Essential Gear For Road Cycling

Road cycling is a rich man's playground, if you've got money to burn then the market is full of shiny carbon fibre goodies twinkling in the light, winking at your wallet. As a beginner to road cycling you needn't spend a fortune, don't be led down the path of thinking that spending £1000's will miraculously make you an awesome cyclist. Undoubtedly as you become more experienced and a better cyclist, lighter and more aero bikes and gear will give you the edge over others. But just remember this - if you bought the most expensive bike money could buy and you raced against Lance Armstrong who was on the crappiest road bike that money could buy - who would win, if you think the answer is you then go ahead and buy the shiny bike, then book yourself into the nearest mental home.

I'm not saying you should buy the cheapest gear possible I'm just saying, set yourself a budget and stick to it, higher grade components will make a difference but you can always upgrade in the future. If this is your first bike then it is not likely to be your last. Many cyclists upgrade their bike after a couple of years, then the old bike becomes a training/winter/spare bike which is always useful to have. If you are new to the sport and hence buying all your gear, you must remember that there is more to buy than just the bike so when considering your overall budget you will need to factor in the following items...

Pedals and Shoes

This could be a whole article in itself - and probably will be soon (certainly if there is demand). When buying a new bike you will notice that most come without pedals. This is mainly because there are many different pedal types to choose from, each with pro's and con's, so they tend to be sold separately - also if you are changing bikes you can migrate your pedals from one to another easily.

Pedals

In terms of pedals there are many types - SPD, Look, Time etc. I have experience of SPD and Look so that is what I will discuss here. The Look type pedals are more traditionally associated with road cycling as they have a wider surface area and hence the rider has a better contact area for pushing hard on. The downside with Look type pedals is that the cleats (cleats are the things that attach to your shoes in order for you to clip into the pedals) stick out from the shoe thus making it very awkward to walk in or even put your foot down. You do get used to them and if you are predominantly going to be racing etc then these are the type for you.

SPD type pedals are traditionally made for mountain bikes. They are smaller in surface area size but the cleats are embedded beneath the sole of the shoe meaning that you can walk easier. On the flip side the smaller area will mean less of a "pushing" surface. I have to say that I predominantly use SPD pedals as I do a lot of commuting and need to be able to walk up and down stairs each end etc. I find that I can get plenty of power through the pedals. I also find that the SPD pedals are easier to clip in and out of - though possibly I'm just more used to them.

Shoes

The shoes that are available to you tend to be different depending on what pedals you go for. Since SPD pedals are generally made for mountain bikes the shoes tend to be slightly heavier with a thicker sole for more traction. If you go this path, try and get some as light as possible, don't bother will lace ups, velcro is perfectly adequate and much faster. Since spinning bikes use SPD pedals you will get double use out of SPD compatible shoes which is nice. Plus, recently there have been some indoor SPD shoes released for indoor cycling which tend to be lighter and are perfectly good for road cycling.

Shoes that take Look cleats tend to be aimed at road cyclists and so tend to be more expensive, the main difference other than the cleat fitting is that they are lighter than SPD shoes and the soles are extremely stiff further increasing the pushing potential of the cyclist (but further reducing the ability to walk without looking like a disabled penguin). I have seen road specific shoes go for silly money (close to £200) but if you're a beginner you can get a perfectly decent pair for around £45.

Whatever shoe type you go for, get a good fit, too lose and your foot will be sliding around, too tight and your feet will get cold in colder weather as you restrict the blood flow.

Helmets

Like all road cycling gear, you can pay anything between £20 - £200 for a helmet. Pretty much all helmets offer good protection these days, choose one that has alot of vents (this will keep your head cool), fits well and preferably one that you like the look of as you will have to wear it a lot. If you want you can go the whole hog and get one that matches your bike :)

Pumps and Maintenance

Pumps

You will need a track pump (a standing pump such as this) as you will be pumping your tyres up a lot, since road specific inner tubes like to be pumped up to between 100-120 psi your handy little mini-pump won't cut the mustard for day to day use - if at all! Again, don't spend a fortune here, just get one that has a pressure gauge and has the ability to pump to beyond 120psi.

You will also need a frame fitting pump to get you out of trouble when you have a puncture (it will happen). All of these tend to be pretty hopeless to be honest, just make sure you get one for presta valves (the valves that are used on road inner tubes).

Puncture Repair

You will need some spare inner tubes, a tyre lever, and a puncture repair kit. You will probably also need a saddle bag to carry all these things in. When you get a puncture on the road, you will be changing the inner tube rather than repairing it - make the repair when you get home. Tip - when repairing a puncture make sure you check for the thing that caused the puncture in the first place - otherwise you will probably just get another one straight away, when you take the tyre off, pull out the inner tube put keep it in-line with the tyre, locate the hole in the tube and check the corresponding area on the inside of the tyre. Finally, run your fingers around the entirety of the tyre (inside and out) looking for any foreign objects.

Clothing

Whilst I will contest that you should wear what you want, I wouldn't cycle without the following...

A cycling Jersey

Jerseys are an essential item - they are great for wicking the sweat away and they have 3 large pockets on the back which are important for carrying your chocolate brownies in :) you can get them in all sorts of styles these days, from team replicas to retro style.

Gloves

You will need gloves, especially for longer rides, if road vibration is a problem for you then get some with gel padding.

Padded shorts

Ideally you will choose proper cycling shorts, but if the idea of wearing tight fitting lycra brings you out in a cold sweat then you can get some baggy style shorts which have padding in (trust me - you need the padding). You can even get padded underwear meaning that you can wear anything on top - however in my experience the most comfortable way to ride is with cycling shorts - they fit better and generally the padding is made to be able to cope with longer distances so prevent the early onset of saddle sores.

Cycling Computers

Not really an essential item but they make the journey much more fun and interesting and they help you train more effectively. Without a cycling computer it is very difficult to judge your pace, effort or improvement. They are relatively inexpensive, starting from around £25.