Fitness

Setting off on my ride down 17 Mile Drive.

When I was a kid, I rode my bike everywhere. I walked into Kmart shortly after my 12th birthday, carefully counted out two years’ worth of saved cash from birthdays and Christmases, and walked out with a royal blue ten speed that I adored. No helmet, of course. What kind of tool would have worn a helmet in the 80s?

Right after we were married, my husband bought me a new bike, a silver Trek with Shimano brakes. I’m appalled to admit how little I used it during that first year. Then we moved to temporary housing in California, and it sat in storage. We moved to our first house, and there was no place safe to ride on the city streets. We moved to the suburbs, with their beautiful, wide bicycle paths, and I rode only to tow the boy around in his Burley Bee bike trailer.

Maybe it’s because I needed a break from running, but last summer, something just clicked. I got my bike properly tuned up (the first time in its 12-year existence) and rode a couple of times a week. I grabbed a backpack and rode to the supermarket to pick up groceries. But in spite of my best intentions, there’s really only so much stuff you can fit into a backpack, and even less that can comfortably fit on your back without digging into your spine.

I finally caved, hit the REI sale and bought the gear that would make my bike useful, no matter where I needed to go. I got a lot of use out of it, and I’m itching to get back out there again this spring.

• A new helmet. I didn’t grow up with them and I’m still not a fan, but I’m a parent and have to set an example. That said, my old Giro didn’t fit comfortably. Switching that for a new Bell helmet made all the difference in the world.
• A trunk rack. This Topeak rack accommodates a variety of bags that simply slide on and clip to lock. Easy to install and even easier to use.
• A trunk bag. Again from Topeak, the slide-in, clip-on MTX TrunkBag EXP with zip-down panniers. Each side can hold two half-gallon containers of milk, or a general boatload of groceries. Because you can unclip it, you can take it with you into the store to load like any reusable grocery bag. It also holds books, files and a computer when I want to ride to the coffee shop.
• A bike-mounted air pump. Because you never know when you’re going to need it.
• A cheap bike computer. I didn’t need any fancy, advanced features, but I did want to have a sense of how far and how fast I was going. The CatEye Velo, seen in the photo above, did the trick.
• A little bit of padding. There was no way that I was going to pay upwards of $100 for bike shorts, especially considering how often I do just ordinary around-town riding. I didn’t necessarily want a pair of tights. Behold, the Novara padded cycle boxers. Do “real” bike shorts have better or more comfortable padding? Probably. But they’re a heck of a lot better than nothing, and at a decent price.

Do you have any bike gear that you can’t live without? Let me know in the comments.

Tags: bicycle, bike, bike computer, bike pump, bike shorts, cycling, gear, helmet, shimano, topeak, trek, trunk bag, trunk rack

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