All of the gear you don't need on your urban commuter bike (and a few things you do)

One of the great things about using a bicycle as a mode of transportation is its simplicity. But sometimes it feels like the bike world is always trying to complicate that simplicity — with new technology, new gear and new features designed to make your bike faster, lighter or stronger. And while this tech can be amazing (and you should absolutely use anything you need to make the bike a bigger part of your life), sometimes I feel like the excitement over new tech overshadows the pleasures of cycling's simplicity.

So this video is to remind you that, while tech and gear can be great, you may not need all of it to have a happy bike life

0:00 Introduction
1:01 Suspension
2:35 Dropper posts
3:06 Cycling shoes that clip into your pedals
4:16 Disc brakes (in some situations!)
5:29 Carbon-fibre frames
6:57 Too many gears
7:34 Knobby tires
7:58 Cycling-specific clothing
8:36 A few things I like that you might need...
8:44 A rack
9:31 Pannier bags or a basket
9:51 A kickstand
10:24 Fenders
10:38 The right accessories

#cycling #bike #commuting

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[Shifter_Cycling]

Do you have any advice for simplifying the lives of other urban commuter cyclists? Share it here!

[modelflugzuegsamlung]

For me, the more expensive components a bike has, the less useful it is for day-to-day transport, because I'm constantly worrying about the chance of it getting stolen. The knowledge that I could replace the bike without too much pain if it disappeared gives me so much more freedom than the best frame or fork or groupset ever could.

[goldenking]

Disk brakes also perform a lot better when wet. If your climate is wet enough to justify fenders it's definitely enough to justify disc brakes.

[rayrozga]

Rear view mirror. A must if you ride anywhere on a road. Knowing what is behind you, without taking your eyes off of what is in front of you greatly improves your personal safety. Until you have one you'll never realize just how good they are.

[troylindsey]

I am an old guy who has ridden my whole life...casual, racing, mountain biking. I have never understood the disdain for kickstands. Get a good light kickstand that mounts to your rear triangle. You will not regret it.

[valho]

Depending on your city and the condition of its roads, puncture resistant tires might be a crucial upgrade. I am a bike commuter in NYC. I got tired of paying for tubes to be replaced. So I learned how to patch and replace tubes myself. Got sick of doing that and put a little money down for some puncture resistant tires. Best decision ever.

[jgbraschi]

Agree on almost everything... Disc brakes make a big difference when you're cycling through traffic, and the "too many gears", in a city with uphills and downhills like the one I live in, is very useful - it's especially useful to have a very long gear to speed up downhill

[kitsurubami]

I recently bought my first bike as an adult so I'm as casual as it gets. So refreshing to hear such a reasonable video. Almost all the other bike videos are hyper-fixated on weight, performance, etc.

[derLenno]

I commute on a mid-80s steel frame road bike every day. Giant Pacer. It's barebones, but it has two qualities that I absolutely love.

1. It's possible to mount any type of accessory and safety gear. Lights, reflectors, little seat post bag and a bell - no weirdly shaped, proprietary parts there, so this type of stuff is a no brainer.
2. Every single repair can be done by myself, in my flat, with standardized parts and only a limited set of tools needed. I recently mounted Schwalbe Durano tires, switched out the pedals for some better ones that I found, replaced the brakes and so on. If anything breaks, it is likely that I will be able to diagnose the issue and fix it within 30 minutes myself.

Apart from that, it's super quick and even though these older bikes are often a work of art, mine is ugly enough to not be stolen.

[michielvoetberg]

4:18 From my experience (Yes I am Dutch) brakes are often limited to the grip your tires have. Often if you truely need to make an emergency stop your tires will just slip. Even with the worst brakes I have had, the tires will lose grip before the brakes.

Another thing you will need: a chain guard. Preferably an easily removable one. It keeps your trousers clean. It keeps dirt off the chain.

[themeatshow]

Interesting that my one "must-have" for an urban run-around bike is something that you don't have on yours, and that's a small bag, whether it's a seat bag, frame bag, handlebar bag or whatever else. A lot of the time when I'm going out, I don't need a full panier bag - I just need enough room to get the wallet, cell phone and keys out of my pockets and in to a bag where its safer and more comfortable.

[ScrapKing]

I live in an area with lots of rain. One of the best things ever for that context are lock-on grips. Regular grips can start to twist on the handlebar in any climate, but especially when the bike is regularly ridden in the wet. Lock-on grips can be a significant safety boost, and definitely an improved feel.

[onorebakasama]

It appears that I agreed with every last thing said in this video 5-10 years ago when I was at peak bike commuting and experimentation. After years of discovering my needs and desires to make my cycling more practical, my setup includes and excludes everything this video mentions. Nice!
The only thing I added over you is a mirror, handlebar-mounted. Since I biked on main roads much of the time out of necessity, I found myself shoulder-checking every five seconds. A quick glance down at a mirror feels so, SO much better.

[bosun]

4:16 One advantage of disc brakes is that instead of wearing down your rims, you wear down a less expensive consumable item (rotor) instead.

Also IMO, I have mostly found disc brakes easier to adjust/more durable than rim brakes.

[jakobc]

I'm a bike mechanic on the South end of the Canada-US border and appreciate your take - I have a few things I'd love to add. Regarding reducing gears, be very cautious if you are converting a bike with a front derailleur to a single front chainring: That derailleur acts as a chain guide also, preventing the chain from slipping off. If you switch, be sure to replace your chainrings with a narrow-wide chainring. Also, if you have a rear derailleur then consider upgrading to one with a clutch for added protection!

Wholly agree with your comment on disc brakes: Rim brakes are super underrated for the average bike rider! Disc brakes require more maintenance and are much more prone to problems and the dreaded 'honk' sound due to even a tiny bit of oil (like from oiling your chain) getting on them. I own bikes with both, and each has its place in the world of bikes.

Great video, and thanks for coming to my TED talk!

[nfjjpzc]

This has been the best bike video for normal people I've seen anywhere. Utmost respect and apologies to the bike community that geeks out. Disclaimer- as a musician i get it, but yeah.
Stay blessed!

[buntbar]

A Hub Dynamo is such a win. Never forget your light again, never run out of batteries again.
I love it!
For years, I was riding in the dark, now I am enlightened. 😅

[cansurmeli]

As a long time biker, when most of YouTube always talks about the latest and greatest, it is really precious that you do videos like that. Yes, the latest and greatest could be useful but everything has a place. Great video. Cheers.

[joellebrodeur]

Accessories I use: brass bell, lights (front and rear), removable handlebar bag, Q mount phone holder, frame mount bottle holder, lock, rear rack, fenders and dual leg kickstand. The kickstand is key. The dual leg version keeps the bike truly straight up. Works irrespective of what side you are on the bike and the bike is more stable. That's all I need.

[CasperLabuschagne]

As someone without a motor vehicle and that has been cycling to get to point A to B for the past 53 years, I agree with every point.
- You don't want a muddy stripe consisting of unspeakable matter the homeless now deposit on city streets up your back therefore good mudguards are vital.
- You need a robust linked chain going through both wheels and the frame with a proper padlock to advertise to bike thieves that the next parked bike is going to be easier to steal than this one — I have not had a bike stolen in all the time I have been cycling since I either have my butt, my hand or my sturdy linked chain with a massive padlock on the bike.
- Bike commuters are welcome to put slime in their tyres but there will come a day that you will arrive at your destination with your work clothes covered in slime because you fixed a puncture on the way — I learnt my lesson the hard way.
- There are now so many potholes and obstacles on the roads that it is a pleasure to mount the worst of those provided you have front suspension instead. of dodging them without suspension.
- Given how 90% of mountain bikes sold since the 1980's are/were used, those MTB's only needed an internal hub with three gears for 95% of their rides.
- The two things I wished I had from day one is a basic cycling computer with speed, trip distance, average trip speed, total distance etc as well as a kick-stand.
- I have a cheap digital watch without it's strap glued to the center of my handlebar to show the time since on a bicycle time takes on a different dimension.
- An integral light on the front and rear is something I wish every bike had.
- I strongly prefer huge pedals that are easy to use in situations were your foot is repeatedly either on the ground or on the pedal while providing massive torque when used in start-stop traffic.
- I use a rear mirror on the edge of the handlebar as a backup device to monitor traffic behind me, though it does not take long before it is snapped off and has to be replaced.
- Bike shops correctly fit customer bike sizes for the best performance on long journeys on roads with minimal traffic but in my experience I handle a smaller size than my recommended size better in urban traffic — BMX users will say the same thing and a 29'er the width of a garage door is not the optimal bicycle for an urban commute.
- You really don't need to mount your phone on the handle bars and you really don't need a point to point route navigation APP when cycling — you will soon acquire a feeling for where you are and while you may frequently be lost, within ten minutes you will have encountered a major road that will lead you to where you want to be.