Bought my first bike yay!
 

Hi All,

So finally I bought my first road bike. The 2011 Specialized Secteur Elite with 105 shifters, 105 front and back derailleurs .. 700x23 tyres.

What would be my next thing now.. ? Gear and helmet.. The first thing I am planning to do is bike tuning. Then I want to buy riding gear but I am not sure what are those "slacks" called with the gel pads..

any suggestions ?

Thanks in advance.

Skip the gel pads in your shorts or bibs and get something with an absorbent chamois. Yes to a helmet. Also, get a spare tube, mini pump and a bike specific multi-tool to carry with you on rides. Bottle and cage. Shoes and pedals. Floor pump. Sun glasses. Computer?

At the least, go to a big box store and for sakes get a Helmet....... I know when we were kids we never wore them but your going to be making 40 MPH and up in some cases now. so protect that head. Then after you recover from the cost of the bike get a "GOOD" helmet. After that get some cool gear and maybe a set of clip less..... but safety first! And after looking at your user name. Some reflectors! LOL.

welcome to the club!and as spooneay said get a helmet...

Right! a Schwinn Helmet will keep you from busting your head open. When I say after that get a GOOD one. That is speaking to a cool as in cold and light one. Then go for the bling!

So I bought the bike very lightly used off of craigslist and the bike already has the pump attached to it, 2 set of tubes and a under seat pouch. The bike also has two water bottle holders.

So what are the minimal things I should buy to get my biking started, especially keeping in mind that its cold out there. That brings a question in my mind that do you guys ride when its cold ?

I am thinking of the following list in priority from high to low:

1) Helmet
2) slacks/pants with chamois <-- but what is chamois ?
3) bike tuning
4) bike fitting.
5) clipless pedals and shoes and cleats.

???

A chamois ("shammy") is the padded lining in the crotch area of most cycling shorts. It provides a bit of cushion and reduces chafing. Some do come with gel padding but I think most people find the gel to be too bulky and generally uncomfortable.

Personally I try to ride at least once a week throughout the whole year. If you want to ride in the winter in Seattle you'll need some clothing and accessories to cope with the temperatures and perhaps the rain, if you so choose. So some other things you might consider getting are some midweight gloves, some sort of skull cap which covers the ears, and some fenders.

Oh, and congrats on the new bike Enjoy it! :thumb:

IMO, it's one of the first things you should buy aside from a helmet. It's an investment. It's one of those things you buy to keep for a long long time.

and it has to be LEZYNE, remember that. I have a Steel Floor Drive myself and I love it.

6) camera
7) white garage door

Also get a CO2 gun and some canisters, couple spare tubes (can never have enough), some of those plastic tire tool things that I don't remember the name of right now for changing your tube, HELMET, and don't forget to get a good jersey that will allow you to take all of the above with you on a ride. You may also want to stick a $20 in your saddle bag in case of trouble hold it over your head to the nearest car that can fit you and your bike going in the correct direction and hop a ride home lol

I would consider clipless pedals. I don't pull but I like being attached. As for a CO2 gun, I say it depends on how strong you are. I would rather have a frame pump with infinite air than have CO2 and run out. But then again, I am able to pump to around 100 psi which is enough to get me home.

If you plan on riding at night, get lights. I mean real lights! Almost any light will make sure you are seen but you need to see too. Even with them, I hit a rock and ate it pretty hard. So, more the merrier.

I am another vote for a helmet. I personally feel wrong riding without one. But then again, I split my helmet in half on a fall when I was a kid. That would have been my head.

I never go for a ride without some cash, a phone and a bus pass (the busses in my area have racks). I also have digital versions of repair manuals on my phone but hope to never need them!

If you get a computer that doesn't do cadence, skip the wireless. Why add the weight, money and battery. If it does do cadence, then wireless is probably the way to go.

Also if you ride where there is a lot of traffic I would suggest a helmet mirror. That way you can just glance at it to see if someone is coming up on you. Like to see a pic of your bike too, sounds like you got a nice one.Oh and you might want to get a rain coat, I lived up in Tacoma for about a year and a half and I have to tell you I have never lived in a place it rained so much.

As far as pants go, I would go for some good cycling shorts or bibs and cycling tights without a chamois to go over them. This way you can have several pairs of short/bibs for good weather and just put the tights over them.

Bookmark Bonktown, ProBikeKit, Chainreactioncycles, Nashbar, SierraOutfitters, love2pedal, aerotechdesigns, etc.

If you get a mirror be very careful as you can get in the habit of being lazy and trusting it to much only to realize to late that a car was in your blind spot and SPLAT! your roadkill.

I've got more excitement in my left nostril.

This post makes a lot of sense, except for THIS part. Why would anyone who just bought their FIRST road bike (or even most of us on our 2nd 3rd or 4th+++ road bikes) care about the WEIGHT of a wireless computer vs a wired one. I am sure that 1oz (28gm) weight addition is going to make the difference in the rider's performance or enjoyment of his ride:rolleyes:. Besides, the weight of the cable would offset the weight of the battery. Let's remember to try to HELP folks when they ask and not send them on some pipe dream. One ounce of extra weight makes NO difference. Otherwise the rest of this advice is pretty solid.

Yeah I agree :)

So I want to start with very very basic things first... and then will start putting money in "good to have" things :). The very first thing I am thinking of is to get on the bike and put some miles. and for that I believe I will need

- Helmet and bike tights and gloves.. I have my fleece jacket so should be ok and I also have my windproof eye protection..