First spin didnt last long!

JohnnyDrama

Hi Guys,

So I bought my first road bike, actually my first ever bike. Took it for a spin to try it out and get used to riding it. Done a few laps of a local market square yard and things were going great. I had grasped everything from starting, stopping, standing up, and pedaling standing up...

And then I got a puncture.

Can I just write this off as bad luck? Or was it possibly something I did?

Also if you could give me some tips as to the best way for me to break myself into riding on the road.... e.g should I try it first on the road with flat pedals then introduce clipless pedals ? get used to riding with clipless pedals then go on the road? or just jump straight into the deep end and go for it!

Gutted about the puncture....think I got the bug after just 20min of riding!!!!

dnwhite88

Were your tyres pumped up enough? When they are under inflated they are more prone to punctures and pinch flats. Put it down to bad luck-I usually only get one or two punctures per summer. Tyre pressure depends largely on body weight and personal preference.

JohnnyDrama

thanks for the quirk reply! The tyres were at 100psi...would that count as under inflated? I weigh about 80kg.

Initialised

No, that's about right.

Maybe you were riding too close to the gutter.

dnwhite88

Tyre pressure sounds fine so put it down to bad luck, don't replace the tyres before they wear out but you can buy tyres with higher puncture protection for winter, when punctures are far more common.

ForumNewbie

JohnnyDrama wrote:

Hi Guys,
Also if you could give me some tips as to the best way for me to break myself into riding on the road.... e.g should I try it first on the road with flat pedals then introduce clipless pedals ? get used to riding with clipless pedals then go on the road? or just jump straight into the deep end and go for it!

I'd recommend you ride on the road at first with flat pedals to get used to the bike, the gears, the traffic etc. Once confident with the bike on the road you can try clipping in. I would recommend double-sided SPD mountain bike pedals and shoes as easier to use than SPD-SL road pedals and shoes, and they are fine on road bikes.

norvernrob

The problem with starting off with flat pedals is that as soon as you change to clipless you're likely to forget you need to unclip and fall off. I started with SPD-SL's and have only come off once in well over 1000 miles, which was my own fault for trying to set off up a 20% gradient!

Schoie81

Think I agree with NorvernRob - I rode a MTB for about 2 years on flat pedals, then got a road bike and rode it on flats for a while, then got clipless pedals for both. Having done that, I can't see any benefit in having done it that way - get clipless pedals - you'll get used to them pretty quick anyway and I have to say that using clipless pedals felt better than flats on a road bike, I felt more stable and less wobbly so I would have jumped straight into using them if I knew then what I know now. As for getting used to riding on the roads, stay clear of traffic at first, just get used to the bike and negotiating junctions (esp. when turning right) and roundabouts on quiet roads and at quiet times - at this time of year its easy to go out for 30mins early morning or late evening because its plenty light enough.

The flat tyre - do you know what caused it? Was there something in it, or was it a pinch flat (snakebite)? I've done close to 2000 miles on my bike since I got it last summer and have had a few flats - all but one of them were probably my fault....

markhewitt1978

If you can start your riding with clipless pedals then you should! Most peoples troubles with clipless is that they are used to riding with flat pedals and forgetting to unclip before they put a foot down, you would imagine skipping that step would be easier.

Sounds like you've just a bit of bad luck or ran over some glass - everywhere in the UK apart from in the wheel tracks of roads seems to be covered in shards of broken glass!

iron-clover

Hi there,
My lower end road bike came with tyres that weren't really up to scratch and punctured like clockwork every 12 miles. I did 3 rides before giving up and buying a pair or Gatorskins instead.

Make sure you have the tyres inflated properly before each ride (i.e. 100psi or above) and avoid the gutter and other gravely parts of the road where sharp stones and glass might gather, and see how they go. If you keep puncturing you might just need to get more durable tyres.

The problem with the ones that came with my bike was the relatively deep grooves on either side of the tyre to serve as 'tread', but these acted as funnels for sharp flints etc and the rubber at the bottom of the grooves was very thin. I turned out that the tread pattern wasn't needed for use on tarmac anyway.

JohnnyDrama

Thanks for all your replies!

So a friend replaced the tube for me yesterday evening and they thought that the puncture may have been caused by the tube being pinched when it was fitted.

Anyways a new tube later I took to the footpath and completed a 7km round trip on a local stretch. Was very wobbly on the way out but steadied alot on the return leg.

I have shimano a530 spd pedals, and im currently using the flat side. I think it might be best for me to get used to riding the road first of all with flat pedals before introducing clipless pedals simply due to my lack of experience in cycling in general!

Tonight I done 7 laps of a 1km loop thats popular for walkers in the local area. weaving between the pedastrians definately calmed my nerves regarding my handling skills. Then I took to the road for a 500m stretch that involved 2 slight hills and 2 corners. took the first corner quite wide.

Can anyone give me any tips to make myself more sturdy on the bike?

Monty Dog

Get yourself a track pump with a gauge to make sure you're putting enough pressure in your tyres. Ride lots, try to stay relaxed and be careful not to push too hard. Weaving around pedestrians won't win you many friends - try a quiet section of road with no cars and peds.