Gear tips for a roadie newbie? and random musings

[Veronica]

pockets, pockets! how could you NOT want pockets?

that's where I put keys, cellphone, camera, money?? where do YOU put these things?

when i ride without a bike jersey i have to find somewhere ELSE to put all that stuff!!

I hate having stuff in my pockets.

Keys, cell phone, money, extra food go into a small handlebar bag. Food I'm actually eating goes in the Bento box. If I'm expecting Thom to call I'll put my cell phone in my jersey. I keep my camera in my jersey since I'm more likely to use it if it's there.

V.

[Starfish]

About your bib question...I'm looking forward to trying bibs someday when I get the budget because my digestion can get a little iffy on longer/harder rides, and I find the double waistband of shorts+tights can bother me.

[PscyclePath]

About your bib question...I'm looking forward to trying bibs someday when I get the budget because my digestion can get a little iffy on longer/harder rides, and I find the double waistband of shorts+tights can bother me.

Bib shorts are very comfortable, since you don't get the pinch around the middle that regular bike shorts can give you. Where they come up short, especially depending on what kind of "digestive troubles" you're referring to, is that when you have to make a "natural" stop, the jersey has to come off before the over-the-shoulder straps can be slipped off and the shorts come down so that you can do your business.

It's bad enough for us menfolk, depending on the circumstances (Bob Roll tells a hilarious story about such a stop he made in the 1989 Tour de France in his book, Bobke II), but I strongly suspect it's also why female riders tend to stick with the regular bike shorts.