Hi all, I'm a total London and bike newbie. It's been over a decade since I last rode a bike. But today I piled up some courage and bought a Genesis Flyer 2015 at Balfe's Bikes with 30% discount. It has carbon forks and steel tubing. Very simple and light, single speed bike.
Accessories I bought:
Helmet
Gloves
Multitool
Locks
Tube and tool to replace it
Bike lubricant
Lights
Pump
The bike is very shinny and charming, don't let the crappy photo deceive you:
Finally, I have some questions:
Can I leave the bike upsidedown in my bedroom? Don't want to drill holesin wall for a wall rack as I plan to move soon.
Is there anything else that I might need?
Any tips and hints for a newbie?
I'll keep reading this forum to learn more and more while trying not to become a bike addict
Last edited by BubuX on 19 Jan 2015, 2:44am, edited 1 time in total.
Bubble wrap to put around the handlebars/saddle and any other bits that might touch your living room wall when it's in there ...
And on the pedals too in case you bang your leg against one of 'em!
You can get various bike stands to support the bike - there's one somewhere that just fits under the bottom bracket and supports the bike with one wheel off the ground - much better than those stands that support the bike by its wheel rims
Brompton, Condor Heritage, creaky joints and thinning white (formerly grey) hair ""You know you're getting old when it's easier to ride a bike than to get on and off it" - quote from observant jogger !
CTC membership (or one of the other organisations that provides third party insurance, although home insurance often carries this as well)
Remember, item 2 is more important than item 1. Item 0 is all you really need....
Given than you mention lights... I can't see a rear reflector, which is a legal requirement (point of sale and use)
A shortcut has to be a challenge, otherwise it would just be the way.No situation is so dire that panic cannot make it worse. There are two kinds of people in this world: those can extrapolate from incomplete data.
mercalia wrote:DONT EVER LEAVE IT LOCKED OUT OF YOUR SIGHT IN LONDON IN A PUBLIC PLACE FOR ANY LENGHT OF TIME. Why upside down? Just get a cheap plastic mat from a 99p store and put on that ( I do ) maybe some kind of mud guards unless you like a wet back side etc
Thank you. Will be getting mud guards ASAP. Nice tip on the mat.
fluffybunnyuk wrote:
2. Is there anything else that I might need?
Life insurance? haha seriously welcome and good luck!!! Oh i second the idea of making sure its properly locked...and try not to leave "steal me" bits on the bike... Emma
Thank you, I've been told not to leave anything that's easily removable like pumps and lights on the bike.
gaz wrote:Welcome to the forum.
BubuX wrote:[*] Is there anything else that I might need?
Gears .
Thanks, but my daily commute and the region overall is super flat.
rmurphy195 wrote:Bubble wrap to put around the handlebars/saddle and any other bits that might touch your living room wall when it's in there ... And on the pedals too in case you bang your leg against one of 'em! You can get various bike stands to support the bike - there's one somewhere that just fits under the bottom bracket and supports the bike with one wheel off the ground - much better than those stands that support the bike by its wheel rims
Thank you! I will look for that kind of bike support.
[XAP]Bob wrote:Mudguards, kickstand, rack/similar CTC membership (or one of the other organisations that provides third party insurance, although home insurance often carries this as well) Remember, item 2 is more important than item 1. Item 0 is all you really need.... Given than you mention lights... I can't see a rear reflector, which is a legal requirement (point of sale and use)
Thank you! I will fix the rear reflector back (removed after placing the rear light). Also will look into CTC membership. About the kickstand, I see some bikes without and I wonder how useful it is in London. Maybe a stupid question. Mudguards are a sure thing. Will be getting those asap and use them at least during winter. The rack is a maybe for now, but I need a pannier or something to store bike essentials (tube, pump, multitool) and I'll probably want a rack for that reason.
maff1977 wrote:water bottle and bottle cage.
Thanks, but I'm trying to keep the bike as simple as possible and my commutes are short and flat. So I will skip that for now.
As a cyclist in London, I wouldn't say a stand is necessary or desirable. Just extra weight and somewhere else for crud to accumulate. Also, it might encourage you to leave the bike without locking it to some solidly planted piece of street furniture. Having said that, my wife finds a stand useful. For short stops to talk to friends, street traders &c I think.
Cusqueno wrote:As a cyclist in London, I wouldn't say a stand is necessary or desirable. Just extra weight and somewhere else for crud to accumulate. Also, it might encourage you to leave the bike without locking it to some solidly planted piece of street furniture. Having said that, my wife finds a stand useful. For short stops to talk to friends, street traders &c I think.
Not quite what I meant - in the context of propping the bike up in the living room, a stand that isn't attached to the bike but stays in the living room!
Brompton, Condor Heritage, creaky joints and thinning white (formerly grey) hair ""You know you're getting old when it's easier to ride a bike than to get on and off it" - quote from observant jogger !
Cusqueno wrote:As a cyclist in London, I wouldn't say a stand is necessary or desirable. Just extra weight and somewhere else for crud to accumulate. Also, it might encourage you to leave the bike without locking it to some solidly planted piece of street furniture. Having said that, my wife finds a stand useful. For short stops to talk to friends, street traders &c I think.
Not quite what I meant - in the context of propping the bike up in the living room, a stand that isn't attached to the bike but stays in the living room!
Better off getting a workstand, perhaps - serves a dual purpose. Something cheap & cheerful, but effective like this perhaps?
When i lived in the nurses home, with bike in the room, i put a plastic sheet down but then put an old curtain on the mat, that way it absorbed any moisture / melting snow that might drip off the snow..... it will just pool and run off the plastic otherwise.
I stand and rejoice everytime I see a woman ride by on a wheel the picture of free, untrammeled womanhood. HG Wells
edit: eileithyia, yeah I'll need something to soak the moisture above the mat. Thanks for pointing that out. These small things I usually only notice when it's too late.
Last edited by BubuX on 18 Jan 2015, 9:13pm, edited 1 time in total.
Bonefishblues wrote:Yes to the guards but given it's designed for them you'd be well advised to fit a more substantial set than those minimal ones, I'd suggest.
You say they might bend/damage easily? But they look so sleek
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