Newbie Needs Cycling Apparel

[VeloVT]

Welcome Cynthia, and congratulations on your new bike (you will have to tell us more about it ).

The price of cycling clothes can be rather shocking. And sadly, with shorts especially, less expensive items are usually of lesser quality. Good shorts start at around $70.

You mention "cycling pants", and I"m not sure if that was just a generic way of referring to bottoms -- but you will definitely want some shorts for summer!

--Below 45-50 deg (F), I'll wear tights
--From about 46-60, I'll wear knickers
--60+, I'm in shorts. Some people like knickers throughout the summer for sun protections, but I would find that too much fabric when it gets hot.

You can definitely get great deals on quality cycling apparel on Ebay, but you sort of need to know what you are looking for.

For instance, these new Shebeest Ultra D's for $64.99 are a great deal:
http://cgi.ebay.com/shebeest-sb-ultr...QQcmdZViewItem

By contrast, here they are at Paragon Sports (a "real" retail store in NYC) for $119.99:
http://www.paragonsports.com/Paragon...&campaign=2570

I have bought several (new) bike clothing items on ebay and it's worked out really well. In each case I was looking for a specific model I had researched beforehand, and found exactly what I was looking for. I think it's harder if you don't have a sense of how different brands fit you and what the fabrics tend to be like. Until you have a sense of what you like, it might be better to shop at stores, since often Ebay merchants will not permit you to return items just because they don't fit.

Sierra Trading Post has great deals and an easy return policy, but the selection is very "catch as catch can".

Team Estrogen has amazing customer service . Also, I think TE has a very carefully chosen product line-up -- everthing they carry is good quality, so while you may not love each item (shorts preferences can be as individual as saddle preferences), you're not going to go too terribly wrong either.

Good luck!