I'm not a novice, but I feel like one.

[BluOrchid2]

I have been riding a bike since I was a young girl. I mean REALLY riding. In the summer, I'd ride from sunup to sundown on our blacktop country road, as far as my mom would let me ride. I'd ride to the neighbor's house and back...back and forth, back and forth....for hours. Then as I got older, I could ride to "the bridge," about one mile away, and eventually I could ride to the beginning of the road, where it intersected a larger Hwy. 34, which was about 2 miles. I still have a scar on my knee where I took a rock on my first really bad wreck on a hill on that blacktop road.

We would go on family camping trips, and I always took my bicycle with us. I'd cruise the campgrounds ALL. DAY. LONG. while my dad fished, because we usually went camping at trout parks in Missouri. Truth be told, I cruised the campgrounds and fishing area all day mostly because I was flirting with the teenage boys who were also there camping with their parents.

I took my bike with us on a family trip to Canada....rode the loop in the Smokey Mountains....I've ridden a LOT.

I'm a big girl now, all grown up at age 44, and reading your forum and seeing other cyclists out on the road I sometimes feel like i don't know a THING about cycling. I have Specialized Expedition bike from about 2001, and truth be known, I wouldn't even have been able to tell you what kind of bike it was if I hadn't looked on the repair slip the bike mechanic gave me today when I took her in. My husband bought me the bike, along with a Burley trailer to haul our daughter in, in 2001 when she was still too little to be able to ride in it. I guess it's a hybrid? bike....you guys probably know better than I do....a semi-mountain bike and semi-road bike, although I really only do road biking. I'd LIKE to take it on some trails once in a while, but hubby fears for my safety out there alone.

Re: jerseys - why do you wear them instead of tank tops? I like having my arms FREE. I cycle wearing a pair of padded cycle shorts - and howcome nobody makes them SHORT???? I hate that they come down so long. - a sport bra, and a tank top. That is my favorite riding combo....but it makes me appear so amateurish on the road when the other cyclists come racing towards me in their fancy, colorful jerseys. I do wear a helmet. I consider myself a serious cyclist, although I'll never win any races. I track my rides with iMapmyRide on my iPhone, and love seeing where I've been once I get back home. It's a huge source of pride for me. I've never been very athletic....no team sports...but I love the solitude of riding.

I don't even know what cadence IS. LOL

But....here I am, and nice to meet you all.

[Zen]

Re: jerseys - why do you wear them instead of tank tops?

pockets.
that is the only reason.

I cycle wearing a pair of padded cycle shorts - and howcome nobody makes them SHORT???? I hate that they come down so long.

So do I, especially because I'm so short. I usually wear tri shorts. Not as much padding but sufficient and they're much shorter. TE sells them

I don't even know what cadence IS.

I know and I don't care. Don't worry about it, just enjoy your ride.

[Owlie]

Welcome to TE!

Clothing is personal preference. I like jerseys because they're usually fun (unless I'm borrowing one of my boyfriend's ), they have pockets, they wick moisture (handy because I sweat like it's my job), and because I don't like wearing tank tops. Tank tops work for you? Great! I like the longer shorts, generally, but that's just me.

Cadence: Like Zen, I don't care. I just figure my muscles or lungs will tell me that I'm in the wrong gear for that hill.

Don't feel like you need to wear or keep track of certain things. Just have fun. You probably ride more than I do and I have a road bike and a few jerseys.

[Jiffer]

I wear jerseys for the pockets and moisture wicking. They do make shorter shorts. I don't have any and you wouldn't want to see my legs in them, but my friend has a pair and I've seen others. Not real common, but they're out there.

Cadence is how fast you are spinning. RPM or revolutions per minute. If you are at a 90 rpm cadence, you are spinning your pedal 90 times in a minute. You need a bike computer with a cadence sensor to know what your cadence is, but depending on what your goals are, you don't need it.

Everyone rides a bike for different reasons. Some want to get as fast as they can and maybe race, others don't care about speed, but go for distance, others just enjoy getting out and smelling the roses ... as well as the people who are somewhere in between, like maybe you are. You don't have to have a bike computer and a jersey to be serious about cycling. For me, getting stronger, working on my speed, being able to keep up with club members and do well at an event is what gets me excited about going out and riding. Sometimes I like to ride just to ride and enjoy the scenery, but I'm on a high when I get back from a ride that I rode faster than I ever have before.

To each his own. As long as you are happy riding a bike, you don't need to do anything different than what you are doing.

[PamNY]

Welcome. Sounds as if you have been enjoying bikes for many years. I really wouldn't be too concerned about what you're wearing. People bike in all kinds of attire. I do find this forum helps me determine what's useful to me.

Have you looked at shorts on TE? They have a lot to choose from, and are very helpful if you call them -- in fact, I just talked to them about shorts today.

[moonfroggy]

Hi! welcome to te

i used to wear tank tops most of the time on my bike and they are very comfortable but i tend to wear looser ones and last summer a bee flew into my shirt and i am mildly allergic to bees and each time i get stung the reaction gets worse.

that combined with wanting more sun protection i mostly wear a long sleeve jersey with a high upf rating now. it keeps me almost as cool as a tank top but gives me more protection from bees and sun and the pockets come in handy! i do own a sleeveless jersey though it is like a tank top with pockets and wicking fabric!

i don't know what my cadence is but i am a total gadget nerd so will probably get a sensor to find out at some point. i have a competitive nature but do best when i only compete with myself so a lot of my enjoyment on bike rides is trying to break a previous record it might be distance or speed or something else. that's just fun for me. i think the most important thing with bikes is to have fun and be safe and it sounds like that's what you do!

[ny biker]

Forget about everyone else and what they're wearing. Just have fun.

[alexis_the_tiny]

Hello!! Jerseys vs tank tops - if they made cute tank tops in wicking fabrics and with pockets, I'd be all over them. For now, sleeveless jerseys. Everything else: Who cares? Just have fun. You sound like you're doing a great job of it already. =D

[marni]

what everyone else says- I prefer longer shorts but that's just me.

marni

[Kano]

Just as long as you don't wear tall white socks with sandals, and clip your pedometer to one of them and then roll that one down.

That finish to whatever look he's wearing on the rest of him, looks more than a little bit goofy...

Karen in Boise

[BluOrchid2]

Thanks everyone for your posts. I've decided to take your advice...and I see it all over these forums - just ride, and don't worry about what others wear, or how they ride. I've been riding more; surpassed my goal of riding 50 miles last week including one 30 mile ride!, and have my rides planned out for this week. I have a 40 mile ride routed out which I will do sometime in the next couple of weeks. It's my goal to ride 100 miles in one day, probably on the Katy Trail, by the end of summer.

[KnottedYet]

if they made cute tank tops in wicking fabrics and with pockets, I'd be all over them.

Terry makes several styles of wicking tank top with pockets, and SusanO stocks them.

This is my favorite: http://www.teamestrogen.com/prodTY_1962_0.html Every year there are a couple different prints, and there are always the basic solids, too.

[nolemom]

First and foremost, ride what is comfortable. The longer shorts do have a purpose for some riders - they offer more compression for the upper legs. Also my shorter shorts tend to rub against the seat more and irritate that area of my leg. I try to alternate short length based on the length of the ride so my upper leg is in various shades of tan - I call it the neopolitan ice cream look. I found knowing my cadence to be incredibly helpful with my riding. I was spending too much time in my harder gears and was having knee issues. Now I make sure that I spin more - my knees are happier and my overall performance has improved. The one thing I have learned in the almost two years since I started riding - everyone is different and that as long as you are comfortable and enjoying your ride, do what works for you.

[BluOrchid2]

I just feel so dumb and lost...the more I "learn", the dumber I feel. I don't know any of you (yet) so I'm going to just ignore that dumb feeling and ask away.

What are the biggest differences between a "commuter" bike and a "touring" bike? I have a general understand of the differences between a road bike and a mountain bike, but those other two I don't know yet.

I am riding a hybrid, but have started thinking about getting road bike probably in about 1.5 years, after my Jeep is paid off and I have that extra money to save for a new bike. I don't know even where to begin in the hunt for the perfect bike. I don't even know what size frame I need, or how to measure myself to find out.

I've always ridden wearing running shoes, but a spin class instructor told me last winter that running shoes are the worst kind of shoe to ride in because the soles are so flexible. That I should ride in a shoe with a firm, not-so-bendy sole. I've never ridden a bike that had the things on the pedals that cover the front part of your foot (see, dumb. I don't even know what to call the various pieces and parts of a bike.) or the kind of pedals that cycling shoes fit onto. Just a regular pedal is what my bike has. So should I change the kind of shoes I'm wearing? And for what purpose? What is the reason for wearing firm-soled shoes?

I'm sure I'll have more dumb questions in the coming weeks, so hold some of your laughter for those. LOL (gah, I'm dying of embarassment here!)

[moonfroggy]

i don't think any of your questions are dumb. i'm not really sure there is such a thing as a dumb question? maybe it can be dumb to not seek knowledge and not ask questions though.

i think if your bike has large flat pedals your shoes may be fine my understanding for wanting a firm shoe is to give more area for your foot to press down on. i have regular flat plastic pedals on my mountain bike which i also use for running errands and going around town so i hop on and off a lot. they are great for that!

the pedals shoes clip into are called clip less pedals which is just silly but they are called that because the pedals with the part your toes fit into are sometimes called toe clips i think. i have also heard them called toe cages? not sure of all the terminology.

sure others will have a lot more info for you than what i have. i really think the most important thing is to have fun and be safe.