I agree in general that there’s a lot of bollox in bike light marketing, but you have to be a bit careful with very bright lights - the type that use 18500 batteries. You can get these for 20 quid from China and while the lamp itself is fine, the powerpacks are indeed shite. Very unreliable - (e.g unprotected cells scavaged from laptops), and a few charging blow-ups reported. Standard set-up for night mountain biking would be the Chinese light and battery box, but a branded set of batteries.
These are too bright for general riding on the road, mind, unless you really live out in the sticks and need to see where you’re going / want to be seen from a mile away.
Don’t get some crappy Walmart bike, you must buy the Trek Butterfly Madone for $500,000 or else why even get into biking at all.
Did you read the thread? There were several good reasons given for not buying a cheap Walmart bike (build quality, not assembled properly, not fitted properly) and the price of the 2nd hand bikes suggested wasn’t significantly more.
I think I hear the sounds of the whoosh as the bike goes by…
Possibly, but read some of the posters threads first…
I will tell you that lumens, in & of themselves, are a BS # for comparison purposes. Yes, all things being equal, the higher lumen count should be the brighter light but the reflector behind the light can have more of an impact than the lumen count.
Think of the difference between a spotlight & a floodlight. Try this simple experiment - put your bike next to your car at night; does the higher lumen bike light light up the road/driveway/parking lot nearly as well as a car? Not even close.
I was in the LLBean store one day; I forget the brand but they were one of the few to list specs on the packaging; the headlamp with the higher lumen count had a shorter ‘throw’ distance than the lower one, meaning how far down the trail you could see with it. I have good/great bike lights & it’s easy for me to be able to override my light, meaning I can go faster than the illumination distance needed to light up a road obstruction…& going fast on a bike is considered going slow in a car. Can you see the road ahead of you when you’re driving 35, 45, 55 mph? This has to do with the difference in the reflectors behind the light. If you’re in a store take the lights you’re considering & go to one end of the store & shine them at the opposite wall; which one lights up the far wall the best?
Been really enjoying my bike. Just bumped this thread to vent a bit: There is a disturbingly small amount of public places around my neighborhood that offer bike racks to secure your bike.
Would like to ride it more but I always have to worry if there is a place for me to lock my bike up at the place I’m going to. :mad:
I’m only responding to your remark about the Butterfly bike. Unlikely as it sounds, sarcasm is sometimes hard to convey by text but I see your point about the poster…
Grrr! sometimes I’ve had to lock up to lightposts and other relatively immovable objects. It is a PITA, I agree. Glad to hear you’ve been enjoying your ride; if I may ask what are you using for a lock?
I’d like to ask about locks, too. they are expensive!
It’s just a cheap 6’ coil lock I bout off of Amazon. Got it “on sale” for like $15.
The locks are relatively cheap insurance but if someone is determined to get your bike they will. Gizmodo did a quick comparo here. Personally I bought a Kryptonite lock like this one off Amazon for my bike, but this will only keep the kiddies from doing a smash and grab when it comes down to it. Vigilance is your friend if you go shopping and keeping your bike in plain sight as much as possible. 2 minutes with a cordless angle grinder in public ( see the article) is a loooong time but at least it’s relatively immune to hand tools.
Thing is, is $50 of lock worth buying to protect against replacing your bike? Mine would be roughly $1500-2000 to replace so yes.
Yeah, my thinking is that my lock just helps keep “honest” people “honest”. As for professional theirs go, I’m just hoping my bike is on the lower end of the scale that they wouldn’t bother. At least not with a cable attached to it.
I suggest a road bike, not a mountain bike. A road bike is a lot lighter and a lot easier to peddle – much more enjoyable IMO.
Well $50 of lock (which is low end for some of the locks that are out there) and schlepping three or more pounds around. Remember that (rationally or not) you may have spent part of that $1500-2000 because that bike was a few pounds lighter. Three pounds is probably something like 15% of the weight of the whole bike. Plus of course the weight of the cable to wind through the front wheel. Which might not be cheap with a higher end bike.
And as you note - only protecting your bike from the smash and grabbers.
FWIW I have this folding disc lock. It weighs in at only 1.1 pounds and cost me under $50. Pretty sure it also would not stop a pro and would stop a smash and grab bolt cutting approach and it’s compact, not too heavy, and gets around odd shapes better than a U-lock.
Gotta say, some of these guys are making it sound more involved/expensive than it needs to be. Of course, if you asked me about one of my main hobbies, I might suggest a bunch more was mandatory than a more casual participant might say.
The helmet is the only thing I’d say is mandatory. I wear glasses/sunglasses - if you don’t, you might wish to wear shades or sport glasses.
I’ve ridden bike quite a bit since I was young in the 70s, and I NEVER had a flat while out driving. Got hit by cars a couple of times when younger, and one time had a handbrake fall off and jam up the front wheel. So you could invest in pumps, spare tubes, tools, etc. - or just bring your cellphone.
I don’t think lights are needed during the day, tho they are mandatory in dark.
I’ve never been a serious biker, but I’ve done a bunch of biking (if that makes sense). When I was young I used to regularly bike 20-30 miles on Chicago streets and along the lake and the bike path starting up near Central/Devon. When I lived in Indiana I used to bike for 1-2 hrs on 2-lane roads in the country. Nowadays, every Thurs I ride a hard 25 miles, primarily on crushed stone/paved bike paths. But I’ve never owned a pair of bike shorts or shirt, and never carried a pump.
I can’t remember ever going anywhere that I couldn’t find a tree or signpost to lock up to. I generally carry a 6’ cable with an American lock that I’ve had for 30+ years. When I’m riding with someone else, we lock the bikes together. Like you said, the main thing is to dissuade folk - make them move on to try to steal the next bike.
Sound to me like you are doing the necessary thing - you got yourself a decent bike - now ride it!
I road bike quite a bit and I do not recommend the above. I have gotten flats. Quite a few over the years. Being able to repair them while 50 miles from home is important. And if your wife is on the ride with you, who are you going to call?
Ghostbusters!!!
Though they’re worthless when it comes to fixing flats.
I live in goathead country. Even thornproof tubes and tires have a exemption for goatheads.
I can count on 2-3 flats a week on the roads outside of town with a record seven in 29 miles.
That’s fine. If you want to pack a patch kit and/or spare tube and pump, go ahead. Just offering my not inconsiderable experience as a data point. Guess I’m just lucky. Just thought your lengthy list of “must haves” a tad excessive.
If the OP is just getting into cycling, it is unlikely he will be 50 miles from home when/if he gets a flat. Your comments suggest what I suspected, that as an avid participant, you are overstating the needs of a casual participant. In the suburban areas where I ride now, there are many bike shops near most of the bike paths, and plenty of gas stations where you can get air. Your phone would help you find the closest shop/station if you needed help.
I’ve done a ton of work on my bikes over the years, tho nowadays I prefer to leave it up to the local shop. The idea that someone casually getting into biking “must” carry a spoke wrench is IMO silly. Again, I suspect you are applying your level of interest/needs, rather than a casual rider’s. Gloves a must? Well, I guess if it is cold out! 
If you have a lock with you, you could lock your bike to a tree, and simply call a cab or walk to a bus route to get home, after which you can drive back and pick up your bike. If your wife is with you, she could either ride to the nearest shop to buy a tube, or to your car to pick you up. Sure, stores might be closed on off hours. Just maybe your wife and you might have someone other than each other whom you could call for a ride.
Sure, you can try to equip yourself for every eventuality. And getting a flat is not inconceivable.
Definitely bolt a bottle holder onto your frame.
Why? Aren’t there convenience stores and water fountains everywhere?
