New Biker Essential Kit

[Dez]

Hi, i just bought a used 2008 Specialized Stumpjumper FSR Expert (full sus) to get me in to some downhill and general offroad mountainbiking.

I'm not an experienced biker, but want to be able to fix and maintain the bike myself (the big jobs will be taken to a local specialist, but i think i can handle the smaller ones).

Could someone give me an idea of the essential tools and kit i will need please?

Tools, clothing (the bike has cleats), safety gear, oils, grease etc.

Also, could someone recommend a decent rear mounted bike rack for a hatchback?

Many thanks.

[eileithyia]

We had a similar thread running recently, essential kit:- I started my cycling days in old t-shirts, trackie bottoms and sweatshirts, essential kit being a waterproof. As a poor 6th form student at the time waterproof meant a 'cagjac' that doubled for on the bike and walking...

Gloves, hat (or something to keep the ears warm), scarf / buff will be essential as we head to the colder months.

Much maintenance can be done via a decent multitool as most items use some sort of hex / allen key bolt fitting, but you will also need items such as cable cutters, pliers, chain link extractor. Oil depends on what you are doing but for off road in winter probably a 'wet lube'

[andrewk]

You don't need much to start riding, a few basic essentials will get you going.
Helmet, I'm not a helmet wearer but downhill mountain biking is notorious for injuries.
Bike has cleats...it doesn't have to. You can easilly change pedals to flats and use sturdy trainers if you don't like cleats. Otherwise you'll need some MTB shoes.
Track pump, spare inner tubes, puncture repair kit, a good multi tool.
Cycling specific clothing isn't necessary...use existing sports or hiking clothing to start.

And thats it....start riding.

[mercalia]

some gloves

[mjr]

Others have covered most of it. The only essential is the bike, really. Beyond that it's all comfort.

Tools will vary from bike to bike but https://www.edinburghbicycle.com/revolu ... l-kit.html looks good value to me discounted to £23+delivery.

As for rear-mounted bike racks, the Saris range get good reviews and seem rather easier to use than the deckchair type.

[iandriver]

I the medium term, you are going to probably want to service the drive train. A toolkit can be a good buy if you don't have a lot. The tools to remove/ refit a cassette are well worth thinking about.

[hamster]

Personally I would get a set of bike shorts with liners, Endura Humvees are great. The flat stitching and cycle short liner make things so much more comfortable in the gentleman's department and prevents soreness. Jeans are absolutely the worst: thick quadruple seams in the saddle area and awful when wet.

Enjoy your riding.

[mjr]

Personally I would get a set of bike shorts with liners, Endura Humvees are great. The flat stitching and cycle short liner make things so much more comfortable in the gentleman's department and prevents soreness. Jeans are absolutely the worst: thick quadruple seams in the saddle area and awful when wet.

That's personal, though. I've seen jeans with smaller seams (although I rarely wear them) and I've had some of my most uncomfortable results from riding in bike shorts. It's not essential, same as some people regard a sealant canister and no other repair tools as enough, while I usually travel around with pump, tyre levers, patches, hex driver, ¼" square drive bar, a dozen bits and sockets, mini chain tool, magic links, cable ties and 6-inch adjustable wrench (and sometimes other tools if I'm still shaking a bike down) because I really dislike walking home or leaving the bike behind!

[hamster]

Are you seriously saying that jeans are more comfortable than bike shorts???

Personally I think you overload stuff. A multitool, three tyre levers, some spare chain links, patches, tyre boot and tubes are enough for almost any day ride. On 100 mile+ days I will add (shared in the group) a single spare tyre (23c road tyres, not heavy touring tyres). However I struggle to see what the 1/4" sockets and 6" adjustable spanner are for? I don't have a single hex nut on my road bike. Most other failures can be countered by decent preventative maintenance. I suppose I could take some cone spanners, but I've never needed to adjust the bearings while out riding...

[andrew_s]

Tools etc to take on a ride:
A multitool that includes a chain tool, and torx & allen as required for your bike. Tyre levers, pump or CO2, spare chain links, spare, patches, and something usable as a tyre boot (I use a bit of old tyre, but what is necessary is that it's flexible enough to fit the shape of the tyre, and stiff enough not to bulge through a cut).
(you generally can't use a spare chain link until you've removed the broken link with a chain tool)

Home tools:
track pump, set of long ball-end allen keys, workshop torx as required (Y or T-handled usually), BB tool, cassette lockring remover, chain whip, large adjustable spanner (10-12"), spoke key, cone spanners (if Shimano hubs), chain tool, anything else specific to the bike - eg small screwdriver for derailler limit screws etc.
chain oil, WD40, cleaning stuff
Multitools are OK to start with, but aren't usually up to doing a proper job for the long term - eg you often can't get things properly tight, or they break, or round allen heads.

[rmurphy195]

I'd agree with positive comments on the Saris bike rack. Best if your LBS will let you try and fit the rack you are looking at, to the car (to carry the bikes) and also folded-up into the car boot, out of sight!

Multitools are useful, but to carry around I'm going back to having a selection of allen keys to fit the bike - this can be done quite cheaply if you get on of the sets that are on a keyring-sort-of-thing, then remioove and put into your tool kit just the ones that fit.

AND a couple of cheap velcro starps to hold tyres on while I'm struggling with fitting them!

A chain tool in case of breakage, AND a length of wire hanger - just a hand span - with the ends bent into hoos, this can then hold the chain together whiole you struggle with the putting it back together! Even if you do have magic links or similar. Carry spares of these or the special link pin if its a Shimano chain.

In the shed now I keep a Topeak Combo torque wrench in case I overtighten something, cos on my new bike there's loads of clamps with the torque setting stamped on them! http://www.tredz.co.uk/.Topeak-Combo-To ... 0wod6IUGhQ. And a sheet of paper pinned to the shed wall with the settings for the various bits written on it, as an aide-memoire.

Plus a set of Halfords allen keys that come in a plastic clip. neither of these last two items come on rides with me!

Otherwise the only thing I would add to Andrew-s' list - if at some point you want to change the rear sprocets/BB/Chainrings you will need a lockring tool for the specific cassette, a chainwnrench, a crank remover, and maybe a car-type torque wrench and other special tools depending on your bottom bracket! But I would leave this lot until later

[Makk11]

There are some things I carry "on my bike" at all times. I'm not a competitive cyclist or off road racer these days but I do like to get off road along country trails, bridal ways and canal towpaths.

A set of Allen keys (hex wrenches), a small Phillips screwdriver, puncture repair kit, tyre levers, a spare rolled up inner tube and a miniature emergency pump. It all fits in to a small triangular pouch attached to the bike frame with Velcro straps. There is nothing worse than being stranded miles from home on my own with a puncture or something has come loose and no way of fixing it. The tiny pump won't inflate the tyres to full pressure but will do enough to get me home where I have a full size foot pump a compressor and a full toolkit.

My little triangle pouch (pictured below how it's attached) has saved my butt on numerous occasions and helped out others too. Just the other day I rode alongside a distraught young lad pushing his bike with handlebars at a very strange angle. His stem had worked a bit loose and he faced the prospect of a 5 mile walk home in the rain but a quick tweak with an Allen key from my little emergency pouch soon got him on his way again.

The nights are drawing in at this time of year so I've also added a small set of LED lights with clip on silicon straps to my pouch just in case it gets dark before I get home. Clothing? That depends on the weather nobody can predict but if I'm going out on a long ride I do put my FDX padded cycling underpants on and waterproofs in a small backpack.

As for cleats, They do usually come with the pedals but should be attached to your shoes with bolts to then clip in to pedals. If you don't have compatible cycle shoes to bolt the cleats to then flat pedals and stiff trainers would be an inexpensive compromise. If you do change the pedals to flats to use with ordinary trainers then remember that the right pedal tightens clockwise and the left pedal counterclockwise. You'll need an open ended spanner but you can keep that at home. Your pedals are very unlikely to fall off.

Oh I nearly forgot the picture of my little emergency pouch.... water bottle, and a cable lock wrapped around the seat post to help prevent some little bleeder stealing my bike again.

[mjr]

Are you seriously saying that jeans are more comfortable than bike shorts???

Differently uncomfortable mostly, but I understand that cycling jeans are available now, whereas padded lycra pants are the devil's cat's invention.

However I struggle to see what the 1/4" sockets and 6" adjustable spanner are for? I don't have a single hex nut on my road bike.

I've quite a few hex nuts, from brakes to rear mech and wheels, as well as the more common allen bolts. The 1/4" driver also has a hex adapter and I've allen hex bits as well as a couple of screwdriver ones. The two drivers plus sockets and bits are probably still lighter than most flick-knife multi-tools, which seem to be as heavy as steel-coated solid lead and yet somehow never contain the correct mix of tools for any bike or be sturdy enough to get a good grip on. The 6" adjustable gets used on wheels or is just thin enough to serve as a pedal spanner if needed.

Even so, I don't usually carry the tools to adjust bearings, although I could I have done with 32mm cone spanners on my last tour!

[Dez]

Wow, thanks to all that replied.

Okay, so a helmet, waterproofs, flat pedals, multitool, padded shorts, chain tool, pump, cable cutters, torx kit, puncture repair kit, tyre lever.

Wow, quite a lot

Can anyone recommend a good helmet for when i'm riding downhill trails?

[eileithyia]

Personally I would say; ride within your capabilities and experience, stay safe..... if in doubt walk, I respect my bike and body too much to risk a crash, whether head, limbs or bike are potentially damaged... but then i am a wuzzy girl and a helmet would not have saved me from any of the injuries i have received over the years at the hands of drivers or other cyclists...