Friday, February 27, 2009

New Rider Basics

Now that you're thinking of riding.....

I've created a list of basic stuff you need before you go on your first ride.
You can also use this as a checklist before leaving on any long ride.

1. A bike
2. Water Bottle Holders (1 maybe even 2)
3. Bottles (1 maybe even 2)
4. 2 Spare Tubes
5. 1 Spare Tire
6. Hand help pump
7. Floor Pump (Keep this at home!)
8. A good pair of gloves
9. Biking Shorts
10. Biking Shoes
11. Pedals - they don't usually come with the bike.
12. Patch Kit
13. Helmet
14. Sunglasses (Need to prevent the dust from getting into your eyes)
15. Head light (optional)
16. Tail light (recommended)
17. Sunscreen

Winter Rides will require more clothing. But I'll share that when winter comes :)

The few stores I'd recommend in the South Bay are:

REI
Mike's Bike
Performance Bike
Sports Basement

That's it folks. See you on the road.

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Feb 21st 2009 - Palo Alto to Redwood City

We started this ride at Stanford and rode up La Canada to Hwy 92 in Redwood City.
This is a very beautiful ride, with a few beginner level inclines.
We turned and rode back from the Crystal Spring Reservoir in Redwood City.

Of course, on our way back we stopped for Brunch at the Woodside Bakery.

No flats, no backaches, and no crazyness on this ride.
I'd recommend this route to anyone who's already comfortable with an hour on the saddle.



Rider thoughts


I've taken up road biking, and have been riding for 3 months or so now.
Living in California, and not picking an outdoor activity is blasphemy!

Now that I'm a little comfortable on my bike - I plan to start writing down my experiences as I discover new routes and new restaurants along my riding routes.

My GPS of choice is a Garmin 60C and thanks to the Iphone I'll be able to take some pictures too! I plan to upload both my ride maps and ride pictures here.

Hopefully this will convince some of you to take up biking and maybe come riding with me sometime!

Shown above is my first road bike: 2008 Cannondale Synapse 7