"Gearing up" for summer. Quick tips and biking essentials.

With any luck, at about the time this appears in print I'll be appearing on the street in my favorite part of my fitness program: bicycling. I don't claim to be an expert--my family thinks I'm Miguel Indurain because I can ride 20 miles at a time, and I think I'm Marco Pantani because I'm short, bald, and good on hills--but I've learned a fair amount in my last three years of riding. If you're an experienced rider you probably know at least as much as I do, but if you're a beginner--or beginning over after a long hiatus, as I did--then I have some suggestions for you.