sorry for the long post, if you don't want to read the whole post just skip to the last 2 paragraphs. they are the most important.
this is my first post, i am new to the biking world. i bought my first bike (non-walmart) november 2003. the LBS mostly carries trek, i did some research and they seemed like good bikes, i had a few friends that have treks. so my mom, dad, stepmom, and my self bought a bike at the same time. buying that many they gave us a pretty good deal. me and my dad both bought a trek 4300, we both really like it. i'm sure there are much better bikes out there, but this bike seems like a mercedes compared to what i was used to riding.
so we pretty much bought the bikes right when it was getting cold, we didn't do much riding over the winter, but as soon as it warmed up some, we started riding. then things started coming up, and none of us got to ride as much as we wanted. my mom has only been on her bike maybe 3 times. but my girlfriend has been riding it, so it did get used some. the longest ride we went on was an 18 mile ride through the mountains, it didn't really bother me that much, but my dad is a heavy man and i thought he was going to have a heartattack after that ride.
ok sorry for the long story, the point of my post is i was reading the poll about purchasing bike related stuff online, really the only thing i have purchased at all is me and my girlfriend bought each other hydrapaks for christmas this year. the reason we thought we might need hydrapaks is, when i ride and i guess when she rides too. that water bottle just isn't enough. evey ride i went on this summer it seemed like i finished off that water bottle about 30 minutes into the ride. we purchased the hydrapaks online at pricepoint.com. i would like to support my LBS but they just don't carry much inventory. there is another bike shop that i visit sometimes but it's almost an hour and a half drive one way. now i know you are probably thinking, why didn't he just post this in the other thread about online shopping? well i didn't want to hijack the thread with my question i'm that i'm getting ready to ask.
like i said i'm new to the biking world. when i got to ride over the summer i loved it. but i didn't get to ride as much as i wanted to. what would ya'll suggest to me to motivate me to get out and ride more? did ya'll have this problem when ya'll first starting riding, finding time to ride? i work and go to college and it just seems like when i have spare time, i just don't have the energy or motivation to do anything. ok my next question.
as i said before i have the trek 4300, to me it seems like a good bike cause i'm used to walmart bikes. only thing i have purchased since the bike is a hydrapak, what else can ya'll recommend me getting? like upgrades for the bike, accessories, emergency kits (for flats or other things that i'm not aware of). any help or suggestions would be appreciated. oh sorry i lied, i also bought a small pump that attaches to the bike. thanks in advance!
Nutt