first ride on first road bike

Rooner

Hi everyone
Sad I know but I wanted to post that I have just had first ride (commute of about 6 miles) on my first ever road bike, an Edinburgh cycles Revolution Continental Pro. Been cycling on a mtb for years, what a difference! Found the drops surprisingly comfortable, twitchy handling at first (going to take a bit of getting used to). Fluffed a few gear changes but I'm sure that'll become second nature soon. Despite the road surface being awful, it wasn't as bumpy as I thought? And the brakes were great as well.....not what I expected.

Counting down until I can ride back home, I know it was a first ride but it seemed WAY 'better' on the bike than the mtb.

niblue

I did my first ride (a 15 miler out to the west of Edinburgh) on a proper drop-bar road bike for a few years yesterday. Main impression was that the bike seemed very fast, even compared to my slick-tyred flat-barred Roadrat. The brakes were no more than adequate however, but that's not surprising as all my other bikes (including the Roadrat) have hydro disk brakes.

It was also my first time on a carbon bike (it's a Boardman) and despite the awful state of some of the backroads the bike was surprisingly comfortable.

upperoilcan

Happy days mate,good on ya,i too got my first road bike a few weeks ago and really love it ,like yourself i have rode mtb's for a long time and the road bike does take a bit of getting used to..

Having come from a Downhill backgroud i realy like the speed from the roadie,although i still cant get my head around the grip of such skinny tyres (even more so at the mo).

ive so far managed 40 mph but i know finding the right road i can get more from it....

woodywmb

The enjoyable bit is the actual switching of bikes. Go out on the MTB for a month and you'll thoroughly enjoy changing back to the road bike. The easier pedalling, the finer steering and the whole riding position will give you an instant lift. Then, after a month, go back to MTB and you'll quickly enjoy the sure-footed grip, the compact gearing and the laid-back riding position. The pleasure literally comes in cycles. It's a win-win situation. Go for it - enjoy!

Matt the Tester

upperoilcan wrote:

Happy days mate,good on ya,i too got my first road bike a few weeks ago and really love it ,like yourself i have rode mtb's for a long time and the road bike does take a bit of getting used to..

Having come from a Downhill backgroud i realy like the speed from the roadie,although i still cant get my head around the grip of such skinny tyres (even more so at the mo).

ive so far managed 40 mph but i know finding the right road i can get more from it....

yea 40mph goin down hill is pretty nuts! ive hit 46mph goin downhill but i DARE not pedal!!

funny feeling going that fast though! 40mph going downhill = SCARY - 40mph on a flat = FANTASTIC!! Only done it once mind you

John Stevenson

Welcome to the dark side!

Truly addicted cyclists ride both on and off road.

unixnerd

Edinburgh cycles Revolution Continental Pro

Just looked it up on their site, seems a lot of bike for the money! I've had one of their tourers for years and it's been superb.

If you find want a cycle computer for it look at the Shimano Flightdeck, much under-rated. One of the nice things for a newbie to road bikes is that it shows you what gear your in on each shifter and also gives your cadence.

lemoncurd

John Stevenson wrote:

Welcome to the dark side!

Truly addicted cyclists ride both on and off road.

And in their living room / garage

Rooner

Cheers everyone, although not sure I've fully gone to the dark side until I shave my legs and clad myself in lycra?

Yep, I plan on using the old mtb at some stage, just for a change. Yeah, the bike seemed a really good deal, got it on cycle to work, at £629, with the £100 worth of free extras. It has 105 gear (but not brakes) and a nice carbon fork, so good for the money.

One thing that does seem totally different is trying to do 'life-savers'. Nice and easy on a mtb and motorbike, feels very sketchy on the roadbike? Maybe a new technique is required?

meanredspider

Rooner wrote:

Cheers everyone, although not sure I've fully gone to the dark side until I shave my legs and clad myself in lycra?

It's only a matter of time (the lycra bit, anyway). I didn't appreciate how important aero is on a road bike until I ditched my flappy waterproof for a tight jersey and could actually measure the difference on my 15-mile commute. Same with tyres - measureable difference between them.

Happy riding.

bianchimoon

i think life-savers on a road bike tend to be the opposite, the amount of times over the years i've moved a couple of feet off line into the verge or towards middle of road, get off the drops before you do it, i find the hiher you're sat the less steering input you give