first ride on the road bike (v sore palms)!

sefton

I've just come back in from my first ever outing on a road bike.

I live on the west Pennines so there are quite a few hills. when decending the palms of my hands where aching really badly whilst trying to brake (I had to stop quite a few times to shake them off).

my hands where positioned on top of the bars.

I feel I have the bike set up correctly (with regards to saddle height & position)

I thought maybe the brakes could be adjusted so I don't have to reach with my fingers quite as much? or adjusted so I don't have to apply as much pressure?

the bike is a planet x sl with sram red.

the gears also kept jumping a little too (and after putting it in the lowest gear it changed back down its self)

Buckled_Rims

I always brake in the drops when descending. The extra leverage required when braking in the hoods hurts my hands as well. It's not a fault.

I use the hoods/braking on uphill, traffic or flat sections. Then on fast roads or downhill I go into the drops and I brake from there which has the best grip and leverage.

New bikes tend to stretch their cables and require a small adjustment. Nowt unusual about that. Usually that's why LBS have a 6 week free service. In your case, it's from PX so you could try and service it yourself which is not hard once you know what to do

Keith47

I would also suggest that as you ride more the aching and soreness in hands and arms etc (much like saddle soreness) will gradually decrease as you become "hardened" to it. When I first started out on my road bike it wasn't cardiovascular limitations or energy or strength levels that limited my cycling, it was bloody sore hands!!! I guess it was a few months before I became concious of the fact that my hands were not getting sore any more.
All the best, stick with it, the human body's adaptive processes are amazing!

sefton

cheers guys!

a very strange ride (coming from mountain biking). I felt quite scared tbh. I'm used to feeling very stable & in control.

on the plus...I only did around 5miles but the work out was great. the acceleration and smoothness of the drive train was a pleasure.

dulldave

sefton wrote:

cheers guys!

a very strange ride (coming from mountain biking). I felt quite scared tbh. I'm used to feeling very stable & in control.

on the plus...I only did around 5miles but the work out was great. the acceleration and smoothness of the drive train was a pleasure.

It's natural to feel like that when coming from mountain biking. Seeing that narrow tyre in front of you is a bit alarming to begin with and it'll feel as though your brakes simply don't work. Some of your pain is likely to be coming from the fact that you're actually braking too much because you don't feel safe descending yet.

In the long run your experience as a mountainbiker will probably be more of a benefit than a hindrance in terms of bike handling. You just need to get used to the different ride.

You'll learn to change your approach to braking with the road bike quite quickly.

Lagavulin

A pair of Specialized BG gloves and mitts for summer.

sefton

I have a 110mm stem at present (with 10degree rise), as these are cheap would a different length one help in the short term?

as the sl has a race like geometry.

I've just looked at the sram manual looks like adjusting the reach is quite simple. so I think this will also help a little.

Monty Dog

Don't pump your tyres up 'rock hard' either - wider tyres (25mm) at lower pressures will make the biggest difference

HadronCyclist

With regards to the shifting, there will be a small knob right where the gear cable heads into the rear deraileaur, twist this (anti-clockwise if the gears are shifting down on their own) about 1/4 turn whilst spinning the cranks and changing gears, keep giving it a 1/4 turn until the jumping stops and you get a smooth, clean shift between every sprocket. It shouldn't require much more than one full turn.

The sore hands issue: make sure you get your hands in the point of most leverage, as Buckled_Rims suggests, use the drops on long downhills where you need to brake a lot. more leverage = less force = less fatigue! Also you can adjust the positioning of the levers if you so wish, to bring the closer to the bars, so you have to stretch less. Another point to consider is a slight twist of your handbars from the stem. Twist the bars down ever so slightly, so that there is a straight line from your arms from your elbow to the tips of your fingers when you are in the hoods and on the breaks. this will give you a much more comfortable, natural position. Just sayin'

dulldave

Have you checked that your saddle is sitting level? Sometimes when it's tilted forward it can force you to rest on the handlebars rather than using your core muscles to support yourself.

sefton

I have 24mm conti grand prix tyres with 100psi in each.

hadroncyclist hit the nail on the head...it was pure fatigue!!!

when the gears weren't jumping I could believe how smooth the changes where compared to that of my mountain bike sram gears.

ireland57

I felt unstable on my road bike after being used to mtn biking.
Descending in the drops always felt like I was going to go over the bars.
Now that I'm used to it, it's good.

I shortened the stem (it was a 5 deg x 110mm and made the bike handle horribly) to a much shorter taller one but now as my back is becoming used to "roading" i just changed to a 80mm x 7 degree rise. I ran a 65mm x 12 deg for a while until my back got used to the position.

Core strength and back/hamstring/glute stretchability is a big issue on the road bike. My whole upper body weight was taken on the bars but now the core's getting stronger I carry myself better and the bars are now a device to steer and brake with (which is what they should be).

northpole

Starting out on the road bike consider using heavier padded mitts/ gloves - the Spesh ones mentioned earlier are one of the thicker ones available and also make a point of moving your hands about to different positions on the bars when you can. I appreciate this won't be possible on technical descents, but if you aren't already doing so, move about when climbing or on the flat - can make a big difference on a long run.

Peter

unixnerd

I'd try tilting the handlebars up a bit, should make the brakes easier to use when you're on the hoods.

sefton

seems my stem is angled down too, might try it angled up. got some gore padded glove which should help too,