Questions from a beginner...

chrisjsmith

Hi - I'm 27 years old and started riding a bike for the first time yesterday. My parents were, well shit, and never bought me a bike when I was a kid so...

Anyway - Bought a crappy Apollo FS 26 17" frame MTB from Halfords as it was the cheapest thing in there and therefore minimum financial risk if I kill it or couldn't ride to save my life. Also, it's a MTB which I thought would be suitable for the rather rough London roads even if it's not as fast as a road bike.

Sussed it in about an hour and am riding up and down the road and turning without falling off no problems now. Managed about 3 miles this morning!

Anyway - questions:

1. Odd question... Being male, my nuts absolutely kill for about 30 minutes after riding - does this go away as confidence builds (tension related) or am I doomed to get achey nuts forever?

2. How the bloody hell do you use the gears - are there any information on this anywhere? It didn't come with anything useful as it was from Halfords and the trained monkeys in there just went "ug!" and "erk" and made other incomprehensable noises when asked and managed to lose the manual somehow.

3. Am I going to die if I hit the roads of London on it (I live in Twickenham and need to commute to Kingston-upon-Thames every day). Anyone got any comments about the insanity of the drivers round there.

whyamihere

1. Get padded lycra shorts which fit you properly, and check your position on the bike. You may also want to try a different saddle, try as many as you can before you buy a new one so you can work out which shape is good for you. All of my friends hate my saddle, but it's the most comfortable thing I've ever owned for my bum (which is why I have 2).

2. You want to be spinning the cranks around 90-100 rpm all the time. Use the gears to maintain this. Change to a lower gear when you're going uphill and a higher gear going downhill. If you need to know about how the gear shifters actually work, we'll need to know if they're gripshift or rapidfire, but it's easier for you to just mess about with them and work it out for yourself.

3. No, you won't die, as long as you're sensible.

chrisjsmith

Thanks for the suggestions - makes sense!

It's a gripshift - bog standard 18 speed Shimano thing.

John the Monkey

1. Look at your saddle position - the nose of it may be a bit high (particularly if you're in a fairly forward leaning riding position). Loosen the nut at the back and angle it down slightly. (It took me 2 weeks to figure that out on my bike - ouch).

2. As whyamihere says, use your gears to maintain your pedalling speed. Basically big cog on the front = harder, big cog on the back = easier. Keep your pedals spinning at a speed you can manage. Sheldon Brown has a great article about gears, and what to do with them.

3. Be alert, and be careful. Read a copy of cyclecraft, and read the tips from commuters on here and other fora. Be confident in your bike handling BEFORE you go out on a busy road. As I've found teaching my son, concentrating on whether you're in the right gear (rather than just knowing) can distract you from what's going on with the traffic.

John the Monkey

By the way, if you use grip shift, get some cycling mitts/gloves - I had grip shifters on a hire bike I used once, and ended up with blisters from using them.

whyamihere

Second the idea of gloves. I had horrible blisters on my thumbs when I used to use grip shifters.

prj45

chrisjsmith wrote:

3. Am I going to die if I hit the roads of London on it (I live in Twickenham and need to commute to Kingston-upon-Thames every day). Anyone got any comments about the insanity of the drivers round there.

I do West London to Kingston via Twickenham sometimes for enjoyment, mainly along the Thameside path though, whch will be a frankly brilliant option for you in the summer (and decent dry winter days). I think you'll only be able to get onto the Kingston side of the river at Teddington lock though.

Strawberry Vale and Kingston road down to Hampton Wick has a great cycle path along it.

As for other people on the roads, just never ever assume anything (peds, vehicle drivers and other cyclists can surprise you in ways you never thought possible) and be confident and bold.

dondare

If the saddle is the correct height and set level (it should not point up at the front end) then it will not hurt your nuts.

I suggest you read this book: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Richards-21st-C ... 0330377175

PrettyBoyTim

Firstly I would say don't worry about padded lycra yet! You should be able to be comfortable on your bike in your normal clothes, it's probably just a case of adjusting the angle of your saddle, although you may find a different saddle more comfortable.

As for your gears, the gear that you are in is decided by the combination of your front and rear cogs (3 at the front * 6 at the back = 18 ).

The cogs at the back (which are probably changed with your right hand) provide you with a range of gear ratios - low gears are easier to pedal but aren't as fast - high are harder to pedal but allow you to go faster. When you first start moving, you'll probably want to be in a low gear, and then move up the gears as you speed up until you hit one that is going fast enough for you while at the same time not requiring you to put more pressure than is comfortable on the pedals. You'll find that going into the wind or uphill will probably force you into a lower gear, whereas going downhill of with the wind behind you will allow you a higher gear.

The cogs at the front (changed with your left hand) change the range of the rear gears for you, so on the small cog (1) at the front, the range that the back cogs will have will range between slow and medium speeds, good for going up hills. On the middle cog at the front, the range will go from slowish to fastish - probably good for general use under most circumstances. On the large outer cog at the front, the range will go from medium to fast - good for going fast.

As a result when you're first starting off you might as well just stick the front gear into 2 (middle cog) and just get used to changing gears at the back. The range on the middle cog will do you for most situations except for steep hills and when you want to go really fast. Once you're happy with using the rear gears, you can then use the front ones as well.

There are a few useful rules of thumb to remember about (derailer) gears:

1) Change gear when you're actually pedalling forward. Trying to change gears when you're stationary will normally result in horrible crunching noises when you start off.
2) If you can, start off in a lower gear and then change up once you've got up some speed. High gears are difficult to pedal when you have only just started moving.
3) Related to the above rule, try and remember to change down before you come to a stop. It's a pain to find yourself starting off at a traffic light at a snail's pace because you're still in a high gear.
4) It's best not to be putting loads of pressure on the pedals when changing the front gears. Ease off slightly before switching to make an easier change.
5) If you're in the lowest front gear, try not to use it with the highest back gear. Conversely, if you're in the highest front gear, try not to use it with the lowest back gear. If you're in the middle front gear, you can use the whole range of rear gears.

As for whether you're safe on the road, you need to be confident and stable while indicating and when looking over your shoulder (possibly at the same time as indicating). You should be able to both of these without wobbling or changing your direction much. I would suggest checking to see if your local council has any bike training schemes - something like bikeability. Sometimes local councils will pay for your first couple of hours of bike training.

It's also worth having a flick through the cyclecraft book, which the bikeability courses are based upon. It is quite wordy, but it is well written and covers pretty much everything that you might encounter on a bike.

chrisjsmith

Thanks for all the suggestions and help. I'm going to have an in depth read through this thread when I get into work (via bus today!).

I think the largest battle so far has been my general fitness - it's terrible having been a car driver for 10 years now...

Thanks again!

secretsam

dondare wrote:

If the saddle is the correct height and set level (it should not point up at the front end) then it will not hurt your nuts.

I suggest you read this book: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Richards-21st-C ... 0330377175

Richard Ballantine!!!! Now there's a blast from the past

I see there's no longer a photo of him adjusting his brakes in a nasty jumper on the front, though...shame

BentMikey

I'll also put in a vote for getting Cyclecraft and reading it. It'll help make your commute much less stressful and you'll enjoy it far more as a result, though your riding will become much more active and of a "plan-ahead" style.

You can console yourself with the facts that cycling is about as dangerous as walking anywhere - i.e. not very, and that as shitty as drivers can be towards cyclists and pedestrians, they are usually far worse towards each other.

Jeremy Parker

dondare wrote:

If the saddle is the correct height and set level (it should not point up at the front end) then it will not hurt your nuts.

I suggest you read this book: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Richards-21st-C ... 0330377175

No, he's got a new book out now, better and more relevant, "City Cycling". That's on Amazon, too, I would imagine.

The pictures seem to be centered at about Camden

Jeremy Parker

Jon G

chrisjsmith wrote:

Hi - I'm 27 years old and started riding a bike for the first time yesterday.
3. Am I going to die if I hit the roads of London on it (I live in Twickenham and need to commute to Kingston-upon-Thames every day). Anyone got any comments about the insanity of the drivers round there.

I live in Twickenham too and often ride to Kingston - really dangerous drivers are pretty rare compared with some places. Depending on which part of town you are in I'd say either straight down Cross Deep & Kingston Rd or down to Teddington and through the park to Hampton Wick.

If you want to meet some local cyclists, why not join the Richmond branch of London Cycling Campaign. We have a meeting tonight at the Crown pub in Lower Mortlake Rd, (corner of Sheendale Rd) Richmond, at 8 pm.

Website: http://www.lcc.org.uk/index.asp?PageID=617

Jon

boncey

I've recently started commuting from Richmond to Hammersmith after not having ridden a bike in twenty years so was in a similar situation to yours.

Some great advice above, but I'd like to add that you can get free maps from TFL that will show you the quieter roads and off-road routes.
Using these I worked out a route to work that only goes on about 5 quiet-ish back-streets and the rest is off-road.

Also, the advice above about being able to signal and look behind you etc is very important.
I was a bit crap at this when I started and it was only luck that allowed me to get away with it.
Worth a bit of practice in a quiet street or park I think.

snooks

Peeps of Twickers untite!

Getting to Kingston is Very easy...depending on which side of Twickenham you're on and where you need to get to in Kingston.

You could cycle a long way around and avoid all roads by going from The Swan down river to Richmond along the path, over the bridge down to the river by the Slug and back along the thames to (gets muddy in the rain tho) Teddington then onto Kingston.

You could do it shorter with a bit of road, pretty easy marked lanes no busy roundabouts and go from Twickers to Teddington by road, go over the lock (walking your bike like a good boy) and then the tarmaced cycle route to Kingston

Or just do it all by road...traffic can get up a bit of speed, which you might think is daunting at first, but it's not too much to worry about. As others have said...buy cyclecraft

ps yer nuts shouldn't be hurting...if you can try to adjust the angle of your saddle to it's flat and tweak it from there...buy some padded shorts (spend about £30-40). If you're still having problems go to Moores (in twickers just down from the station) and have a chat to them....or the Kona place by the Shell Garage on the way to Kingston.

il_principe

At the risk of being flamed - I'd strongly suggest you invest a little bit more money in a better bike. Nothing fancy, perhaps a Ridgeback or something of that "hybrid" ilk, but IME halfords Apollo bikes are pretty rubbish - especially the full suspension MTB variety. You are commuting a reasonable distance and a half decent bike will make your journey much more enjoyable as well as working out cheaper in the long run. I'd also suggest investing in a bit of kit to carry with you. I always carry a spare inner tube, tyre levers and a multitool. If you cannot change/patch a tube then It is definitely worth learning, i'm afraid that punctures are a fact of life on London's roads, although investing in better tyres can help. If you do buy some new tyres get some road style tyres, big knobbly MTB tyres are pointless in London and you'll be amazes at the difference thinner, slicker tyres can make not only to your speed but also to your efficiency.

Finally - congrats for giving it a try, I hope you never look back. Cycling to work completely changed my life, I now own 3 bikes and am hopelessly addicted to cycling. Don't be scared of the traffic, read cyclecraft as others have recommended, hold your own on the road and remember to get some lights for the winter months - I'm sure many new cyclists give up because they have not invested in the right kit for the winter months.

Best of luck to ya!

chrisjsmith

My god - wasn't expecting such a friendly response from people!

As far as the Apollo bike goes, I'm replacing it as soon as possible anyway. It was just a short term minimum cost item to make sure I can actually learn to ride a bike rather than fish out 500 quid on a decent hybrid or something and fall off every 2 seconds. Oh that and the wife would be miffed - it takes gradual persuasion there

Btw, slightly off topic - Halfords are DANGEROUS. They actually fitted the front wheel the wrong way round! I didn't notice it for about 2 days though - mainly because I know sod all about bikes as a whole. After sorting that out it went in a straight line. The guy who assembled it was obviously stoned or something.

Have adjusted the saddle - nuts no longer hurt - previous comment about stoned Halfords staff applies.

I've got a multi-tool, puncture kit and tyre lever and know how to use them - the wife's baby buggy has been victim enough times to thorns Not got a spare tube though.

I'm intending riding from near Twickenham Rugby Ground (I live near the Mogden pong unfortunately) to Kingston. Currently walking it every morning (4.34 miles) to get in shape!

TFL maps and Cyclecraft on order!

So far - cycling is great - I love it. Thanks everyone for all your help!

PrettyBoyTim

chrisjsmith wrote:

I've got a multi-tool, puncture kit and tyre lever and know how to use them - the wife's baby buggy has been victim enough times to thorns Not got a spare tube though.

Ah yes - definitely make sure you carry a spare tube and a pump with you as well as the tyre lever and puncture kit - it's a lot nicer to just change a tube at the side of the road and fix the puncture when you get home (although you do have to make sure that whatever it is that made the puncture in the first place is removed, otherwise you'll just puncture your spare straight away...)

Also, it's worth getting some of those disposable latex gloves and tucking them in somewhere - wheels (and especially the back wheel, it seems) get covered in gunk, quite a bit of which is worn off brake block material. Basically it means that just changing a tube can get your hands absolutely covered in dirty black gunk and it can be a pain to wash off completely. The latex gloves mean that you don't have to worry about that, and you can also fiddle with the chain if you are removing the back wheel without fear of smearing black grease everywhere.

chrisjsmith

Pump is with me anyway - good idea with the gloves and the tube. Might nip out and grab one actually.

I religiously carry 6 foot of decent quality duck tape as well - I'm sure it'll be handy one day too!

John the Monkey

One thing regarding the pump - make sure it can actually get the tyre to pressure - I've bought a few mini pumps, and learned that they're not all equal

Jon G

chrisjsmith wrote:

I'm intending riding from near Twickenham Rugby Ground (I live near the Mogden pong unfortunately) to Kingston. Currently walking it every morning (4.34 miles) to get in shape!

There is the direct option (the one I'd use in a hurry) at 6km:

http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/Rug-Kin-6

The quieter and more rural, but slower one at 8.6 km:

http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/Rug-Kin-8-6

Jon

or a compromise at 7.3 km

http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/Rug-Kin-7-3

chrisjsmith

I walked the 6km one - seems fairly quiet especially up Strawberry Vale / Twickenham road.

I've come up with a different route which is mainly along side the thames which I'm going to walk on Friday. It's 7.78km door to door but it's going to be fast as it's pretty much cycle lane all the way there. I'll probably fall in the river and drown though knowing me...

http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/Tw ... on-Commute

Regarding the pump - any recommendations on something not too shite? The one I have is a bet temperamental as in on the compression stroke it leaks (it's a no brand poop one).

prj45

chrisjsmith wrote:

Oh that and the wife would be miffed - it takes gradual persuasion there

Oh she'll be persuaded when your arse is as tight as a drum.

chrisjsmith

I think the road rash would put her off though!

John the Monkey

chrisjsmith wrote:

Regarding the pump - any recommendations on something not too shite? The one I have is a bet temperamental as in on the compression stroke it leaks (it's a no brand poop one).

I currently have one of these on the bike (bought it Monday). Really nice piece of kit - goes to 120 PSI without too much trouble at all (although I run 110 in back, and 100 in front at the moment.

If you've an Edinburgh Bike Co-Op near you, they're doing the Plus with carry case for £20 at the moment (£3 less than Cyclaire themselves sell it for). I would buy the plus if I were you in case you decide to run high pressure tyres at a later date (it will still happily inflate your MTB tyres in any case).

I hear good things of the Topeak road morph too (be careful, there are many morphs, and not all are equal) and might have accidentally bought one of those on ebay It hasn't arrived yet, so I can't really give a verdict. The Cyclaire works superbly though, and if I had to recommend one to you today, that would be it. The £5-10 mini pumps you see around are generally a waste of time - I've bought enough of the damned things for every bike in the family to have one, but I wouldn't trust any of them to go much above 40 psi.

Think about a decent track pump for home as well (I have the one Argos sell, a Vento, and it's a bit rubbish tbh (inaccurate gauge, begins to leak air on each stroke around 60-80PSI) - my next purchase will be a Topeak Joe Blow Sport, which is recommended by others, and goes for about £27.

My experience is that it's worth paying a bit more for a good pump, because you'll end up buying one after you've tried the cheap ones anyway