How important is gear for cycling?

How important is the cycling gear for cyclists? Is it so important that it would be impossible to train without them. What is that one Gear that you think without which it is impossible for you to train? Has Gear ever become a bottleneck for your training or have you ever stopped Training just because you didn't have the adequate Gear? Comment Below.

 

I have often cried myself to sleep because I did not have gear. My whole life became focused upon achieving gear. It was only after I attained enlightenment that I realized I had transcended gear.

 

In that I'm not a racer, I expect that I would have little to say regarding "training". Furthermore, "gear" is quite a broad category of what could hamper your training/riding. If what you are asking is "has the lack of cycle specific clothing caused you to not be able to train/ride?" Then, no it has not (for me). What cycle clothing does for me is help me regulate body temprature, while not restricting movement. The fabrics that they are made from are breathable, allowing for air to circulate as well as moisture wicking, which allows the sweat produced to be pulled away from your body. This helps to keep you dry and reduces chafing. These fabrics also are very elastic, which allows you to move freely and put your effort into moving the bike forward instead of fighting against restrictive clothing. I also need a decent sports bra, to prevent excessive movement in that one particular area (sorry guys). Add to that cycling shoes, which provide an interface to your pedals and have very stiff soles so that all of the power from your foot and leg goes into the pedal, instead of into flexing the foot. All of that goes to efficiency, which makes the ride better, but I cannot see the lack of it in any way preventing you from riding. Any other "gear" I can think of wouls be protective (from injury like a helmet, or from weather like a jacket) or informative (like a Heart Rate Monitor). I personally will not ride without a helmet, and I'm uncomfortable riding without gloves. My HRM is nice to have, but not a must.

What all of this boils down to is that in order to answer your question, we have to know what gear you are asking about.

 

Whenever armatures get all geared up I immediately think of this skit.

 

The most important gear is the 6 inches between your ears.

I do have a fetish for good tires.

 

Electric motors with gear drive? We have a thread going on that gear right now! Motor doping gear!

 

10/10 reply.

 

I remember when I first started riding back in 1988. I had 2 short-sleeved jerseys and a couple pairs of bike shorts. Then it got cold. No problem. I just put on my long johns, then put my two short-sleeved jerseys over the long sleeved undershirt, bike shorts over the long underwear. I'm sure I got quite a few laughs because I was riding with a group that looked down their noses at you if you didn't have an Italian racing bike. I never heard anybody laughing, but then again, my chromoly Trek 360 could keep up with those expensive bikes. I must have made some kind of impression because the team captain asked me if I wanted to join up.

 

I prefer Michelin and Continental tires. Now, there used to be a relatively cheap tire out called the Iron Man Triathlon tire, and it was cheap, back in the 80's it was something like $12, but it was just about indestructible. What a shame, they don't make them any more

 

That's because they were just about indestructible... They were not selling enough of them. Me, cynical? Nah...

 

I kept them in business for awhile. Once when I did a time trial, I did it with the rear tire's casing showing. That was a heck of a kevlar belt. You didn't even need rubber on the tire to know it would still hold up.

 

You sound like me with my Avocet Cross tires for touring. This was a bicycle tire with a thick inverted tread like that on a car. Excelent all weather, pavement and gravel tire. I was out with a friend riding, and he got a flat from a thorn. After we fixed his flat, I inspected my own tires... 10-12 thorns in each, and not a one got anywhere close to getting through the casing!

 

To the OP; define gear?

 

I don't know what I was riding for a tire when I was last in Denver in 1991, but every time I'd go out, I'd get a flat. Those blasted thorns just attached themselves to my rear tire and just pushed in deeper.

 

He was probably talking about what gear he should be in with his rear cassette, and now, we have given him even more than he asked.

 

That is what we have been asking him. My personal assumption is that it is cycling specific clothing.

Yes, that's what they do. With the Cross tires though, they could push in all they want and never get past that thick tread!

 

That is what we have been asking him. My personal assumption is that it is cycling specific clothing.

 

Hahahahahaha, this is so funny.

 

If the gear means the speed of the bike, I think that is important for long trips and not much for short trips (like what I do inside our village). Especially on flat roads, the high gear makes it easier to pedal. But if the gear you mean is the getup and accessories, first importance is given to the helmet since that would save my life in case of a crash and next is the shoes and everything else that a rider can wear not only to look good but for comfort and safety.

 

If we're talking cycling specific clothing, the good stuff really helps. Not really a necessity but a definite plus. A high end Bib with a quality Chamois is priceless.
On the other hand, good gear(ing) is very important.
I'm gonna assume we're not talking gear as in Epo, tes, gh.