I agree that bringing a saddle bag with the essentials for fixing and repairing issues like flats, etc. is a good idea. Lights are also definitely an essential item for safety and legality. Thanks for the comment!

Thanks for the comment. Those are all great suggestions, indeed. It’s important to keep your bike relatively clean for your sanity in many cases, especially when you keep getting chain grease on your work clothes as is often my case.

A repair manual is often a nice addition if one is mechanically inclined or simply wants to learn more about the workings of a bicycle.

Good luck with your bike’s new additions!

A chain case or cover is a minor detail for a Commuter bike, but since I just got a bike with the requisite chain case, it will help the running gear of the bike last longer.

Getting road grit and grime on your bottom bracket, front sprocket or chain wheel (the bigger thing with teeth on it, and a chain rotating around it) can also wear out expensive parts quicker without protection even post-rain.

Clean and lube your CHAIN!

It’s nice to be beyond help with weight on the bike, my bike in its basic state weighs 45 pounds, so there is very little that will help it enough to make a difference. (Yes fenders and a chin case add some weight but not so much as that. The bike frame is massively sturdy. (Not I expect to add a plastic milk crate in the next week, and bungee net to cover the crate, some ROKStraps to tie things onto the crate and rear rack. It WILL get heavier.

Great suggestions for additional gear to carry on a ride. I too usually carry a tube, and always regret it when I don’t! Indeed, weather does play a significant role in a number of bicycle commuting issues.

I live in the desert, so while I don’t have to worry about using fenders and studded tires quite so much, I do have to worry about heat and dehydration. I have to plan my commute at certain times of the day and carry plenty of fluids for long commutes. So yes, weather is a HUGE factor!

Thanks so much for your comment. We hope to hear from you again.

Melanie

I always ride with a patch kit and a frame pump, and, on longer rides when I’m carrying a lot of junk anyway, I sometimes throw a spare tube in my bike box. I very infrequently need that stuff but flats aren’t fun.

The weather in your area should play a major role your bicycle selection, especially if you only have one. Think about what weather you are likely to encounter and make sure your bicycle can accomodate the nessicary add-ons you might want/need. I’m thinking specifically of fenders and studded tires (which won’t fit on sportier bicycles) but I’m sure there are others I haven’t though of.

Cheers from the North Country,
Alfred

Thanks for the comment. We would love to see some photos of your commute in Sao Paulo and of your Esmeralda! Feel free to send them our way!

As for spandex-sporting-weight-weenies, I am being a bit self-deprecating. I am mainly referring to sport cyclists who are obsessed with shaving off grams on their bicycles to save weight in order to go faster. There is certainly a time and place for such things (as I myself am also a bike racer – hence I am making fun of myself), but the time to save weight is definitely not during a bicycle commute in my opinion.

Thanks, and we look forward to hearing from you again.

You advise is valuable, get a good used bike.

I would like to put more words, some old things were made to last more than new ones.

What is the meaning of “spandex-sporting weight-weenie “?

Best Rides

Juca