used road bike for first time yesterday, little help

andy83

From going from my mountain bike with slick tyres on and seized supsension forks to a lovely rode bike i cant believe what i have been missing

Good points

enjoyment
Speed
smoothness
Effortless in certain parts i used to really struggle with
Clip pedals - thought id hate these but love them

Bad points
realise just how bad the roads are, worried bout the wheels breaking at times lol
feel really unsteady at times especially trying to indicate

now with the bad points will these just get easier over time

it is however a fantastic ride and no doubt in 12 months will be looking for full carbon and £1000's spent on road bike but for now my trek 1.2 will do just fine

jonginge

Yes. It will get easier with time and your wheels should be fine*. There ya go



* If you don't already you'll probably want to start 'going light' when you see a dimple in the road you can't avoid. This means taking a bit of weight off the saddle by tensing muscles in the legs. Becomes second nature after a while.

il_principe

andy83 wrote:

From going from my mountain bike with slick tyres on and seized supsension forks to a lovely rode bike i cant believe what i have been missing

Good points

enjoyment
Speed
smoothness
Effortless in certain parts i used to really struggle with
Clip pedals - thought id hate these but love them

Bad points
realise just how bad the roads are, worried bout the wheels breaking at times lol
feel really unsteady at times especially trying to indicate

now with the bad points will these just get easier over time

it is however a fantastic ride and no doubt in 12 months will be looking for full carbon and £1000's spent on road bike but for now my trek 1.2 will do just fine

Good man! The wheels won't break, but given the whole bike is ALU you will feel a fair bit of vibration which in turn may make you feel unsteady. Give it time and you'll be indicating/riding hands free with no bother. As for the roads, yep they're sh1t and unlikely to get better!

Enjoy!

artaxerxes

Funnily enough I found it easier to trackstand on my road bike than on my hybrid. Maybe the 'sit up' position on the hybrid isn't as stable as the more 'low profile' position your body takes on drop bars?

Rich158

Hi andy, it's good to see another convert to the road bike

Don't worry about the wheels, they'll be fine. I came from a MTB background and anything with less than 32 spokes per wheel scared me, but after a year of commuting on some truly terrible roads mine have been fine. Just keep an eye on the spoke tension every time you wash the bike, just testing them by hand will do.

The stability thing will get better with time, as you get more used to the bike and it's handling.

It took me less than a year to upgrade to full carbon :roll: once the bug bites that's it I'm afraid, but that's my weekend bike and is treated with kid gloves, unlike the commuter which is treated like shit and just keeps coming back for more.

andy83

JonGinge wrote:

Yes. It will get easier with time and your wheels should be fine*. There ya go



* If you don't already you'll probably want to start 'going light' when you see a dimple in the road you can't avoid. This means taking a bit of weight off the saddle by tensing muscles in the legs. Becomes second nature after a while.

yes i was definitely doing that, being a big lad aswell (15st 12) scared $h!tl£$$ to go over them too heavy and also taking up an extra wide road position to avoid them at times

Good man! The wheels won't break, but given the whole bike is ALU you will feel a fair bit of vibration which in turn may make you feel unsteady. Give it time and you'll be indicating/riding hands free with no bother. As for the roads, yep they're sh1t and unlikely to get better!

Enjoy!

the forks are carbon lol. i have decided to not commute on it yet and just having few leisurly rides during middle of day to not have idiot people in cars to contend with

Hi andy, it's good to see another convert to the road bike Laughing Laughing Laughing

Don't worry about the wheels, they'll be fine. I came from a MTB background and anything with less than 32 spokes per wheel scared me, but after a year of commuting on some truly terrible roads mine have been fine. Just keep an eye on the spoke tension every time you wash the bike, just testing them by hand will do.

The stability thing will get better with time, as you get more used to the bike and it's handling.

It took me less than a year to upgrade to full carbon Rolling Eyes once the bug bites that's it I'm afraid, but that's my weekend bike and is treated with kid gloves, unlike the commuter which is treated like shoot and just keeps coming back for more.

big advantage of having old bike nicked is now my bike is fully justified to be in the house from my gf, however having been saying its best in house since i had mine

well got this one on cycle to work scheme and i think when it runs out i will add whatever i can save up and upgrade then

King Donut

Hi Andy, I could have said exactly the same thing this morning after my first ride on a road bike for 20 odd years.

The wheels thing really makes me nervous at the moment! Where I'm used to plowing straight on through/over everything I'm now picking lines to avoid even the smallest blimp in the tarmac.

Funnily enough I'm ok indicating (I managed to go in a straight line for 16 miles), but when I'm using my right hand to hold a water bottle it really feels like I'm leaning over.

Sure it'll all come soon enough. I just hope I don't have to re-learn how to ride an mtb tomorrow morning!

AndyOgy

I had the same revelation last year. Having only ever ridden mountain bikes before then, my first experience on a road bike blew me away. It was so responsive that the first time I tried to steer round a pothole, I ended up on the other side of the road. I can see how Rachel Atherton ended up doing the same when she first rode a road bike, albeit with far worse consequences for her.
I also couldn't get over how the extra speed translated into actual journey times. My commute used to take about 55 minutes on a Rockhopper with 2.1" knobblies but on the Allez, it became a little over 40 minutes.
I think that, if most of us are honest, those of us with off road machines tend to spend more time on tarmac than we care to admit. Sadly, I've been spoiled by the fact that I now own 3 bikes and I don't think that I could ever manage on less than that.
Oh, and BTW - I hope that the scumbag who stole your bike suffers some kind of nasty accident really soon, hopefully involving his testicles and a George Foreman Grill. And that's me being kind.

soy_sauce

AndyOgy wrote:

I had the same revelation last year. Having only ever ridden mountain bikes before then, my first experience on a road bike blew me away. It was so responsive that the first time I tried to steer round a pothole, I ended up on the other side of the road. I can see how Rachel Atherton ended up doing the same when she first rode a road bike, albeit with far worse consequences for her.
I also couldn't get over how the extra speed translated into actual journey times. My commute used to take about 55 minutes on a Rockhopper with 2.1" knobblies but on the Allez, it became a little over 40 minutes.
I think that, if most of us are honest, those of us with off road machines tend to spend more time on tarmac than we care to admit. Sadly, I've been spoiled by the fact that I now own 3 bikes and I don't think that I could ever manage on less than that.
Oh, and BTW - I hope that the scumbag who stole your bike suffers some kind of nasty accident really soon, hopefully involving his testicles and a George Foreman Grill. And that's me being kind.

i am still commuting on my MTB. Put on a set of semi slicks a months ago and get it to 60 psi, even that make a massive different. normally it would take on the knbblies about 15-20mins and now only take 10-12mins. been thinking about getting a road bike but unfortunalyi don't have room for another bike...:(

King Donut

henry_ho_yin wrote:

been thinking about getting a road bike but unfortunalyi don't have room for another bike...:(

That's no excuse. I got rid of the wife for mine. After she bought me my new bike through her C2W.

Fireblade96

I too rode a modern(ish) road bike for the first time recently, and was astonished at how fast/comfortable/easy/twitchy it was. Last time I had a road bike it was called a racer, made by Raleigh and had 3-speed Sturmey Archer gears !

Needless to say, I'm going shopping.

I should be test riding one now but I'm stuck working :-(



and wasting time on here cos I'm bored

PBo

JonGinge wrote:

Yes. It will get easier with time and your wheels should be fine*. There ya go



* If you don't already you'll probably want to start 'going light' when you see a dimple in the road you can't avoid. This means taking a bit of weight off the saddle by tensing muscles in the legs. Becomes second nature after a while.

I do this when riding - but can I be clear about something? surely we do this to smooth the ride and protect our "undercarriages" - it has no impact on protecting the wheels, as the weight on them is exactly the same?

or is my physics dodgy?

PBo

jamesco

PBo wrote:

I do this when riding - but can I be clear about something? surely we do this to smooth the ride and protect our "undercarriages" - it has no impact on protecting the wheels, as the weight on them is exactly the same?

or is my physics dodgy?

PBo

Lifting your body up means that your legs act as shocks for your bodyweight, decreasing the impact of the collision on the wheels. Also, it's more stable.

AndyManc

henry_ho_yin wrote:

i am still commuting on my MTB. Put on a set of semi slicks a months ago and get it to 60 psi, even that make a massive different. normally it would take on the knbblies about 15-20mins and now only take 10-12mins. been thinking about getting a road bike but unfortunalyi don't have room for another bike...:(

I save my Tri-cross for sunny dry days, I still love my hardrock pro for my 6mile (each way) commute and once I get round to fitting slicks I will enjoy it even more, then of course there's the disc brakes that actually stop the bike.

I feel more vulnerable on road bikes, it's far easier and more comfortable to hurl abuse at drivers in an upright cycling position.

Gear changing is easier and more comfortable on an mtb, my hands are still adjusting to riding the hoods and stretching my fingers to change gear, it's a whole new discipline and having four bikes all with different gear systems can get confusing.

If you don't have room for another bike , don't get one like I did :? , loads of hassle fitting your house around your bikes.




.

Retch

I too am a newcomer to the wonderful world of roadies. After riding MTBs for years and a hybrid for 6 months I took the plunge last weekend and bought a Pinnacle Aeos 1.0. Rides like a dream, goes like a train, and makes you feel just that little bit cooler.

I've found it hard to get used to braking when using the drops, but the hoods position is easier to adapt to. Also been getting a bit of lower back pain after a few miles that goes away quickly. So have had a great time so far.
Until this morning. When, 20 miles into a 40 mile jaunt, on a circuit of RP approaching the hill up to Dark Hill, the f*****g front mech sheared off the frame and became one with the chain and back wheel. So that's a totalled mech, spokes that aren't the shape God intended, and a nice gouge in the carbon rear triangle. Just thankful it didn't happen going *down* the other side!

Me = less than happy. But fair play to all the chaps and chapettes who stopped to offer help - makes a bad day that bit better

Now. Off to Evans for a "chat"...

Conclusion: Road bikes good. Very good.

Teddzzy

I could have written the same post as the OP a couple of months ago, brand new road bike after taking the plunge from a MTB, hadn’t been on once since they were made by Raleigh and called racers!
At first I felt like the wheels would collapse under my weight, then I thought they would simply fall over when I went around corners, but on the bright side, it was so much easier than my MTB, faster, slicker looking, all round brilliance !!
I fell for it big time, loving It, got my fitness up (and is still getting better) going on longer and longer rides, however the other did, I was loving it too much and when I came to a stand still at some traffic lights, completely forgot about those little clip in pedals…………….. thankfully hardly anyone saw me fall (while trying to ensure the bike landed on top of me, rather than damaging the bike) apart from a row of about 20 cars and maybe 25 school girls who were waiting to cross at the lights… bless them for helping me and my red face up!
Glad to hear your enjoying it mate.

andy83

well just had second ride and why oh why was i worrying

indicating fine, loving being clipped in and even singing at one stage

cant believe the speed i got from it and with the confidence i was just flying, came back with a massive grin on my face

loved the fact of being able to pull away easy from junctions

only downside is some idiot jumped out in my path mouthing off trying to put me off so i said i few obscenities to him and rode off, lovely ride though

very very nervous bout locking it up when went into shop though, thought someone was looking at it funny so completely moved where it was locked lol