New rider! Any tips?

declan1

Hello everyone!

My name's Declan (as you may have guessed), and I have recently purchased my first road bike. I previously (still do) had a Saracen Mantra 1 MTB, but I really wanted something for the road. I'm not the richest kid on the block (being 16), so I opted for this:

http://www.rutlandcycling.com/30786/Vik ... -Bike.html

I absolutely LOVE it. I know it's not the lightest, or has the best components, but the comparison to my MTB is almost non-existent. I went for a 10-mile ride with a friend yesterday. I was not tired at the end, which is amazing considering I am hardly 'fit'. He is a marathon-runner and has a Cube Aerial (2009), so he did have a slight edge on the hills!

Anyway. Do any of you have any tips for me? I don't think my technique is very good, so any tips there? Also, I want to upgrade parts of my bike in the future; what should I look at first for best price-performance ratio?

Thanks for reading my very long post! I have a feeling this is going to be a good forum

kentphil

Welcome! Cycling is very addictive so hope you have many more enjoyable rides ahead of you.

Technique wise the best advice is to keep the rate at which you pedal (cadence) fairly consant. I think about 80-90 rpm is good.

As for upgrades wheels are generally accepted as being the most beneficial as you get the best improvement for he money you spend. We all started out riding cheaper bikes. Once you get fitter and ride more you'll be lusting after better bikes. I'd wait until you have a better frame to base your upgrades around.

hope this is of help

declan1

KentPhil wrote:

Welcome! Cycling is very addictive so hope you have many more enjoyable rides ahead of you.

Technique wise the best advice is to keep the rate at which you pedal (cadence) fairly consant. I think about 80-90 rpm is good.

As for upgrades wheels are generally accepted as being the most beneficial as you get the best improvement for he money you spend. We all started out riding cheaper bikes. Once you get fitter and ride more you'll be lusting after better bikes. I'd wait until you have a better frame to base your upgrades around.

hope this is of help

Thank you for your reply! I may upgrade the wheels in the distant future when I have some money to spend on them! I'm not too bad on flat roads, but going up hills I really struggle. I read somewhere to keep the pedalling smooth and not 'pulsing'. Is that good?

I'm currently 6' 0.5" and just under 11 stone, so I suppose I could try and lose a bit of weight!

cooper.michael1

Welcome to to board!

In the first instance I think you have to find your own style when climbing, as we are all different. If you watch this video you'll see Ivan Basso doing interval training. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQweKmTTTww

If you notice at the start of the video Ivan is turning a high gear, which will work his leg muscles very hard. Later in the video he switches to a lower gear spinning much more quickly which is easier on the legs but will work your cardio system (heart) much more.

The similarity in both, regardless of the gear he is using is the smoothness of his pedal action - keep an eye on his upper body and how little it moves, he climbs smoothly with all his energy going into his legs. Intervals like Ivan does here, alternating between cadences is a good way not only to get fit but you find what works best for you.

The only upgrade I might reccommend for those Viking bikes based on a couple I've seen (and its not a sexy upgrade!) would be maybe some modern dual pivot brakes, a set of cheap Shimano ones may make the brakes feel more powerful giving you more confidence. Other than that i'd wait to see if you enjoy cycling and if you do look at more exotic equipment at a later date.

declan1

cooper.michael1 wrote:

Welcome to to board!

In the first instance I think you have to find your own style when climbing, as we are all different. If you watch this video you'll see Ivan Basso doing interval training. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQweKmTTTww

If you notice at the start of the video Ivan is turning a high gear, which will work his leg muscles very hard. Later in the video he switches to a lower gear spinning much more quickly which is easier on the legs but will work your cardio system (heart) much more.

The similarity in both, regardless of the gear he is using is the smoothness of his pedal action - keep an eye on his upper body and how little it moves, he climbs smoothly with all his energy going into his legs. Intervals like Ivan does here, alternating between cadences is a good way not only to get fit but you find what works best for you.

The only upgrade I might reccommend for those Viking bikes based on a couple I've seen (and its not a sexy upgrade!) would be maybe some modern dual pivot brakes, a set of cheap Shimano ones may make the brakes feel more powerful giving you more confidence. Other than that i'd wait to see if you enjoy cycling and if you do look at more exotic equipment at a later date.

I see what you mean about Ivan hill-climbing. He looks so calm and relaxed! I definitely don't look like that climbing hills!

I must say the brakes on my bike are not the best. They do stop me, but after going 40-50mph down a rather steep hill they do feel a bit inadequate...

Anyway, thanks for the reply; I'm actually going out for a ride in a minute so I'll try going up a hill smoothly!

NITR8s

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Clarks-Triple-Compound-Cartridge-Shimano/dp/B005PVLSCS/ref=sr_1_6?s=sports&ie=UTF8&qid=1340782036&sr=1-6

Get yourself a set of these and upgrade your pads. Will be a cheap upgrade but will defo make your braking safer.

declan1

NITR8s wrote:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Clarks-Triple-Compound-Cartridge-Shimano/dp/B005PVLSCS/ref=sr_1_6?s=sports&ie=UTF8&qid=1340782036&sr=1-6

Get yourself a set of these and upgrade your pads. Will be a cheap upgrade but will defo make your braking safer.

They certainly look considerably better than the standard pads; only £10 aswell! I'll definitely get some ASAP! Thanks for the advice

NITR8s

No worries I had the same issue with the Claud Butler bike i started out on, bought a set of these and instantly made the braking more reassuring. So much so the majority of the people I ride with have bought these for their bikes too, after seeing them on my bike.

dodgerdog

Declan,

As with most things in life, focus on good technique (pedalling, climbing, cornering, descending etc) and speed will follow.

Also gradually build distance/time but never forget that rest is fundamental to the body becoming stronger and associated with that is the need to maintain a sound diet.

declan1

I was rummaging around my drawers just now, and found my cycle computer, a nice spanner in a case, and a bikeradar.com cycling multitool! A very successful evening so far!

buzzwold

On the riding front - sound advice from all. I personally find the training videos a bit off putting as you can worry too much about technique too early. Get out and ride and set yourself some targets you'll find that you'll get better, feel more confident and go faster. Then start looking again at techniques to iron out wrinkles or generally improve.

Look at nutrition and hydration as the rides get longer. You don't need to go overboard on these but find something you're happy with. Personally I stay off the gels and stay on supermarket granola type bars, home baked muffins etc. As far as diet is concerned, I've found that I'm naturally gravitating towards healthier options but I'm no food nut so eat pretty much what I like.

Finally kit. There's a point where upgrading the components on a bike don't make sense given the quality of the frame so be wary of spending too much. However, in strict order of upgrade - tyres, contact points, wheels.

Oh if you haven't invested in the lycra yet, do consider getting some road specific kit. It can make a mental as well as a physical difference to the quality of your rides.

Enjoy the riding.

Mikey23

And if you do get the opportunity to ride with a club then give it a go. My experience is that it will give you confidence, pick up tips, make new buds and possible riding partners. Mine starts from a fairly busy city area in the late rush hour, so gets me used to cycling on busy roads, cleating in and out and at traffic lights, negotiating roundabouts, using gears correctly. And it's good to know that you can keep up with these cycling whippets and most of the others look as crap as you do in Lycra!

declan1

Thanks again for the advice! I'm going for a 10 mile ride this afternoon, and since I live in Scotland there's plenty of hills to practice on haha!

I'll probably take a chocolate bar (it's all I have currently) to make me feel better after the big hill

Also, the tires that came with my bike seem to be some unknown make, so when/if I get a puncture, I was considering getting some Continental GP4000's. Would they be suitable for the Scottish roads? Also, can better tires actually make a difference to speed?

EDIT -- Just back from my 9-mile ride - it was brilliant! I wasn't out of breath when I came back, and I kept up an average speed of about 13-14mph. There were a few big hills as well so I'm very pleased that I managed them