stacym3

New to the forum and cycling in general and I'm wondering what are the best resources for those trying to get into the sport. I purchased a 2015 Specialized Vita Sport in 2015 and promptly found out I was pregnant and was too afraid to ride, by the time I recovered from that I was pregnant again and needless to say I've only just now, 4 years later, really been able to get on my bike! I've been able to get out 3-4 times a week and am up to 15-20 mile rides and I absolutely love it. However, I feel like I'm just hopping on the bike and going and I don't really know much about how to take care of my bike or even how to maximize it's abilities. Are there any entry-level resources that aren't full of acronyms and are easy to follow? My main interests for now are taking proper care of my bike (I've just brought it in for a tune up so I want to be able to keep up once I've got it back) and increasing my comfort to push for longer rides, I've had issues with hand numbing when I get over 10 miles so I've ordered some gloves but am looking at barends and feeling overwhelmed! Any thoughts are much appreciated.

2cam16

Welcome and you've come to the right place for your questions and concerns! We have a Bicycle Mechanics section where you can post any mechanical questions you have. Don't be afraid to post any type of question. A lot of help will come to you from all the great members on the forum. Before you know it, you'll be doing all the maintenance yourself!
As for your hand numbing, it could be a few factors like your bike fit, where your weight balance is (maybe more forward and more on your hands?), sitting position,etc.etc. Post a separate thread about it in one of the forums like in General Cycling Discussion.
Enjoy your riding!

dabac

Sheldonbrown.com is a great place to start your education into bike lore. Both the tech side and the rider aspects.

TakingMyTime

Park Tool Company has all sorts of repair and maintenance videos on their website. They are done well and I personally think that they give you information that is easy to understand and apply. Browse through them to get a feel for what's going on with a bike.

AU Tiger

You don't need anything fancy or expensive for bar ends. I put these bar ends on a Fuji Absolute a few years ago, and they helped a lot with hand numbness. I've recently moved to a drop-bar gravel bike, and that has completely eliminated my numbness. But drop bars aren't for everyone, and bar ends can give you some of the same benefits without completely changing bikes.

I should also add that wider tires helped as well. For me 35mm is the sweet spot for tires - wide enough to run lower pressure and thus reduce road vibration, but not so wide as to dramatically increase rolling resistance.