“New” cyclist

[Shakay]

Hi all,

To cut a long story short, lived in a flat with no storage, now me and my girlfriend have moved and I’ve been borrowing father in laws bike for a few weeks!
Fell in love cycling again and am now going to pick up my new bike next week
(Either a TREK FX1 or FX2, just finishing research)

I was wondering if anyone has general beginner advise for me?

I will be riding it 1-2 times a week to work and a lot on short journeys/fun rides with girlfriend and general fitness (12 mile A-road and country roads) and hopefully progressively more as I become fitter.

I would like to keep a log of the miles I do, and see all the distance and times etc!
So was hoping somebody could recommend a good gadget or app? (Nothing to pricey just yet)

Secondly is there anything anyone would recommend getting from the get go, other than a helmet of course!

Any tips and advise will be greatly appreciated,

Thank you in advance!

[Ciminera]

I like the look of the fx2... had been thinking of one for the same use for a while but work cycle scheme has ground to a halt while they sort a supplier...

as for logs... either just use strava on your phone, or use a gps cycle computer and sync that to strava.

[Jdsk]

Welcome.

On the riding to work and back... have you decided what to do about clothes and shoes, if it's wet, if you get a puncture or some other problem, and how and where you're going to lock it. It's much easier to keep this up with a bit of preparation.

Happy cycling

Jonathan

[Psamathe]

Many apps that can do good stuff. What platform (as better apps are iPhone only, others Android only).

I use Excel to keep a log of all my rides. A basic cheap bike computer will display speed, ride time, average speed and an odometer. You can spend vast sums of tech/GPS's etc. but for local lanes you can get pretty much the same from some low cost stuff. Low cost bike computer has no GPS but just uses a wheel sensor (included with them) and batteries last years. You can send a bit more and get a wireless version, spend quite a bit more and get a GPS based version, even more and get something that displays maps, etc. Even more money .....

Ian

[Cugel]

If you want to enjoy the cycling and be a cyclist rather than a data collector, bin the gizmos and their apps. They'll only distract you from cycling.

The best things to get are knowledge and experience, for example: how to take out and replace an inner tube on the road, including blowing up the tyre to about the right pressure; how to position your cycling self in traffic; how to anticipate what gear you'll need to be in as the road ahead changes or you have to negotiate things like turns, traffic lights and so forth.

Naturally, you'll want to acquire physical additions to make the cycling better. Contact point stuff is a good place to start: track mits/gloves; shoes with perhaps matching "clipless" pedals; a saddle that suits your nether (and maybe even a suspension seatpost).

Don't forget the tool bottle or mini saddlebag: a multi-tool; spare tube(s) & patches/glue; quick chain link; wiping cloth and maybe some cable ties. As your bike fixing skills increase you may want to add one or two other thing, such as a rear gear hanger. Don't forget the pump. And perhaps bidons with cages to put them in.

Cugel

[Nearholmer]

If you have a smart phone, you don’t really need another gizmo for wayfinding or journey logging, because you can use apps.

As for record keeping, you could always try the trad method of a notebook (an actual cardboard and paper one) and pen, a cheap A5 diary maybe.

[David9694]

Sounds like you’ve got a sensible approach in mind, and there’s some good advice here. Cateye are probably the brand you want for recording miles (and MPH).

Clothing has been touched on - “ordinary” clothing should suffice up to an hour’s riding. You want a firm sole, and wear the opposite of denim - denim is often heavy, doesn’t stretch, absorbs moisture/water and can chafe. Endura Humvee chino long trousers are a favourite of mine, for example. Look after your extremities - hands and feet. Eye protection wards off overhanging brambles. Don’t forget about sunburn.

Turning to the bike, there’s a lot to like there; it’s good to see a bike so well equipped (lights, mudguards, rack) and you have a decent range of gears there. Make sure it can actually be supplied before you set your heart on anything: there have been issues in that regard since the pandemic.

Flat bars are ok for up to 90-120 minute rides - you may find yourself wanting to change positions a bit as you progress. Handlebars are not generally a cost-effective change, but it’s fine as you may be after another bike in a year or two. Everyone on here has at least two bikes (n+1) and you’ll often see a collection described in people’s signatures.

Get the best bike you can afford, bearing in mind the extras you’re likely to need, although there’s always birthdays and Christmas to accessorise.

There’s a lot of rubbish on general sale, sadly (e.g. that well-known online retailer that probably would have been best sticking with CDs and books and the well-known motor and cycle national store that is nearly always pricey but quality is variable), so I recommend doing a specific gift list for your friends and loved ones.

https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/500-bike-tool-box - an example of what you may need as maintenance tasks arise, depending on what you can borrow from FiL.

https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/hybrid-mo ... 14&c=BLACK - just an example, but these shoes would work with or without cleats.

https://www.mountain warehouse.com/roubaix-mens-cycling-jersey-p36948.aspx/black/ - looks a decent basic jersey at a sensible price. Some High Street stores are slowly getting better with selling and stocking this sort of thing and as with all things you ideally want to see it and try it.

https://muc-off.com/collections/bicycle ... 3272419719 - another one for your list, once they all hear you’re into cycling now. Wilkinson’s have some of it (along with a fair bit of rubbish) and are good for general purpose tools, of course.

The middle aisle at Lidl sometimes has the Crivit work stand which is well worth getting (half of Ebay vendors seem to have one) and I’m pleased with my coloured Allen keys (you can’t have enough Allen keys).

[Mike_Ayling]

Many apps that can do good stuff. What platform (as better apps are iPhone only, others Android only).

I use Excel to keep a log of all my rides. A basic cheap bike computer will display speed, ride time, average speed and an odometer. You can spend vast sums of tech/GPS's etc. but for local lanes you can get pretty much the same from some low cost stuff. Low cost bike computer has no GPS but just uses a wheel sensor (included with them) and batteries last years. You can send a bit more and get a wireless version, spend quite a bit more and get a GPS based version, even more and get something that displays maps, etc. Even more money .....

Ian

What Ian wrote.

RidewithGPS has a free version which you can download to your smart phone and has a map showing where you have ridden each time and an altitude profile.

Mike

[MrsHJ]

I’ve got all the apps and had lots of fancy gizmos including a couple of garmin. My back up though is a cheapo cats eye cycle computer (around £10) wired instead of wireless onto the bike. It is nice just to have a record of how far today and how many miles travelled in total sometimes and seeing my current speed and distance on the bars rather than on the phone in my pocket but maybe I’m showing my age.

You can get great attachments to put your phone on the bars but I’m a bit nervous of doing that as I’m often overseas with my phone as an essential tool so if it gets damaged or lost it would be a major pain.

[Shakay]

Wow! What a great community, what’s expecting such thorough and great reply’s, so thank you all!

Gives me a few things to think about and I’m keeping note of everything for a big shop!

One of my friends suggested getting some slime for the tyres?

Edit: Also other than the extra gears I can’t see a huge difference between the FX1 and FX2 - I’m guessing most of you would say go for the FX2

[Psamathe]

...
One of my friends suggested getting some slime for the tyres?

Views differ. Personally I'm anti as when you get a puncture you want to know rather than have an auto not very good silent self-repair that might fail (and not self repair) at some point in the future.

If you are commuting into work you clearly don't want to be late because you had to stop and repair a puncture. In my case it was very cold in winter and my fingers would not have been able to fix a puncture/replace inner tube at the roadside.

A good alternative are the small inflate and repair canisters e.g/ https://www.wiggle.co.uk/vittoria-pit-s ... nd-sealant. They are small canisters you carry with you and when you get a puncture just push the canister over the tyre valve and it both injects sealant and inflated the tyre. Wait a few mins and tyre is sealed and inflated. Such repairs are temporary and you'll need to replace the inner tube (which are cheap and most people carry spare inner tubes instead of puncture repair kits on the road). The main thing for me being you are aware of the puncture so can do a proper repair later, hands stay clean and warm and you're underway after just a few mins.

I've used one once and on leisure ride it worked but I headed straight home unsure of repair. However, on the way home my confidence in the repair grew and I headed off on all sorts of detours and still did the same distance.

nb I (and I believe many others) don't repair punctures on roadside but carry spare inner tubes (they are cheap). Swapping an inner tube on the roadside is far quicker and easier than doing a puncture repair. Repair the punctured tube once home and it becomes the spare you are carrying around.

Ian

[fastpedaller]

A simple computer may be better than strava or similar? An app is all very well, but there is security to bear in mind - some cyclists have come home to find their other bikes in the shed have been stolen whilst they were out ! Too much online presence (eg photos of my bike collection on Facebook, and someone being able to track that I've left home can be a very bad thing

[Psamathe]

A simple computer may be better than strava or similar? An app is all very well, but there is security to bear in mind - some cyclists have come home to find their other bikes in the shed have been stolen whilst they were out ! Too much online presence (eg photos of my bike collection on Facebook, and someone being able to track that I've left home can be a very bad thing :(

A lot depends on the app. I use an app that, in addition to mapping whilst on the ride, records your track on the phone. You can view your track on the phone (in the app) and if you want send it to your laptop or to other apps or to online stuff if you want - but it is down to you manually choosing to send it where you want.

When I first restarted cycling i found looking at the recorded track once home really helped me learn my way around my neighbourhood - I'd often "get lost" and then pick up a road I knew and looking over the recorded track once home showed me where I'd actually been.

As others have said, phone on handlebars is more risk than I'm happy to accept to my phone generally lines in a waterproof bag round my neck (an AquaPac thing).

Ian

[tomsumner49]

Re differences between the fx1 and fx2. The fx2 has hydraulic disc brakes where I think the fx1 (disc version) has mechanical discs? I think there is also a v-brake version of the fx1. Have just bought a second hand fx2 for my son and it seems like a great bike so far.

[simonineaston]

If you're an existing iPhone user, the Apple watch is a good fit. Lot's of clever features, lots of fun apps that go with cycling / fitness.