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Cycling enthusiasts (which effectively all bike shop employees are) assume that certain equipment is mandatory for a bicycle. It may be, for them, because they train and/or race and want to track their progress, manage their hydration and sweat, and wring every bit of efficiency out of their pedaling. If that's you, I cannot imagine why you are reading this, other than to snark. Go away.
Here's what you don't need:
The shoes and the pedals they connect to will cause you trouble when you are constantly on and off the bike pedals when you stop. They will also cause you trouble when you walk in them at your destination.
You won't be sweating enough to justify the technical fabric, which will also look odd at your destination, and cost you several minutes changing into it just to get on the bike. You don't need the pocket because you have cargo space on your bike.
You don't need the shorts, because you have a decent seat. You don't need the computer, unless you're curious about your speed, length of trip, total mileage this year, etc.
You can buy any of these things when you want them. But don't let someone convince you need them ahead of time.
You might think you want a personal navigation device so you don't get lost. But you are unlikely to need it since you'll be staying close to home and familiar routes most of the time. If you get one, you may discover quickly that the bike routes don't show up on them, and they are optimized to put you on the fastest roads. Which is great on a car, and lethal for a beginning cyclist.
Just about every bike shop has an introductory repair class and articles about bicycling emphasize that new riders who learn how to fix their broken bike are more confident. Bullshit. We've gone to an awful lot of trouble to force the auto industry to produce highly reliable cars that don't even need oil for six or seven thousand miles, and don't need any really significant repair (unless there's physical trauma to the car) for the first hundred thousand miles. Why the hell should we go back to the bad old days of learn-to-fix-a-flat? If we don't like changing gears on a derailleur, we're really not going to enjoy lubing the chain every time it gets wet.
Bring your cell phone, charge card, AAA card (get one), and make sure you have phone numbers for people who can come get you and your bike -- friends, taxi service. The AAA number is on the card; they have helped the most expert riders I know get out of some serious jams they couldn't fix their way out of. You won't ever need a rescue, and even if something does go wrong, you can probably walk the bike home.
Just like with a car, however, you should occasionally eyeball your tires (and possibly apply a gauge) to make sure they are properly inflated.
If you swim and jog or even just walk at a decent pace, once you start cycling, someone is going to mention the Danskin triathlon. Just don't let that crap interfere with having fun on the bike. All other triathlons should be treated with extreme suspicion.
Your local bike shop or bicycling enthusiasts or just well-meaning friends and acquaintance may encourage you to sign up for group rides: for charity, to meet other singles, to explore a new area, etc. Resist the temptation. Their idea of going slow enough to keep the group together is 10 mph. That's our top typical speed. There's going to be a lot of bad feeling, so just stay away unless you can extract a commitment from a ride leader that they will be averaging significantly under 10 mph.
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Copyright 2009, Rebecca Allen Created: July 10, 2009 Updated: November 23, 2009