Newbie, New Bike

esudfu

Hi all.

I bought my first road bike today - A 2010 Specialized Allez Triple (my first decent bike ever really...I've only had cheap mountain bikes until now!).

I rode it about 12 miles to get back from the shop, tinkered with the saddle height etc. and took it out for another 12 in the afternoon. First thoughts are that its very fast, and surprisingly stable...I'm glad I invested in some padded shorts though!

I'm training for a half marathon at the moment, so the bikes really for days when I'm just fed up of running, and the weather's too nice to be in the gym...but I'm looking into doing some Sportives and things long term.

My first stop is to get some shoes, and some clipless pedals...but I've blown my limited budget on the bike, so that'll have to wait for a little bit...

Mark Bom

Great, enjoy your bike. Better get used to blowing your budget though, there is always something else you'll want/need/desire.

martincashman

I had no bikes and no interest in cycling, this time last year. Then I picked up my first half decent bike, a mountain bike from Halfords, towards the end of April and haven't looked back since.

Just bought my 4th bike since then last week... now doing about 1100km a month between road and mtb. Just as well I never tried heroin.

Don't be surprised if you've canned the running in favour of the bike, by the end of the summer.

esudfu

I would probably have ditched the running already if I hadn't been signed on by a charity, but hey-ho.

tobermory

Morning all i also went out today did about 12 miles on my new road bike would have done more but a certain part of my body screamed no more today,i will no doubt get used to it.

esudfu

Upgrades have already started...just some clipless pedals and some proper (but cheap) shoes...oh well, there goes the budget!

Uchiga

Since you've gone clipless and you're a newbie be prepared for some falling off and loss of dignity! Practise against a wall for as long as you feel comfortable, confident in clipping and unclipping!

Oh and good luck :P

bakerstreet

esudfu wrote:

Upgrades have already started...just some clipless pedals and some proper (but cheap) shoes...oh well, there goes the budget!

Doesn't matter if you hav the cheap stuff. Nearly everything bike related I own is from the lower end of range and its been fine.

I have the base model shimano road shoes since Christmas and they have been fine Same thing for the shorts, gloves and helmet. All have been fine for my uses

Thebigbee

Hi esud,

I am in the market for my first proper road bike and have been tempted by that Spesh.

I was just wondering what the gear ratios are like? Have you been in the highest gear going flat out?

I was also wondering how much you have needed / used the smallest ring?

Cheers

esudfu

Hi bigbee.

I'm a total novice, but my research put me onto either the Allez or Giant Defy range. Gear ratio wise I think the 2 are pretty similar (I'm sure others will correct this if I've got it wrong). The main reason for my choice was simply that I was able to find the Allez at a local shop, whereas I would have had to order the Defy off of the internet.

I have been up into the highest gear, but I was nowhere near spinning out. That wasn't on the flat but it wasn't a very severe downhill either, so I think that it could be possible on a long, steep downhill section (if you're brave!).

I haven't been into the lowest gear yet but I haven't done any 'proper' climbs yet, so that's not really surprising.

I don't have any point of comparison, having never owned a road bike before, but I'm very happy with my purchase so far. The only reason I've gone clipless is because I found toe-cages to be a bit uncomfortable...hopefully I won't fall off too much!

Rich Hcp

All the specs are more or less the same.

You'll be able to hit top gear on the flat, easy 20 odd MPH, but my legs are knackered and I've no idea what the top speed will be.

Shoes and pedals will make a difference, you'll wish you'd done it before. (but you're right to get a good base bike first)

esudfu

Pedals and shoes arrived today...however I'm a complete numpty and ordered shoes which are TEN sizes too small...must have mis-read 36 as 46 when ordering.

Oh well, fitting of pedals and stuff will have to wait til next week. I can go out this weekend on toe clips at least...

Thebigbee

esudfu wrote:

Hi bigbee.

I'm a total novice, but my research put me onto either the Allez or Giant Defy range. Gear ratio wise I think the 2 are pretty similar (I'm sure others will correct this if I've got it wrong). The main reason for my choice was simply that I was able to find the Allez at a local shop, whereas I would have had to order the Defy off of the internet.

I have been up into the highest gear, but I was nowhere near spinning out. That wasn't on the flat but it wasn't a very severe downhill either, so I think that it could be possible on a long, steep downhill section (if you're brave!).

I haven't been into the lowest gear yet but I haven't done any 'proper' climbs yet, so that's not really surprising.

I don't have any point of comparison, having never owned a road bike before, but I'm very happy with my purchase so far. The only reason I've gone clipless is because I found toe-cages to be a bit uncomfortable...hopefully I won't fall off too much!

At the moment I am on a Scott Sub 30 2010 which I bought as a replacement for my Scott Sportster P6 2010 that got nicked and whilst waiting for the insurance company.

Since I made a minor adjustment to the saddle I am loving the Sub. Have done 100 miles since Sat.

But the insurance people were OK but had to by a bike from their supplier or the cash settlement was crap. So I bit the bullet, dug into my overdraft paid the extra for the same bike that is coming tomorrow.

Can't wait - but hope the bloody thing is the right size otherwise I will be requesting the recordings of the phone calls I made to the replacement company where one person says one size that matches their chart and the second guy completely dsimissed that!

Do you mean by lowest gear that, or do you just mean that range - the smallest ring?

Am only saying that because I went on a 20 mile ride after work and attacked some hills that previously I wouldn't even have wanted to ride up, and I think I was only in the smallest ring twice for about 3 minutes!

As long as the top end is quite a bit higher than what I already can achieve on the Scott then I will be happy. Did a mile on a flat at 20-22 mph earlier in highest gear.

Looking forward to more speed! I think you know that you have caught the cycling bug when you start picking up the jargon and talk about "attacking hills" and actually wanting to ride UP a sodding hill!

esudfu

I have been on the smallest front gear, but only when getting used to the gear and I probably haven't been in a situation where one of the lower gears on the middle cog wouldn't have done the job just as well.

Certainly haven't been in the lowest, lowest gear...I think you'd struggle to stay upright at that low a speed...

I don't have a cycle computer yet so I don't know top speed but I went on a short ride on saturday to my dads house (only about 6.5mile each way), speed was just over 18mph average and I was nowhere near spinning out at any point during the ride.

Thebigbee

esudfu wrote:

Certainly haven't been in the lowest, lowest gear...I think you'd struggle to stay upright at that low a speed...

I don't have a cycle computer yet so I don't know top speed but I went on a short ride on saturday to my dads house (only about 6.5mile each way), speed was just over 18mph average and I was nowhere near spinning out at any point during the ride.

That is what I was wondering about the lowest gear - that would have to be almost vertical! I could have saved myself £40 or so and got the 16 but from other users helpful posts they were saying go for a 9 speed double - and I didn't like the Claud Butler that was the only real option in that price range from the supplier I was tied to.

Purely from a long term "holds its value" point of view I went for the 24. It gives me a lot of options. Maybe I will go an look for ascents that need to use that chainring just so I get my moneys worth out of it!

esudfu

Well I found the lowest gear on Saturday on my first ever 'proper' ride! I did a 21mile route from home up to the top of the Cotswold ridge (Gloucester to Painswick via Stroud for anyone that knows the area).

The haul on the way up was hard work, but manageable. I think I made a mistake by trying to stay seated for too long on the steep parts of the climbs though, which ended up with me in too low a gear and labouring up the hills at a speed so slow that I didn't feel comfortable standing (I'm still getting used to the narrowness of road tyres). Next time I think I need to stand a bit earlier and keep in a gear which keeps a more suitable forward speed.

It was only a couple of small sections of the climb which were too slow though, a few hundred meters each (like the last bit of the run up through Painswick village on the A46), and other than that it was a good run out and great fun. The speed that the bike got to on the run back down the hill into Gloucester was an eye-opener :shock: Including stopping at traffic lights etc. my average was about 14mph...not too bad for a newbie I think!

Lessons learned:
1) Put in more effort at the start of a hill to maintain momentum.
2) Fit my clipless pedals as soon as my shoes arrive so that I don't get searing numbness in my toes from toeclips after about 45mins!

Thebigbee

I received my bike - a Spesh Allez triple 2011 the other day.

My critcism is that, even in the highest gear, I can still spin out. And that isn't on a hill!

The ratio is just massively out fior me and is a huge disappointment.

I may be able to get a higher top and average speed - but spinnig out on the flat, it's just not right.

Am i doing something majorly wrong? I have more resistance and "push" on my Scott Sub 30 2010 with 27 Deore gears than I do on this "dedicated" road Spesh Allez 24 2011??

That can't be right can it??

EarlyGo

esudfu,

Congats on your first 'proper' ride. If you ask around on the forums, climbing technique usually involves staying seated as it's more efficient. It gives you a solid base to use your leg muscles and doesn't involve upper body muscles which in turn burn up extra energy. Also, to stand up on the pedals for any length of time you need a good core fitness level. Standing to get you over the brow of a hill seems to be fine though! Practice standing up on the pedals on the flat first. Cycle at an easy pace then go up 1 or 2 gears and stand up. Initially keep a firm grip on the hoods to boost your confidence. You'll get the hang of it easily.

Enjoy your bike!

Regards, EarlyGo

Peddle Up!

esudfu wrote:

Well I found the lowest gear on Saturday on my first ever 'proper' ride! I did a 21mile route from home up to the top of the Cotswold ridge (Gloucester to Painswick via Stroud for anyone that knows the area

That's a smashing route. I like the bit out of Painswick which is twisty and downhill, but not stupidly so.

esudfu

EarlyGo wrote:

Congats on your first 'proper' ride. If you ask around on the forums, climbing technique usually involves staying seated as it's more efficient.

That's what I'd read on here, which is why I remained seated the whole time. I think for the short (couple of hundred meters or so) sections where I was really going too slowly I should've stood up...if it hadn't been a triple I'd have been in real trouble!

It was a great route. Up in the woods out of the top of Painswick it was so nice and quiet I wondered why I hadn't done this before!!

Bigbee...Fair play to you if you can spin out on the flat...I didn't spin out on the run down the hill (although it was close) and I think that that was probably as fast as I can go on a bike...That leg of the route was a 31mph average which included having to stop at traffic lights twice. I don't know what the top speed was, but it sure seemed fast! (Just did a quick calc and it seems like 120rpm in top gear is about 40mph)

esudfu

Finally managed to get out on the bike again today after a hectic week. I could only go at about 1pm though, the hottest part of the day, but hey-ho.

I did 28miles this time...including the slog up Frocester Hill in Gloucestershire for anyone that knows it. I'd seen people cycling up it before I wanted to see if I could do it...

Well it was hard (very hard!) but I managed it without stopping. I'm quite proud of that on my 2nd ever proper ride. And at least it was down hill or flat for most of the rest of the route! Overall the 27.6miles was done at an average speed of about 17.5mph.

How you guys go on about climbing thousands of feet on a ride I don't know...I think Frocester is around 750ft and it nearly killed me!

Anyway, lessons learned today:
1) Clipless pedals are a wonderful invention.
2) If you must go out in the middle of a hot day...take plenty of water!
3) Going down hills is much easier than going up them (alright, this one I knew before today).

EarlyGo

Good average speed fella! Sounds like you're enjoying it?!

Remember if you start going over the 30 mile ride distance you'll need to start thinking about more than just water to keep your body fueled up. A lot of people take bananas with them on the ride and also drink energy drinks/gels etc. I'm a fan of water+2tsp of sugar+tiny dash of salt (just a few grains really).

Enjoy!

esudfu

Thanks EG.

I'll look into getting some energy drinks sorted out I think. I definitely started to feel like I wanted something to eat immediately after I got home.

I'm planning to do a longer, but flatter, route later in the week.