One piece of advice...

dstev55

OK, I'm about to get my first ever road bike (whenever my Cyclescheme certificate ever comes through!) and I was wondering, having never ridden a road bike before, what would the one single piece of advice be from those of you that are a bit more experienced?

lostboysaint

Don't get killed.

dstev55

lostboysaint wrote:

Don't get killed.

Thanks for that - I'll translate that in to "Take your time"

qube

Wear a helmet.

Wave at other roadies.

Anonymous

Seriously?

Pick the one that fits best and you like the look of, as that will make you enjoy it and want to ride it more.

dstev55

coriordan wrote:

Seriously?

Pick the one that fits best and you like the look of, as that will make you enjoy it and want to ride it more.

I'm not looking for advice on what bike to get, I know which bike I'm getting (you can't get a Cyclescheme certificate without choosing your bike first). I am simply asking what is the one piece of advice an experienced rider would give to a newcomer.

crannman

enjoy your cycling

Kieran_Burns

It's all about the bike.

http://www.velominati.com/the-rules/

Nothing else need be said.

ben16v

be self sufficient - carry your own tubes, tools etc and know how to use them, no-one will mind helping if you have given it a go yourself

BLW

Buy a good seat bag to keep your puni kit n spare inner tube in and a good set of lights.

Basically, kit yourself out right n enjoy the ride!

norvernrob

Don't for one moment be lured into living your cycling life by a set of made up rules.

Anonymous

Never assume any driver has seen you, knows where you are going, how fast you are going, that they know where you are when turning left. Treat them all as idiots and expect at least one to do something stupid.

donboogie

Pump your tires before every ride, and track your progress with Strava if you can.

ashtec

Never leave home without a basic brake down kit ie pump- inner tube - puncher repair kit- phone- drinks bottle- and £20 for just incase you never know when you need a rehydration stop even if the pub is the only place you can find lol

Also my misses used to interrogate me to where I was going how long did I think it was going to take just in case I get run over lol I just brought a garmin edge 810 and use live track now she's happy knowing I'm safe and on the plus side I got a sh*t hot computer justified by safty

Anonymous

never stop worrying

cougie

Get a decent track pump and nice tyres.

ai_1

Before you go anywhere, take the wheels off the bike and put them back on again. Very easy to do, front wheel is trivial and rear just involves looping the chain onto the cassette. A couple of minutes and you'll know you know how to do it. Then take one of the wheels and remove the tyre, pull out the tube and then re-assemble. If you can do that then you know how to repair a puncture. Put a saddle bag on your bike, a small one will do, and stick in a spare tube, a multi-tool, a couple of tyre levers and a puncture repair kit. Fit a mini-pump to the bike - most come with a bracket to allow you mount it on a bottle mount along side the bottle cage. None of these are particularly expensive and all are essential.
Also get a set of lights unless you never intend to be out except in full daylight.

After that, you have the essentials, go ride and enjoy yourself.

P.S.
A track pump is pretty much essential too. It makes it trivial to get the right pressure in your tyres at home. The mini-pump will get you out of trouble on the road but it's hard work to get tyres up to decent pressure.

CHRISNOIR

Make sure you have a good poo before you set off. Cycling always gets me, er, moving. I used to think that the blokes outside the cafe stop were waddling because of the cleated cycling shoes. Now I know better.

dstev55

Thanks for all the advice, particularly the one from CHRISNOIR

As the tyres that are coming on my bike (Btwin Alur 700) aren't that great I've already purchased some Michelin Pro4 Endurance tyres and I intent to fit these before I do a single metre on my bike so it will give me good practice for changing an inner tube.

On a side note, I've just discovered I may not be getting my new bike for a few weeks yet. I checked my payslip and noticed my first Cyclescheme payment has gone out, so not being too happy at it going out before I actually have the bike I called them to be told that the application had only just begun today and it may be another 30 days before it gets completed! Potentially I could have had 2 payments gone out before I have the bike. Considering the application originally got approved on the 29th December I'm not too happy at all!

iron-clover

Lycra is your friend- that's one I took a while to learn at my cost.

Gasperoni

Invest in a good pair of cycling shorts

Its always a bit of a dilemma when you start with no cycling clothing. How much do I spend? What if I don't end up cycling as much as I thought I would? So, its natural to buy at the lower end first, and there is plenty of good quality affordable stuff around, you just have to research and decide what is important for you. The one thing that can make the biggest difference to your enjoyment (or otherwise) of time in the saddle is your cycling shorts. I use Pearl Izumi Attack shorts. Not the cheapest, certainly not the most expensive, and there will be better (and more expensive) out there - its just an example of spending a little more in an important (and sensitive) area.

lostboysaint

dstev55 wrote:

lostboysaint wrote:

Don't get killed.

Thanks for that - I'll translate that in to "Take your time"

That's not a bad translation actually. What it really meant wasn't "take your time" but just "be aware". Don't ride around with blinkers on, take a good look at what's going on around you and sharpen the anticipation up. It'll make your ride both more enjoyable (actually taking in the environment you're cycling through) as well as safer.

Schoie81

Not a direct response to your thread, but re. the cyclescheme - I'd contact the cyclescheme directly and get some advice - it doesn't seem right to me that you've made your first payment out of your salary before you've got the certificate from them. I've bought three bikes now through the cyclescheme and on each occasion, the 'hire contract' started on the date the certificate was issued by them and then the first payment came out of my next payslip at the end of the month. The longest I've to had to wait between sending a quote to the cyclescheme and collecting the bike was 10days - I suspect the delays are coming from your employer/payroll department rather then the cyclescheme.

dstev55

Schoie81 wrote:

Not a direct response to your thread, but re. the cyclescheme - I'd contact the cyclescheme directly and get some advice - it doesn't seem right to me that you've made your first payment out of your salary before you've got the certificate from them. I've bought three bikes now through the cyclescheme and on each occasion, the 'hire contract' started on the date the certificate was issued by them and then the first payment came out of my next payslip at the end of the month. The longest I've to had to wait between sending a quote to the cyclescheme and collecting the bike was 10days - I suspect the delays are coming from your employer/payroll department rather then the cyclescheme.

Well it seems it only takes a quick e-mail to the right people to start the ball rolling!

I managed to find a contact who deals with the Cyclescheme at my company, and after e-mailing her this morning I have received my certificate this afternoon. Result!

stevie63

Maglia Rosa wrote:

Never assume any driver has seen you, knows where you are going, how fast you are going, that they know where you are when turning left. Treat them all as idiots and expect at least one to do something stupid.

Absolutely spot on, as the most vulnerable on the road this is the best way to make your rides safe.

clickrumble

Put your hands into the drops when going downhill! I didn't when I got my first road bike...result- broken shoulder.

turbotommy

Maglia Rosa wrote:

Never assume any driver has seen you, knows where you are going, how fast you are going, that they know where you are when turning left. Treat them all as idiots and expect at least one to do something stupid.

I think this is excellent advice. Self preservation before anything else on the list! Be predictable and consistent in your actions and learn how best to be assertive while not being overly aggressive.

HebdenBiker

Don't forget to check out your reflection in shop windows

heavylegs

Maglia Rosa wrote:

Never assume any driver has seen you, knows where you are going, how fast you are going, that they know where you are when turning left. Treat them all as idiots and expect at least one to do something stupid.

Amen!

dstev55

Again, thank you to everyone for the advice. I would like to think I am quite safety conscious anyway but I do worry about the amount of riding I will be doing on the road compared to what I have done so it will be very much on my mind.

Got my bike and absolutely love it on first impressions. Just had a go with the clipless pedals in our living room and I am absolutely crapping myself for my first ride tomorrow! Getting out of them is easy, clipping in not so much!

bigmat

Assume you are invisible. This works several ways:

1. You will ride more cautiously around traffic and learn to expect the unexpected;
2. You will ride and wear whatever kit you want and won't care what others think;
3. You won't take offence when other cyclists don't wave at you.

Can't believe someone described a saddle bag as "essential" - I rode over 8,000 miles last year without, at no point did I miss having one.