Need help - First 30-mile ride coming up

[Profsuzy]

Hi all - Last fall, I got onto my clunky old hybrid bike that I hadn't touched for 8 or 9 years, rode 4 miles, and thought I was going to die. That experience inspired me to get into better shape as I approached my 50th birthday (which is next month). So I cycled last fall, did spinning classes all winter, and now I'm getting back outside. My husband is buying me a new bike this week (a Trek Pilot 1.2 wsd), and a week from this Saturday I'm participating in my first organized ride. I'm signed up for the 30-mile ride, and I'm a little nervous, both because I'll be on my new bike and because the course is somewhat hilly.

In any case, my question is rather mundane and has to do with wardrobe. I'm very much a "fair-weather" rider - I only go out when the weather is nice, winds low, etc. And I usually go out for an hour or an hour and half. But this ride starts at 8 am, and with breaks, will probably take a few hours (I'm not very fast). So - if it's chilly at 8:00 am and I wear some sort of long-sleeve jersey or jacket - and then it (and I) warm up after 90 minutes or so, what do I do if I want to strip off the jacket? There's no place on the bike to put anything. How do bikers deal with variations in weather on a longer ride? I'm sorry if this is a silly question, but I want to make sure I don't overdress at the beginning of the ride and then feel overheated as I get "warmed up." Any clever solutions?

[KnottedYet]

When you buy your under-seat bag for your tools and tubes, it's well worth it to get a fairly large one. You might be able to put your jacket (depending on the jacket) into the under-seat bag.

If the jacket is too big to fit in a big under-seat bag, you can roll the jacket up with the sleeves sticking out and tie it around your waist. (keeps the jacket from flapping behind your and whapping into things)

I have a big bag on each of my bikes (roadie has a big handlebar bag, the commuter has a pannier) because I bring lots of stuff with me. On the roadie I will also usually wear a little fanny-pack. The fanny-pack has come in handy for strapping things to my back, like a new pair of handlebars I bought and shuttled home and a bike saddle I was taking to someone's house.

[Veronica]

If you are wearing a bike jersey with pockets you can stuff it in there as well.

Another option is to get arm warmers.


These are some from here on TE. You can wear them with any short sleeve top. When you warm up you can just push them down as you ride and leave them around your wrists if you have no place to store them.

I ride a lot with them on my wrists because I warm up on the climbs, get cold on the descents.

V.

[Profsuzy]

Veronica - thanks. Those arm-warmer things look great. But (forgive my newbie-ness), what does "These are some from here on TE" mean? What's TE? and where's "here"? I feel sooooo clueless!

[KnottedYet]

TE is Team Estrogen. It's an online store of women's biking and triathlon gear (and some other stuff) and Team Estrogen owns/runs/sponsors this forum.

So, when someone says "TE" they can mean either this forum, or www.teamestrogen.com

(if you click the "click to shop" in purple under the biker at the top of your screen, it will take you directly to the shopping.)

[mimitabby]

and it's a great idea to support TE because they give us this forum.

There are other solutions for your dress problem, including little bags that attach to the bike and camel baks

Camel baks are little back packs that act like a water bottle. I have one, and it is big enough to carry spare gloves, my jacket, and some snacks.
They cost about 25-50 dollars depending on which you get, but it's one of the better investments i've ever made on bike stuff.

I hate water bottles, they are a hassle to reach, they leak, they fall...

I live in the Pacific NW and on a ride we might go from 40 something degrees to 70 something, and rain/ and/ or not so I end up with an entire wardrobe for any one ride.. (drives me crazy)

[Profsuzy]

You know - I was thinking of getting a camelback because I hate trying to reach down to get water while I'm riding. I didn't realize that they could also hold things (other than water). That sounds like a great idea! Thanks so much.

And I did check out the TE shop - I'll definitely be supporting them since they seem to have some good deals. Thanks again.

[indysteel]

A couple of other options. Get a jacket (Gore Passion Plus for instance) that had detachable sleeves. If it gets warmer as the ride wears on, you can at least take your sleeves off and stuff them in the back pocket of a jersey or the jacket itself. The Passion and Passion Plus jacket also can be folded into its own back pocket and then attached to the top tube. They're not cheap, but they are very versatile.

I've also seen people roll their jackets up into a bundle, secured by a rubber band, and then stuff it into one of their water bottle cages. This only works if you have two cages so that you can keep water in the other one.

[stacie]

I"m for rolling your jacket and sticking it in your jersey pocket. Arm warmers are great and this is easily done with them also. stacie