GCBC Bicycle Safety; Gear and Clothes

Gear and Clothes
Helmets	Believe it or not, riding with a helmet can be more comfortable than riding without one. Not only will a good fitting helmet protect your head in a crash but its vents will channel more air over your noggin keeping it cool. It also provides protection from the sun, important for the follically disenfranchised. When looking for a helmet, keep in mind that $15 helmet will protect your head as well as a $150 helmet. You pay extra for graphics, bigger vents and the ever popular "cool image factor." Helmets don't last forever, they deteriorate with age and loose their ability to protect what's important. A good rule of thumb is if your helmet has soaked up three years of head-sweat, or has saved your pun'kin, it has earned its retirement. A brightly colored helmet makes you more visable to traffic as well.
Gloves	Gloves may save your skin in case of a crash, but the rest ot the time they're soaking up sweat, cushioning your palms, and providing a better grip on the bars. As with helmets, you will pay more for image, just don't pay so much that you can't bear to part with them when their time has come.
Shorts	Real men don't wear Spandex--they chafe instead. Your favorite baggy gym shorts may be fine for mowing the lawn but on a bike they tend to ride up on you leaving nothing between your dermis and the nose of your bike seat. Spandex shorts cling tight to your legs so the material rubs against the saddle instead of your bare skin. Don't worry about how you look, all Spandex-laws are waived for anyone riding a bike. But if you feel you need to, you can wear your spandex under your gym shorts and get the same protection, as long as you wear them next to your skin.
Shirts	Tee shirts are a good chioce for most beginning rides. However; you will find that as the temperature and humidity rise in the summer, that a cotton tee will soak up a lot of sweat. The down side is that it will keep the sweat right next to your skin and feel like a wet diaper. Polyesther cycling jersys and running shirts will pull moisture away from your skin and let it evaporate. You'll be cooler and dryer. Remember, bright colors make you more visable to traffic.
Shoes	Shoes get the power to the pedal. To get maximum effeciency you need have a constant power delivery to the rear wheel. Comfortable shoes that fit well will help. Firm soles will minimize the amount of foot flex and transfer more power to the pedal. Keeping the ball of your foot over the pedal's axle will also improve your effeiency. Toe clips, with straps will keep your feet in the correct position and let you press the pedal forward as well as down. Clipless pedals and shoes that lock together provide even greater effeciency, but they take some getting used to.