Who can afford this

[Bikingmomof3]

DDH,
I too am a SAHM. I have 3 teen boys who suck all the extra money out of the house. Their needs come before mine. I am new to biking, which means I have close to nothing by way of equipment. Just the bare essentials. Everything else goes on a wish list. I will be building up quite slowly. I figure this will give me time to learn more about my likes and dislikes, read other reviews on items and practice, practice, practice. Oh, I am also a huge sale shopper.

[Veronica]

I like you tag line, BM3. It gets attributed to both Socrates and Aristotle.

I use a similar phrase with my students about responsibility.

V.

[Bikingmomof3]

Thank you, V.

[luv'nAustin]

No worries about needing a special helmet for pony tails, any helmet should work. I wear a pony tail every time I ride and it just sticks out the bottom of my shell. Sometimes if I get the band up a little high I might have to give it a tug and pull it a little lower so the band is outside of the helmet. It is very comfortable and I get plenty of air on my neck while I ride.

[Bad JuJu]

Thank God for strechy material. LOL

Because of that stretchy fabric, you may find you can already wear some XL size shorts. I routinely find that I wear a size smaller in bike shorts than in my other shorts, so if you go ahead and get a pair of XLs now if you find them on sale, you may be pleasantly surprised.

Also, more good news--there's some cycling wisdom that suggests that we should wear the smallest size shorts we can squeeze our patoots into, since that prevents there being any little bit of loose material to snag on the saddle nose or anywhere else. So squeeze away.

[Veronica]

You also don't have to have a cycling jersey for riding. I often don't wear an actual cycling jersey. The only difference between a cycling jersey and a fitness top is pockets. And I HATE to have stuff in the pockets!

I have gotten some great fitness tops at LL Bean and Patagonia from their On Sale selections, usually at less than half price. And you can wear them for other things. I wore one to a party the other night because it was black and sleeveless and looked good with my skirt.

Fitness tops are more comfortable than cotton Ts because they wick the sweat better.

V.

[Kano]

Also, more good news--there's some cycling wisdom that suggests that we should wear the smallest size shorts we can squeeze our patoots into, since that prevents there being any little bit of loose material to snag on the saddle nose or anywhere else. So squeeze away.

Oh I HATE when that happens! I don't know about buying a smaller pair of shorts, though.....

Karen in Boise

[tulip]

Just remember, your body touches your bike in only three places--butt, feet, and hands. I find it a good investment to protect those, in that order. Poorly made, poorly fitting shorts are no fun and not worth the $25 spent on them. I buy one pair of Pearl Izumi shorts per year, and they last 4 years. After 4 years, they get a bit transparent, but I still wear them with regular shorts over them. PI's label indicates the year. When mine get too "showy" I mark them with a laundry pen so I don't mistakenly wear them without regular shorts. The chammy's still good! I buy one pair of good cycling shoes every 10 years--my Shimano shoes lasted 10 years, and I replaced them last year. Gloves are not that big a deal (important, but not expensive)

The other thing I spend money on is a HELMET and I replace it every three years (I ride 30 miles per day commuting, so I sweat alot). I don't look at the price, I just buy the one that fits the best. It happens to be a Bell Ghisallo, which is $100, but if I was happy with the $40 helmet, I would buy it. If I crash, I replace it immediately after the crash. This has only happened once, and the helmet broke in three places--better the helmet than my head. They do make helmets with ponytail holes, but I can't remember the name if it (Bell model, I think).

I don't know how far you are riding, but the essentials for me are a helmet and good shorts. If you don't have clipless pedals, sneakers will work for shorter rides. Gloves can be found for cheap. Invest in the important things and don't fritter away on the non-essentials. Eventually, you will build up a collection by finding out where the deals are to be had.

[Aggie_Ama]

Since your profile says Central Texas.... Try Academy. They usually have the Insport shorts for fairly cheap. I have a mens pair and they aren't anything special, but definitely better than not wearing bike shorts.

You don't have to have a jersey. You could get a moisture wicking shirt at Academy or Target for pretty cheap. It would minimize your costs and maximize your comfort.

[li10up]

I also live in CenTx and I bought my first shorts at Academy. They had Canari shorts for less than $30. Velowear.com has some close-out jerseys for like $20 bucks. Good quality too.

[limewave]

Since we've had to start paying for day care, we've become poor. Not to mention the 70 mile one-way commute to work with the ever rising gas prices. Man, I would LOVE to be able to ride to work . . . but that's another thread.

Anyways, we've become buddies with a local sport store owner and we barter. I do graphic design work for in-store credits. And then his wife needed a road bike and we just happened to have one for sale (not that I condone selling old bikes, but we have 9 bikes for just 2 of us) . . . now we have a burley and a kelty back pack.

I know not everyone can barter, but sometimes a little creative thinking can get you over those financial hurdles.

[roshelleuop]

Hi DDH!!!

Here is my quick 2 cents, it's a GREAT idea to look for clearence and sale items as I am doing it constantly, just do it carefully! Make sure you are really getting a good deal and not a crappy pair of shorts.

My lesson learned was when I found a $25 pair of Nike biking shorts. I figured Nike was a pretty good brand, the padding was pretty nice, and they were cheap, so I went with it thinking it was a good deal. After getting them home and wearing them for only a month, I realized the padding was already starting to rip out of the shorts and the waist band had already starting ripping on one side.

I then had to go back and buy another pair of shorts. So in the end, I wish I would have just spent the little bit extra money to get the nicer pair. Just last week I found a pair of touring pearl izumi women's shorts on sale for $45. I absolutely LOVE them!!!! and I know they will last me hundreds of miles! Just be patient when looking, it will pay off in the end!!! Happy riding!!!!

Roshelle from Wisconsin!!!

[ChainsOflove]

I have some terry xxl's that I don't need anymore, they are too big for me. They are somewhat worn but still plenty usable.

Let me know if you want them. They are made of dryline and not hot at all, they come down just past the knee.

[Bluetree]

Here's a trick I use to get things that are too expensive at the stores...

I sell things on Ebay. Not big things, mind you, but little things that people can use that I no longer have use for. They may be clothes that no longer fit, baby items, past gifts from people that I'd never use, old comic books, baby clothes, etc. They may only net me a few dollars apiece, but I keep it up somewhat regularly.

Every once in a while, I check my PayPal account and lo and behold... I've accumulated a couple hundred dollars! I take that amount and put it right back into shopping on Ebay. I've purchased bike shorts that I would have thought were way to expensive at the retail stores, not to mention handbags, shoes etc.

It may not be a quick fix, but it does add up, and it does clean out the closets!

[spokewench]

Sometimes you can get good discounts on www.sportsbasement.com