. More expensive computers use GPS and can be plugged into a computer to download all the data.
Read more: Cycle computers — everything you need to know
And yes, we thought about including a helmet in this list, but as it’s not law to wear a helmet when cycling, we feel it’s up your own discretion whether you choose to wear a lid. If you feel safer wearing a helmet then go for it. Good cycling helmets can be bought for as little as £20, just make sure they comply with European standards, to look for certification stickers inside the helmet .
Read more: Best cheap cycling helmets
Is there anything we’ve missed? Let's hear your suggestions in the comment section.
David worked on the road.cc tech team from 2012-2020. Previously he was editor of Bikemagic.com and before that staff writer at RCUK. He's a seasoned cyclist of all disciplines, from road to mountain biking, touring to cyclo-cross, he only wishes he had time to ride them all. He's mildly competitive, though he'll never admit it, and is a frequent road racer but is too lazy to do really well. He currently resides in the Cotswolds, and you can now find him over on his own YouTube channel David Arthur - Just Ride Bikes.
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127 comments
Is this the £25 30 comment helmet argument or the full £75 200 commenter?
Where's power meter on the list?
I've just got one and now I spend my time not looking where I'm going. Good job I remembered the helmet.
As for helmets, some people just won't be told. My mate got wiped out without a helmet on, fractured skull, coma for 2 weeks.....comes back after long and painful rehab....still won't wear a helmet.
cheer riotgibbon, your post made me smile. There's no end of people telling you what to do/not do. I use a 9 year old Garmin unit to navigate, but when I led a CTC ride last year some riders looked at me like I was using witchcraft !
Oh, and definitely do what is most comfortable - how people laugh at my gloves . . . but I'm not the one with cold fingers.
I stood by the road at the weekend looking at my map. Map. Papery thing that tells you where you are.
If only. A map tells you where everything else apart from you is. Figuring out where you are on the map can be quite another matter
People do get cross about helmets, don't they?
Got a few ones of those as well (prefer Michelin). The paper map is imensly more usefull when you i try to find soutable route from A to B in a forign country through a mountainus area han my GPS (plural if i count the iphone as well). And when attempingto find a bike firendly route to the airport the maper map always beats the cyckle specific GPS that insist on a route that involves a freeway..
Well my only issue with the list is on the cycling shorts - the bit where it says don't wear underwear. I've always worn underwear under my cycling shorts. Am I the only one??
Yes. Yes, you are.
No. No, you're not.
Do what you find most comfortable.
Wearing underwear under cycling shorts may be comfortable for a while, but cycling shorts are designed to be worn next to the skin so it should be more comfortable to wear them as designed. It's not a "rule" to be obeyed - just advice.
No, he's not. I know someone who didn't find this out until she rode a 50 mile time trial. Ouch! Needless to say, she has never wore anything under her padded shorts since.
Probably. Don't do it.
Strava account, or similar. Amazing how good Strava is for getting people hooked. My other half spends ages looking at her ride afterwards and it helps that she has friends on it too.
The thing every new cyclist needs the most: below a well meant article to help him/ her, a vitriolic, finger-jabbing, small-cocked, spittle-flecked series of post from supposedly keen cyclists. That'll certainly encourage people to get on the saddle.
It now seems getting involved in their first helmet debate on Road.cc is now as much a rite of passage for new cyclists as the first time they forget to unclip before stopping...
one of the great things about cycling is the opportunities to discover how you're doing it all wrong. Of course, the internet allows many, many more such thrilling encounters than would have been possible for my dear Grandparents in the inter-war Clarion Club, but remember this ...
on this forum, you only get told you are doing it wrong by cyclists who have also accepted the correctness of using a computer. If you join a club, then you might still be lucky enough to be told that you are doing it all wrong by those who regard computers as stupid and wrong - and now you're into a whole new area!
all the above - good quality gloves and lights depending on your journey, mudguards if you don't like a wet arse, and you only really see the value of good shorts once you've had them then don't - I did a quick ride the other day just in normal shorts and what turned out to be a very loose fitting pair of undergarments beneath. Dear lord, it was 10 minutes of very gingerly altering position to and fro until I got back, terrified I was going to geld myself. Now I remember what is so important about good shorts, I don't notice they are there ...
just ride your bike, it's great. I took my boy on an Evans Ride-It yesterday. It was in an area I thought I knew, but it mainly all roads I'd never been on, sun shone, I met an old friend, my boy smashed his distance record ... it was awesome, riding for fun, not to get to work or before dawn in the rain - normally the only chances I get to go out. Just ride, you will figure out what's important after a while
Post of the year. Chapeau, as they say.
Six things that all new road cyclists need:
1. You must have a strong opinion about helmets. Don't worry, you need not actually have any understanding of materials science, neurological injury or statistical analysis.
2. Ditto the above re disc brakes. You don't even need to have tried them, there are plenty of tried and trusted phrases on both sides of the argument which you will quickly pick up from most cycling forums.
3. You must get a Road.CC account. This will provide you with a platform on which to pontificate on the above subjects and others: lights, mandatory insurance, hi vis clothing, shared cycle paths, steel v carbon v aluminium, tyres etc, there's pretty much something for everyone. Don't be shy!
4. Do not, whatever you do, spend more than £1k on your first bike. If you do spend more than £1k, tell people that it cost £1k. They will be suitably impressed, tell them it cost any more and they will think you are a dick.
5. A mobile phone - Bollocks to all that fixing punctures at the side of the road crap. Call the missus at the first sign of trouble or bad weather to come pick you up.
6. Spend some time developing a keen sense of paranoia. Trawl youtube for 'bike rage' helmet cam videos. You will quickly get an understanding that most car drivers are crazed homicidal lunatics and that most helmet cam posters are crazed suicidal lunatics. With a bit of practice you should not be able to ride more than 100yds without coming into conflict with another road user. Then come here and bitch about it.
Enjoy
Damm I have to get married to cycle.
No, you just need to cycle with a buddy that is married and has a mobile or carries a puncture repair kit.
This is literally the most pointless thing i have ever read in my life. I blame myself. i don't understand why i kept reading. I knew it wouldn't get any better or suddenly become interesting after the dull opening gambit. Reading this was akin to watching a car crash and I feel dirty.
Not sure you're who it's aimed at Kadinski, the clue was in the headline.
Clipless pedals? Not needed. Pro cyclists, TTers, audaxers and tourists have all ridden perfectly well for decades without them.
Helmet? Not needed. It should go without saying, really (see above).
Computer? Not needed (see above).
Cycling jersey? Not needed. It's only a variation on a t-shirt, just buy a decent cut and/or size smaller if you don't like it to flap.
Water bottle? Not needed. Unless it's really hot a normal person can easily ride for up to 2 hours without needing a drink. This does not apply to fools who've bought into the hydration/electrolyte sales hype.
If you have tightened the bolts up properly you're unlikely to need a multi-tool.
Yes all these things can make cycling more enjoyable but they are definitely not *needed*. But since some people seem to put more effort into (or have more interest in) shopping than riding then these rather pointless listicles will continue to be published.
T shirts don't have pockets and neither do cycling shorts. There was a guy at uni who rode dressed like that and then put his stuff in a bum bag. Having seen that, I would say jersey is essential.
I drink less than most but on a hot day a 2 hour ride without water would be uncomfortable even though possible. But you could always buy a drink in a shop I guess.
Why do all rides have to be a long excursion requiring significant effort (and full pockets)?
Most of the year the weather isn't even that warm either. Many people can enjoy simply riding out to a pub and having a pint (or to a cafe and eating cake). Therefore water bottles, cycle-specific wicking garments, SPD pedals and so on are not on my list of "things every new road cyclist needs".
when I get to the the pub, I like to have my wallet, and when I get home again I like to have my keys. Carrying a phone just in case is also useful.
so pockets are good, no pockets in cycling shorts, you could wear normal shorts buit that just leaves stuff bouncing around against your legs and potentially falling out.
I suppose if you have a tab at the pub, and someone will let you in when you get home, then a t shirt will be just fine.
I wear normal shorts or normal trousers to ride to the pub, into town or to a gig and never have a problem with pocket contents. Never felt the need to carry a phone. I'm obviously doing it all wrong, I'm not a cyclist at all.
Fair points if you're talking about cycling in general, but the article is about things new road cyclists need. I don't want to get into labels too much but to me that implies people wnating to ride a reasonable distance at a reasonable pace, and in that context a water bottle is pretty good advice IMO. SPDs etc not so much.
Sure you can ride for a couple of hours without drinking, but a bottle is hardly a huge outlay so why not?
What is the difference between someone who does 'cycling in general' and a 'road cyclist'? I'm struggling with that.
As SuperPython59 so eloquently put it, many people achieved a hell of a lot more in the past while wearing traditional garb and often pedalling just one or two gears. Look at the photo of the Anfield BC at Betws Y Coed in the 1890s or stories of cycling writer 'Wayfarer' riding over the Berwyns in winter. Tommy Godwin rode 100,000 miles over 500 days in 1939 & 1940 on a 14kg steel Raleigh with just 4 hub gears. They would surely piss themselves laughing at the idea that carbon, gizmos and fancy clothing are so necessary before crossing one's own front doorstep.
But as you said yourself, this is supposed to be about what every road rider needs.
I think a 'road cyclist' is meant (in this context) to be a Velominati cultist, wearing lycra and riding a light-framed dropped-handlebars bike, head down and arse in the air on a Sunday morning club ride. ...-ish
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