Adventures in Cycling: Baby Steps

Getting into cycling while living in Orange County is funny because most bike shops assume I have money to spare.  I've seen folks walk into stores and buy $2500 starter bikes...but there are also gals and guys like me that are starting off with lower end equipment and bikes.  Luckily, not all the shops around here look down on frugality and poverty, otherwise I'd be hosed.

The best thing about riding my bike so far is that it's not school.  It also feels great to be exercising outside and going somewhere/seeing things other than the dumb TV. The get going has been a bit slow because I wanted to make sure that I picked up good equipment while staying within the budget.  Since the last post I picked up a good road helmet, some padded gloves, a new (more comfortable) saddle, an LED headlight and tail light, and the dreaded spandex shorts (They really are quite comfortable and my nalgas are much happier).

My friend and former neighbor Ed (who incidentally shares The Best Neighbor Ever Award with his wife) recommended apparel from Blockbottoms and luckily they had some shorts on sale dirt cheap.  I know, everyone I've talked to says to avoid the shorts and go right on to the bibs, but they were cheap and I wanted to make sure the padded garb was sufficient to ease my pain.  I still plan to get some bibs but after a quick 15 minute test ride, I am pleased to announce that I didn't traumatize any automobile drivers, that is, my shorts didn't slip down (thanks to my larger than normal trasero).

I'm making sure to take baby steps and not jump into this gung-ho.  When I got my bike built the guys at Bike Religion said that I would probably need to tighten the cables after after a bit of riding...so I tried to do it myself and screwed things up.  I went back to the bike shop and they very nicely explained how to make small adjustments while showing me how to do it.  The coolest thing about those guys is that they were not at all condescending or rude.  I need to make sure and give them a good review.

There's a LOT to learn (about maintenance), my bike's ins and outs, and riding in general, but I'm happy with what I've learned so far and this is all part of the process.  A huge thanks to Ed and Jason who are giving me great advice from far off Utah (why didn't I start this when you guys were closer?).  I can already tell how much a difference a lighter road bike (mine is made for cyclo-cross) would make and how important it is to make sure everything fits well.  I think when my tires wear down I'll throw some slicks on my bike and if I'm still enjoying this and doing well next year, maybe I'll pick up a real road bike.

I still need to get some flat repair equipment, maybe some shoes and socks, bibs and a jersey and maybe some tights for the chilly California evenings.  The other night I went on a short four mile ride (my shorts hadn't arrived yet).  Eventually I'm going to work up to what is bound to be one of my favorite rides, a loop from point A, to B and down to the freeway, back around through the parks and back to point A.  It's a 10 mile ride and I expect I'll be making that trek in about a month, if not sooner.  Thankfully my asthma hasn't been much of a factor at all and now that I won't be participating in an exercise study here on campus, I need to get back to the gym and strengthen some muskulls.  Happy trails!