Birthday Present for Newbie Cyclist

defreak · January 2016

Buddy's birthday is coming up, he recently (2 months) took up cycling, and it looks like he's serious about it and is sticking with it. I would like to get him something for his new hobby. All he has is the outfit, helmet, and mount for his phone which he uses for gps and music. Anything else fancy or cool I can get him, may not be essential, but just nice to have? Something between $50 and $100, but willing to spend up to $150 if needed. Thanks.

BlazeFire · January 2016

Does he have a light? You could get him a decent light for $100. Or maybe a red light for the rear and a white light for forward? They are great for riding in the night.

davidsdurions · January 2016

There ya go.

You'd want to get the right sizes for your buddy's bike.

Donovan Puppyfucker · January 2016

A good bike stand for doing maintenance work is a life changing bit of kit.

BlazeFire · January 2016

I was thinking lights more like these: http://www.rei.com/c/bike-lights?r=c&ir=category:bike-lights&page=1

djmitchella · January 2016

First question -- is it a road bike / mountain bike / commuting bike that he has, and what sort of riding is he planning on doing? That said:

Mudguards / fenders can suddenly make it possible to cycle in a lot more different conditions, if that's an issue in your part of the world.

A decent floor pump (I have the Topeak Joe Blow) will make dealing with flat tyres a lot less annoying; if he's planning on doing longer rides, then a decent compact pump / portable tool kit is another great way to help with that. (compact pumps come in two sorts; really teensy ones, that are small but a pain to use, or slightly-bigger ones (topeak 'morph' series, for instance) that have a fold-out foot that lets you inflate tires without cursing so much).

If he's commuting, a cycling-specific backpack can be very nice, or racks + panniers if his bike'll take those, though both of those are a bit of a personal preference thing. If he's riding at night, then definitely lights, and there's a lot of ways to make yourself more reflective as well; I have a generic cheap worksite safety vest I sewed a bunch more reflective tape to, but NiteIze sell a pretty fancy vest that comes with lights built in, which my wife has, and she is noticeably more visible than I am as a result.

wonderpug · January 2016

If he's driving around car traffic at all, I highly recommend the Airzound Bike Horn. You use a bike pump to pressurize a water bottle sized tank that can then blast the horn as loud as an actual car horn. It was almost literally a lifesaver for me when I was doing a bike commute in Boston.

defreak · January 2016

Thank you guys, all of those suggestions look good. By the way it's more of a fitness thing than commuting for work. Probably going to go with lights, he did mention not being able to ride as much because it gets dark sooner now. Davidsdurions those lights look sick!

schuss · January 2016

Multi-Tool is good too, or some level of hydration pack. I recommend a deuter.

Darkewolfe · January 2016

I commute to and from work frequently. During the darkness of winter, I am lit up like the goddamn sun, because I don't want to be hit by a car.

I use one of these to actually see the trail (aimed down):

http://www.rei.com/product/891681/niterider-lumina-750-bike-light

Something like this blinking to draw attention on the front:

http://www.rei.com/product/884836/seattle-sports-blazer-usb-front-bike-light

One of these on the back:

http://www.rei.com/product/864822/cygolite-hotshot-2w-sl-usb-rear-bike-light

These so I can be seen from the side:

http://www.rei.com/product/888524/nite-ize-spokelit-led-bike-wheel-light-package-of-2

It's not as necessary during summer when it's not as dark, but during the winter it's worth it. Just tell him to cover up his headlight whenever he passes a cyclist going the other way.

davidsdurions · January 2016

The light system I linked does all of those things at once!

That horn seems like a good idea too.

Aldo · January 2016

As a newbie sport cyclist myself (from Holland-the land where cyclists rule the roads) I couldn't responsibly spend money on outfits, after spending a month's salary on the basics. Gifting him a cool outfit would be great. It is quite similar to playing MMOs: you need to spend your money on better items, but the real goal is to look good.

Donovan Puppyfucker · January 2016

davidsdurions wrote: »

The light system I linked does all of those things at once!

That horn seems like a good idea too.

It certainly makes the bike more visible, but I have STRONG doubts about the light's ability to actually light the path ahead well.

schuss · January 2016

chrishallett83 wrote: »

davidsdurions wrote: »

The light system I linked does all of those things at once!

That horn seems like a good idea too.

It certainly makes the bike more visible, but I have STRONG doubts about the light's ability to actually light the path ahead well.

Yeah, good high-lumens lights are not very cheap. It's probably good for cities where streetlights exist, but not for real darkness.

djmitchella · January 2016

Depends -- I have a front light that's effectively identical to this one and it is every bit as ludicrously bright as the ones that have actual brand names on them, and has lasted just fine through a few years. The spec claims on those are iffy, of course, but it's the same basic technology as the name-brand ones. (downside: no USB charger, battery pack is separate -- though on the other hand that makes it more replaceable)

The Blaze lights have managed to get themselves to be used on the Boris Bikes in London, which suggests they at least work reliably, though I don't know how visible the bike-shape-on-the-road actually is.

And BikeSnobNYC seems happy enough with the Knog lights they've sent him, though those are from Australia so may be more expensive to buy depending on where you are.

schuss · January 2016

Again - London and NYC, two relatively well lit cities. Not saying lights have to be super expensive, but it's a whole different ball game if they're not in a real urban environment, as cars do not expect bicyclists to be on the road in other environments, they do in cities.

Darkewolfe · January 2016

schuss wrote: »

chrishallett83 wrote: »

davidsdurions wrote: »

The light system I linked does all of those things at once!

That horn seems like a good idea too.

It certainly makes the bike more visible, but I have STRONG doubts about the light's ability to actually light the path ahead well.

Yeah, good high-lumens lights are not very cheap. It's probably good for cities where streetlights exist, but not for real darkness.

I commute in DC, but in the true darkness of winter night where I should be well enough lit, it's good to be able to look for potholes in the shade of a tree or whatever.

mts · January 2016

well some places require you by law to have a headlight/tail-light if you are riding at night

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