Newbie with lotsa queries..

~Muz~

Hi guys, brand spankin' road cyclist here and have a few 'silly' questions so apologies in advance :oops:

Quick intro, I'm 34 and had a serious knee injury in January so sold my mtb, now I'd decided to try and get some level of fitness back..

After lots of reading up on entry level bikes I picked up a brand new 2010 Carrera TDF for £260 yesterday.. If I stick to the hobby and enjoy it I'll upgrade the bike next year but this one is perfect for me now.

Now for the silly questions.. Tyre pressure is stated on the tyres, Kendra 23's, as max 110 psi, is this the best press' or what is? I'm 15 st.. Do I have to buy Lycra, if so what and from where? Best shoes for not too much money? Any recommended helmets too, I'm looking at a Giro Monza for £50? Any other wisdom you'd like to share please feel free!!

Thanks for taking the time to read my thread and looking forward to some good advice

Muz..

geoff93

Yes, 110 psi sounds about right, 100 for some extra comfort.

No you don't, but good bike shorts will help you on the comfort front and I suggest you get some. Bib shorts and full zip jersey are always useful.

Anything by Giro will be good, Monza is pretty nice too, I have this one http://www.cyclesurgery.com/pws/UniqueP ... CGIR0035KK
Very comfy!

Shimano do a good bunch of shoes for £70, worth a look.

~Muz~

Excellent stuff thanks Geoff

robklancs

Dhb shoes on wiggle are great shoes to.get you going, the monza is a really good helmet. What about pedals.

~Muz~

Do I need new pedals too?? Do I need to oil my chain from new? It does feel greasy already..

robklancs

Not unless you buy new shoes! You can go along on the carrera in your trainers but will feel a massive benefit from clipless pedals and shoes, I would budget around 80 quid for a beginner shoe pedal combo.

Calpol

Like the OP I am just starting cycling again. I just bought the DHB shoes from Wiggle and some Shimano m520. I went for the MTB shoes as they are easier to walk in and I may do a bit of off road stuff too. I got the pedals as they are double sided and I was fed up spinning the pedals to get my feet in the toe strap. No regrets whatsoever. Clipless makes a big difference. The DHB shoes are quite narrow and I bought a size up from normal.

~Muz~

80 quid doesn't sound too scary tbh so will have a look... Thanks for the advice so far guys

Thelittlesthobo

I managed on flats and trainers for at least 4mths and it wasnt too bad. If you havent used clipless then i wouldnt rush out and buy them top of your list.

Top should be a nice comfortable set of lycra shorts. At this time of the year i would probably go 3/4 and anything from Endura or DHB would be good.

I would also buy a pair of cycling gloves. I like the Spesh BG stuff but anything is better than nothing.

Tyre pressure seems to be accepted at 100psi. I just pump mine up untill i cant squeeze them ;-)

Thats a good helmet. Nowt wrong with that.

With the things above you should at least have a chance of being comfortable on a ride. After that you can decide if you like it enough to lay out some more dosh.

Dont forget that the lights are turning in so you will need to start looking at lights to make the most of your bike soon.

~Muz~

Cheers hobo, already have my lights from my commuter I might try and pop into tredz today and look at helmets, not sure how well priced their clothing is tho... Do you know if a new chain needs oiling as it already seems to be oiled? Thank you..

Thelittlesthobo

New chains seem to come coated in a material unknown to man nor beast. Its the thickest grease i have ever encountered. Personally i find it attracts dirt and crud at an unbelievable rate so i always degrease a chain properly then relube from new.

I think the grease is just there to protect the chain from rusting whilst it is not in use or on a shelf but it doesnt seem very helpfull on the bike when in use.

I would degrease and lube

~Muz~

Cheers mate

thiscocks

wouldnt degrease a new chain. The lube on it from new is normally alot better than any lube you can buy from a shop. It is good for the first couple of hundred miles of all weather riding. After this then consider coating in new oil when it gets a bit dry.

After another hundred miles then clean with a rag, re-apply oil, wipe and continue!

smithaay

As said above i wouldnt rush into getting clipless pedals n shoes because theyre quite hard to master and they will be alot harder to master if you dont have some basic bike handling skills ( not being mean but road bikes are quite different to mountain bikes with handling i have had a road bike for about 8 months and im no master still ). rollers will help with that but theyre quite an investment.

for now i would get some comfy bib shorts i have a pair of endura ones which are nice and comfy and dont chaffe (most importantly!)

but most importantly have a good time

~Muz~

Thanks again Picked up a pair of Karimoor full length tights and a top today, what am I supposed to keep in pockets on my back? lol... Went to Tredz for a helmet that is £54 on tinterweb, £74 in store!?? He said he'd match their own online price but only had the display one left in a large, wouldn't give me anymore discount tho so I left it! Nutters if nothing else the missus found the Lycra highly amusing, she reckons I should go commando tho cause of my vpl haha...

optimisticbiker

~Muz~ wrote:

...if nothing else the missus found the Lycra highly amusing, she reckons I should go commando tho cause of my vpl haha...

errr... yes you should, cycling shorts are designed to be worn with nothing underneath.... anything else will chafe :shock: the important thing is to wash them every time you wear them, to stop bacteria build-up in the padding.

skyd0g

OptimisticBiker wrote:

~Muz~ wrote:

...if nothing else the missus found the Lycra highly amusing, she reckons I should go commando tho cause of my vpl haha...

errr... yes you should, cycling shorts are designed to be worn with nothing underneath.... anything else will chafe :shock: the important thing is to wash them every time you wear them, to stop bacteria build-up in the padding.

+1
Lycra is designed to be worn commando.
...just don't hang around your local greengrocers for too long while wearing it.

~Muz~

Now she's saying told you so with a smug grin

unixnerd

My advice would be to just go out and ride, you'll soon find what works and what doesn't. Get some miles in and enjoy yourself. First two weeks will be hell, pain is weakness leaving the body :twisted:

Pigtail

I would stick with the pedals on it for a start. I'm assuming it came with flats rather than toeclips. Clipless pedals are quite a steep learning curve. I took a couple of months with the toeclips and still found the transition to clipless quite difficult.

~Muz~

Anyone know what these are?? They came with the bike and are rubbery??

geebee2

Re helmet - see when next LIDL cycle offer is due - I got nice helmet for under £10.

geebee2

Anyone know what these are?? They came with the bike and are rubbery??

They go under the gear levers if you have small hands and want less reach.

ride_whenever

~Muz~ wrote:

Anyone know what these are?? They came with the bike and are rubbery??

They are to adjust the reach on the brake levers, they sit on the top of the bit that moves when you brake so that the lever isn't as far from the bars when you're not touching them. Great for small hands but not essential for many people.

~Muz~

Thanks guys

Don't fancy a £10 helmet tho, surely you get what you pay for to a certain extent? As a motorcyclist I wouldn't put my head in a cheapo lid for any reason..