1) Pedals - using the stock pedals for now. They are ok, but they can be a bit tough to engage. They are non adjustable. Any suggestions for upgrades next year?
This is a controversial topic. The consensus seems to be that clipless pedals are wonderful. I'm in the middle of a two-year experiment with them on my road bike (I have platforms - no clips at all - on my touring bike and mountain bike.) I tried Look Keos first. They were nice, but tough to engage when pulling away from a stop - for me, anyway. They held my feet in the proper position. My feet tend to wander on platforms, which is okay except when they're rubbing on the crank with each revolution. I didn't really notice myself pulling up on each stroke, which is what people say is one of the benefits - increased pedaling efficiency. Was I more efficient? I don't know. I fell over twice when I couldn't get unclipped in time (Club Tombay) but no injuries, other than a bruise and a scrape. The shoes were lousy for walking in. "Click, click, click", and very slippery on slippery floors.
Now I'm trying Shimano SPD 520 pedals, which are for mountain bikes, but plenty of people use them on road bikes. I like them better than the Keos. They're double-sided so you don't have to make sure they're aligned right-side-up when you try to clip in. They're also just easier to clip in in general, and they're easier to pedal when you're not clipped in yet - like pulling away from a stop when your in the lefthand lane with impatient cars behind you. The shoes are much easier to walk in - not as comfortable as running shoes, but not bad. There's still a little click, click though.
I'm leaning more toward going back to platforms, but I'm not quite there yet.
I hate pedals with toe clips. I think they're a big pain, and more difficult to get out of than clipless.
2) Shorts - got a basic padded pair that work for me for now. Anything to look for in the future?
Padded shorts are almost mandatory for me. I've tried lots - mostly less-expensive ones from Nashbar or Performance. Different ones fit differently. While most were okay, some just felt better than others. I found a type I liked and bought several pairs.
I tried some more expensive shorts. They fit great, but not
so much better; perhaps not enough to justify the higher price.
A couple of pairs of more expensive shorts came with silicone leg grippers, instead of the elastic on other pairs. They were fine for a day ride, but when I took them on tour I discovered they gave me a rash. It wasn't painful, but it was still a rash and I didn't want it. I posted a thread to see if anyone had had a similar problem. Several people said they had. Now I won't buy shorts with silicone grippers.
3) Saddle - seems like the stock saddle is ok in conjunction with the shorts. I can do a 15-20 mile with no agony in the back side. Given that I can get some miles down the road, I assume an upgrade is a lower priority for now?
If you get into road riding you'll find that a 20-mile ride is still considered fairly short. I have a large collection of saddles. Virtually all of them are okay for the first 20 miles, but that's about when they start to hurt, if they're going to. If you ride centuries, or go on tours where you ride long, successive days (like 60-80 miles a day for a week or more) you'll start searching for a comfortable saddle.
For now, if what you have is working for you, great. If you start riding longer distances and your butt starts giving you trouble, you'll start "the search." I, like many people, really like a Brooks B17. It's considered a touring saddle by many, but it worked so great on my touring bike, I put one on my road bike as well, and I'm glad I did.
If you search you'll find umpteen threads on this forum, as well as the touring and road bike forums, about comfortable saddles.
4) Tires - the Giant has stock Michellins Opti<something>. Some guidelines on wear and life would be helpful. Any one have good web sources for tires?
What do you want in a tire? Racers want light weight and good handling. I want good handling and light weight, but I'm willing to sacrifice some of that for durability and flat avoidance. Talk to the people at your local bike shop. Don't be afraid to spend some money. It will be worth it in the long run.
I bought my son some tires for his road bike. I didn't want to spend a lot of money until we found out if he was really going to take up the sport. (I also wanted him to spend his own money if he wanted really good ones.) I bought the cheapest tires in the shop (a good shop, so no real garbage.) He got his first flat after 2 months. I've ridden mine for two years, and probably 50 times the miles, and haven't had a flat yet.
5) any pointers to maintenance guides? I prefer to keep my things in good shape, but, I need to learn what is a good maintenance regiment.
I use the one by Bicycling Magazine and the one by Leonard Zinn. Park Tools also has a good one.
Two websites to know about are the
Park Tool website and the
one compiled by the late, great Sheldon Brown for Harris Cyclery. You can also ask questions here and on the Bicycle Mechanics forum.
The two things I do all the time are keep my tires pumped to the proper pressure and lube my chain. I pump my tires before every ride when I'm home and can use my floor pump, and every 2 or 3 days on tour when I have to use my frame pump. Get a good pump with a gauge.
I lube my chain whenever it starts to get rust spots or starts to get that dry-chain squeak when I ride. Sometimes I'll lube it just because I haven't for awhile.
Whenever my chain starts to look too gunky I'll clean it good and then re-lube.
Learn to adjust your rear derailleur with the barrel adjuster. You'll need to from time to time when the cable stretches.
Bike wrenching isn't that hard. You can start to teach yourself systematically, or you can wait until something needs fixing or adjusting and learn to do it yourself then.
Buying tools is fun! (And it's an investment, right?)
Find a good mechanic who will let you watch when he works. My guy will even tell me what he's doing and how to do it right so that I can do it myself later. Sure, teaching me will make me less likely to hire him for the same job in the future, but he's building good will, and helping create a more dedicated cyclist who will be spending lots of money on his hobby in the future. He's such a great guy that I always try to patronize his shop when I can, even if someone else has a lower price. And he always has plenty of bike repair business, so I don't think he misses me all that much when I'm home doing it myself.