Felt F75 Accessories

Aero bars are a so-so thing. They will make you more aerodynamic, (as you might have guessed by the name) but they are frequently not allowed in races or organized group rides as they impede manouverability and vision somewhat.
Some argue that the forward protrusions also pose a risk if you should run into someone.
Also, merely sticking a couple of aero bars on an otherwise stock road frame won't get you the full aero benefit. For that you need preferably a dedicated TT(Time trial) bike, with a more upright seat tube and a bunch of other tweaks.
It's possible to faff about wit reversed setback seat posts and stuff, but for mixed riding I wouldn't bother.

Helmets are pretty much all tested to the same standards, so should offer "the same" amount of protection regardless of price tag. But if you don't like what you have, go ahead. My head is apparently a bit on the long and narrow side, so I prioritize fit pretty much above all else. I also like removable straps, for easy washing. Eventually, you'll need it.

Clip ins is a bit vague. Back in the days there were platform pedals AKA flatties, then there were pedal clips, or "cages". I've seen them called baskets as well. Either way, you basically used a strap to secure your foot to the pedal. If you were really hard core you used sprint cleats that fit into recesses in the pedals, which meant that you'd have to loosen the strap before being able to remove your foot from the pedal. What came next is most commonly referred to as "clipless" pedals, where there's a cunningly shaped cleat under the sole of the shoe that engages a mechanism in the pedals. Shimano were the first ones out, so their name "SPD" (Shimano pedalling dynamics or something) became the kinda-sorta name for the same thing from other manufacturers. Same as happened to Jeep and Rollerblades. You should probably be asking for either clipless or SPDs.

30-40 miles is a decent length if you're starting from basically zero. You can certainly be fit enough to do that straight off the bat, but unless you're accustomed to the particular strain that riding a bike generates I'd advise you to start shorter. Depending on how sore you get, you might want to start at less that 30 minutes of saddle time.

Computers: I wouldn't strap an expensive and fairly delicate thing like an Iphone to a handle bar, but maybe that's just me. I'd get a fairly inexpensive cyclocomputer with cadence and be done with it. As much as I like the cleanness of wireless, I'd be just as happy to run a wired setup. The wireless I have is annoyingly sensitive to electric interference.
Cadence is good, particularly for a rookie rider. Makes it easier to avoid developing bad habits.

Gloves: expensive ones tend to last longer than cheaper ones, but until the seams come apart I've never noticed any reliable difference in comfort. Get two so that you can send one pair through the washer and not be left without.

If you don't want to go for the full lycra, there are padded underpants. Not all people need them, particularly not for shorter rides,but I like them.

Thanks for the reply! As far as the aero bars going, they would just be for comfortability not for speed or anything.
I should have put clipless pedals and shoes! I didn't know thats what they were called considering you put the shoe on and it clips to the pedal. So I'll probably end up with a pair of those.
The 30-40 I've done before but it has been a while. I'm in decent shape but like you said it depends on getting used to riding a bike. Completely different positions and stuff. But I'm hoping to work up to that being my average ride.
With a computer there seems to be a decent mount for my iphone5 and computer as well, but I will probably look at some cateye computers and whatever else might be out there.
I do already have some riding shorts, and I'm going to get a jersey or two as well.

Quoted post said:

Originally Posted by zburke11 [IMG]/img/forum/go_quote.gif[/IMG]

Thanks for the reply! As far as the aero bars going, they would just be for comfortability not for speed or anything.

Well, I've never heard of anyone using aero bars for comfort, but I guess it could happen. They really are seen mainly as a speed accessory.

People looking for comfort and doing decent distances simultaneously will usually go for drop bars or trekking AKA butterfly bars for the multiple hand positions offered.
Comfort is then adressed by the "normal" adjustments to riding position: saddle back/forth to set position relative to the bottom bracket, stem length to set bar distance from saddle, and bar height to set the desired degree of hunch. Look up "french fit" for more info.

Quoted post said:

Originally Posted by dabac [IMG]/img/forum/go_quote.gif[/IMG]

Well, I've never heard of anyone using aero bars for comfort, but I guess it could happen. They really are seen mainly as a speed accessory.

Ah, around here that is quite common. You can tell who is using aero bars as for comfort because they're usually mounted so high as to cancel any aerodynamic advantage.

I'd recommend getting the bike fitted so the upper body can be supported comfortably without "elbows on the table," though. To each his or her own.

Quoted post said:

Originally Posted by oldbobcat [IMG]/img/forum/go_quote.gif[/IMG]

Ah, around here that is quite common. You can tell who is using aero bars as for comfort because they're usually mounted so high as to cancel any aerodynamic advantage.

There is that of course. Now that you mention it, I did see quite a few Townies fitted with aero bars when I went inlines touring in the Netherlands last year. Basically they used the semi-hunch when the headwinds got too bad..