BRAND NEW TO ROAD CYCLING!!! Need your tips!

stevejackiw

Hi guys, Steve here.. Hello!!!

I was given a Raleigh Revenio and need your advice on what to do, and what NOT to do..
ie go on kerbs or cycle slow for potholes..

All advice is welcome..
Thanks
Steve

ShutUpLegs

Pedal as hard as possible

simon_masterson

Hello Steve. I'm afraid your questions are a little vague, but potholes - particularly large ones - are best avoided entirely. You can bunny hop up kerbs on a road bike if you really want but you shouldn't need to.

Other than that, do you have any cycling gear and clothing? Does the bike have pedals? It's best to start with just to get out on the bike. Make sure you get the seatpost height right before you do.

stevejackiw

Thanks SImon,
The bike has strapped pedals.. Ive been 300 yards on it, but im cautios because it feels alot more fragile than im used to (mtb)..

I dont have cycle clothing, i was just gonna wear jeans and a tshirt at first (until i can figure the clothing side of things).. The seat and position feels good and as far as i know, its set up right.

Should i dive straight in to buying better pedals?
Do i NEED lycra?
What sort of spares should i be carrying if i want to go for a long cycle?
How long is a 'long cycle'?

Ive been using an MTB for years, so are there habbits i need to try not to do for the sake of NOT damaging the bike?
Thanks

MattyyP

I wouldn't wear Jeans on a road bike for any longer than 15 minutes... Else you may regret it... lol. What did you ride in on your MTB?

Mikey41

Don't worry about the strength of the frame, it might be much lighter than the MTB, but you won't break it just by riding off a kerb or over some rough road (you have seen the Road Bike Party vid by Martyn Ashton right?? ). Avoid potholes though as they can cause pinch punctures.

stevejackiw wrote:

Thanks SImon,
I dont have cycle clothing, i was just gonna wear jeans and a tshirt at first (until i can figure the clothing side of things).. The seat and position feels good and as far as i know, its set up right.

Should i dive straight in to buying better pedals?
Do i NEED lycra?
What sort of spares should i be carrying if i want to go for a long cycle?
How long is a 'long cycle'?

Now for this bit.

The T shirt will be fine, but don't wear jeans. Any more than 2 miles and you will find out why. Denim is heavy and will chafe you in the wrong places... a lot. If you don't fancy the tight shorts, get something like the Endura Humvee's, it's just better.

Hmm, Lycra. I was very tentative with this at first, but this is the job it was designed for and it does it extremely well. It keeps you cool and warm at the same time, stretches with the body instead of rubbing against it and is lightweight.

Spares. Pretty much what you need for puncture repair. Spare tube, some patches (just in case), mini pump and a multitool. I'll have my phone, debit card and a tenner with me too.

A long ride is when you are going further away than you'd be willing to walk back. In just 1 hour you could be 14/15 miles away from home, I consider anything more than an hour to be a long ride.

Best of luck, and enjoy it!

vortice

stevejackiw wrote:

Hi guys, Steve here.. Hello!!!

I was given a Raleigh Revenio and need your advice on what to do, and what NOT to do..
ie go on kerbs or cycle slow for potholes..

All advice is welcome..
Thanks
Steve

Hi Steve,

My advice is just take it slowly. Try and ride as frequently as you can, even if it is only a few miles at a time and read the forums. In a weeks time you will feel more comfortable and know more than you do now. In two weeks time you will have progressed further. Try not to run before you can walk, but try and learn and improve a little more each time.

Don't spend unnecessary money until you know that cycling is for you and even then do your research. Pretty much any question you have will have been answered somewhere in these forums.

Enjoy - it becomes addictive!

John

stevejackiw

this was just the advice i was looking for, ive been using humvees for mtb so ill carry on with that until i move on to lycra.

Thanks everyone..
Exactly what i needed to hear.

all the best
steve

p.s What an awesome video!

gerroffandmilkit

Some peole don't bother but I would recommend buying a helmet if you don't already have one.
Gloves
Lights

Padded lycra shorts under trackie bottoms are fine to start with. Just get a cheap pair of padded shorts to start with until you're happy you are hooked on cycling.

simon_masterson

stevejackiw wrote:

Thanks SImon,
The bike has strapped pedals.. Ive been 300 yards on it, but im cautios because it feels alot more fragile than im used to (mtb)..

I dont have cycle clothing, i was just gonna wear jeans and a tshirt at first (until i can figure the clothing side of things).. The seat and position feels good and as far as i know, its set up right.

Should i dive straight in to buying better pedals?
Do i NEED lycra?
What sort of spares should i be carrying if i want to go for a long cycle?
How long is a 'long cycle'?

Ive been using an MTB for years, so are there habbits i need to try not to do for the sake of NOT damaging the bike?
Thanks

As others have said, don't worry about the fragility of it as such. Non-custom road wheels generally aren't designed to withstand heavy riders, but that's about it. Carbon fibre is very strong if flexed in the direction it is designed to (i.e. don't drop a hammer on it!).

Pedals-wise, you don't have to go for clipless pedals, particularly to start with. They just happen to be very effective and convenient. I don't suppose that the clips and straps you have are particularly good ones, but they will work. Keep them loose to begin with.

You don't HAVE to have lycra, but it is the best way to have a pad, which you will want for riding at any kind of intensity for any distance. And cycling jerseys are cut to suit the position in which they are used, wick well and have pockets.

Spares-wise, I would suggest a spare tube or two, something to pump with and a multitool.

And a long cycle could be 40 miles or it could be 150. It really depends on the terrain and the rider. To start with I'd suggest you try going out for a couple of hours and seeing how far you go.

bompington

Listen to all the advice on this forum and try most of it, but decide for yourself - the things that benefit you will be clear enough!
Don't forget to enjoy it. You can go flat out sometimes and pootle sometimes, you choose. Enjoy the speed, enjoy the pain of pushing yourself uphill harder, faster and for longer than you thought you could possibly manage. And the satisfaction of doing it better than last time. Go out into the wind and relish the grim struggle, then turn round and go back home feeling like you're flying and Wiggins himself couldn't catch you on a motorbike.
Have fun.

mrbubbaman

That video is brilliant and here I am worried about bumping up a kerb!

stevejackiw

All you guys have really great advice, thanks

HeatherMillsLeg

mrbubbaman wrote:

That video is brilliant and here I am worried about bumping up a kerb!

Yes - video is excellent - got sent it a few months back from my bike mechanic's Twitter feed.

You should still be worried about "bumping" up a kerb though - a good way to puncture your tyres or put your wheel out of true which can lead to problems.

Also worth checking out the outtakes of this vid (unless they are bolted on the end) - Dunno if he snapped a frame but IIRC there was a lot of damage in the making of this video!

Don't go down the skatepark showing off to the kids unless you can cleanly bunny hop up a 12"+ bus curb- hold a wheelie for more than 20 seconds or perform bar spins!

corriebee1

Steve. I've just started out too, and I'll reassure you that long rides can be a lot less than 40 miles for me!

I'm 33, relatively sporty, and If i've done 15 miles with any amount of climbing then I'll definiotey be feeling it. The muscles used are different to those I've grown accustomed to using so i'm learning from scratch again.

An hour out regularly, doing 13-15 miles is a good place to start. I'd say that (certainly for me) a 40 miler is a bold beginning!

Mikey41

HeatherMillsLeg wrote:

Also worth checking out the outtakes of this vid (unless they are bolted on the end) - Dunno if he snapped a frame but IIRC there was a lot of damage in the making of this video!

Seemingly not. He chipped a fork, scratched a brake lever and had one puncture. The bike cost them £10k and they only had one, so he had to look after it

Back on topic: Distance depends on what you're used to already from MTB, you'll find it easier to spin along on the road and you'll be surprised how well the bike will climb too.

Phill B

hello Steve, if i could offer you only one piece of advice it would be to cut up any credit cards you own.

djm501

Phill B wrote:

hello Steve, if i could offer you only one piece of advice it would be to cut up any credit cards you own.

^^^^
This

On reason I started was to cut down on my fuel spend on the car. I reckon I've spent at least twice on bits and bobs for the bike, plus repairs and clothing that I ever would have on petrol. And that's not counting the outlay on the bikes themselves.