The Price of Admission

You gotta pay to play.

When I first got into cycling, I had no idea how much it was going to cost.  Then again, I never imagined I would be gearing up to ride 100 miles in a single day.  It started off fairly cheap, with my starter bike.  I never intended to go long distances, so what was the point of making a huge investment, and that remained true for years.  Safety first, so I needed a helmet and that was about it.  Over time, I added a water bottle cage and a small saddle bag.  I bought a lock when I started commuting to work.  All this served me well until I decided to get serious.

I won’t get into the dollar and cents of what happened next.  Hell, I haven’t even told my wife how much I spent.  But its my money and I’ll spend it however I see fit, But my wife is a wise woman and understands the benefits of having a healthy husband and her children having a fit father, not to mention the whole lotta sexy starting to rise to the surface of this once large and puffy shape that used to lounge around on the couch all weekend.  She also understands the cost of precision and safety required to successfully fulfill this undertaking of completing a century ride.  My wife's so smart.

The next waive of spending started with my bike.  You can get your hands on a decent new road bike for under a grand.  The better brands typically have a really nice first tier for a reasonable price.  What shocked me was how quick prices go up.  For example, my local bike shop sells a Trek Madone 7.9 for $10,999.  That’s more than I paid for my car.

I’m still riding my old bike, so I needed all new accessories.  And since my rides were getting longer, I need a few more bells and whistles.  To start,  I got two cages and an extra water bottle.  I put on an extra large saddle bag, why an extra long saddle bag you ask?  Well I need somewhere to carry my extra tire tube and my tire patch kit. It’s one thing to get a flat tire right around the corner.  It’s another thing to blow one 20 miles from nowhere.  In addition to my floor pump with pressure gauge, I also got a smaller one that attaches to the bike.  The guy at the store asked if I had a tool.  A tool?  Yeah, everybody needs a tool.  So I got this bad boy.

No clue what half this stuff does

I never really embraced the riding culture.  I even turned my nose up at it from time to time.  I would see these guys riding around in their jerseys like they were training for the Tour de France.  I said, that’ll never be me.  Nope, gym shorts and a T-shirt is all I needed.  But guess what, I eventually geeked out.

I won’t subject you to anymore padded shorts talk, but I will mention cycling jerseys.  First, they are awesome.  Not only do they look and feel great, they serve a practical purpose as well.  Most come with a few pockets located on the lower back.  When I completed my first half century this past week, I took full advantage of the extra carrying capacity.  It was hot and I knew I wasn’t going find a rest stop for the first 25 miles, so I threw a Gatorade on my back along with a banana and a few other snacks to get me through my ride.

And then there is my Garmin Edge 200 Bike Computer.  Other than the bike itself, this is probably my favorite little toy.  

If you are in the market for a cycling GPS , you can’t go wrong with this one.  I was using the phone app Map My Ride to track all my rides.  I still do, which is another great feature of the Garmin.  I can download all my rides right to the app.  Again, distance is the true reason for my switch.  The last thing I need is a dead phone while I’m out and about.  It’s small, hooks easily to your bike.  Tracks distance, time, speed.  Here’s the link to the detailed review that sold me on this unit.

http://www.dcrainmaker.com/2011/08/garmin-edge-200-in-depth-review.html

  

My Garmin is by no means top of the line.  There are bigger and better GPS systems made for cycling.  So like almost everything I own, this could certainly be upgraded. There are dozens of accessories I’ve either chosen not to purchase or at least have put on hold for the time being, like cycling shoes and the clipless pedals. Next on my wish list is a bike rack.  No these things are not necessary and I always advice:  Only spend what you can afford.  So for now, I’m just keep throwing my bike in the back of the jeep and let the wheel hang out the back window.

The price is not just monetary.  There is a physical price to be paid as well, in blood, sweat, possibly tears. 

I’ll save the emotional toll for another time and focus on the physical aspect.  And I don’t just mean freak accidents, but yes they happen.  I earned this small battle wound slipping a gear while pressing through a busy intersection.  Only my cat like reflexes saved you from an entirely different version of this blog. 

There is of course the temporary pain, like the burn from going up one too many hills.  There is the general soreness from pushing through an endurance run.  And at my age, the basic aches and pains associated with just from rolling out of bed the next morning.

Then there are the lingering aches.  My biggest physical issue to this point has been my hands.  It was really bad when I rode the hybrid.  The handlebars only allowed for one grip position.  I would start losing feeling in my hands after just a few miles.  On my road bike, I have drop bars which allows for several different grips.  I just need to remember to keep switching it up.  This has drastically reduced the numbness especially on my short rides.  The longer rides however, are still causing mild pain and stiffness that can linger for days.  I’ve chalked most of this up to hand positioning and my occasional death grip.  I found a few pointers relating to grips and contact points.  Like the ideal spot to rest your hands.

I’ve gotten most of my advice on this topic from Bike Forums.  So to give credit where credit is due:

http://www.bikeforums.net/road-cycling/543092-thumbs-going-dead-embarrassingly-short-rides-2.html

Scroll about half way down the page for a detail description of hand positions.  I can't say for sure it all works or if I'm just more focused at keeping my hands relaxed, but I have noticed some improvement to issue.

To go with this week’s theme, of course I got a new pair of padded bike gloves with strategically placed gel-padding and its engineered three-panel design.  Not only do they help soften up those contact points, but they also help absorb the vibrations from the road.  But the most important reason for the cycling gloves (and hopefully the least needed) is to protect your hands in a wipe out.  Plus mine are also fingerless, so they make me look way cool.