Helllllooooooooooooo

nickyhoward55

Just wanted to say hello! I only had to read the 'melting carbon fibre frames' thread and i knew this would be a fun forum

Ive just bought my first road bike (http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=12778017) and im already having to stop myself upgrading bits!

Any tips for a newbie would be greatly recieved

oscar-j

try the 'obvious things a new cyclist might not know ' thread

Peddle Up!

cadseen wrote:

tips Nice bike but ............

Dont photo a bike in the small ring >> Why not?
Take the reflectors off >> OK, fair enough
put the saddle flat >> Yep
take the excess spacers out from the stem >> You mean drop the bars??

and, dont forget to ride it

nickyhoward55

cadseen wrote:

tips Nice bike but ............

Dont photo a bike in the small ring
Take the reflectors off
put the saddle flat
take the excess spacers out from the stem

and, dont forget to ride it

Damn it. Forgot about the top ring when i was taking the photo!
As for the reflectors, Its on my 2-do list.
Hadnt really noticed the saddle being off, will take a look, it seemed comfy enough (well....my arse was damn sore after the first ride)
I kinda like the bars where they are, is there any real benefit to having them lower?

Thanks for the input though

zn533

Welcome!

That's a nice bike. However, nothing is perfect. So, here is your list of essential upgrades:

1. Legs. Biggest upgrade of them all.

2. Nice tyres - £25 and upwards and there's not much between them. I use Continental GP4000s and I think they're great.

3. Brake blocks. These tend to be rather poor on almost every new bike I've bought.

4. Saddle if it's uncomfortable. A difficult one to get right. You just have to try a bunch.

5. Wheels if your feeling flush. Unless the ones on your bike are soft, as if made from spaghetti, or weigh so much they appear to affect the rotation of Earth, you won't notice a huge difference.

Apart from that, the right clothes, and I'm talking lycra here, pumped up tyres (a track pump with a gauge is best) and a well-maintained bike make the biggest difference. Unless you're really fast, anything else is just bling.

Now, there's riding the bike. Just ride lots. Be safe, get some lights, wear a helmet (can of worms here, but I'd recommend it), don't jump red lights, always look over your shoulder and don't undertake big vehicles. Nail every straight, power through every corner, flatten every hill and rip tarmac on every descent. Or, in a rare moment of weakness, sit back, feel the world rushing around you and just enjoy the ride!