As a newbie Myself (6 months) I would strongly advise you to keep a spare set of brake and clutch levers because if you are like me you will be snapping quite a few!! Its a pain in the neck when you have to wait a few days for a new one when you could be out on the bike!!

Being a newbie myself and trying out manuvers that require more experiance, often finding myself off the Techno laying on the ground wondering what I snapped off this time,however I've learned to loosen the lever perches a tad, thus when you go down it'll move rather than snap.

Yes your right, but my levers are quite loose and i still end up snapping them i think it all depends on what angle they hit the hard stuff at!! Thanks anyway.

alright mate, i'm fallin under the newbie cat (did ride abit when i was younger but all balance and skill has vanished, if any)

I got a good deal on some jitsie kit for 99 quid (trousers, top and gloves), dont know if its any good, time will tell. not sure on boots tho.

probably best just to keep it cheap and simple, bike and kit will grow with time!