Before we start I just want to warn you that cycling, while a simple hobby is full of money sinks and gear envy. It's very easy to spend 10x more for something marginally better, I only mention this now because it took me way too long to figure this out.

On to gear recommendations:

A good lock - this should be at least 10%the cost of your bike, also make sure to learn to lock your bike properly (not just through the front wheel)

Spare tube(s) - while I agree a patch repair kit is great to have, repairing a tube when you're late, it's cold, and miserable is a hellish experience. especially for newbies, id recommend carrying a spare tube instead and just changing that. That way you can patch your original tube in the warmth of your home with a cuppa, much better experience. Swap it back when you're done and you're gravy.

Gloves - Everyone falls. Everyone. Gloves not only make your ride more comfortable, but they also protect your palms on the event that you scrape them after a tumble (I write this with scraped palms after not following my own advice and falling last weekend)

A basic repair kit - puncture repair, tyre levers, pump, multi tool w chain break, zipties and a metre or so of duct tape

Sunnies - bike specific glasses are a scam (at least for beginners), just have a pair on the bike at all times. This will make riding at dawn/dusk and in the rain more comfortable. Id recommend polarized with a fairly light tint, too dark and it'll be hard to ride in the rain with them.

A bike bag to store it all in - nothing fancy just good to have things off your body and on the bike so wouldn't recommend a backpack. This is the first place where you can spend a lot of money, but a good bike bag is never a bad investment.

The more you ride the more you'll come to realize what you need and don't need, you'll add a bunch to this list but I doubt there's anything you'll remove so it's a good starting place.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 10 months ago

Thanks for all the advice. I've been guilty of gear acquisition syndrome in other hobbies before, so I'm definitely going in with a budget mindset. I was also looking at "better" more expensive adventure/touring bikes, but came to my senses to keep it cheaper for now. Now with all these additional things I didn't think about, I'm happy with my decision!

I don't actually need to use it for commuting right now (could always change in future though), mainly for exercise - but I like the idea of the bike bag + repair kit/spare tubes etc.