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by Jobey M

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There are a number of reasons why people choose to ride bikes; to improve their health, to increase their fitness, to lose a few pounds and even to reduce stress. A bike is a very versatile mode of transport, after a few minutes turning those pedals you'll be hooked.
According to the British Medical Association's report, 'Cycling: Towards Health and Safety', cycling regularly will improve your fitness and can help you live a long and healthy life. Riding a bike can help you maintain a healthy weight. Using a cycle instead of a car for short journeys will not only benefit your health, it is also good for the community by reducing noise, pollution and congestion.
Cycling is a low impact activity and therefore is less likely to strain muscles and joints through over-exertion. Furthermore, regular exercise also helps other healthy behavior such as weight reduction and if you are a smoker may assist you to give up. Heart muscles will be strengthened, at rest pulse level will be lower and blood fat levels will also be lower. It is a known fact that people taking regular exercise suffer less heart complaints than those that don't.

Cycling can also save you money. If you can use your cycle to replace some of your shorter car journeys, your petrol bill and depreciation costs will be reduced.

OK. So you've now decided to get yourself a bicycle, and avail yourself of the benefits, but where do you start? What sort of bike should you by? What about accessories? What safety gear should you buy? Well, I'm glad you asked!
There is a wide variety of bicycles, each suited to a particular task. But the main types we are interested in here are Comfort bikes, Touring bikes and Mountain Bikes.
Comfort bikes are designed for general day to day use. They employ middle or heavy weight frames and tyres. They can have hub gearing or sometimes a chain gear with 6-10 gears, and a variety of helpful accessories. The riding position is usually upright.
Touring bikes are designed for touring long distances over good roads. They are durable and comfortable, usually have some method of transporting baggage, and can have any type of gearing system with upwards of 12 gears.
Mountain bikes are designed for off-road cycling. All mountain bikes feature sturdy, highly durable frames and wheels, wide-gauge treaded tyres, and cross-wise handlebars to help the rider resist sudden jolts. Some mountain bikes feature various types of suspension systems (e.g. coiled spring, air or gas shock), and hydraulic or mechanical disc brakes. Mountain bike gearing is very wide-ranging, from very low ratios to high ratios, typically with 21 to 30 gears. Because of their sturdy construction, they also tend to be heavier.
So your first consideration is, What type of surface will I be cycling over?' If it's going to be mainly dirt tracks and/or very rough roads, then your choice will be to go for a mountain bike. It's best not to choose a mountain bike just to be trendy. With their chunky tyres and sturdy frames, there's a lot of extra weight to push around.
So we're now down to a comfort bike or Touring bike. If you're planning on going long distances and maybe camping out overnight, then the touring bike is the way to go.
If all you want to do is local cycling, or to replace the car for the trip in to work then a comfort bike will fit the bill.
You've now decided which bike is right for you, so it's time to look at what safety equipment and accessories you need to go with it.
You are not going to go far once the air has escaped from one of your tyres, so the first thing to consider is a good tool kit and a pump. Get a good puncture repair kit. It should have a good selection of patches, emery cloth, to roughen and clean the area to be repaired, adhesive, at least 2 tyre levers, a cycle spanner and hexagonal keys.
Pumps come in a variety of designs. Make sure you can fit it to your bike frame and that you have the correct size adapter for the valves fitted to the tubes. Some pumps can adapt to both types of valve that are in use.
Even if you don't intend to ride at night, you should still equip your bike with lights. You never know when you will meet up with someone, and that 5 minute natter unexpectedly delays you more than you thought. Or suddenly you're engulfed by fog.
Modern battery powered light sets are very efficient and will probably suffice for the occasional use. However if your intention is towards touring where you'll be doing a lot of dusk/night riding, then go for a dynamo powered set. If the lights you choose have conventional bulbs, then always keep a couple of spare bulbs.
Bikes by their very nature are very quiet, so make sure you get a bell to warn other road users of your presence. Also, pedestrians have a nasty habit of stepping off the pavement before looking around.
That's the bike taken care of, now what about you, the rider?
First and most important is a helmet. Although not a legal requirement, a good helmet is a must. Helmets are designed to protect your head in case of a mishap. So my advice is to buy the best that you can afford. Do not skimp on something that could ultimately save your life. Helmets come in a wide variety of styles, are light, well vented to keep your head cool and some are even stylish.
Do not wear your helmet casually', but keep it low on your forehead to protect the front of your head.
It is crucial to keep yourself hydrated and fuelled' whilst cycling. This means having adequate liquid and solid refreshment available. Depending on how hard you are exercising, you should be drinking between 500ml and 1ltr of liquid every hour. Thought has to be given to how you're going to carry this. A purpose made cage and bottle to fit to the bike is a good solution.
Getting a seat pack or saddle bag is a good idea for carrying all the extra bits and pieces like your puncture kit and food.
That covers all the essential equipment, but there is a great choice of other stuff that whilst not absolutely necessary, will go a long way to making your cycling experience more enjoyable. You could consider specialist clothing, mudguards, if your bike doesn't already have them, or even a computer. These are very useful and have a variety of functions such as; distance traveled, average speed, current speed and trip time amongst others.
Oh, and now that you have your nice shiny new bike, you did remember to get a nice strong lock for it, didn't you?

Learn more about this author, Jobey M.

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