Very new to road riding...help please

Rossyjr

Good evening, my name is John, I am 24 and from Lancashire. I have recently bought a ribble road bike second hand,
I have a very basic knowledge of bikes but nothing really about road bikes. So far I have bought a rear light front light and not much else. Things I need, shoes (possibly pedals), padded tights, new saddle, spare inner tubes etc.
And also book it in for a service hopefully get a recommendation from here maybe!

My first question is the pedals the came on the bike I have no idea hat shoes would fit them so any help would be appreciated..pics below.

Thanks and hello!

Gizmodo

They are "SPD" pedals, commonly known as Mountain Bike pedals but perfectly acceptable (some say preferable) for road bikes. Any SPD shoe will be fine, you will also need SPD cleats (they bolt to the bottom of the shoe) as they normally come with the pedals. You can buy them on their own.

declan1

First thing - don't bother booking it in for a service. The shop will probably oil the chain and index the gears for £30 or something. Much better to buy some tools and learn to do it yourself; you will be much better off in the long run doing that.

Those pedals are Shimano SPDs - designed for mountain biking but can be used anywhere. You'll need SPD compatible shoes (not SPD-SL, which is the road variant) which have two mounting bolts for the cleats. You'll probably need cleats if you didn't get any with the bike. A good idea would be to get new pedals (look for Shimano M520, they are what you have and cleats are included with the pedals for not much more than the cleats on their own).

Other than that, make sure you get a track pump for your tyres, get your position sorted (don't go by the old method of touching the ground with your feet to get the right saddle height - that doesn't work anymore. Read up online to find some methods to set it correctly).

Most of all, though, enjoy!

Rossyjr

Ok thanks, so are there no shoes I can buy that will come with the cleats already with them? Could you recommend any? One other thing how hard is bar tape to replace?

Mikey41

The cleats will come with the pedals, but they aren't expensive to buy on their own. I'm using similar SPD pedals with Shimano M077 shoes.

Bar tape isn't that hard to replace, plenty of videos on YouTube will show you how it's done.

hipshot

SPD cleats are about £7-10ish. Google the big online sellers like Wiggle, Chain Reaction, Tredz, Evans to compare prices for shoes.

As has been mentioned YouTube is a good place to start for tutorials (positioning cleats, bike fit, bar tape, changing tyres, adjusting gears etc). It's a faff the first time you do it, but take your time, it will eventually become second nature.

Nice bike btw.

doug5_10

+1 for a DIY service, I am shortly going to try my first full strip and rebuild based solely on Youtube and the Parktools website (which is excellent). You will gradually become fluent in bikelish, I would reserve your LBS for only the most complicated jobs, damage advice, sourcing rare parts etc.

For a basic once over start with a thorough clean/degrease, lube all pivot points (no wd40!!!), check and adjust brakes (replace cables and pads if necessary), check and index gears (replace cables if necessary) + lube your chain. (only basic tools needed for these)
As you become more experienced you can move on to bottom brackets, headsets, wheel hubs and trueing etc.

As regards shoes, Mountain-bike SPD shoes are a good starter due to having a recessed cleat so the shoes are much easier to walk in, good if you are doing a lot of commuting say. If solely road/fitness riding, the road version SPD - SL gives a bigger platform so are comfier for longer distances, i started on road clipless pedals, its a piece of p1ss.

Get your set up right, start with your saddle height and work forward from there. Plenty of reading online for this: straight leg with heel on the pedal and crank at 6 o'clock, straight shins at 3/9 o'clock, the 109% rule etc.
As your saddle goes up, it moves backwards away from the BB slightly. Move the saddle incrementally forward on its rails so you remain the same distance from the bars. General rule on reach is whatever feels comfortable once you have your saddle right, not everybody can achieve the flat-backed pro position! One common rule of thumb is the front wheel hub should be obscured by the bars with your hands on the hoods.

I'm not sure you need a new saddle, looks like a fairly decent Selle Italia perch on there, whatever fits your bum bones best! When getting shorts/tights etc. go straight for the bibbed version, even cheap ones are vastly superior to standard shorts

And bar tape is a doddle, last time I had an LBS do it, it was a mess!

[End of waffle]

Rossyjr

Ok the service is scrubbed!! What sort of oils etc should I be using for what?

I think I will go for the spd-sl pedals as I am hopefully going to be doing some good distances on the bike and I want it to be comfy,

With regards to set up I have never even considered how I sit on the bike but looking on here there are a good few hints and what you have just told me will be a big help, thanks. The saddle is ok just a bit worn at the back and I'm only being picky buying a new one really it doesn't need it. The tights I have seen a few on wiggle relatively cheap, may even go for the short versions now we have had a glimpse of sunshine!!

Ordered some fizik bar tape last night and after watching a few videos on YouTube I will be giving that a go later this week! Thanks for all the help so far!

danlikesbikes

BR did a piece on cleaning your bike & whilst some people disagree with the order is a good start point - http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/article/w ... ike-18259/

Lots of brands out there for both chain lube, grease & degreaser. So many so that people will tell you theres is great and any other is not!

Basically chain lube for the chain & any parts that the chain runs on. I tend to use GT85 after cleaning & a quick wipe with an old rag to displace any water on all other moving parts except the wheel rims/brake blocks.

Grease for cables, though in summer I don't do this just use GT85 as above & a little in winter to stop the crud getting in but know others do all year round. Plus used if your going to be doing anything with your bottom bracket or other bearings as part of your service

doug5_10

GT85 is good for everything, but is too thin for the chain. I would get some dedicated "dry" lube which will cover all bases, this repels water and dust/dirt from the road. "Wet" lube is better for wet and manky conditions being heavier and gunky, so it sticks to all components. Best for winter (you never know in Britain though!) and mountain biking. I would also invest in some bike wash (posh soapy water), degreaser and grease as mentioned above for bearings, metal assembly etc.

simon_e

If you want to ride without SPD cleated shoes you could get some Shimano PD22 pedal reflectors that clip into SPD pedals and provide a flat platform on one side. I bought these from ebay for about £6. The pedals are double-sided so you can still use the other side with SPD shoes.

As for the saddle setup etc you may benefit from joining a club or finding a local group to ride with/learn from.

cattytown

Hi Rossy, welcome to the fold. Whereabouts in Lancs are you? Im down the road between Bolton and Wigan.

I would try the saddle first then you know what you dont like about it if there's a problem. If you get on with it it is money saved.

I changed the bar tape on my bike recently - Youtube is a must. I went for Lizard skins DSP which I think is ab compared to the stuff on the bike when I got it. As it was expensive I also bout a set of the cheapest tape I could find to have a practice run.

Paul.

goonz

Those drops look humungous!

Camcycle1974

Rossyjr wrote:

Ok the service is scrubbed!! What sort of oils etc should I be using for what?

I think I will go for the spd-sl pedals as I am hopefully going to be doing some good distances on the bike and I want it to be comfy,

With regards to set up I have never even considered how I sit on the bike but looking on here there are a good few hints and what you have just told me will be a big help, thanks. The saddle is ok just a bit worn at the back and I'm only being picky buying a new one really it doesn't need it. The tights I have seen a few on wiggle relatively cheap, may even go for the short versions now we have had a glimpse of sunshine!!

Ordered some fizik bar tape last night and after watching a few videos on YouTube I will be giving that a go later this week! Thanks for all the help so far!

Don't buy bike specific cleaner. It's expensive washing up liquid in a pretty bottle. Fairy and hot water will de-grease your chain etc. GT 85 to disperse any excess water. 3in1 oil to lube your chain (recently had some expensive wax lube on my chain. After 35 miles it started squeaking. applied 3in1, no more squeaking!) grease for headset calipers etc. Doesn't need to be complicated or expensive just make the maintenance regular and your bike will serve you well.

Rossyjr

Catty town - hi, i live a few miles outside preston, I'm going to give the saddle a go and see how I get on was only really after changing it because its a little bit worn. Just done the bar tape, went for some fizik tape and to be honestly I surprised myself how well it ended up, I'll put a pic up after.

Goons- drops? Please explain? I'm new to this

cattytown

Trying the saddle will give you an idea of what you ike. If it fits and you get on, just get a newer one of the same. If it doesn't, you have some info on needing wider/narrower/cutuout etc.

Paul.

doug5_10

Rossyjr wrote:

- drops? Please explain? I'm new to this

As in the 'drop' handlebars. Three different positions i.e.: on the bars, on the hoods, on the drops

marylogic

The Haynes bike book is quite a good buy. I got it when I got my first road bike a few years ago and it is very helpful for the beginner - I still refer to it now - usually it gives me an idea of what I can tackle myself and what is an lbs (local bike shop) job.

Rossyjr

Ahh drops! So bars is the top of the bars, hoods is the hoods of the brake/gear levers and drops Is the bottom bars!? I think it's just the angle to picture was taken at that makes them look big!

Ill have a look for the Haynes book cheers, found YouTube very useful so far! Managed to check and adjust brakes and new bar tape yesterday, not confident enough to take on gears yet!

cattytown

Like most things on bikes gears are logical. Be methodical and you'll be fine. Set the limits first, then adjust the cable to get tidy shifting. Lots of vids on you tube. A workshop stand helps. lots of pedal spinning and gear shifting and you see how the gears are changing.

Paul.

Rossyjr

Cheers Paul, a workshop stand is on my list of things to buy definitely, I'm sure i will suss it out with a bit of trial and error!

cattytown

It does make a lot of jobs significantly easier.

doug5_10

Rossyjr wrote:

Ahh drops! So bars is the top of the bars, hoods is the hoods of the brake/gear levers and drops Is the bottom bars!? I think it's just the angle to picture was taken at that makes them look big!

Ill have a look for the Haynes book cheers, found YouTube very useful so far! Managed to check and adjust brakes and new bar tape yesterday, not confident enough to take on gears yet!

No experience of the Haynes book, but two good online 'bike bibles' are Park Tools and Sheldon Brown, never found anything not to be covered by these and Youtube.

http://www.parktool.com/blog/repair-help
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/