So with that out of the way, let me list out essential bike accessories you should have, sorted by urgency:
Helmets
According to Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, in 2014 60% of the cyclist killed in an accident weren't wearing helmets. To put that in numbers, 429 out of 720 deaths may or may not be related to not wearing helmets. To simplify that even more, if you have an cycling accident while not wearing any helmets, you would have better chance on winning a coin toss than surviving it.Harsh truth, I know, but important nonetheless. So just grab one, but make sure it has all the correct specs. The most common one is like this:
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That is Giro Trinity Helmet as an example. It has standard features such as hard outer shell made of polycarbonate, with soft inner part called impact foam made of EPS foam. "Why is it so light and soft on the inside?" You might ask. Well, helmets, especially for cycling, are made to crumple upon impact in order to avoid making your brain smash into your skull, causing concussion. So do not expect a bulletproof-all-metal-world-war-2 headgear to protect you from falling of your bike.
Got that? Okay, move on to the next item.
Lamps
According to the same data as before (lower section), 49% of cyclist deaths happened during nighttime (6 p.m. - 6 a.m.) with 39% happened between 6 p.m. - midnight. That's more than a third! There are no data on lamp usage, but to be on the safe side, you'll need lamps if you are planning on riding after 6 p.m. |
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There are many choices, I know, just pick the one that has both headlight and taillight, like this BV Bicycle Light Set. Mount the headlight on the handlebar, and the taillight under the saddle. Make sure they are visible from afar, and you're all set! Oh, and don't forget to turn them on though.
And thats all! Those are the bare minimum gears to reduce your risks while riding. Do not hesitate to invest on them, and see you on the next one!
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