Cycling Wear and Cycling -
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1. Have you cycled before? If not maybe it is worth while investigating whether your local authority can offer a free cycle training course.

2. Get the right bike. Take a knowledgeable friend with you and make sure the bike ‘fits’ you. Don’t allow yourself to be pressurised into an expensive buy. There are now second hand bike shops in many localities that have a good reputation to maintain and are always there if anything should go wrong.

3. Not exactly cycling wear, but make sure your bike is fitted with a mudguard. They can be fitted quite easily and save a lot of splash. Get yourself a waterproof jacket and make sure it covers your bottom.

4. Stating the obvious – cycling is so much cheaper than driving and for short journeys wins hands down in the expenses race and the time aspect.

5. For a longer route, plan your journey. Cycle Routes is an excellent site for seeking out the best way to take on your bike

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6. Whether you use your bike for short or long journeys you will always have things to carry. Avoid a rucksack as this will cause a sweaty back. Try panniers on the back wheels, or an old-fashioned basket at the front. A satchel is another solution slung over one shoulder.

7. Everyone needs to keep safe. Make sure you cycle in a position on the road where other road users can see you. Don’t hug the kerb which is a mistake nervous cyclists often make. A lorry driver needs to see you in his mirrors. Some lorries have the sign on the back to this effect. Never go up on the inside of a lorry. If you are sitting at a junction and need to turn left, they may hit you. Learn to think ahead and anticipate situations.

8. One of the facts of life in owning a bike is – it may get stolen. (Boris Johnson - Mayor of London knows all about this.) Outside stations or cinemas are ‘danger’ spots. Take the trouble to go 100 yards down the road and lock your bike outside a restaurant or shop. Spend about 10 percent of the cost of your bike on an efficient locking device.

9. Cycling will get you out in the fresh air, give you a firm bottom and firm thighs. There is the theory that you will end up with thunder thighs but you will need to cycle around 4/500 miles per week to achieve this. So relax and enjoy the ride.

10. Yes, you will need the initial outlay/expenditure on your cycling wear, but you will save on parking fees, petrol etc. Even if you do not use your cycle for the whole of the journey i.e. just riding to the nearest railway station, your savings will be considerable and you will probably feel much healthier.

11. There are apparently two schools of thought when it comes to the subject of cycling helmets. It is thought that some drivers get closer to cyclists who are wearing a helmet than they do to bare-headed riders because these riders without a helmet are seen as less experienced. A difficult call to make.