mascher

I was one of those types who didn't even see the point of cycling shorts or shoes and spent a summer as a courier wearing the same pair of swimming trunks (I had at least figured out synthetic was good) and several pairs of one dollar sneakers.

Then I wore shorts for a few years, finally figured out the marque I liked (Pearl Izumi Attacks), and on a whim bought a pair of bibs because they were ultra cheap for midrange ones.

Now I wonder why I never tried bibs before that, besides that they didn't sell them at MEC and they seemed a little esoteric. I find them to be much more comfortable given that I've always had a bit of a belly. I'm in the process of switching over entirely and sort of wish I'd tried them first.

I like to reply to threads like these because I'm still basically a noob, and I didn't know anyone who rode, plus was broke for years, so it took a long time to figure out I needed/wanted this stuff and why.

Basically every "accessory" (read: vital item) will vary in fit and quality based on price and brand. Being a cheapskate I tried every cheapo brand, and with the exception of MEC's house brand, I've found a Name Brand in specialized equipment like bike stuff is always better. I didn't used to ride with any of this stuff; on the other hand, I used to walk my bike home if I got a flat

Stuff I can't believe I lived without for years: gloves, clipless pedals/shoes, shorts/bibs/tights, jerseys (instead of cotton tee shirts... shudder). I have never tried road shoes or pedals because even if I'm not going to be walking a lot, there didn't seem to be any huge advantage over the mountain stuff that could serve double duty on my mtb, so don't be afraid to go for mtb pedals and shoes, though afaik most mountain and road shoes aren't interchangeable because of the cleat drillings.

Saddlebag: mine has a spare tube, three tire levers, a patch kit (with glue, I had no luck with name and off brand glueless patches), a metro token (guess you don't need that in WVA), $20 (that stays in there, if I know for sure I'll need money, I stuff another bill in a pocket), a multitool, 2 co2 cartridges, and a little piece of paper with my name, address, blood type, phone, email, emergency contact phone # (and insurance carrier in the USA).

Jersey Pocket: combo pump/co2 inflater (though I just got that, I always used a Crank Bros Power Pump until now), 15mm wrench (depending on the bike), cellphone in a ziplock (for sweat, learned that here, but I'm a cell n00bz too), one or two pieces of fruit (heh, inspired by the picture in the Zinn books of the dude with a banana in his jersey)

Second a good floor pump, all steel with a long chamber and a gauge

Helmet: one that fits. all bike helmets except tt ones pass the same safety stuff, so don't faint if you don't have the scratch for one of those $200 ones. I wear the cheapest ones that come in individual sizes because one size fits all ones (the cheapest ones) don't fit me.

Bottles/cages: whatever's cheapest, I have as many cages as brazeons on all bikes, and 24oz bottles

Tools: I'm getting "real" ones as I need them, but a good multitool is useful for quickie stuff. I don't recommend those all in one tool kits from nashbar etc, but I'm a little hamfisted too

Shorts/bibs: that fit very snug without being tight or constricting. Loose drawers will chafe you and snag on your saddle

Gloves: vital because if you crash or even do the 0mph crash when you're learning clipless, you'll probably put your hands out to break your fall unless you took like years of jiu jitsu. I prefer mtn gloves with no padding and fake leather palms because leather absorbs moisture, padding makes my hands feel too thick, and heh I can't get slip on roadie mitts on my hands without a fight. Like everything else it seems, I wear them as snug as possible without restricting movement, I can't stand loose full-fingered gloves especially.

clipless pedals: my first cheapos convinced me not to ride clipless for a year because I could pull out of the wellgo spd clones very easily. Once I tried Time ATACs I never looked back and have four pairs of them.

clipless shoes: I like them to fit as snug as possible with maybe a little less than a cm at the toe. My normal width feet take a mega in Sidis, a normal in Lakes and Specialized. The only cheapo pair I had (Exustar or something like that) totally sucked and were a waste of $20

Blinkies: for a few bucks each, you might as well get a front and back blinkie for when it gets dark, but I come to roadieing from being a year round commuter. I just dropped $200 on lights for seeing (instead of being seen, which is what blinkies are for), but only because I caught a big sale.

I bought a computer, but I never installed it because hmm, I guess I don't know why. I don't really train, I just like to go I guess.

You can probably experiment a bit buy buying a bunch of this stuff right now before the season is in full swing.

Dang, this is really long now and there's probably pages of replies more valuable than this by now.

In any case, enjoy yr bike!