Roadie bigginner

eternalstudent

Well just got my first ever non-MTB

Thanks ChayMac



I'm going to run it as a single speed for a few miles to get used to the whole thing then swap to the fixed wheel .

I have 2 goals in mind.
1)- Get to the required cadence of 90 per minute for an hour
When 1 is achieved
2)-step the gear ratio up to 48:16 and still manage the cadence

At this point I will look to see what happens at a 10 mile TT.

Not sure yet if I will go for the club riding as I am not sure how welcome single speeders are. But either way need to learn how to do it first :roll:

But I have mapped out a nice 50km route for my first outing later on this evening

16mm

48 * 16 at 90rpm is about 21mph, so that's really good going for an hour solo.

Maybe try this for 10 mins for a start:-)
good luck.

declan1

Who said 90rpm is the 'required' cadence?

Also, gears make things so much easier

eternalstudent

declan1 wrote:

Who said 90rpm is the 'required' cadence?

Also, gears make things so much easier

Me. a cadence of 90 at a gear ratio of 3:1 on a 700c wheel is 20 mph. The target time in 10 mile TT's seems to be 30 minutes = 20 mph.

Gears make things so much easier when they work. I spend half my life trying to keep the gears on my MTB running the way they should, and the other half trying to decide which gear I should be in and would it be easier if I was in a different gear :oops:.

Single speed seemed to me to be a simple choice for a simple bloke.

declan1

eternalstudent wrote:

declan1 wrote:

Who said 90rpm is the 'required' cadence?

Also, gears make things so much easier

Me. a cadence of 90 at a gear ratio of 3:1 on a 700c wheel is 20 mph. The target time in 10 mile TT's seems to be 30 minutes = 20 mph.

Gears make things so much easier when they work. I spend half my life trying to keep the gears on my MTB running the way they should, and the other half trying to decide which gear I should be in and would it be easier if I was in a different gear :oops:.

Single speed seemed to me to be a simple choice for a simple bloke.

Fair enough

pride4ever

Groupset hater lol.

eternalstudent

pride4ever wrote:

Groupset hater lol.

Ok Not understanding that one (not overly bright here)

Well I can safely say that was harder than expected.

32 miles 2hrs 30 min. Soooooo I guess that means that I have my work cut out.

Observations however;
1- Drops are fun, but not with a beer gut!!!
2- 42:16 is fine for most things but definitely not the fastest

Questions;
1- I am sore on the little toe side of my foot, I assume I need to move my cleat but which way.
2- should my seat be tilted forward or should it be dead level. The lad I bought it off had it tilted forward, I levelled it but now wondering if it should be tilted?

Otherwise

I now have a bench mark, a target and and a reach target by date. So should be happy miles :-0

declan1

I think he's commenting on how you don't like gears.

Cleat should move towards the inside of your shoe, but it may not be that - do they fit properly?

Saddle should be either perfectly level or slightly tilted up at the front.

KevChallis

declan1 wrote:

I think he's commenting on how you don't like gears.

Cleat should move towards the inside of your shoe, but it may not be that - do they fit properly?

Saddle should be either perfectly level or slightly tilted up at the front.

is this right? tilted up at the front? surely thats going to stick in the gentlemans areas?? mine is slightly low at the front, yet comfortable, is it wrong?

declan1

KevChallis wrote:

declan1 wrote:

I think he's commenting on how you don't like gears.

Cleat should move towards the inside of your shoe, but it may not be that - do they fit properly?

Saddle should be either perfectly level or slightly tilted up at the front.

is this right? tilted up at the front? surely thats going to stick in the gentlemans areas?? mine is slightly low at the front, yet comfortable, is it wrong?

If it's comfortable then leave it unless you're getting pains in your hands/arms. If you do tilt it up slightly at the front it's only by 1-2 degrees. Most people have it perfectly level though.

eternalstudent

declan1 wrote:

I think he's commenting on how you don't like gears.

Cleat should move towards the inside of your shoe, but it may not be that - do they fit properly?

Saddle should be either perfectly level or slightly tilted up at the front.

Moving the cleat made a difference. My shoes are not the best, but they will do for now. I suffer from being asymetrical and one foot being bigger than the other so fitting shoes is always a pain.

Did my standard route today and can safely say that I have nocked 15 mins of my 14 mile route by changing bike (my old one was a commuter with a 53/39 front ring and 14-27 cassette).

declan1

Blimey! Maybe the SS forces you to go quicker