Originally Posted by
ieatrats
I find them comfortable exactly because they have suspenders to keep the chunk from pushing down the waistband.
I always thought that would be uncomfortable. Kinda funny, I wear bibs because I lack chunk to keep shorts from just sliding off. I guess there must be some middle ground where bibs bind but do not aid.
All the more reason to suggest bibs.
I think ieatrats pretty much covered everything including a plastic bag for your cellphone which I never thought of.How much should you spend on each item?
I would go as high end as possible on shoes followed by shorts and everything else can be pretty basic. The most expensive item will be the shoes.
Shoes: If you are a casual riding I would go mountain or treaded shoes, so you can walk around in them and probably eggbeater pedals because they are surefire and cheap, $50. The only reasons to go with standard road shoes is if you are racing or really like a certain pedal type. Right now a lot of racers I know are using mountain shoes anyways because of the weather. You really should buy your first pair at a bike shop because they really need to fit well and cleats can be hard to put on the first time. Popular pedal systems are Look, Speedplay, Shimano and crankbrothers. I highly suggest crankbroher's eggbeaters and if you have knee issues, speedplays.
Shorts: Sizing is pretty simple, they come in S through XXL. Shorts should fit snugly, you don't want any slipping or sagging as you pedal. I generally buy shorts which cost between 50 and 80 dollars depending on sales and what not. In the winter I wear unpadded tights over my normal shorts. Performancebike.com is a good place to look. I like Pearl Izumi Attacks. I only buy clothing online.
Other good sites are Nashbar.com Probikekit.com Pricepoint.com and sierratradingpost.com
Also, get leg warmers and arm warmers which will extend the amount of time you can wear you warm weather stuff.