{"id":7751,"date":"2026-07-29T20:08:54","date_gmt":"2026-07-29T20:08:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=7751"},"modified":"2026-07-29T20:08:54","modified_gmt":"2026-07-29T20:08:54","slug":"i-wanted-to-get-serious-about-cycling-these-beginner-essentials-helped-me-do-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=7751","title":{"rendered":"I wanted to get serious about cycling. These beginner essentials helped me do it"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Our featured picks<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n
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\n Relief for your rump<\/h4>\n
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\n\nThe Black Bibs Men\u2019s Padded Cycling Bib Shorts\n<\/span>\n<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n
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\n Cushioned gloves to save your hands<\/h4>\n
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\n\nSpecialized Men’s Body Geometry Dual-Gel Short Finger Gloves\n<\/span>\n<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n
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\n\nKnog Blinder Light Twin Pack\n<\/span>\n<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n
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\n To tinker and maintain<\/h4>\n
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\n\nCrankbrothers M10 Multitool\n<\/span>\n<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n
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\n Snacks and supplies at the ready<\/h4>\n
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\n\nAlmsthre Top Tube Bag\n<\/span>\n<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n
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\nThis article is part of <\/em>CNN Underscored\u2019s Guide to Laid-Back Living<\/em>, an editorial package focused on screen-free activities to inspire you to go analog this year. We\u2019ll be featuring articles and information on our favorite hobbies to help you find new ways to hit pause, connect with others and enjoy your free time.<\/em>\n<\/p>

Read more Why Anthony Fauci might not be safe after pleading the Fifth<\/a><\/p>\n

\n When I decided about a year ago to start biking more, I wasn\u2019t sure which beginner cycling essentials were going to be the keys to achieving that goal. All I knew was it was time to stop making excuses as to why I never pursued this interest after I\u2019d moved on from patrolling my childhood neighborhood on two wheels. Decades later, I wanted to get back in the saddle, not to commute on one of the best e-bikes but to hopefully fall back in love with a hobby I missed while also building an exercise routine that\u2019s easy on the joints.\n <\/p>\n

\n They say you never forget how to ride a bike, but my inaugural attempt at cycling as a form of fun fitness put that idea to the test. Sure, I didn\u2019t have to learn how to pedal without wobbling into a wipeout, but committing to a more intense regimen of cycling was a new challenge.\n <\/p>\n

\n In some ways, I probably matched the image of a serious cyclist that exists in your head: skintight clothes, supremely short biker shorts, a helmet that looks like it belongs to an astronaut. Some of those preconceptions are spot on for a reason, and they\u2019re why this hobby has a reputation of being expensive. But I also found that not every biking clich\u00e9 has to apply to you if you don\u2019t want it to, and you certainly don\u2019t need every product in this article to get started.\n <\/p>\n

\n Once I figured that out, my training took off and tons of enjoyment followed. I focused on things that keep me comfortable, safe and itching to get back on my bike. Here\u2019s what I\u2019ve learned in my first year cycling again and which products I\u2019ll take with me as I keep racking up the miles.\n <\/p>\n

\n Finding the right bike\n<\/h2>\n
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\"CNN<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n<\/div>\n
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Joe Bloss\/CNN Underscored<\/figcaption>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n I\u2019d wager my previous experience with bicycles is similar to most people\u2019s. I ditched the training wheels as a kid, then got a bigger bike sometime in my teens. That one, a hybrid model that was decently comfortable to ride and had fat tires for various terrains, lasted me past college. It was probably too small by that point, but every now and then, I\u2019d take it for a spin on a nice day. Then life happened, and when I moved out of my parents\u2019 house and into a tiny apartment, that bike didn\u2019t come with me.\n <\/p>\n

\n Most of the bikes enthusiasts ride are categorically different. Before this exercise began, I would\u2019ve told you they\u2019re meant to go fast, with slick tires and a frame shape that puts the rider in an athletic, aerodynamic, power-generating position that can be grueling on the body. None of that is untrue. But the bike I initially tested, the Specialized Roubaix SL8, bends the definition in a way that makes it an ideal road bike for beginners like me.\n <\/p>\n

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\n\nSpecialized Roubaix SL8\n<\/span>\n<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n
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The Specialized Roubaix is a road bike aimed at balancing the performance pros need with the comfort that average Joes want. It’s a bit pricey if you’ve never bought a bike of its caliber before, though it’s also the kind of investment that wouldn’t call for upgrades until you’re serious enough to race \u2014 a level I’ll probably never reach.<\/p><\/div>\n

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\n\n $2,800 at Specialized\n <\/span>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n When I talked to Stewart Thompson, road and gravel product leader at Specialized, about the Roubaix, he explained this model is positioned to fill a void between the relaxed riding position of a cruiser and the aggressive hunch you\u2019d find if you flipped on the Tour de France or the Paris-Roubaix, another historic professional race for which this bike is named. It\u2019s technically advanced but still approachable for a newbie like me.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cIt\u2019d be like if the only cars available were for Formula One or NASCAR, right?\u201d Thompson said of a world with only racing-level bikes. \u201cIt would kind of suck as a driving experience to strap into a five-point harness every day and climb through the window.\u201d In this analogy, I\u2019d consider the Roubaix to be the Mustang of bikes. It\u2019s no slouch \u2014 heck, a Roubaix rider has won its namesake race six times, which is littered with sections of cobblestone \u2014 but like Ford\u2019s famed muscle car with a racing history, you probably also know a guy who has one.\n <\/p>\n

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