Noob questions. Wiki kaput?

milltown

The wiki seems to be down for the last while so I hope you'll humour me with a few noob questions.

Collecting my BTW Trek 1.2 tomorrow. What are the essentials I should be picking up while I'm in the shop? Helmet, bottle & cage, padded shorts, pump and "breakdown kit" are part of the deal, though I've no idea if a breakdown kit has a few standard items or if it's what the shop deems necessary. For i.e. I don't know if it's a puncture repair kit, if it includes chain breaker and split links, tyre levers or what

I'm a fitter by trade so I'll be doing all the maintenance myself. To that end, can you recommend an up to date bike maintenance manual? What sort of oils, sprays, greases and cleaners should I be looking to stock up on?

Unless it's tipping down I'd hope to be going out for a maiden voyage tomorrow or the next day. Should I be looking to sort of "orbit" home for the purpose of a shakedown first? In case anything was missed by the shop and falls off miles from home stranding me.

What are the essentials heading out for a couple of hours in the saddle? Drink, phone, pump and repair kit I'm guessing. A lock for any stop offs.
Anything else?

Any other advice you can offer for someone who's last "road bike" had ten gears operated by levers down on the frame.

Cheers.

Khannie

Haynes bike book is decent. Was recommended to me on here and I've found it pretty easy to follow (though sometimes I go with a youtube video for more complex stuff). Ask for lube in the shop (more is less). Spare tubes are essential kit IMO and you didn't list them. It's gonna be winter soon: Mudguards and lighting is worth considering also. A cheap cycle computer is nice too (I got mine for 7 euro on dealextreme and it's perfect for what I want). Not sure what kind of pump you're getting but a track pump is important. Lidl are selling bike kit this coming Monday, just so you know.

smacl

+1 on the lights

A couple of spare tubes in addition to your puncture repair kit are a good idea. Makes fixing a puncture on the roadside much quicker. And a small saddle bag to keep all this gear in. For a couple of hours, I'd also bring a small snack, snickers bar or some such. Not necessary, but nice.

RidleyRider

Winter tires, skully and leg warmers for the winter:D

joker77

On the saddle bag - here's what I have:
Spare tube, small puncture repair kit, tyre levels, CO2 cannister, small piece of a tyre (in case of blowout), multi-tool.

I've a small pump that you can either use manually or the cannister, that clips onto the bike.

I've had 2 punctures before - so one tube on it's own is not enough, but it's rare enough that having a kit is the contingency.

joker77

milltown wrote: »

What are the essentials heading out for a couple of hours in the saddle? Drink, phone, pump and repair kit I'm guessing. A lock for any stop offs.

Drink - check (electrolyte)
Food - banana / cereal bar
Saddle bag + pump - check
Lock? nah
Small plastic bag containing phone + bit of cash (in case of emergencies)
Keys (yes, I've left the house without them seeing I'm not driving)

milltown

D'oh!
Lights and mudguards were already part of the order, sorry.
Good advice guys, keep it coming!
Thanks.

milltown

Bike collected today and maiden voyage complete. Ouch!
Have a mind to keep a detailed blog from Day 1 onwards. To that end, which of the many ipod apps would be best for keeping track of my rides?