I paid $1.75 per litre at the petrol pump earlier last week, for diesel, including the 4cents a litre discount. I was a little outraged at this, for two reasons. One, we are being told that diesel is better for the environment than unleaded because it goes further per litre and takes less process to manufacture. Now my car, Jack, sits on a nice average of 7.5-8 litres per 100kms, due to its 4 cylinder diesel engine. This means there is no dragging anyone off at the lights and he (Jack, the car) does have a hard time up hills, but hey, its gets from A to B efficiently.

Now after paying this price for petrol i started looking at my driving habits. With the cost of fuel, and my carbon footprint looming over me I decided to have a good hard look. Coincidently, my parents (greenies from way back) brought me a lovely new bike for my 21st birthday. Now I had four reasons to ride this thing:
1. It doesnt cost me $1.70 per litre to ru
2. It is carbon neutral
3. It would be a shame to let a good present go to waste
4. I could loose a few kilos

With all that in mind, it was a really tough decision… I sat and pondered, and wondered… and the conclusion…?

BUY NEW BIKE GEAR!!! Thats right, those four major factors just werent enough for my fussy mind, I had to go out and replace that hand-me-down lycra, pocketed outfit for something more shick and new. Here are my findings…

Range

You pretty much have three choices: One - pretend you are in the tour de france and get a team jersey complete with advertising and colourful logos… Two - A plain, usually quite odd coloured jersey, mainly featuring grey and a fluro… Three - Advertise your local bike store or bike brand… Now the difference in these options pretty much comes down to your image on the road, and the cost. What do you want to look like on the road? A member of the tour de france out for a practice ride in his/her spare time, a bike enthusiast who can be spotted a few kilometers away usually only on a sunday with the kids, or the guy/girl whos best mate works at the local bike store. Which brings me to…

Cost

Now I couldnt care less what image i project to the people who notice me riding. If I did care, I wouldnt ride my bike, because usually, I am the guy gasping for air and sucking his water bottle like it was an IV drip and I was in the emergency department. So the choice for me came down to the price. Local bike stores will strangely enough have discounts on the jerseys and knicks that feature either their logo, or the bikes that they sell’s logos. They ranged from $69 an item through to $149 an item.

Comfort and Technology

There isn’t a great deal of difference in the technology, I mean Lycra is Lycra. The padding in the shorts does make a difference though, you want enough to be comfortable, but not so much it feels like you are a huggies poster child. Take a look at the professional advertising style of bike gear, they are all designed with the latest technology and the latest styles. They are a good start, anything that varies from them makes for a sore of large bum.

Availability

As covered in the Range section, it depends on what kind of gear you want, as to where you buy it, but with any type of gear, shop around. Do a Google search and visit at least two bike stores. I personally went with the cheaper and better quality option, thowing whatever chance of fashion image out the window. I brought my bike gear off ebay. Discovery Channel team gear, one pair of knicks shorts, one long pant knicks, one short sleave jersey, and one long sleave jersey. A total cost including postage of just over $200.

I hope you found this guide useful, please comment with any findings you found, or questions etc.