Things You NEED vs Things You WANT for Bike Commuting

there are certain things you take with you buy commuting because you have to and then there are things that you take because you want to you could argue that this is you will ever truly need for bike commuting it's a box standard hybrid bike with nothing added to it in fact some would argue that this is more than you need for B commuting because it has gears there are two extremes there are the purists who say anything else than a fixie is more than you ever need and then there are those like me who want to try every single gadget on the bicycle but who is right and what do you actually need for bu commuting and what are things that you might want to add of course a bike in good working order is necessary and that's not up for discussion but what about gears do you need any and if so how many obviously I can't answer that question for you I imagine that most people need at least some gears on the bike if your commute is mostly flat you might get away with three gears but if you have some climbs on your commute then you might want to get seven gears or more once you've got your means of transportation everything else seems to be optional though this bike is in good working order and technically speaking you can jump on it and ride it as far as you want to it would be wrong to assume that this is the ideal commuter as it is set up what if it gets dark for example or what if it starts to raining or what if you want to lock up your bike somewhere when you get to your destination as a bike commuter you cannot ignore these questions and I think we can agree that the Hallmark of a good commuter is that it's practical it's safe and it's reliable and everything that enhances these without adding too much complexity are necessary for example add fenders to protect your frame and your clothes from rain splashing Up From Below permanently installed full fenders are best in my opinion they're always ready even if they're not as trendy as ass saers lights which can be decent lights or at least some cheap lights somewhere standby in your bag look even if you ride mostly in broad daylight you never know when you're going to get delayed or have to ride home in the dark and one of the most dangerous things you can do as a rider is to be invisible to others on the road not to mention that there also a legal requirement in some countries do you need really powerful lights well maybe not if you ride mostly in the city and the street are well lit you might get away with cheap lights to be seen But if you ride in the dark and you want to see the road ahead of you you want to invest in decent quality lights like this one I use this one from relight it's a 700 Lumen light really powerful and I can ride with it even in pitch dark I also use a CI volt 800 which is no longer in production I think it has been replaced by the ampp 800 those those are fantastic lights too if you get these powerful lights they're mostly USB rechargeable so you can always pop them on the charger when you get to the office or when you get home you can also get some Dynamo operated lights they're probably not as powerful as these but they're always ready as soon as the wheels are turning the lights come on you also need to carry your stuff in some way if you're a backpack person then a backpack is all you need you don't need anything else on your bicycle but if you want to use peners you want to add a rack either a permanently installed rack or a removable rack like I have on my bicycle when you get to your destination you might want to lock up your bike and for that you need a UL lock or a chain I like this chain because I can wrap it around the frame of my bike even if I don't carry anything else with me the chain is always on my bicycle a repair kit with the essential tools to deal with mechanical issues is also on my needed list this this has gotten me out of trouble several times I always carry a spare inner tube a mini pump a multi-tool Tire levers and a puncture repair kit to fix any mechanical issues I might encounter recently I took a short trip with my brumpton without the repair kit and I wish I had it with me because I got a puncture by the way if any of these items pequs your interest I'm going to put links to them in the description box below now onto the ones these items are not strictly speaking necessary but they provide a better experience because they make your Ride Safer more comfortable and more practical puncture prooof tires like this Schwab Marathon here punctures always come in the worst moment and many of them can be easily avoided if you install good puncture prooof tires I actually prepared a video comparing six of the best commuter tires tires which I'm going to link in the description below since my main computer doesn't have a kickstand I always appreciate when I ride a bike that has one I love not having to think about what to lean the bike against when I stop a handle by mirror is also a great addition to buy commuting it makes writing a little bit more convenient you don't have to constantly turn around and it makes your Ride Safer in the city several people asked me in the comment section where I got this one from and it's a simple decathlon bar mirror it's a very cheap one too well worth the price being thirsty is one of the worst feelings when you're on your bike and you're riding to work or anywhere else and you know that you still have a long way to go and you have no water with you which is why if you have a long commute you want to add a water bottle holder to your bicycle no need to reach for the water in your backpack bar and grips serve Comfort if you have a bike with a flat handlebar and you tend to get num hands chances are that a set of Baron grips can reduce the numbness or eliminate it altogether I love these grips from Aron and I compared the entire GP lineup in a video again I'm going to put a link in the description box below I mentioned lights on the list of things you need but hi items and reflective items are also a great way to stand out when you're riding at Night My Philosophy is that the more reflectives you have on yourself and on your bike the better because you can be much easier spotted especially in the winter when the days are short you don't want to risk having an accident because your lights ran out of battery and this is a great backup solution in this video I show you 12 different reflective ideas that you can use on yourself or on on your bicycle including this one see you there

Channel: Bike Commuter Hero

Views: 5,115

Keywords: bicycle, cycling, biking, bike commuting, cycling to work, urban cycling, cycling ideas, cycling tips, cycling gear, biking gear

Id: J4n6rD5L23k

Length: 7min 6sec (426 seconds)

Published: Wed Aug 30 2023