The Equipment Part Two

Well we covered the bike and believe it or not there is a lot more. What I gave you will get you in the ball park and cause you to ask your own questions. There is a lot of technology out there reaserch and read reviews. Remember some of the reviews are manufactors so read and take in information, including mine, with a grain of salt. Of course I’m not attempting to sale you anything but your health.

Helmet: No ands, ifs, or buts about it, this is mandatory. There are people out there without them and that is fine until there is an oop’s. I thought they were uncomfortable till I fell due to another person’s stupidity. Get a bike helmet with a good certification. Shorts; There is a true reason for these besides showing off your body that may or may not need to be seen. They fit snug to keep your thigh mussels warm to prevent injury, they wick away moisture and most importantly have an anatomically correct pad in the crotch to add comfort for any ride over ten miles. This pad, depending on the brand comes in various thicknesses. This brings me to another thought. Shorts are engineered with a lot of technology to be comfortable and non-noticeable. In other words a lot of work went in to them so you don’t realize you are wearing them. They are made with various sections (panels), flat stitching and seams placed where they will not irritate or interfere with the human body. Unfortunately some people need to learn the hard way that they are not made to wear underwear, except maybe a thong. I have talked to people that have spent over seventy dollars, easy to do on a high quality pair of shorts, and have complained that they have rubbed them wrong. They had no idea that they were not supposed to wear unmentionables. Hey give me a break; I’m the type that people just open up to me. Jersey/Shirt; Another item that wicks away moisture, remember this is an exercise. Plus the three pockets in the back are great for carrying crap you can’t live without. I personally carry my cell phone, an extra inner tube and co2 bottles, beats a hand pump and lighter, an mp3 player and an occasional power/granola bar. A bright T-shirt will work. Bright? Yes I’m sure you have heard of someone that has laughed at a cyclist saying he/she is dressed like a clown. Guess what the cyclist was seen and that is what is all about being seen. I personally am not big on being a rolling bill board though. You see the “super star’s” peddling along as if they were in a race and had sponsors. I love my Specialized bike and their equipment but no way am I going to pay them eighty bucks to wear their jersey and advertise for them. They should be paying me to advertise for them. Just a pet peeve. Gloves; They really do help with grip as well as a little padding. Be careful though there are some very nice padded gloves on the market but too much padding is not always good. I have found, after experimenting with many brands and price ranges, that an overly padded glove can cause pressure where it shouldn’t and cause numbness. As a side note if your gloves are making your hands numb, try loosening the wrist strap before you spend bucks on new ones. Shoes; This may seem extreme but I believe any little advantage I can get, go for it. They have a very hard sole and you can put more pressure on the pedals and never feel it. With cleats they are very efficient. Cleats/Clip-on’s Cleats attached to the bottom of the shoe clicks into special pedals. This does many things, keeps your feet from slipping, and raises your heart rate when you go to stop to name a couple. But mostly they make it easy and more efficient to pedal. Instead of just pushing down one pedal at a time, you will learn to push down and lift up at the same time. Hence efficiency, you pedal smoother in a circular motion using only half the energy. Now you may have a fear that you will not be able to get your feet off the pedals when you need to but you would be surprised. I found getting unhooked was absolutely no problem, getting hooked in was the problem. Practice at your dealer on a stand as well as practice disconnecting before you come to a stop! Odometer; Know how far you ride and how long it took you, very basic. You can get odometers that are actually small computers that are downloadable to your home computer or lap top to record your rides. I use a pen and paper myself. There is no better way to watch yourself improve then to document your rides. They have products ranging from nine to over three hundred dollars. You can actually find your elevation changes you made to the actual wattage you have produced and even a downloadable map of your route. I like time, trip distance, speed, cadence, average speed, average cadence, clock and total miles. The only thing I would like to have, again, is a heart rate monitor that shows your heart rate, high and low limits and the average time in your own exercise zone. If used correctly it is amazing to find you can slow down and ride faster and longer. One last option that you will not think of, till you paid for it and it’s installed, actually two. Make sure the color goes with your bike, mine doesn’t, but more important you need to be able to read the numbers at a glance from an arms length away. Odds and Ends; You will always find little things you want to pick up. It’s that shiny object syndrome. Remember the more you add the more weight you will be pedaling. Light water bottle holders get two and make sure your bike has the fittings to take two, and of course the water bottles. A small all in one tool (like a Swiss army knife for cyclist), tire irons (they’re plastic) a patch kit, an extra tube and a under the seat bag that you can get on and off comfortable and hold all of the tools. You also need to learn how to change the tube or fix a flat. One of the most important items, an MP3 player. It fits nicely in one of those jersey pockets and time just flies listening to music or a book on tape. Have your kids or grandkids download your favorite. It doesn't need to be a high end player, mine was on clearance at Wal-Mart and I bought good speakers that hook over my ears. Check you’re local, where you plan on riding the most, ordnances you may need a bell. Ok, too much information? Not really and I only hit these items lightly. If you put some effort into this new adventure you have an investment in a new healthy life style that you will soon learn to embrace. Whether you by at a department store or one of the many great dealers remember fit, fit is everything to make a comfortable efficient ride that you will want to take time after time. A good bike shop will fit your bike you may already have to you but expect a charge.

Next Post The ride

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