A (baker's) dozen things to consider if you're new to cycling...

Specialized Rockhopper Sport 29er

Things to look out for when riding the bike - a few thoughts.

1. Get used to your bike before you cycle too much on the roads. By that I mean get to know how it handles, what its limitations are and so on. 

2. When you're on the road, don't let your mind drift. Be aware of traffic at all times and listen out for cars. Watch the situation in front, ie sometimes cars give room to a cyclist on the other side of the road, but that means they're coming straight for you, beware. 

3. On the point of motorists giving cyclists room, most don't bother. They're supposed to leave something like three feet between you and them, but they don't, most drive far too close for comfort, so keep over to the left hand side and don't drift to the right, keep the bike straight and always cover the brakes with your hands. 

4. Beware of motorists full stop. Especially van drivers. They don't care about you. Watch out when riding along for lorries or buses or coaches turning left in front of you, they might not have seen you on their inside; there's been a lot of cyclist deaths caused by lorries, buses, coaches etc turning left with a cyclist coming along their inside. 

5. Parked cars. Another big cause of cycling accidents is people opening their driver side door as you're riding past. You must give them enough room to do this. I've had a few close calls. So when you're approaching parked cars, check what's behind you before moving out and keep your eyes peeled, give the cars parked on your left room as again, motorists don't think and they don't care about you.

7. Don't drive recklessly and by that I mean don't speed, especially on downhill sections of road or bends where you don't know what's coming round the corner. You'd be amazed how sometimes cars come round a corner on the wrong side of the road. 

8. Don't take corners too fast. This was how I came off back in October 2016, cutting my legs and hands in the process. It was painful for days, make that weeks, and my right knee swelled up. Not good and all because I came whizzing round a left turn too fast on a wet road, the bike slid from under me and I hit the road hard. The weird (and nasty) thing about coming off is the impact. You hit the ground with a thud, it's really not pleasant. With this in mind, your bike has very very thin tyres compared to mine, making it much easier for you to come a cropper if the roads are wet. Don't be fooled, keep the speed down. I came off when I was riding the Specialized Crosstrail Sport Disc, a hybrid, that's why I exchanged it for a mountain bike (fatter tyres, more stability). See photo at the top for my new bike, a Specialized Rockhopper Sport 29er. Although make no mistake, the accident was my fault, not the bike's.

9. Keep an eye on the saddle. It might not be right for you. You'll soon know if you're getting numbness 'down there' and you don't want to be getting any embarrassing problems. There are plenty of good saddles,  just go on Amazon and you'll find them.

10. Enjoy riding the bike with pals, go to the parks etc, but I would strongly advise against commuting on it through rush hour traffic in any UK city, but especially in London, although since lockdown there's been more cycle lanes. I've been riding, mostly at weekends, and Andy and I go out early into the rural lanes of Northern Kent, leaving the house around 0700hrs and getting back around 0900hrs, possibly a bit later, but the point is there's  less traffic. The key thing to avoid at all costs is traffic and this is more of a problem in the city.

11. Don't wear flip flops or any other inappropriate footwear.

12. Always be prepared for punctures, get some 'leeches' from Halfords, make sure you have a small pump and, of course, something to put it in (small rucksack, for example). And, what about a lock? Lots of bikes are nicked so I'd suggest a U-lock, although they are very heavy and cumbersome.

13. Don't ride in the gutter. Why not? Because of all the crap that resides there, like leaves, general crap, potholes and so forth. It also encourages close passes.