[kerowo]

Here goes the brain dump:

Padded seats are worse for you than the skinny seats. Too much contact or something. If you are starting from scratch do a half hour or 45 minutes on the saddle then take a day off and do it again. It doesn't take long for your sit bones to adjust and to be able to ride for hours pain free. The down side is that if you stop riding for a couple of months you get to go through it all again.

Don't wear anything under your lycra. Don't wear cotton shirts, they tend to chafe your nipply region. Make sure whatever bike you get fits, a poorly fitting bike can cause you serious pain. Once you get used to the sadle the only pain you should feel riding a bike is from pushing the peddles, not from joint pain or pain in your feet or hands. If something is hurting your bike isn't set up right.

If you have the 1000 in cash check and see if there is a veloswap in your area, you will be able to get more bike for less if you go used.

All helmets meet the same standards the more expensive ones have better air flow.

I much preferred using a Camelbak for water and the bottle for an energy drink like Cytomax when I'm riding. You only need to worry about taking in calories when you are riding when you start to ride for more than around 2 hours or so. When you are just starting out try to not increase your milage more than 10% a week unless you aren't feeling very tired at all.

Practice changing tubes at home a couple of times before you go out, you never know when you'll have to figure out how to do it. I go with Gatorskin tires and thorn resistant tubes and haven't had a flat since.