Biking Adventures

Getting Started with Cycling

Starting cycling has grown more complex with the bike types and gear options flying around. As someone who started cycling because I needed transportation and couldn’t afford a car — ended up discovering one of the best activities for physical and mental health — I taught myself the working side of getting into this sport. Today, I’ll share what I wish someone had told me.

What Kind of Riding Do You Want?

Probably should have led on this subject, in fairness. Before buying anything, think about what you’ll actually do. Commuting to work? Weekend fitness rides? Mountain trails? Each needs different equipment.

Road cycling: Pavement riding, either for exercise or getting places. Efficient, fast, can cover lots of ground.

Mountain biking: Trails, dirt, technical terrain. More demanding physically and skills-wise, but adventurous.

Commuting: Getting from A to B. Practical considerations like weather, cargo, and theft risk matter.

Recreational/hybrid: Casual riding on paved paths and light gravel. The “just want to ride a bike” category.

Getting a Bike

That’s what makes simple advice endearing to us who overcomplicated things early on — start with whatever gets you riding. A basic used bike beats no bike. You can upgrade later once you know what you actually want.

Essential Gear

Helmet: non-negotiable. Good lights if you’ll ride at dusk or dawn. A basic repair kit (spare tube, pump, tire levers) for longer rides. Everything else can wait until you know what you need.

Just Start

The best advice I got was to stop researching and start riding. You’ll figure out what you need as you go. The activity itself is what matters, not the gear.