Hey guys! I finally took the leap, and bought my first bike in 20 years, when I purchased a $100 bike from Toys R Us. My father-in-law owns like 30 bikes (most of them are time period bikes, with the parts matching the time period the bike was made- most of those are early 1900s). He recommended the Canondale QD3, so I went ahead and purchased it in red. It took the store 2 weeks to locate one for me. It'll mostly be ridden on flat ground. I had the store install the Canondale kickstand. I'm looking at water bottle cages. I'm looking at Canondale branded cages, although I'm open to just about anything. What's the difference between carbon, nylon, and steel cages, besides price? I'm leaning towards nylon. Also, what's the difference with left, right and straight cages? Is that the side where you pull the water bottle from? If I go that route, should I get one left and one right, since one of them will be flipped?

What kind of helmet do you recommend? I'm reading about MIPS.

Is there anything I'm missing?

Thanks so much, and I'm excited to be a part of this community,
Mike

I ride Cannondale and would recommend the nylon cages. Right or left is referring to the construction of the cage that allows easier access from the right or left. I guess this would depend on if you are dominant right-handed or left but for me, I went with the standard center so I can use either hand easily. MIPS is a good idea but there are conflicting studies as to its real benefit. My helmet is a MIPS as I feel that it is a good idea and I only have one head. Make sure the type of riding you are going to do mostly is what the strengths of the bike are. What I mean by this is if you ride an area that is very hilly then you want to have gears that work for you. If the area is mostly flat then that lends itself possibly to different gearing. Off road/trail would possibly be better with a wider tire or at least a frame/fork that would allow for a wider tire if you choose. Make sure the bike is the correct size for you and will allow for modifications to fit your body and riding style. You want to be comfortable on the bike or you will not ride it. Also, don't be afraid to change the saddle after a few rides if it is not to your liking. We are all built differently and no one size fits all, especially in the saddle department. Ride, be safe, and most of all have fun.
Frank.

I have the Cannondale cages on my Quick 1 and they work just fine and add a splash of color to the bike.

Material used will impact weight which matters to some and not to others. I doubt you would notice the difference between any of the materials.

I like SKS stuff and they have some bottle cage options to consider:
https://sks-us.com/collections/bottle-cages

I like the looks of the polycarbon option:
https://sks-us.com/collections/bottl...er-bottle-cage

On the cages, check your clearances. I bought two straight style nylon cages for my Trek. One worked fine on the down tube, but this style didn't work well on the seat tube. Pulling the bottle straight up hit the top tube too easily. I ended up with a left cage there. I don't drink while riding, I stop to drink. I'm usually standing on the left side, so that's what I went with.

Mark

Great reminder! The seat tub cage is more difficult to access due to the space between the cage and top tube. Part of that is frame design and part is frame size - I ride a medium FWIW