Share your advice for those new to cycling!

Just ride.

Learn how to fix a puncture. 

For maintenance/servicing watch the Park Tool videos (but don't slavishly buy their tools). 

If your bike has one carry a replacement derailleur hanger (and the tools to replace it).

Don't put tools or anything else that is hard or pointy in your rear jersey pockets. 

Take emergency grub. 

If you don't already live there move to Yorkshire. The usual stuff. 
 

Get a track pump, so you can easily inflate your tyres and know you have the correct pressure.

work on your core muscles - they will IME be the first thing to give you gyp on a ride. 

Rule 5. 

minimise unwanted lateral movement at the three contact-points. No springy saddles.  

Cheap, strong, light - pick any two. 

You don't need to be head to toe in Lycra, but "civilian" clothes are more likely to absorb moisture and chafe after a time. Look after your extremities at this time of year  - hands and feet.  Cover your shoulders in summer. Wear a base layer. 

Are you sure that village store/cafe is open on a Sunday? 

A "cafe lock" is a useful accessory. mini pliers and zip ties, pump multi tool, patches, spare gilet, spare bolts, chain link. Shop around for these things - standards tools are cheap and plentiful. 

ViewRanger for navigation on your phone doesn't rely on a signal to work.

if you buy new, take up the offer of going back after 2-3 weeks - bolts have a strange habit of loosening. Cleat bolts too if you have them.

Don't leave random clunks, bumps and clatters uninvestigated. A clean drive train and wheels true add to the experience.

chapeau! Means I raise my hat to you 

N+1 - the correct number of bikes/5mm Allen keys. 

Left hand pedal - left hand thread. 

nod/ extend your right-hand fingers when you meet other cyclists* - they will do likewise. 

stick it to Brexit by counting kilometres 

* obviously not triathletes, e-bikers; MTBers: use your discretion, but not if they've got baggy shorts over long tights and drive an Audi estate with racks on and you think "ohh he's a bike owner he'll be sensible when he comes by," but he drives like an absolute tool.

Oh all right then, e-bikers: at least they're having a go. They might take up cycling in the future. 

Don't ride in teh gutter. Learn to ride "primary" where necessary. It may seem counterintuitive, but it really is safer.

Treat painted cycle lanes as random splodges of paint which can be ignored if you want

Don't ride too close to the edge of the road - you'd be suprised at how many cyclists I see practically skimming the edge of the carriageway. Make room for yourself if you suddenly have a wobble or need to dodge a pothole - about 1-1.5 metres. Riding too close to the edge also encourages idiots to make dangerous passes even more than usual.

Learn to love bike maintenance - as has been said before, once you make the outlay for the right tools, it'll save you loads and give you a sense of achievement. Further down the line build your own bike - a very satisfying thing to do.

On the flatter sections, try and pedal 'in a circle', rather than simply pushing down on the pedals (easier when you are clipped-in to the pedals). On the hills, try getting out of the saddle now and then, even if it's just to add variety - it's a good skill to have for the really steep inclines. 

Most of all enjoy it - safe in the knowledge you are doing a great thing for yourself, your local environment and the planet as a whole.

Fantastic and cheap Aldi cycling kit has only come to this area in the last couple of years. Anything you get there is worth it! The latest front and rear LED bike light pack is the best value ever at £15, and if they come back into the stores: get the packs with the 40 off long thin spoke reflectors and springy band reflectors which fit round your ankles and act as cycle clips.

Learn some basic bicycle maintenance.

You will save some money and keep riding longer.

Don't buy a new bike buy something used and preferably cheap as what you think you want in a bike often changes after the first few months as you learn.
Clothing is really important more so than that first bike but you don't need to spend a fortune. The best investment is bib shorts or big tights with padding but not shorts as they move around. This will mean your soft bits remain comfortable and you won't throw your bike away after the second ride even if you look a plonker to 95% of the general public.
A small toolkit (pump, spare inner tube, and tyre levers) is a must.
Don't worry about what other people think Inc Family, Friends, other cyclists, or random idiots. Just ride your bike everyone starts the same way.

A bike consists of a few simple components - wheels, diamond frame, drivetrain gears , brakes and steering assembly. These components have remained largely unchanged for decades. Input (spending hundreds/thousands of quid) will have little effect on output (getting from A to B)

Best advice I can give is just get out and ride. The more you ride, the easier it will become and the more you will enjoy it.

Oh, and ignore the 'rules'.

Always have whatever you need to fix a puncture on you, even if it's just a 10 minute ride to the shops. That 10 minutes ride is a long walk home, especially if you've got a week's worth of shopping in a backpack and you're pushing a bike with a mushy tyre.

Cycling is extremely faddy. Be aware of which contentious issues are currently hot or you will be scorned.

A while back it was all about helmets, more recently disc brakes. Titanium v Steel v Aluminium is fairly evergreen as a topic. However to be cutting edge you are going to need an opinion on transgender athletes and LTNs*.

*Don't know what a LTN is? Get off the forum until you have spent 5 minutes with Google and become an expert! Bloody noobs!

If you're always comparing efforts on Strava - try to remember to just go for a gentle pootle once in a while and enjoy the scenery.

Also - don't second guess yourself about going for a ride. If you're not sure about the weather etc. just get dressed for it, start cycling and see how you go - you can always decide to stop and go back home.

Don't spend a fortune on cycling gear. You can get some decent budget kit and buy more of the branded stuff if you are still into cycling in a years time. 

Watch GCN videos on youtube. There are loads on there (some hit and miss) but you can pick up a lot of tips on maintenance of your bikes or just enjoy people talking about cycling.

Listen to other peoples advice, but make your own mind up. Others don't always know best.