Squirrely765

After experimenting with cycling by going out on rides on a family member's old road bike I borrowed, I realized I enjoyed it as I would sometimes do it just to kinda get my mind off of college and similar.

So after about 3 months of window shopping and looking for used bikes I picked up a Specialized Allez off of Ebay a month ago or so. (here is a pic if anyone wishes to see: https://i49.tinypic.com/29wtm3l.jpg) (Has a mixed Tiagra and 105 groupset)

I've probably done about 50 miles so far. I use it to commute to and from class on it as well. It's a great bike and I love it so far.

Though if I ride for more than 5 miles I usually get seat discomfort after a while. I do not wear cycling shorts and I am looking to buy a pair as I suspect that will help with the discomfort. What is a good brand/style of shorts?

Price wise for accessories I am looking for something which pretty much gives me the "best bang for my buck".

What would be a good company for a jersey as well? I am looking for gloves as well, as that will help with the discomfort in my hands from the road vibration.

They would be nice, but I am not too sure about looking for boots/clipless pedals right now. I don't think it would be wise to dive too far into the sport (with finances), especially with my current inexperience.

When some of you guys go on longer rides what is in the typical repair kit you bring along?

Also I do not have a tire pump yet. I have mostly been using an older pump I have here with a presta adapter to check/pump my tires about once a week. What would be some recommendations for a good pump? Or is a pump mostly just a pump?

Think that's all my questions which didn't get answered from the articles on Sheldon Brown. (great site!) Sorry it kind of turned into a wall of questions!

Thanks.

Uni-Vibe

Bike shorts make all the difference for comfort. Get a good quality short.

Seats: The squooshy ones feel good when you start out, but later when you get some miles under you, the skinny racing type are much more comfortable. Get one with the split in the middle for pressure relief.

Go clipless ASAP.

Get a good floor pump w/gauge for pre-ride inflation chores. Use a CO2 inflator on the road.



Repair kit in seatpack:

3 tire levers
2 CO2 bottles
CO2 Inflator (no pump)
Tire gauge
Spare Tube
patch kit
Multi-tool
pistol (if you live in a free state)

downhillbreeze

Also as a college cyclist, I feel your pain with the money aspect. I personally have a pair of Pearl Izumi shorts that i bought on sale that have served me well. Performancebike.com is also a great place to start for inexpensive cycling clothing. There personal line isn't that bad.

As for repair kits. I usually care a multi-tool with enough hex sizes to adjust my pedals, stem, and anything else that may need adjusting. A spare tube, A C02 release and 2 C02 cartilages, 2 tire levers and an extra cliff bar and gel.

A set of clipless pedals can do wonders as well. Again though if your looking to stay inexpensive try to find some straps somewhere first.

Squirrely765

Thanks for the kit suggestions. I'll most likely pick some of those up.

My current seat isn't too squishy, it's fairly firm. When I was trying out bikes at my local bike store I tried out a gel/more squishy one and it didn't really feel confortable, I liked the firmer ones better. Down the road I'll look at getting a saddle with a split in the middle as it helps.

I do have some toeclips which came with the bike. With clipless pedals...know this sounds noobie but from my understanding is the main reason to go clipless is for the efficency? (to be able to pull up and push down) What would a medium quality set of boots/pedals cost?

Thanks, I'll check them out.

I forgot to ask about a cyclocomputer as well. What would be a good brand for a cyclocomputer/What should I look for in a cyclocomputer? Looking for not too expensive, but I would like it to be wireless.

Big_Red

I agree with the performance shorts and jerseys. You might need to try a couple of the shorts to find ones that are most comfortable.

Laplacian

It won't necessarily help. It might actually be worse. Saddles are very, very personal and what works best for one person doesn't necessarily work for another. Cutouts also can increase the pressure in other areas that you don't want (because of the bunching of the material near the cutout). Example: I had a Selle Italia Filte with the cutout on my previous bike and now have a Flite without the cutout on my current one. They are very similar to me, but the one without the cutout is slightly more comfortable. Someone else might say the opposite--depends on your body.

You don't want to go super-cheap on pedals. The cheap ones can be really hard to learn on. Get some $100+ pedals that will be easy for you to clip into and out of (Speedplays are good). You can get simple nylon-soled shoes for <$100 at most bike shops or online. They have really good deals on bonktown.com if you can find your size.

Why wireless? Wired don't experience interference and have less batteries to change. You can get cheap computers, though (wired or wireless). Cheap wireless ones might not work so well.

Having the cadence feature was nice when I was brand new--made me aware of my spinning and helped me be more efficient and consistent. Many people don't have this, though. If you want that, I'd suggest the Cateye Strada Cadence computer for <$30 (incl. shipping) on amazon. Cadence style computers also monitor the rear wheel which can be a nice feature if you ever buy a trainer to ride in your living room.

Or you can get one with altitude (usually an expensive feature) but no cadence here for $11 + shipping.

Squirrely765

Makes sense it's more personal. Just like the gel saddles I'll try out some ones which have the cutout and see how they feel.


I would like to go all-out and get some clipless pedals but I would like to keep my initial cost of getting into the sport low until I know I'll be really sticking with it. Was looking at pedals on performancebike.com and saw two main styles of pedals, the circular SpeedPlay ones then the flatter style used by other companies. What is the difference in the two styles of pedals? Would I just be better saving up for some higher quality pedals/boots instead of getting a low/medium range set now?


Ah didn't know interference was sometimes bad with wireless cyclocomputers. I was mostly just looking at wireless for the cleaner look/not having to deal with the wire.

Was actually looking at Cateye cyclocomputers on performancebike.com. They seem to be at a good price and have great features.

Also I've googled a bit and found a few other online bike accessory sites. Are there any you guys would recommend though?

Laplacian

The circular Speedplay pedals are clipless. They are just over $100 for the Zeros or the Light Action (cro-moly). I ride with those and so do many others. They are very nice pedals, especially for a beginner because of their ease of use. The other general style is the Shimano or Look. You have to flip the pedal over and press the cleat into it. Those are very popular too, but a bit more cumbersome to me.

You don't need high quality shoes to start, just ones that fit. My old shoes had the nylon/plastic soles and my current ones are carbon fiber with a ratcheting strap. The new ones are a lot stiffer and feel more efficient, but there is nothing wrong with the regular nylon soles and velcro straps. Shimano makes some very reasonably-priced ones and if you look (performance or backcountryoutlet.com or realcyclist.com) you can find some good deals for quite a bit less than $100. But you absolutely have to try them on before you purchase--fit is more important than saving a few bucks. Otherwise just get some $20 regular pedals and ride with tennis shoes for now.

You probably wouldn't have too much of a problem with wireless, but the setup might be more finicky if you get a really cheap one. The cheapest price for my favorite Cateye (Strada cadence) is less than $30 on amazon. I'm sure you can find a wireless one that is pretty good, though. roadbikereview.com might have some reviews for you. Cateye is a nice brand for cyclocomputers.