Cycling to work - kit ideas

elyobelyob

custardy wrote: »

money for a cab is a good call
once had a chain snap (damn shimano pins) and catch on the rear mech
sheared rear mech and bent hanger

Well in that case, I would suggest bringing a couple of spare pins and a chain tool. You could have converted into a single speed and got home then.

Pew_Pew_Pew_Lasers!

catflea wrote: »

To minimise the requirement for such a pump though I am investing in puncture resistant tyres (although, they are clearly not a miracle cure!)

That is a mistake. You must have a means of inflating the tyre with you at all times.

A crappy little pump costs £10 and will do the job just fine.

custardy

elyobelyob wrote: »

Well in that case, I would suggest bringing a couple of spare pins and a chain tool. You could have converted into a single speed and got home then.

powerlinks now,just carry s spare powerlink
job done
i had no need to sit and convert,just jumped a cab to work

elyobelyob

custardy wrote: »

powerlinks now,just carry s spare powerlink
job done
i had no need to sit and convert,just jumped a cab to work

:T Like to see you shorten the chain to a single speed length without a chain tool. :T

custardy

elyobelyob wrote: »

:T Like to see you shorten the chain to a single speed length without a chain tool. :T

i didnt say i dont have one,all i said in that case i had no need to
got bike tools coming out my ears after many years of biking

catflea

Pew_Pew_Pew_Lasers! wrote: »

That is a mistake. You must have a means of inflating the tyre with you at all times.

A crappy little pump costs £10 and will do the job just fine.

Thats exactly my point to minimise the risk of needing it - not removing the need for it entirely! All my bikes have had a pump of some kind strapped to them when I've been out. I'm not going to break that habit!

Missy™

I don't think it's been mentioned yet but I always wear sunglasses or clear glasses for eye protection when cycling. Keeps wind & rain out of my eyes, and I was glad I was wearing them when a loose stone chip flew up and pinged off the lens recently!

I also wear an under helmet skull hat on cold and windy days, but I am a wuss with the cold!

The rest of the stuff I carry with me has already been mentioned. Good luck!

frivolous_fay

Gordon861 wrote: »

I used to cycle 20 miles each way to work for about 8 years. During that time, the only time I hit my head when I came off was when I was wearing a helmet.

That's a strange argument. How would wearing a helmet make you hit your head?

I slipped in the snow on the way to work a little while back. Fell over sideways like a falling tree (strapped into my pedals). Helmet hit the kerb hard enough to break in two places and give my head a nasty jolt. Glad it wasn't my head hitting the kerb at that speed.

Gordon861

frivolous_fay wrote: »

That's a strange argument. How would wearing a helmet make you hit your head?

I slipped in the snow on the way to work a little while back. Fell over sideways like a falling tree (strapped into my pedals). Helmet hit the kerb hard enough to break in two places and give my head a nasty jolt. Glad it wasn't my head hitting the kerb at that speed.

Explained in the second line, I had a number of accidents during the time I cycled to work and at the weekends. I found the helmet distracting and made me concentrate on the road less, hence the accidents seemed worse. A better helmet may not have been so bad, but I couldn't afford a £70 lid 15 years ago, I expect the tech has improved a hell of a lot now.

Part of my route was through Southall during rush hour, anyone that knows the area will know how exciting that can be. At the time I used to race during the weekends so the riding was faster than general commuter riding, which also probaly skewed the accident numbers.

Young_Pretender

There are all kinds of arguments for and against helmets. Being as it's not a legal requirement it's down to personal choice whether you wear one or not. I don't for my commute (another thing to carry, get battered on the train etc) but I do on longer rides, principally to keep my head warm as I start sweating!

I have
cycling gloves,
altura jacket,
neck warmer tube thing,
Abus Granit Futura D-Lock (outlasted 2 bikes now)
15mm spanner,
tiny blackburn pump - weighs 50grams or something but fine for road tyres
spare innertube
a couple of park tyre levers

that's about it, but my commute is short and there are many transport options in London. If the worst comes to the worst I can lock the bike up and recover it later. I also have an LED front and rear lightset. I bought extra brackets as I use a bike each end of my train commute, so I can just swap the same set of lights onto the other bike.