Im a newbie and guess what Ive a few questions!

richiemack

Hi guys, Ive been mountain biking for a while and been wanting to get round to getting a road bike, so I was very impressed when my partner surprised me with a Gorgeous BH G2 road bike on Christmas morning!! She got it for me from Nigels in Galway, he knew I was looking for a bike so sorted her out with exactly what I wanted, total genius!! He's a top man!

Anyhow I sent an email to west coast wheelers to let them know I wanted to get going. I have the bike and a helmet but no gear, so can anyone help me out? Ive got a pair of shorts and a couple of wool cycling jerseys I picked up in a vintage shop, nice n warm, but I dont reckon theyll keep me very warm.

So I was hoping that some nice person could give me a list of what I would need to buy to get out cycling in proper gear. ill have a look in Nigels but want to see if I can find any bargains on the net as well.

I know I need a shoes, and seen some good bargains on Uk websites, but I need help with the clothing so I can buy one set of gear to get started.
Cheers guys!

TinyExplosions

It's a hard thing really, as everyone has different requirements, but I'd suggest layering -you can keep warm that way, and get stuff you can wear year round. Based on that I'd recommend the following:

A good pair of bib shorts -whatever you can afford (your bum deserves to be comfortable) Assos, Castelli, Pearl Izumi all do good ones, as are some of the Dhb brand.
Base Layer. I'd go for a short sleeved merino baselayer -will keep you warm. Rapha are the best, but any will do.
Arm and Leg Warmers -any brand are fine, but some are not as warm as others so beware!
Jersey -your favourite team short sleeve jersey, in conjunction with the base layer and armwarmers, while not being Euro, will help keep you warm.
Windproof Jacket: Plenty out there, just look around -windproof is more important than waterproof imo, as it'll do more to keep you warmer
Gillet or waterproof shell -something light that'll keep the rain off, though keeping warm is far more important than being dry I find.
Gloves -get a long fingered pair
Socks -merino is great for warmth, sealskinz are good for waterproof, but some find them a bit uncomfortable.
Shoes: Whatever you fancy -I'd suggest getting a pair of road shoes, like Shimano RO99. You'll also have to get new pedals, and make the choice between Shimano and Look pedal systems -it's a personal choice, so whatever you want, go for it.
Shoe Covers -I use BBB Waterflex to keep water out and my feet dry.

I've suggested layering, as you can use the shorts and jersey and stuff in the summer and winter and after you've been cycing for a while you can make the decision if you want to get more specialised gear like bib tights etc

uberwolf

Two things further to Tinys post.

I'm not entirely in agreement with him on the wind proof vs water proof. Cold dry days need a windproof glove - I'd a stunning pair of gortex gloves that didn't cost a fortune, and took about ten minutes to warm up on a spin, but were brilliant for hours after that. Useless in the wet though, where my BBB wetsuit style gloves came in. Soak through, hold the moisture and warm up. Useless if it were dry though.

On a jacket, I've been through a few, and most have served the purpose - when layered!! Layer on top is the most important thing.

What was left out was http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=31834 , under the helmet. I always found the good helmets gave me brain freeze on a cold day. Can't say enough on this either.

kincsem

I was playing poker on PokerStars until a few minutes ago and decided to check the cycling section before going to sleep.

Recently I packed most of my cycling clothes into two plastic boxes. This is what I have.

1 pair of Specialized cycling shorts (seldom used)
1 pair of Specialized bib tights
1 pair of Sportful bib shorts
2 pairs of Santini bib shorts twist gel
2 pairs of Santini Super Roubaix bib tights

1 pair Altura shoe covers
1 pair Windtex shoe covers
1 pair Prendas shoe covers TT (white)

1 pair Specialized shoes

1 Gill rain jacket (heavy)
1 Cannondale Le Carbon Max jacket (winter / warm) (on order)
1 Cannondale rain jacket (light; pocket size)

1 pair leg warmers
1 pair arm warmers

1 Adidas gilet (warm) (its a sleevless jacket)

3 pairs gloves (no fingers/summer; fingers/winter; mittens/waterproof)

10 pairs cycling socks

Thermal skull cap (covers ears)

1 handlebar bag (6”x4”x2”)
2 saddle bags (one small (coke can size); one larger)

5 short sleeve cycling jerseys (summer)
4 long sleeve cycling jerseys (3 winter; 1 summer)

3 cycling under-vests (2 short sleeve; 1 long sleeve)

That looks like a crazy list. But if you are cycling regularly (I'm not at the moment) you need dry gear. All cycling fabrics are synthetic. I wash mine by hand, and let them dry naturally (no tumble dry or ironing). So you often have wet / drying clothes. That list above covers all temperatures, and for dry and wet conditions.

Of course if I see a nice short sleeve jersey I often buy. A lot of my stuff comes from Prendas Ciclismo, a UK internet company, who often sell off overstocks / last season kit. I like Santini clothing, and they sell a lot of it.

I don't cycle much.

TinyExplosions

In terms of washing, everything of mine goes in a quick cycle, then has a spin and is hung up to dry. No fabric softener or tumble drying. Beauty of synthetic fabrics is that all bar the heaviest winter weight tights are dry the next morning!

richiemack

Brilliant, didnt expect such a great response, much appreciated!! Ive a few more questions

I have two wool cycle jerseys which are kinda retro style that I picked up in a vintage store a couple of years ago, are these good to wear or would they be too warm?

Alot of the base layers seem to be lycra/polyester, should I make sure to find marino ones?

I have one pair of bib shorts but should I make sure to get windproof ones or will any kind do in the winter?

TinyExplosions

Wool can be good -I'd give 'em a go, and if you find them too warm you can always get another!

I feel that merino baselayers are the daddy, but I also have some mixed fabric ones that do the job (I've a Helly Hansen l/s that's nice and a very good Craft Pro baselayer)

I have standard bib shorts, not specifically windproof and they do me fine in conjunction with legwarmers

richiemack

should I look for any specific type of arm/leg warmers? and any certain material?

TinyExplosions

richiemack wrote: »

should I look for any specific type of arm/leg warmers? and any certain material?

Nothing specific, just something that fits and feels comfortable. Only thing I'd say to avoid is the ones that are very thin and feel 'slippery' -they tend to be less efficient at cutting out the wind

Lumen

What's the logic behind gilets?

Is there some special reason why you want your arms to get wet?

TinyExplosions

Lumen wrote: »

What's the logic behind gilets?

Is there some special reason why you want your arms to get wet?

Make you go faster

I think it's just that your arms can dry out quicker, and it's more important to keep your core temp at a nice level -same idea as one of these:


Having said that, I don't currently own one

blorg

Lumen wrote: »

What's the logic behind gilets?

Is there some special reason why you want your arms to get wet?

It's also easier to keep your temperature low with one when climbing for example, you can leave it open and fluttering and then zip it up for the descent. Your arms would overheat in that situation with a jacket.

ROK ON

For base layers I have moved to Under Armour winter base layer. Around €47 - well worth the money.

ROK ON

richiemack wrote: »

should I look for any specific type of arm/leg warmers? and any certain material?

I have BBB leg warmers. Around €20ish during the middle of the summer (bit more now). Top notch - actually warmer than a few of the full length shorts that I have.

richiemack

I got myself some gear this morning in the sale
pair shimano shoes
bicycle line arm and leg warmers
adidas bib shorts down from 98 euro to 25
bicycle line jersey and base layer
bicycle line windproof gloves

took a spin on the bike for a half hour to test it all out
leg warmers dont seem to be the warmest, and gloves are too small, this might be silly question but should I wear underpants under my shorts?

Lumen

richiemack wrote: »

this might be silly question but should I wear underpants under my shorts?

Absolutely not. Also, use chamois cream for longer rides.

I don't tend to buy clothes over the internet, too much chance of getting sizes wrong (gloves are particularly problematic there). Even in the shop I spent ages deciding on bib tights size, and still think I got it wrong (too loose, irritating slack behind the knee).

Wiggle are good at taking things back, in my experience.

richiemack

another question, I have a good north face hyvent jacket, would it be ok to use on the bike?

blorg

richiemack wrote: »

this might be silly question but should I wear underpants under my shorts?

I take a more practical line on this as I am cycling every day and can't be changing my shorts that frequently- hence I tend to wear underwear on shorter cycles, certainly anything up to 50km or so. It is definitely more comfortable without but your bits will not spontaneously combust through underwear wearing. The risk of chafing is to my mind exaggerated but then I don't find a need to use chamois cream either.