I'm New!

[whippetgirl]

Hi, I want to thank you all for all your great advice! Some of it is a bit over my head....But I have just purchased my new road bike a Bianchi Eros. I have been spinning for a year and a half and love it. But I much prefer being outdoors. Luckily I live in California so I can ride during the winter. I used to be a runner ( I still run, but not as much mileage due to knee surgery and age). Thanks to your advice, I tried out a lot of bikes and settled on the Bianchi. My question is: How do you decide which equipment/supplies/gear one needs initially?
thanks, rosellen.

[Veronica]

I hope you got a helmet. :) After that it kind of depends on what you want to do. In no particular order.

I can't stand to not have mileage and HR data for my log, so for me that was an essential purchase.

Water bottles and cages

Clipless pedals

Tubes and a pump, some tools, a bag

Lights if you plan to be out after dark or could get caught after dark.

Gloves

Happy riding!

V.

[SadieKate]

1) Helmet
2) patch, kit, tools, pump, extra tube
3) Protective glasses (good sunglasses have impact resistance)
3) Spare no expense good bike shorts (only place you don't care if they're on sale - a happy tookas is a happy biker)
4) gloves
5) Biking shoes/pedals
6) Water bottles/cages
7) Lesson in how to fix a flat
8) Practice fixing the flat
9) Clothing to keep you riding a during the winter (maybe some of your running gear will suffice for now) - you must keep the knees even warmer when cycling
10) Skills clinic to keep you safe on the road and give you a jump start in handling

[whippetgirl]

Thanks for the advice!
Thanks to all your great advice I tried on a bunch of helmets and got one that accommodated my small head and ponytail! I learned to change a tire. After several rides, i know I have to get some brighter colored clothes (those trucks are scarey). I'm using my weight training gloves for the time being, until I get some "real" ones. I was proud of myself for making the transition to clipless pedals so easily. Only one fall! My conditioning from spinning and running seems to be helpful, so I have been able to keep up with my more experienced friends, except on the downhills (I'm basically still a bit cautious). How do I get better on the downhills?????
Thanks everyone. I appreciate this message board lots.

[7rider]

Welcome!
You certainly broke out of the gate with a great bike and you sound like you have it all together!
For me, speedy downhills are the result of two things: knowledge of my bike and how it handles, and knowledge of the road surface itself. I like to be confident that I know all the bumps and holes and how the bike "behaves" - for instance, my bike rides like it's on rails, my husband's ("DH" on the forum) bike is much stiffer and is very squirrely on hills - not confidence inspiring in my book! Once you are more familiar with the bike and have a few more miles in, you can keep up with your friends on the downhills - if you want to. In the meantime, you can probably already smoke them on the uphills, right? :D

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Whippet, sounds like you are doing GREAT already!

As to downhills- it's way worse to be overconfident in downhills than it is to be cautious! Only go as fast as you feel in control of. I was SLOW and riding the brakes on all downhills, even little ones, until I had been riding a few months and now I feel I can go a bit faster but still be in good control. You don't want to get hurt because you feel like you "should" be going faster downhill. Ride SAFE and you'll be riding a lot more, instead of in bed nursing broken bones. ;)