AKICO, bike edition

[oyceter]

So! I have a new (used) bike and would like to start biking for faster transportation and exercise.

Any recommendations? I haven't biked in the US ever except for maybe a few blocks on the sidewalk in the suburbs when I was 12.

No tips too obvious! Like, I know to get a helmet. And that sometimes your pants get stuck in the gears. That's about it. I will probably be biking in an urban-ish environment or in parks around there and almost certainly not mountain biking. Any recommended locks/helmets/other paraphernelia?

Also, I was thinking of getting a stationary trainer for the rainy months... any tips or thoughts? I will probably not be a super biker, so something fairly basic would be good.

Comments

Re: Ooh ooh biking!

[oyceter]

Definitely thing to make my bike stationary! What did you look for in one? I see a few on CL, but I have no idea how to pick and choose...

Re: Ooh ooh biking!

[daedala]

My answer might be less than useful, but here goes! I talked to the bike shop guy who fitted my bike, and he liked the kurt kinetic road machine -- it's what they use in the shop. I checked out used prices and knew I could afford it if I could find it, and I was starting early enough that I could just wait till it showed up. When someone offered one on Craigslist for an acceptable price, I bought it. (Actually, I think it was the 2nd or 3rd, because they got snapped up fast.)

Overall, I know that fluid trainers are better but more expensive. The older CycleOps fluid trainers had a leaking issue; you can tell the difference because the part that touches the rear wheel is shiny vs. brushed metal, but I don't remember which the good one was and which the bad one was!

The fluid (more expensive) and magnetic (cheaper) trainers use the quick release skewer on your rear wheel to hold the bike. This is very easy to do, but your own bike skewer might not fit well -- you can buy one for like $15 from Amazon, though (that's what I did). Rollers are another kind of stationary trainer, where you balance yourself. From everything I've read, this is really hard and you fall a lot at first, but it's very good if you're racing and need to ensure all your momentum is forward. Because they're so difficult, they can sometimes be found quite cheaply, but they're probably not what you want. I thought they'd make me cry, to be honest.

If you're not sure if you'll use it, a cheap/free trainer to try out might be best, but try not to get something so cheap it discourages use. I'm not exactly sure where that line is, but the bike shop peeps may know. Borrowing from a friend during the summer might also be possible, just to find out. They're generally pretty sturdy, so I don't know that there's any good reason to buy new. I was pretty sure I would use it, and at the time had the money, so I got the good one. (I have not used it that much. I still believe I will next winter -- I was slow assembling the bike, getting the tv, getting the computer, etc. Delusional or not, you decide...)

You may also want a mat to protect your floor and a towel -- spinning is sweaty. And definitely get a bike computer so you have some idea of the effort you're expending. (There are also trainer computers that are more precise about power but you probably don't need that.) The bike computer should have cadence (rpm) as well as speed/distance/etc. One of the reasons to use an indoor trainer is to work on your cadence, or how quickly and smoothly you spin.

All that said? Indoor cycling by oneself is really boring. Park it in front of the tv if you can. There are spinning dvds that give you an imaginary course and stuff; a couple actually came with mine, but I haven't tried them yet.

/braindump

Re: Ooh ooh biking!

[oyceter]

Got it, thanks! I have mostly been thinking of doing indoor biking when it is the rainy season and doing it while I watch tv, yay!