Help I have agreed to to L2P and never ridden a rode bike

luckypierre

Hi All,

Looking for some serious advice, i have been asked to take part in the London to Paris this year despite never ridden a road bike. My background is off road and so have a reasonable knowledge on this time of riding (although not encyclopedic) but for thsi i am a total newbie.

i have often thought about getting a road bike to go on when the trails are too wet but never really looked at it as always had other avenue to dump my money into.

Anyway I now have an excuse so I suppose my situation is this.

For a budget of £500-600 what should I be looking for in terms of a road bike. i.e components, carbon fork, etc... what brands represent value. I know ultimately its about how you and the bike get on together but some pointers. I am not asking for a "What bike should I buy" just more of a what should I look for in a good bike.

Is my budget viable for a ride I have signed up for?

Thanks in advance

chappers74

I've also signed up for L2P (3 day route), I'm doing it for Action Medical.

My advice would be check out the classifieds for a second hand bike.

Maybe see you in Paris :-)

cougie

Fit is more important.

For £500 you'd get a bike suitable for the purpose. I'd much rather ride it on a cheap bike that fits me rather than a £2000 bike that doesn't. Check out the Boardman road bikes - fantastic reviews and as you know your way around bikes then buying from Halfords shouldnt put you off ?

MattC59

That's ballsy !!!

My sister did it a couple of years ago on a Boadrman Hybrid, no problems. She wasn't a complete novice, but just put in plenty of miles for the few months before she went. She was doing 30mile rides a couple of times a week.

Good luck !!

EarlyGo

£600 ain't much but you should be ok. Something that is not too racy ie has a 'relaxed' or sportive geometry. Also it must be reliable so probably from a quality manufacturer. Finally it absolutely must fit you or else you'll spend 90% of the ride in agony! I'd recommend a Specialized Secteur. Boardmans are good bikes but they are no compromise race bikes and as such have a racy position and are very stiff.

You'll just about get carbon forks for your budget and as far as the groupset goes, you'll be aiming for Shimano Sora or possibly Tiagra with most likely Tektro brakes. So long as the wheels are round they'll have to do on that budget!

Secondhand you'll get a lot more bike for your money but probably no handy LBS technician to help you with the fit.

Regards, EarlyGo

cornerblock

As has been said, you may want to look at getting a sportive type frame, it's a bit more relaxed and comfortable on longer days in the saddle. Ah... the saddle, very important. I would choose the right saddle for yourself as soon as you can and get used to it by getting as many miles under your belt as possible.

Good luck with it.

VerwoodAsh

Okay - this may seen as a bit below the belt to some -

But on your budget - go into you local bike shops and try out bikes like Specialized Allezs, Treks and similar between £500 and £1000. Look for last year bargains too.

But I doubt you will find something that hits you budget - so with the knowledge of what size bikes fit you and what you prefer - then go 2nd hand. If you stick to a mainstream brand, you will get a 1-2 year old model with the same geometry for half the retail price. I expect this will still be Alu framed, but should get you 105 spec gears, better wheels, carbon forks etc. Plus also all those little extras like bottle cages, computers etc.

You can get good bargains around as a lot of people buy lower end road bikes to get into it - but then never do, and only have had a few rides on them.

But back to my first point - it's not nice - but do use the bike shops to get your sizing right!

cougie

Don't do that cos you'd be a tw@t. Wasting the shops time and buying elsewhere just isn't on.

Its only what 500km - over 5 days - so although its not a walk in the park - its not a massive undertaking.

60+ miles per day ? You don't need a top of the range bike to get round that. Your budget is fine and the most important part is the training.

Strong legs trump flash bikes any day of the week.

marcusjb

cougie wrote:

Strong legs trump flash bikes any day of the week.

This in spades.

And determination trumps weak legs any day of the week.

Don't get too hung up on the machine, make sure, whether you go new or second hand, that it fits - comfort is the most important thing for anything multi-day. On any ride like this, they'll always be people on far less suitable machines than you - again, if you are determined and focussed, you will do it no matter what you ride.

If the ride is about 60m a day, then work your way up to that distance over the coming weeks. Learn how to eat and drink properly - this is far more important than getting faster etc.

Once you can do the daily distance, do it twice in a weekend - that'll help you understand where any discomfort is happening and work out how to minimise it before you're sitting on a bike for a few days in a row. Some of comfort is a bit of trial and error - but some of it is down to you. Make sure you move around on the bike - particularly hands. If you're riding a drop bar bike, move around from the hoods onto the flats etc., if it's a flat-bar bike, then consider some bar-ends to give you another hand-position.

Stretch when you get off the bike, stretch before you get back on it.

With any distance challenge, the mental aspect is more important than the physical - as long as you eat and drink properly, don't ride at speeds that are uncomfortably fast for you, then you'll be fine - just keep pedalling and don't give in.

Cleat Eastwood

remember that in france the standard greeting to other riders is 'up yours delors'

marcusjb

Cleat Eastwood wrote:

remember that in france the standard greeting to other riders is 'up yours delors'

Whilst riding straight at them using the correct, left side of the road!

No, seriously, don't forget which side of the road to ride on. A year or so ago, about 7 days into a tour through France, I managed to somehow forget and pilot the tandem through a small (admittedly very sleepy) town in France on the wrong side of the road - it was only when I got to a roundabout at the edge of the town that I noticed! Good job there weren't any cars about. Worst thing is, the stoker didn't notice either!

Anonymous

My bike cost 250 (10 year old used beauty! -1st time on a road bike in June 2011) and planning on doing it without putting a foot down. Already nailed a couple of 100+ mile sportives and cycled to Bath last september (been a bit useless over winter).

Work out your sizes, buy a frame that fits then get it fitted professionally (easily within £500). Then get riding!

luckypierre

Thanks for all the information and advice that you have all given me. especially about the bike fitting. I guess its even more important than when MTB'ing due to the amount spent in the saddle. I will get saving for a new bike once i have the confirmation that I will be taking part.

Thanks for all your advice

mrbrightside

I was in a similar position a couple of yours ago, purchased a bike for £350 new, trained by doing a 20 mile circuit in an hour a few times a week for say 5/6 weeks before hand and it was fine....

My greatest piece of advice would be dont be the weakest cyclist in the group as you can just cruise along while they are chewing the front tyre,,,

Rich Hcp

marcusjb wrote:

cougie wrote:

Strong legs trump flash bikes any day of the week.

This in spades.

And determination trumps weak legs any day of the week.

Don't get too hung up on the machine, make sure, whether you go new or second hand, that it fits - comfort is the most important thing for anything multi-day. On any ride like this, they'll always be people on far less suitable machines than you - again, if you are determined and focussed, you will do it no matter what you ride.

If the ride is about 60m a day, then work your way up to that distance over the coming weeks. Learn how to eat and drink properly - this is far more important than getting faster etc.

Once you can do the daily distance, do it twice in a weekend - that'll help you understand where any discomfort is happening and work out how to minimise it before you're sitting on a bike for a few days in a row. Some of comfort is a bit of trial and error - but some of it is down to you. Make sure you move around on the bike - particularly hands. If you're riding a drop bar bike, move around from the hoods onto the flats etc., if it's a flat-bar bike, then consider some bar-ends to give you another hand-position.

Stretch when you get off the bike, stretch before you get back on it.

With any distance challenge, the mental aspect is more important than the physical - as long as you eat and drink properly, don't ride at speeds that are uncomfortably fast for you, then you'll be fine - just keep pedalling and don't give in.

I agree with all of the above. I found that approach worked training up for a century

You'll get a Specialized Allez, or Trek equivalent in your budget and as long as its the right fit, you'll be fine.

Trainingng for a long ride is harder than doing the ride itself. As Marcus says its a mental test as well.

Work your way up to 45 or 50 miles and then start riding on consecutive days. I used a spreadsheet to plan my training

Make sure you rest between. Its important to allows your body to recover.

luckypierre

Hi all thanks for the feedback. I have started looking for bikes very gently at the moment. Can anyone recommed a decent bike shop in Bristol. I saw this on the cycle surgery website and wondered what people thought as a starting point. As a benchmark when it comes to off road, specialized is a good guide to price and value (dependent upon tastes and fit).

can anyone suggest a bike that has fairly slack geometry I asumer the steeper the head angle the more pull on the lower back.

http://www.cyclesurgery.com/specialized ... duct/20353

anto164

Why are people poo-pooing cheaper machines?

Over the last year and a half, i've done 4000 miles on a £450 budget road bike, and it's great. Keep up with all the guys on expensive bikes!

But yeah, make sure the bike is right, and the clothing you have is right. You can spend £500 on a bike, and then easily another £500 on accessories i.e clothing/shoes/helmets/sunglasses etc.

Rich Hcp

luckypierre wrote:

Hi all thanks for the feedback. I have started looking for bikes very gently at the moment. Can anyone recommed a decent bike shop in Bristol. I saw this on the cycle surgery website and wondered what people thought as a starting point. As a benchmark when it comes to off road, specialized is a good guide to price and value (dependent upon tastes and fit).

can anyone suggest a bike that has fairly slack geometry I asumer the steeper the head angle the more pull on the lower back.

http://www.cyclesurgery.com/specialized ... duct/20353

I have an Allez Sport and I have had no problems at all.

Don't worry about a slack geometery, if the bike fits properly it won't cause any problems, you'll probably spend most of the time on the top of the bars, or the brake hoods, I hardly use the full Mark Cavendish sprint position!

If anything, my bad back has improved

As Anto164 says, don't worry about how "good" the bike is, the important thing is the fit and you're happy with it, there's nothing more satisfying than overtaking a carbon top spec bike on "only" an aluminium one

Remember to budget for shorts, a helmet and at least two pairs of bib shorts, dhb from Wiggle or Shutt VR are very good for the price. I'd get Chamois cream too!

I'd go for clipless pedals and shoes, had them from the start and don't reget it.

The last thing is to get to some shops and try some bikes!

luckypierre

Richard,

Thanks for the advice, i have got clipless on my mountain bike so will probabyl swap them or just get egg beaters on my road bike.

Helemt and shorts etc... all taken care of.

Am going to head out this week / next weekend to try a few bikes out and get fitted up properly.

Anyone got any other tips?

Thanks,

cougie

I'd possibly not go egg beaters on your road bike unless your shoes are very stiff ? I prefer a bigger pedal area to eliminate pressure spots. I prefer Look for the road.

If you wear a MTB helmet - ditch the peak for the road or you end up cricking your neck raising your head to look further down the road - especially if you're trying to be aero.

And any decent bike that fits you will do well. Don't be conned into thinking only a £1000+ mega machine could possibly do. I've seen novices on £400 machines do the best ride out of a large club on an Ironman event - all the carbon and bling in the world doesn't make up for decent training.

luckypierre

Thats my thoughts exactly with the training, its something I am looking forward too, its the same when on the trails the satisfaction you get when you pedal past someone pushing a £2000 bike up a climb makes you feel a little bit bionic.

Thanks for the heads up on the egg beaters will look into getting some with a wider surface area, I am always a bit scared of toe clips and so would rather be fully clipped in.

luckypierre

Well sat on my first road bike today and it felt rather weird, went to LBS in brizzle and looked at the Trek 1.2. The guy in the shop reckoned a 58 inch was the right size but thought that the bar stem should be inverted as my arms were too short. (Long legs, tiny arms, bit like a dinosaur).

What amazed me was the weight difference to my mtb. i mean I expected it but the trek felt like I should be carrying it rather than the other way round.

My thoughts are to try and few more bikes from the main brands i.e Spesh, GT, Giant, Boardman, and also go into Evans before making any decisions.

I think I should stay in my budget so may look at the trek 1.1. One question is how much difference in comfort will a carbon fork make?

If anyone is interested here are the two models:

http://www.trekbikes.com/uk/en/bikes/ro ... _compact/#

http://www.trekbikes.com/uk/en/bikes/ro ... _compact/#

Rich Hcp

A carbon fork reduces buzz through the bars.

Thats what they say, not tried a road bike with an Ali fork so can't say from experiance of one, the Carbon fork has been fine on my Allez

Muffintop

1. Don't use padded shorts - get used to riding without them. That way if you do feel you need to use them you will feel the difference when putting them on. I use running leggings/trousers. To this end you may want to try swapping your road bike saddle for your mountain bike saddle - you will already be somewhat used to your mountain bike saddle, even though you don't spend that much time on it.

2. Decent weather proof jacket - makes a massive difference. Wind and water proof.

3. Take real food snacks to eat on the road. Try not to rely on the tech sport stuff too much. You'll rot your teeth.

4. Enjoy yourself and good luck!

cougie

I'd always go with proper cycling shorts rather than running trousers. Bib shorts are the best - you know they're not going to sag and get caught on the saddle.

Muffintop

cougie wrote:

I'd always go with proper cycling shorts rather than running trousers. Bib shorts are the best - you know they're not going to sag and get caught on the saddle.

I like the idea of bib shorts but just don't fancy getting in and out of them every time I go for a pee. I don't get on with padding at all, it's not that it just gets caught in the saddle, I do find a larger area of my bum gets sore when wearing them. I did the Etape Caledonia last year without padding. I had decided to stop wearing padding the week before. Whilst my seat bones got sore, I found I was much cooler, and overall a lot more comfy without it. Now I don't get sore at all and those with padding seem to be in alot more pain than me at the end of a ride.

Muffintop

"Well sat on my first road bike today and it felt rather weird, went to LBS in brizzle and looked at the Trek 1.2. The guy in the shop reckoned a 58 inch was the right size but thought that the bar stem should be inverted as my arms were too short. (Long legs, tiny arms, bit like a dinosaur).

What amazed me was the weight difference to my mtb. i mean I expected it but the trek felt like I should be carrying it rather than the other way round. "


Ace! MTB is like swiming through treacle for me.

CiB

And... 60 miles a day at an easy 15 mph is only 4 hours in the saddle, and these L2P rides tend to include generous stop times so you'll be looking at a couple of hours riding, break, couple of hours, done for the day. It's hardly TdF territory, that sort of effort. The point being that a custom-fit Di2 uber-bike isn't necessary, just something that you can ride for a couple of hours at a stretch twice a day for less than week.

Enjoy the ride. And re shorts, just go padded from the off. If there was ever one piece of cycling kit that's worth owning, it's padded shorts. Just don't wear undercrackers underneath. Nobody looks, or cares.

Anonymous

It is possible to swim as fast through syrup as through water.
PLAUSIBLE
Adam and Jamie began by digging two long trenches and lining them with plastic sheeting to serve as swimming pools. They filled one with water and the other with high-viscosity syrup made from 750 pounds (340 kg) of guar gum and 10,000 US gallons (38,000 L) of water. Adam and Jamie each swam three lengths in the water to establish their average times, then did the same in the syrup. Adam’s time in syrup was 28% slower than in water; Jamie tired quickly and withdrew from further testing. They also performed tests with other syrup formulas with lower viscosity. Adam again swam three lengths in each pool and found that his syrup time was now only 2.8% to 5.4% slower than in water. Next, they invited Olympic gold medalist swimmer Nathan Adrian swim through each substance. Nathan’s times were erratic because his technique was so highly honed for pure water, and his results were thrown out. Based on the results for light and medium syrup, which they considered to be within the margin of error for their testing method, Adam and Jamie declared the myth plausible.

cougie

Muffintop wrote:

I like the idea of bib shorts but just don't fancy getting in and out of them every time I go for a pee. I don't get on with padding at all, it's not that it just gets caught in the saddle, I do find a larger area of my bum gets sore when wearing them. I did the Etape Caledonia last year without padding. I had decided to stop wearing padding the week before. Whilst my seat bones got sore, I found I was much cooler, and overall a lot more comfy without it. Now I don't get sore at all and those with padding seem to be in alot more pain than me at the end of a ride.

Well if you did the Etape Caledonia - you wont have any problems. I thought you were a new rider.
Bibs are easy to pee in anyway - they manage it on Le Tour - just pull the top down a bit and hoik the old fella out. No trickier than normal shorts.

keef66

cougie wrote:

Muffintop wrote:

I like the idea of bib shorts but just don't fancy getting in and out of them every time I go for a pee. I don't get on with padding at all, it's not that it just gets caught in the saddle, I do find a larger area of my bum gets sore when wearing them. I did the Etape Caledonia last year without padding. I had decided to stop wearing padding the week before. Whilst my seat bones got sore, I found I was much cooler, and overall a lot more comfy without it. Now I don't get sore at all and those with padding seem to be in alot more pain than me at the end of a ride.

Well if you did the Etape Caledonia - you wont have any problems. I thought you were a new rider.
Bibs are easy to pee in anyway - they manage it on Le Tour - just pull the top down a bit and hoik the old fella out. No trickier than normal shorts.

Muffintop isn't the OP, who in turn isn't a new rider, but new to road bikes. And bibs ain't so easy if you're a girl!