Old 01-26-04 | 03:59 PM
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supadupamikey
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Joined: Jan 2004
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A few basic questions on some equipment...

hey guys, hows it going?

after lots of research, i finally settled on a bike... and this past Saturday, I brought home a Felt SR91 for myself, and we got a Gary Fisher Tiburon for my girlfriend.

we bought the 2 bikes and a water bottle cage for each, and also got a kickstand for my girl's bike. they didnt have a kickstand to fit my felt... he said they could order one that would fit all the way at the rear of the frame... but, the other ones they had wouldn't fit because of the clearances... no big... i dont care if i have a kickstand or not.

anyways, we've been out on them the last couple days and i'm really wanting to get one of those little computer things to record my distance, speed, etc... i also want to get an air pump to keep the tire pressures in check... and i'm thinking i want to get some riding gloves (with the gel insert) as well. i broke my hand this past summer and having a majority of my weight on my hands was getting kinda numbing... and since im completely new to this... i was just looking for some suggestions on products

1.) What kind of computer should I get? The bike shop had some Specialized ones... the basic one was like $25... sounds alright to me... wireless and stuff would be nice, but, we're on a pretty strict budget, i just want speed, distance, etc... comments/suggestions?

2.) What kind of air pump should I get? I want one of the kind that you stand up and pump... they had a Specialized one for like $28... that decent?

3.) What kind of gloves should I get? Does the insert really make a big difference? What about the lengths? Is there a big difference between full-finger and half-finger? Also, I figure the gloves might also keep my hands warm... because, I want to start commuting to work soon... its gonna be about 7 miles each way... and for those 40-50 degree mornings down here in southwest florida

4.) Is there anything else thats like a absolute necessity? Or just an awesome convenience? Or something that you get and afterwards you wonder how you lived without it?

5.) Oh, whats a good style of bag to use/carry/wear when biking? If I commute, I'd like to be able to bring my lunch with me... and maybe a change of clothes or something...

6.) And, theres no cover thing over the sprocket (guess thats the 'norm' for this type of bike) and i got some little grease marks on these cotton baggy pants I was wearing... What do you guys do? I also got my shoelaces caught on the sprocket and that was quite a surprise... but, I started tucking them into my shoes... heheh...

thanks for any info you can provide =)
-mike
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