Hi, excited to be here on the forum. I'm totally new to road biking--other than buying a skinny-tire bike I'm not really one. Frex, My newbie level is doing about 40 miles a week now, I'm averaging 10 mph, and I'm basically delighted and having a good time. I'm not at the level mostly discussed here. My bike is a Giant Dash and for me it is light and smooth and fun. I'm a 40-something Mom with lots of kids. Probably one thing I love about biking is that I'm alone and no one is talking to me. I have to really plot to steal that time for myself.
I'm looking for pointers, I'm noticing things are coming up at around 20 miles. I've seen the 1,000 mile base mentioned (I'm probably just over 200; I'd like to get in more 10-20 mile rides and figure out how to equip for 25 or 30.
Specifically:
I notice after 10 miles jeans start to be annoying, they start sticking to my knee and resisting the motion. A friend suggested long baggy shorts, said those can be had with real bike shorts inside? Wearing lycra or a bike jersey set seems presumptuous and ridiculous at this point. I've never had bike shorts.
I bought gloves (my hands were getting cold, but the cushioning is nice too) and a very yellow cycling windbreaker with zip-off sleeves. I had a helmet already of course.
My socks start to bug me after 20 miles! I can feel the weave on my soles like it was knit jute! What the heck sort of socks am I supposed to get instead? For shoes I'm wearing knock-off Keds, because they fit easily into the bike clips the way running shoes do not.
I'm not carrying a tire pump, patch kit, anything. Just a water bottle, and a lock, and a cell phone. I don't know how to use any of that repair stuff either. How bad is that?
Should I care that I'm slow? Don't get me wrong; I like going fast. I think the fact the road bike rides so much faster than the mountain bike was huge why I liked it so much more. And I like getting out further, seeing more on limited time. However, on the downhills or with wind at my back I sometimes brake because it can be a little fast for my sense of control, especially as it's wet or lightly raining while I'm out.
I'm reading that being savvy with cadence is key to building speed. If cadence is counting rpms of pedaling, are you putting some kind of calculator on your bike to get a sense of that? Or are there other tricks? The goal is 90 rpm?
When I follow other bicyclists in town to copy their pedaling rhythm, is that stalker behavior?
I go out in the rain because I want to go out. How much are my brakes really compromised by being wet?
I'm afraid I'm going to get bored of riding the same places, since I'm heading out without useful destination, unlike commuters. Which is also why I want to get faster/further out. I'm asking for a trailer hitch for Mother's Day, since my van won't take a bike rack on the door. Is location fatigue not really an issue?