redrhodie, I'm glad the rash went away quickly! And on the liftoff, it'd probably be fun for a second or two if you didn't sail away!

MDHillSlug, thanks for the explanation of rollers/trainers, and for the link; very helpful.

7rider, I wish that really was the list price for these!! I'd have already placed my order! I think I'll be checking out Craig's List instead.

I rode 12 miles today, an out-and-back mostly on a trail next to a road through a park; it was 43 out when I started, and dropped to 36 or 37 by the time I was done. I wore a coat (the coat of unknown origin -- found it in my closet a few weeks ago) over my turtleneck and teeshirt, and had to peel the teeshirt off halfway through. (So what did I learn today? I learned that I cannot take off a teeshirt without first taking off my helmet. I had to laugh at my attempt to do so; I'm sure I looked very graceful.) The first five miles felt awful; the rest of the ride felt better, but wow, even the baby rises on this required my granny gear!

It grew fully dark on my return. A car that was letting me cross a street very nearly was rear-ended, I almost ran into a ninja cyclist coming toward me, and another who didn't announce he was passing me, and every single runner on the trail save one could scarcely be seen. I was astonished at how many people simply disappeared from view once darkness fell -- it was scary. People dressed all in dark colors, nothing reflective on them except perhaps a small part of their shoes, some riders with no lights at all... surprises me, this.

I want to be SEEN, and I want it obvious that I'm on a bike. I have on a safety vest (screaming yellow/green with reflective tape on it), a white light on my helmet that I set to blinking, a headlight aimed at the path, the SuperFlash and a regular reflector on the back, and a reflector and two SpokeLits per wheel. Don't know whether it's enough; I may add a red blinkie to the back of my helmet.

I think I need battery-operated Christmas lights for my bike and/or helmet, too.