re: What type of bike do you currently ride?

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thanks a bunch sounds expensive lol where are you getting most of your accessories?

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yes and no, you can find lots of this stuff cheap. hell a garmin 500 (the gold standard for years) is probably $30 or so on ebay these days.

stans no tubes is pretty inexpensive provided your existing rims will work. i think most bikes in the last 5 years have 'no tubes' friendly rims so you're probably already covered. have a local bike check it out and they can probably convert them for $50 or less.

you need a good helmet no matter what. one nasty fall could kill you or leave you with brain damage. do that first. check craiglist or if there are any local bike clubs you can find stuff on the exchanges all the time.

for the pump, 8 panel shorts, toolkit, etc etc. check out performance bikes and bike nashbar online. no need to buy a pair of $200 shorts when nashbar puts their private brand on sale for $25 all the time.

so you can find most of this stuff in the $10-$20 range; the floor pump may cost you a bit more but its worth it. with no-tubes you'll need to inflate before each ride so you a pump that pushes alot of air.

strava is free.

Bike came in in 3 days and is put together. Nicer than I expected, but the BB and cog are a little "sticky". I'm sure they will get smoother with a little use. The pro version came with 700x37 WTB riddler tires. I'll ride it as is until things wear out, then replace with much lighter components. Bike probably weights >25 lbs.

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Bike came in in 3 days and is put together.

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bikesdirect is legit. definitely the most bike for the money outside of buying something used locally.

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bikesdirect is legit. definitely the most bike for the money outside of buying something used locally.

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I've been perusing the site, but I don't know what half the terms mean. I traded an old guitar for a TT bike, and a neighbor gave me another road bike, but some of the bikes look tempting. Does anyone have an example of a bike with an explanation of all the shite on it?

That is an awesome bike for the money. Steel is real!

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Young dad in Baton Rouge was riding his road bike around the LSU lakes recently. Hit a pot hole and his tire popped off ( the clamp was either loose or defective). Landed on his head and broke his neck and died.

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i was riding in the winter when it was like 15 degrees out because i let a stupid moron talk me into it. we were heading under an overpass on a greenway near downtown nashville and i could see see what looked like black over the road. i knew it was from where drainage ran because i had ridden it in better weather.

i tried to warn the person in front of me who luckily slid into the dirt but my bike shot out from under me and my head bounced off the pavement and destroyed the helmet i was wearing. i'm absolutely convinced if it didn't save my life it at least prevented a serious injury.

never get out on the road with a helmet.

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never get out on the road with a helmet.

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I was on my Mountain Bike years ago and tried to make a jump and whiffed it. I flipped over right on my head onto concrete. If no helmet who knows if I'd still be around. No way I get one a bike without a good quality helmet.

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can you give me a few helmet recommendations?

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go to performance bikes or nashbar. they all have the same safety certifications these days (one nice thing about regulations) so just go with whatever you like. no need to spend $200 on a helmet because its single-use. once you crash you have to buy a new one.

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was riding in the winter when it was like 15 degrees out because i let a stupid moron talk me into it. we were heading under an overpass on a greenway near downtown nashville and i could see see what looked like black over the road. i knew it was from where drainage ran because i had ridden it in better weather.

i tried to warn the person in front of me who luckily slid into the dirt but my bike shot out from under me and my head bounced off the pavement and destroyed the helmet i was wearing. i'm absolutely convinced if it didn't save my life it at least prevented a serious injury.

never get out on the road with a helmet.

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Back on my old AL framed GT i got the front tire caught in an expansion joint riding through city park (this was back around 2000ish and the roads were awful). That front wheel came to a complete stop and i went over the handlebars. Luckily i came out of the pedals clean and flipped mid air so that i landed mostly on my back. Still split the helmet from back to front, popped a lenses out of my sunglasses and my car keys were dug into my back about 1/4". It was a gnarly accident and hurt like hell but if i hadn't had a helmet on i might not be able to feed myself today.