thank you all very very much!!

i definitely plan on getting educated! thanks for all the tips.. im absolutely thirsty for knowledge about this!! you can see what a novice i am just by the word 'extender'.. I meant stem

I dont know how to use the gears.. hubby says to shift into high gear to get speed up and then shift to a low gear for hills.. im just going to have to figure this one out from practice.. a bike computer sounds excellent for when i get better at it

I think ive read a few places on here where they say not drinking enough water will make you nauseated.. someone said drink 1 liter prior to cardio..

and just for the record.. when i read 'barends" i read it as 'bare ends".. i dont know what this truly is LOL but im too nervous of a person to take my hands away from the brakes (especially because of our HUGE hills, narrow roads and speed-demon drivers). I am however going to invest in an helmet, waterbottle/cage, gloves, clothing, and (temporarily) an 'odometer/speedometer' thing

any suggestions for calculating calories burned based on the type of ride i had?

THANKS so much!!! i truly appreciate you all..

looking forward to more reading..