gear!

"What do you call a cyclist who doesn't wear a helmet? Organ donor."
~David Perry

Unlike running or walking, bicycling needs a few extra items beyond sneakers and flexible flowing clothes. The obvious is a bicycle and there are all sorts to choose from! There is a road bike, cyclocross, hybrid and mountain bike. All have their own benefits and work differently. I have a mountain bike and a road bike. There is lot to choose from past selecting what type of bike you want.

Let's pretend that you already have a bicyce, but do not use it much if at all, but you want to. You don't ride because you rode one time and that saddle (common lingo for the seat) is not comfortable. Well it does take a little getting use to, but let me tell you about bike shorts. A wonderful invention with a padded saddle area! They comes in all styles of inside material to keep down on blistering or chaffing from long rides. They even have a cargo short style if spandex isn't your thing.

Another piece of a equipment that I do not consider optional is the cranial protection. You see, I've always said, you may be cool, but not in a pool of your own drool. There are all kinds and styles of helmets too, get one that is approved for bicycle riding and make sure it has a proper fit. You never know when you may come flying off your bike or over your handle bars or bumped by a bored driver. I wear a Xen helmet by Giro, offering good protection, while being cool (because your head does get toasty) and comfortable, but a little more stylish than the white styrofoam dome.

The next piece of equipment to consider are bicycle gloves. Nope they don't seem like much and give you funny tan line, but they reduce the vibration you feel in the road. They have varied degrees of padding and materials. Take time to shop around for the right ones for you. Mine have a neat panel to help wipe off sweat.

Speaking of tan lines, yes my fingers are darker than the rest of my hand and my hands are less tan on my arms. Haha! Sun screen is important to have on rides during the summer months even overcast days. Those sun rays may give you a golden tan, but damaged skin from over sunning has been proven to cause skin cancer. And I'm wanting to hep stop cancer.

Hope this helps and look forward to seeing you out on a ride.

Keep on keeping on!
-Rhonda
http://philly09.livestrong.org/rhondachattin