[ellipsis212]

Originally Posted by Feyd

Semi-Related FYI: Expect to be a little sore in your taint area for a few days once you start riding. You'll really only feel this in the first couple weeks of riding and the feeling should subside when you are off your bike. If it persists after you are off your bike or it actually is painful, then chances are you need a new saddle. Eventually this will away and become a non-issue, but in the beginning your body needs a bit of time to adapt to the pressure in this region. What you DON'T want is anything going numb. If that is happening, look into a new saddle immediately.
.

oh yeah this is all true

after my first couple rides i remember that i had dark purple bruises coming through in places that i didn't know could do that. anyway, i just had to keep getting back on after they healed and go in for more. after a few weeks it stopped hurting..just need to toughen up those nether regions

[Red Bread]

Good advice, ride what came on it until you wear it out. The saddle will most likely be your first upgrade, but ride it to learn what works. I use one saddle for racing, and one for training. My training saddle is a Brooks Swift that's just a leather cover over a titanium frame. It's heavy, but as comfortable as things get. My race saddle weighs about a third of the Brooks but isn't as comfy, but still passable for multiple days.

I find that shorts are never as comfortable as bibs, and each brand is different than others, start with a reasonably priced brand like Garneau, Pearl Izumi or even Performance's house brand and test them out. You'll also want a few actual cycling jerseys, fit fairly close to skin tight. Any flapping around will get annoying and can cause chafing, plus they cool better than regular clothing. I'd also recommend a base layer, but this isn't critical unless it's miserably hot where you live, like it is here.

Get comfortable with your current pedal setup, you'll want to change over to clipless pedals at some point, but this isn't a huge concern at first, just get comfortable on the bike, learn how to work on it, and how to make minor adjustments and you'll realize what works and what doesn't as you add on the miles. Enjoy!

[Feyd]

+1 on bibs, but shorts are cool too if that's all you can find.

Don't know if anyone has mentioned this to you or not, but DO NOT wear underwear under your cycling shorts. They are meant to be worn comando and adding a layer of cotton between your ass and the shorts is a recipie for disaster.


Here is where I get most of my cycling clothes from.

http://www.velowear.com/

Their lower end stuff is actually pretty good. Just look for the solid colors and that's typicllay were I've found lots of value. Depending on your size I've actually found some smoking deals in their close-out sections.

[sparkyg]

Hincapie Sports makes great mid end stuff.

Rapha makes good stuff too but more high end clothing.

Good bib shorts can make a big difference on 2 hr+ rides.

For saddles, yeah, ditch teh stock crap, it'll kill your ass.

Classic saddles like a Selle Italia Flite fit most men. Get it set up properly so you do not have too much pressure on your perineum or you'll be numb after the ride. The saddle should basically be dead level.

Most Importantly, get out and ride.

GL

[lopealle]

thanks for the info on the shorts and saddle (not sure if you were talking to me). well i just came from the lbs from getting my bike put together. it was an awesome experience. like i said the guys at this shop are really cool and so is the owner. so anyways it only took an 1 1/2 hours to put together. i have pics of the before and after. i went for a good 3 mile ride just to test it all out. it was awesome. it really hauls ass. the saddle like you guys said is really hard. good lord that thing is uncomfortable. but like you guys said im it takes some time to get use. im gonna be going for 5 mile tomorrow also. tomorrow im gonna ride to walmart and get some cages,bottles,and gloves. im going on my first on sunday. im pretty excited about that. anyways enough with my yapping. anything else i should know about.

[Feyd]

NICE.... you finally got it.

Just start racking up the miles.... most of it will just come with time in the saddle. Speaking of which it looks like the front could be tilted down a bit more (could just be the photo angle).



Make sure you get a rear light at a minimum when you go to buy your other stuff. Helps a ton when you are riding on the street (especially in low light). As far as gloves go I really like padded ones for riding (I use specialized BG ones).

[lopealle]

Originally Posted by Feyd

NICE.... you finally got it.

Just start racking up the miles.... most of it will just come with time in the saddle. Speaking of which it looks like the front could be tilted down a bit more (could just be the photo angle).



Make sure you get a rear light at a minimum when you go to buy your other stuff. Helps a ton when you are riding on the street (especially in low light). As far as gloves go I really like padded ones for riding (I use specialized BG ones).

it came with reflectors. or are the lights better? i was thinking getting some of the blinking LED lights for front and rear. is there a certain i have to use?

[Red Bread]

Originally Posted by lopealle

it came with reflectors. or are the lights better? i was thinking getting some of the blinking LED lights for front and rear. is there a certain i have to use?

Any blinky tail light will be fine, and if you just plan on riding to dusk, a blinky or steady white LED for the front will work well enough, plan on $15-$20 for decent ones, you should be able to find them at your local shop. I run a cheapy Knog light on the front, and a Blackburn blinky tail light for most rides, it's easy to leave them on the bike all the time, just in case you stay out later than expected, they're really just to get you seen by cars, not to light the road.

If you want to ride into the night, a good helmet or bar mounted headlight will be necessary, and they cost a good bit more. LED's from Niterider and Light & Motion both work really well and are a reasonable price.

Try gloves that fit your hand well, and you might like padding, you might not. I use Rapha leather gloves, which have absolutely no padding, they provide much better feel, but it's probably best to start with at least some padding. Pearl Izumi makes decent gloves with enough padding to tame the road buzz, but not enough to roll around and be uncomfortable.

Enjoy the bike, and enjoy building your endurance. Good luck!

[ellipsis212]

yeah saddle looks like it's tilted back a bit and that could wreak havoc on your sensitive bits

[Buegie]

congrats on getting the bike, start racking up the miles

I tried to do a LTHR test today since I've now got the HRM. It's the Spinervals DVD that comes with the KK trainer, if any of you guys have one. It kicked my ass the first time I tried it when I hadn't been riding as much, so I tried to start out at a slower pace. It was a little too slow, I finished knowing I could have gone harder. I'm sure my pacing will improve the more I do it though. If I follow the power chart that KK puts out, it puts me at around 200 watts. Pretty pathetic compared to what some of the guys in the local club could do but I've got to start somewhere haha

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/44263946

[lopealle]

well gentlemen i just went on my first ride. it was great i did 15 miles. its amazing how immature people are screaming out the windows of their cars. but none the less i had a great ride. the seat was a little uncomfortable in the beginning but i got use to it. i stopped at a gas station (owned and operated by my neighbors that means free drinks) to get some ice and as im chewing on my ice outside the store minding my own business a truck with some guys pulls up. and of course first thing they ask is where i got my bile. so i tell them. then the other guy ask how much i paid and i tell a couple $100 dollars. he then says wow all that money i could have built you a bike for $50. i was like well what brand partsand stuff like that would you use? he says it wouldnt matter long as you had a bike to ride. i was like sir you get what you pay for. then the other guy says some people are so ignorant. im like i know tell me about it. then he gives me the look lol. i was like well i gotta go. time for me to continue on with my ride. and that was how my first ride went.


i did buy a helmet and some cages from walmart. oddly they didnt have any water bottles or biking gloves so i guess i will have to drive back to the bike shop (which is about an hour away)for them.

[MisterSkiMask]

Originally Posted by lopealle

well gentlemen i just went on my first ride. it was great i did 15 miles. its amazing how immature people are screaming out the windows of their cars. but none the less i had a great ride. the seat was a little uncomfortable in the beginning but i got use to it. i stopped at a gas station (owned and operated by my neighbors that means free drinks) to get some ice and as im chewing on my ice outside the store minding my own business a truck with some guys pulls up. and of course first thing they ask is where i got my bile. so i tell them. then the other guy ask how much i paid and i tell a couple $100 dollars. he then says wow all that money i could have built you a bike for $50. i was like well what brand partsand stuff like that would you use? he says it wouldnt matter long as you had a bike to ride. i was like sir you get what you pay for. then the other guy says some people are so ignorant. im like i know tell me about it. then he gives me the look lol. i was like well i gotta go. time for me to continue on with my ride. and that was how my first ride went.


i did buy a helmet and some cages from walmart. oddly they didnt have any water bottles or biking gloves so i guess i will have to drive back to the bike shop (which is about an hour away)for them.

Next time go the other direction from your house..lot of a-holes in the direction of your first ride.

Enjoy your new toy.

[lopealle]

Originally Posted by MisterSkiMask

Next time go the other direction from your house..lot of a-holes in the direction of your first ride.

Enjoy your new toy.

yea if i go the other way i would be considered suicidal. there is so much traffic. im gooin to ride a couple laps on a track today

[ellipsis212]

Originally Posted by lopealle

well gentlemen i just went on my first ride. it was great i did 15 miles. its amazing how immature people are screaming out the windows of their cars. but none the less i had a great ride. the seat was a little uncomfortable in the beginning but i got use to it. i stopped at a gas station (owned and operated by my neighbors that means free drinks) to get some ice and as im chewing on my ice outside the store minding my own business a truck with some guys pulls up. and of course first thing they ask is where i got my bile. so i tell them. then the other guy ask how much i paid and i tell a couple $100 dollars. he then says wow all that money i could have built you a bike for $50. i was like well what brand partsand stuff like that would you use? he says it wouldnt matter long as you had a bike to ride. i was like sir you get what you pay for. then the other guy says some people are so ignorant. im like i know tell me about it. then he gives me the look lol. i was like well i gotta go. time for me to continue on with my ride. and that was how my first ride went.


i did buy a helmet and some cages from walmart. oddly they didnt have any water bottles or biking gloves so i guess i will have to drive back to the bike shop (which is about an hour away)for them.

you have the right to the roadway too so just do you and don't worry about the haters. you're gonna rack up a few handfuls of weird encounters with motorists though so just keep track and keep reporting back. that shit is usually hilarious (unless they try to run you down).

also, check out http://www.performancebike.com who has just about everything you'd need to get going. if you join their little membership thing you get something like 10% back toward future purchases and free upgrade to 2day shipping.

glad you liked the ride though

[lopealle]

well guys im doing another ride today. im going for 20 miles. im going to be following my wife in the car. she is gonna set a pace for me. i will let you guys know know how it goes.

[lopealle]

sadly i didnt make my ride. it was pooring down raining today.

[MisterSkiMask]

Originally Posted by lopealle

sadly i didnt make my ride. it was pooring down raining today.

super sad, I didn't get out this weekend either, babies take up a lot of time

[Feyd]

Originally Posted by MisterSkiMask

super sad, I didn't get out this weekend either, babies take up a lot of time

Just bought a house... I haven't been able to ride for several days now.

[Buegie]

Originally Posted by lopealle

sadly i didnt make my ride. it was pooring down raining today.

I rode in the rain today, it wasn't pouring though. It's sort of nice because it keeps you cooler

[lopealle]

Originally Posted by MisterSkiMask

super sad, I didn't get out this weekend either, babies take up a lot of time

i got a 2y/o and a new one due next week.

Originally Posted by Feyd

Just bought a house... I haven't been able to ride for several days now.

well atleast im not the only one struggling. the 3 of us are suffering and i just started and im addicted already.

[lopealle]

Originally Posted by Buegie

I rode in the rain today, it wasn't pouring though. It's sort of nice because it keeps you cooler

the rain wont mess up your bike? ie chain,gear selectors

[Buegie]

Originally Posted by lopealle

the rain wont mess up your bike? ie chain,gear selectors

No, these bikes are pretty tough. Worst case scenario is you may have to lube slighty more often.