Originally Posted by
jeffswood
1. There are way more hills around here than I ever noticed
Yup, a small incline is not noticable in a car, but noticable on a bike
2. You can ride into the wind in both directions
Wind direction changes all the time. Ride the drops and tuck if you're in the head wind. If you've got Aero bars, that position should also help
3. I am not nearly as fit as I thought – I run and swim a fair amount but I was huffing and puffing on my bike to maintain an average speed of 27km per hour – I need to do some training
I know for sure that for 39 tooth front, 23 rear, at a 100RPM, that's 22km/h. That's my current lowest gear.
4. My but didn’t hurt when I was done, but my legs did
Stretch. Eat something, especially protein after the work out. That should help you build your quads for the ride.
5. Maybe a need triple as I died on a few hills
If you need to stick with doubles (e.g. Front derailleurs don't necessarily handle 3 rings if they were on 2 rings), a compact crankset isn't bad. 50-36 or a 50-34 with a 12-27 at the back should give you a decent enough gear ratio to handle the hills.
6. My bike works and feels great
7. Try getting out of you clipless pedals a few times before you need to get out of them (ouch)
That was my problem too. I bought cheap ones that were single sided, and they don't always show clip side up. I now use a pair of shimano PD-M520s. It's cheap, it's SPD, and the bike shoes lets you walk a bit, compared to a standard road shoes with Look style cleats.
8. A car GPS works pretty well as a cycling computer in a pinch (the only way I know how slow I was)
Wired bike computers are about $40CDN with cadence. Cadence could be important if you want to build endurance. My understanding seems to be that if you ride a higher cadence, you use your endurance muscle groups. I try to stay near 100rpm, and averages 75rpm (I live in Vancouver, so there's plenty of ups and downs)
9. I need to find some other folks to ride with
Bring friends, and be patient if they're not riders themselves.
10. I need more stuff!
So on item #10 what do I need?
I figure a bike helmet (I am using my old MTB helmet at the moment),
Some shorts (should I just bite the bullet and get some 8 panel shorts for $100?),
A computer (The GPS worked great for tracking my ride stats, well sitting in my pocket, but it not ideal),
A pump / spare tire (no flats yet but…),
A cycling jacket and jersey? (I felt like my but cleavage was hanging out, as my jacket and shirt left the small of back exposed)
I have tights & gloves (for cold days),sports sunglasses & cycling shoes.
Lights. You'll need it if you do any biking that's not daytime.
Saddle bag + some essentials. Bike tube + pump / CO2 inflator. Tire boots. Tire levers. And a multitool. You don't want to be trapped on the side of the road. I've had a 1" drywall screw go through my tire, my tube on both sides, through the rim tape, and puncutre little holes on my Shimano RS-20 wheelset.
Padded shorts. Nothing too fancy if you're just testing your waters, but something padded could save your butt.
Gloves. Windproof minimum for anything not summer weather.
Shoe covers if you plan to ride rainy weather, or cold weather for shoes with good ventilation.
If you helmet isn't broken, I don't think you need a new one per-se. You'd look funny, but who cares? if the thing keeps your head intact, it keeps your head intact.
Cycling specific jersey / jackets have long backs to cover your back, for when you lean forward.