[Twice]

Hey everyone, just thought I drop in and say hi. Total Cycling newbie here, and getting slowly started. I bought myself a low end FS Mongoose to basically just get some exercise and train a little for motorcycle racing. Anyway, I know I'll get flamed for the Mongoose, but it works just fine for what I do. I live just outside of Detroit, and it's nothing but paved roads and parking lots. I am able to make it out to some parks on the weekend, but it's mostly paved bike/rollerblade trails.

I do need a little advise though. I'm starting to get into some longer distances (well longer to me anyway) of about 10 - 12 miles or so at a time. The seat is killin me. Any good recommendations for baggy cycling shorts with good padding? Are those seat covers effective, or should I just drop some money on a better seat?

Also, it got kinda wet yesterday, and I noticed my feet were slipping on the pedals. So I was thinking of getting a better pedal (budget concious) and maybe a pair of cycling shoes. If you guys have any recommendations I'd appreciate it a lot.

Thanks in advance!

 

[aussiedude]

Get a better seat! You will be much better off in the long run!

 

[Skookum]

First of all welcome to biking without cheating (motor) and welcome to Ridemonkey.

I do need a little advise though. I'm starting to get into some longer distances (well longer to me anyway) of about 10 - 12 miles or so at a time. The seat is killin me. Any good recommendations for baggy cycling shorts with good padding? Are those seat covers effective, or should I just drop some money on a better seat?

All kinds of manufacturers make the baggy shorts with the lycra and chamois (shammy) or pad inside of em. Unfortunately they're almost always too spendy. If money's not an issue just shop around to a local bike shop (lbs) and pick up a pair. Or a good tip is to save some money for late winter/early spring, when clothes get blown out on sale, you should be able to find a pair for cheap. Also you can buy a pair of lycra with the shammy and buy some soccer shorts with a draw string for cheaper and just go with that.
Now on the seat, sometimes seats can be decieving. I know for me i prefer a firmer seat rather than a mushier seat, the mushier softer seat may seem appealing but trust me it impedes the blood flow, gets mushier with time, and just really sucks in my opinion.
Try riding with shorts with a chamois first and see how you feel before going thru the trouble of upgrading your seat....

Also, it got kinda wet yesterday, and I noticed my feet were slipping on the pedals. So I was thinking of getting a better pedal (budget concious) and maybe a pair of cycling shoes. If you guys have any recommendations I'd appreciate it a lot.

Eventually you might wanna give clipless pedals a try, but in the meantime, there are plenty of pedals out there with a good clean bearing set up and tough platforms with little screws for grip. A lot of people like Van's for platforms, but really any shoe with a flatter gummy sole will work fine. I have some rock climbing shoes (510's) that have super gummy tread but those can be spendy unless you jump on a sale. But that's what i use when i run platform pedals.

 

[Twice]

Hey, thanks for the info! Oh, and motors aren't cheating when you are draggin a knee at 120

I think I'll go with the soccer short combo like you mentioned and see how it works out first. I do have a great LBS near my place, but their clothing is very limited. Know of any good online places to browse? Gonna look for some pedals too.

 

[Kornphlake]

for clothing watch nashbar.com and performancebike.com. They're pretty useless for anything but clothing but they've always got good deals on something. Your LBS will be about as good a place as any for getting cheap pedals and a seat, I think some shops may let you try out a seat for a couple days and see if you like it, provided you don't crash and tear it up you can exchange it for another. Don't get a cover, they will slide all over the place and don't make the seat feel any better. If you want to look at other online shops for comparison see jensonusa.com, supergo.com, go-ride.com, beyondbikes.com, wheelworld.com, universalcycles.com, 123bikes.com, aardvarkcycles.com. Don't be suprised if your LBS's prices are way up there, but you are paying for the service and instant gratification.