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The Extra Gear:

Accessories available for the cyclist.

Welcome friends to "The Extra Gear" section of Get-Into-Cycling.com. You've got your bike, your helmet, a waterbottle and your cool shades. You're set! You think to yourself "I've got everything I need" and off you go. But as you step outside, you notice it's a little nippy! Brrr! So you go back inside and put on your ski jacket, then off you go. But as the miles past, you notice that you're sweating your pants off! So you take your coat off, but where to put it? You can't fold it....it's too big. You can't really tie the coat around your waist....it might get caught on the rear wheel. Now you're stuck with this large coat thinking to yourself, "If I only had a thinner jacket....."

Well, not to fret, we at Get-Into-Cycling.com are here to help you by showing you some of the extra gear that is available to make your rides more enjoyable in all kinds of situations. Whether it's the incliment weather (See "All Weather Cyclist" page for more about this) or finding a place to carry your wallet and house keys, we will cover it here.

Accessories for you.

Padded Cycling Shorts: Of all the extra gear listed here, padded cycling shorts can actually be a toss up between an accessory or a necessity. Why you ask? If you've ever ridden any significant distance (at least 10 miles), you've found out that certain parts of your anatomy are usually pretty sore after riding. Well, a good pair of padded cycling shorts, regardless of the style (baggy, lycra, bib, etc.) are designed to reduce, if not eliminate any pain in those areas. Highly recommended to enhance your riding experience.

Jersey: A jersey is a nice compliment to cycling shorts.....just like the shorts, a jersey is designed to make your riding more comfortable. Unlike wearing a t-shirt or even a "sports" type stretch shirts, a cycling jersey is designed to fit the rider when leaning forward. Cycling jerseys also have large front zippers that allow extra ventilation for those hot days and are equipped with pockets for carrying your spare tube, waterbottle, granola bar, wallet, cell phone or whatever else you can think of.

Arm, Leg & Knee Warmers: These accessories are small, but big on usefulness. Arm, leg or knee warmers, although not a replacement for a windbreaker or windpants, are still as useful at protecting you from the cold. What's even better is that they can easily be removed once you start to warm up or if the conditions warm up. You can pull them off, fold them and place them in your jersey pocket or in a back pack. Very convenient and fairly inexpensive.

Cycling Specific Shoes: Probably the last of the extra gear that you'll consider, but also, the most significant. When you "trade in" your running shoes and use cycling shoes, you will notice that more of your pedal power goes to powering the bicycle. Cycling specific shoes, not only provide a solid and efficient platform for pedaling, but when coupled with special "clipless pedals" (see "The Drivetrain" for more on clipless pedals), increases your overall connection to the bike.....literally.

Clipless pedals (and even pedals with plain old toe clips and straps) keep your feet where they belong when riding.....on the bike, preventing them from sliding off the pedals accidently.

The biggest drawback to purchasing cycling shoes and pedals is the price. But if you shop carefully, you can find some great deals for shoe and pedal combinations from certain retailers.

Another drawback for some is just, plain getting used to them. Some people are intimidated by the fear that their feet will be "trapped" to the bike should they crash. This is partially true, particularly of the older style toe clips and straps. However, modern clipless pedals are much more "user friendly." For the most part, all you have to do to remove your shoe from the pedal is to twist your heel away from the pedal and viola! You're foot's off the bike.

Clipping on to the pedal is just as frustrating for some people. This can usually be solved by adjusting the tension of your particular pedal (if it has this feature), patience and practice! More on that later.

The extra gear that you purchase as you "get into cycling" more and more, will not only increase your perfomance and efficiency, but will make each ride more enjoyable than the last.

The Extra Gear: Return to The Cyclist Home


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