The Beginner’s Guide to Buying and Owning a Bike

Bicycles are great for those looking to reduce their carbon footprint, exercise more, or leisurely explore their city or outdoor trails. If you’re new to the cyclist community, explore our beginner’s guide to buying and owning a bike below!

What To Consider When Buying a Bike

Its Purpose

The first thing to consider when shopping for a new bike is how you’ll use it. Will this bike be your new way to commute to work, or will you use it primarily for leisurely weekend rides? Do you want a capable road bike, or do you need a mountain bike best suited for beginners? Once you decide the basic purpose of your future bike, you’ll narrow down your choices significantly.

Your Budget

Of course, whether you’re shopping for a bike, a car, or a house, you’ll want to plan a budget and stick to it as best you can. Knowing the bike’s functionality will also help you set a budget—if this is your primary transportation, you can invest in a more high-quality model than something you plan to ride just for fun. Also, consider the many essentials and ancillary gear cyclists need when setting the budget.

The Beginner’s Guide to Owning a Bike

Cycling Gear Essentials

Now that you own a bike, you’ll need the cyclist’s essentials. This equipment will keep your bicycle operating smoothly, securely, and comfortably. Some of the essentials every cyclist needs include:

• Bike lock
• Lights
• Helmet
• Spare tire tube
• Tire levers
• Multi-tool

Storage Considerations

Now that you’ve got a bike, you’ll have to figure out where to keep it! If you’ll have to store the bike for months in the winter, you’ll want a storage area or garage that’s spacious enough to keep your bike safe but well out of the way of other items, vehcles, or pathways. There are also plenty of vertical bike storage options, so consider whether bike storage hooks or racks will suit your needs. You just need to find the right fit for your bike and situation.

Bestseller No. 1

ROCKBROS Bike/Bicycle Phone Front Frame Bag, Waterproof, Tube Bag,Cycling Pouch, Bike Accessories for Men Compatible Phone Under 6.5”

• LARGE SPACE: Bike bag has enough inside room for long rides, holds a lot of stuff like iphone X, battery, energy gel, small tire pump, repair kits, keys, wallet etc. Perfect compatible with cellphones...
• HIGH SENSITIVE TOUCH SCREEN: The bike phone bag has a high sensitive TPU film window which can helps you use cellphone easily while riding, great way to see your activity while using maps on a ride....
• HUMANIZATION DESIGN: The bike phone mount bag has many humanization designs. A, The hidden earphone hole allows you answer the phone or enjoy music freely while cycling. B, reflective tapes on both...
• DURABLE & WATER RESISTANT: The bike top tube bag is made of ultralight and stylish carbon fiber material with sealed double zippers closure, which ensures the water doesn't flow into the bag.The sun...
• EASY TO INSTALL & QUICK RELEASE: 3 straps are firm enough to hold up on the bike, 1 velcro commuter strap on the front + 1 longer commuter strap on the upper bottom( the long strap can fixed the bag...

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Bestseller No. 2

Lamicall Bike Phone Holder, Motorcycle Mount - Motorcycle Phone Holder, Handlebar Cell Phone Clamp, Scooter Phone Clip for iPhone 16 Pro Max/Plus, 15 Pro Max, S10, S20, More 4.7" to 6.8" Smartphones

• Sturdy and Safe: A special shape of this motorcycle & bike phone holder grips each corner of your phone tightly. It ensures the safety of your cell phone attached to the bike handlebar even on a bumpy...
• Shockproof Protection: This bicycle accessories - adjustable bike phone mount comes with silicone pads that keep your phone from scratches and vibration. The motorcycle phone mount holds your phone...
• Wide Compatibility: This universal bike accessories cell phone holder suit for 4.7 to 6.8 inches with thickness up to 0.59“ (15mm, including phone case), like iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16...
• Adjustable Features: This motorcycle accessories easy to adjust the cellphone to horizontal or vertical screen. It is convenient to answer the phone, play music, GPS positioning during the riding.
• Easy Installation: One hand operation motorcycle phone mount is easy to install without tool. The extra 4 silicone pads make your phone fit better with handlebar, can add or remove the silicone pad...

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Bestseller No. 3

Marspeeder Bike Motorcycle Phone Mount,[Super Stable Metal] Bike Motorcycle Phone Holder with Security Lock, Bicycle Phone Mount with Soft Cushion & Adjustable Clip Compatible with 4.7''-6.8'' Phone

• [Super Stable with 4 Upgraded Parts] First, the handlebar clamp comes with 4 rubber shims to increase the grasping force, so the bike phone holder won’t flip down or wiggle around. Second, the...
• [Upgraded High-Speed Secure Lock] In order to prevent your phone fell out on the bumps and high speed riding, we upgraded a locking feature. By tested, the bicyclist ride 70mph on the bumpy road...
• [1s One-Hand Lock & Release] Adding a ergonomic upgraded design, just tilt your cell phone to push the bottom, the bicycle phone mount will automatically grip your phone firmly. While push the bottom...
• [360 ° Free Adjustment Angle & Easy to Install] Our bike phone mount featured a special 360-degree swivel joint ball which allows the bike phone mount to be adjusted at almost any angle during...
• [Wide Compatibility] Marspeeder bike phone holder fits phones with bulky cases. No need to remove the phone case particularly. Compatible with all 4.7-6.8 inch with thickness up to 15mm smartphones,...

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Bestseller No. 4

ROCKBROS Bike Water Bottle Holder Ultra-Light Bicycle Bottle Cages with Screws Tool, Universal Bike Cup Holder Rack for Road MTB Bikes…

• Secure and Sturdy:The water bottle cage is suitable for bikes with pre-drilled screws holes, if the package received is missing screws, please contact us! The water bottle cages has arms that wrap...
• Wear-resistant Quality:The bike water bottle holder made of high quality PC material, ultra-light, only 35g, will not attrit the bicycle frame and easy to install. Great for road, mountain, hybrid,...
• Easy to Install: With installation tool and two pairs of screws. Even if your kids go to Install. It takes less than 60 seconds to install these bicycle water bottle holder. Use an 3mm Allen wrench to...
• Universal Fit:This lightweight water bottle holder is designed to fit most sized of cycling water bottles. Specifically designed for a cyclist, it allows you to access your water bottle while riding...
• Colorful Design: Has a nice finish that doesn't scratch or mark the bottle. Perfect color match to your frame. It is more safer and flexible, not only suit for standard size bike water bottles, likes...

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Bestseller No. 5

Victoper Bike Light, High Lumens Super Bright Bicycle Light, 6+4 Modes USB Rechargeable Bikes Headlight & Taillight Set, Waterproof Safety Bike Front & Rear Lights for Road, Mountain, Night Riding

• SUPER BRIGHT : Our bike safety lights for night riding with 2 LED lights at 1500 high lumens bring you brightness to make everything in front of you illuminated and clear, protecting you from darkness...
• 6+4 MODES : Features 6 different modes of the front light and 4 modes of the rear light which you can switch conveniently. 6 modes of the front light are as follows: Left Strong Light; Left Weak...
• SHOCKPROOF & WATERPROOF : Made of aluminum alloy and meeting the standard of IPX4 Waterproof, our bike lights front and back are capable of fighting the toughest situations such as encountering heavy...
• EASY TO INSTALL & CARRY : With simple structure and lightweight, our bicycle lights are extremely easy to get installed and taken at any time and anywhere. Meanwhile, in a total of 4oz, our bicycle...
• GREAT GIFT CHOICE : Come and order our light for bike as a gift for your friends, children, boyfriend/girlfriend, husband/wife who are enthusiastic about riding bike at night on Valentine's Day /...

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Bestseller No. 6

Lamicall Bike Frame Bag Waterproof - [1s Release] [2 in 1] Bike Phone Bag, Bike Phone Holder Mount, Bicycle Top Tube Bag, Cycling Pouch with Rain Cover, Bike Accessories for Phones Under 7"

• 【 Quick Install and Remove】 The installation process for this bike frame bag is quick and easy, you simply need to install the fix clamp onto your bike, then rotate the bicycle bag 90 degrees to...
• 【 2 in 1 Using - for Top Tube & Stem】 This bike bag is designed with a 2 in 1 using feature, making it fits perfectly on the top tube or stem of your bike; A compact and innovative bike phone...
• 【 Sensitive Touch & Durable Material】 Our bike phone bag is designed with sensitive touch capability, ensuring that you have easy access to your phone while on the move; Additionally, it is made...
• 【 Waterproof - with Rain Cover】 The waterproof feature and the rain cover that comes with will keep your phone safe no matter what the weather conditions, conveniently stores your belongings while...
• 【 1.3L Capacity & for 4.7-7" Phones】 The bike top tube bag has a 1.3L capacity that makes it perfect for carrying your phone, charger, wallet, keys, and other small items; It fits 4.7-7 inches...

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Bestseller No. 7

Accmor 3-in-1 Bike Cup Holder with Cell Phone Keys Holder, Bike Water Bottle Holders, Universal Bar Drink Cup Can Holder for Bicycles, Motorcycles, Scooters, Black

• Multifunctional cup holder is suitable for water bottle, coffee mug, baby bottle, drink bottles, beverage cups etc.
• This 3-in-1 bicycle cup holder with a phone holder and key holder, it can load drink bottles, your keys and mobile phones at the same time. It fits for most phones under 6.5 inches.
• The width of the clip can freely adjust from 0.85 in to 1.35 in. So this bike water bottle holder can be used on bike/stroller/walker/scooter/motorcycle to meet your needs.
• The bottle holder and phone holder with automatic springs to keep your bottle and phone fixed inside, prevent drinks from spilling and falling down.
• Bike cup holder features with polyurethane skin, stitched to a black polypropylene cup holder, featured by safe and no odor, more durable.

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We hope our guide on buying and owning a bike makes it easier for beginners to find their ideal bike and take care of it well. Luckily, there are tons of resources for cyclists, beginners, and veterans, from online forums to cyclist clubs, so if you still have questions, it won’t be hard to find answers!