Oh my god! I actually bought a road bike!
LimitedGarry
Posts: 400
Check out those sweet pedals. Yes, those are MTB downhill pedals. Now you've seen everything.
Had to use something to get the beast home. Will be running it with SPDs but my shoes are still wet after yesterday's ride in hail and mud.
Started mountain biking less than two years ago and really got into it. Cross country by definition, with a lot of climbing and technical descending.
I have to share this story cause it's ridiculous. I had a dream in which someone came to visit us and they arrived on a road bike. And something was wrong with it so I picked it up and noticed that there parts on it bent, including the frame and stuff. And the person said that if I fix it, I can keep it. And in that dream, I was absolutely stoked about having a road bike. Woke up and really wanted a road bike. So badly I went online and started to look for used ones.
I let it sit for a few days, you know, to make sure it's not one of those sudden urges that will pass a few moments later, which gave me plenty of time to consider all the pros and cons.
I'm getting to the prime of my season, when I'm riding 1000km and more every month, lots of it training rides for base, endurance and sometimes intervals, and pretty much daily morning fasted rides. And let's not forget my 100+km touring/exploration rides, lots of which could be done tarmac only. Translated to a mountain bike, that's new chain every month, new cassette every two or three months, new chainring once a year or more often. And also the thought of being faster on the roads, having a bike that's actually at home on the roads when the trails are wet... Yeah, I could justify buying another bike.
I once swore I'd only have one bike, but here I am. I've a fleet now. The barrier has been broken. Something tells me two will not be the final number.
Bought this used, an old Duratec frame (third hand, very good condition, only one insignificant ding on the frame and a few scratches on the chainstay), Ultegra groupset (1 year old), new chain and cassette, custom built wheels (1 year old) and a carbon fork (unclear how old)... Price was just around 300 euros, give or take conversion. I'm hardly classified enough to be sure, but i think that was a nice price, at least judging by other available bikes and the price of Ultegra groupsets. The guy threw in a bunch of spare tubes, SPD pedals, two extra tyres, one only slightly used, and spare tube pouch.
Had a real "whoa there" moment after getting on the bike. My very first time sitting on a road bike. Expected it to accelerate fast but not THAT fast. And then when I started to brake it felt like I'm not slowing down, which nearly gave me a heart attack (as I was going at over 30kmh, heading straight towards a passing train). And before I knew it, I was standing still. Completely different feel than riding a mountain bike.
Everything went better than expected, had a rather fun time riding back home. Going against strong wind at medium-low effort, I looked at the computer and saw 25kmh, at which point I started to laugh, saying "are you kidding me" loud. I'm super excited about the bike and can't wait to ride it more. I thought I'd have it just as a training bike but man, the road bike is a completely different experience.
So now I'm digesting everything I can about road biking to kinda start getting into it. And I have a couple of specific questions. Some of them may be stupid but I'm curious about that. If there is some kind of a typical paragraph of advice for noobies, especially those coming from MTB, give it here.
Question 1 - Can you ride up pavement curbs? I mean... you can, obviously, but is it safe to do it? On my 29er, I just monstertruck most of them, but I'm literally scared to do it on the road bike. The bike feels kinda fragile to me at the moment.
Question 2 - A suggestion for a front tyre? I have absolutely no field of reference. It'll take a while to figure everything out.
Question 3 - Opinions and experience with tubeless setups? I haven't converted my MTB yet, but considering it on the road bike just to prevent flats.
Question 4 - Related to question 2. Is there actually much difference between tyres, aside from volume and maybe durability? If so, is there some kind of a comprehensive guide to road tyres? I'm certain there will be difference between compounds but you know... would like a place to start getting some field of reference.
Question 5 - How much does handling change when the tarmac is wet? On the MTB, it feels the bike has actually less rolling resistance and unchanged grip (still talking about tarmac).
Question 6 - How often do you use the lower portion of the drop bars? On my test ride, I honestly didn't really feel much faster and ended up using the higher one most of the time, as it was considerably more comfortable. So I kinda took it that the lower position is for those occasions when you want to get aggressive and as aero as you can. I have not yet set my seat properly yet though, so that might be a factor.
Sorry for the wall of text. I'm just really impressed at the moment and I've only ridden maybe 10km. Thanks in advance for any input.
0
Comments
-
Excellent! Another Garry with two Rs!
Welcome.0 -
I did the same change so maybe you will find useful my experience.
1) Is safe but you have to be very careful, the margin of error is way smaller than the MTB
2)On the road bikes we use usually the same tire for both wheels, just less pressure on the front. For good cheap you can check continental ultra sport 2, for better and more expensive check continental GP. Both excellent tires for their price range, but they are plenty other good out there. Use at least 25mm tire, and that one is related to your 1st question.
3)No, its not only about the flats, road bikes are all about speed, every gram it counts, so the less weight you have the faster you go, and especially at wheels its a big factor for the acceleration.
4)Its all about the rolling resistance, the better tire the more watts you save, the more faster you go. If you search the internet you will find several reviews, i just suggested you the tires that i use and i am pretty happy with them.
5)You have less grip, i actually go slower to feel safe, but the biggest effect is the brake power, the caliber brakes aint disc brakes, actually this is what i miss most from my MTB. My next road 100% will have disc brakes.
6)As i said before road bikes are all about speed. Aerodynamics is playing HUGE role on that, more than the bike weight, thats why roadies shave their legs for example, so when you go down or going flat and you want to go fast, a race for example, you will use the lower position ALOT. Since you are coming from an MTB, you will need some time to adjust, i have disc hernia so it took me like 4 months to feel comfortable on that position since my back flexibility is not the best. Also have in mind that the road bikes are separated on 2 major categories, racing and endurance. The 1st its all about speed and power transfer on the pedals, the 2nd are more comfortable can absorb more the vibrations, can use wider tires, and they have more upright geometry, so you can stay longer on the saddle on excess some speed. keep in mind that bike fit is way more important on the road bikes than the MTB's, for example i had pain on my right knee, the solution it was to put the saddle higher for just 3mm, and the pain left.
Now what i like more, road, or MTB? i love road for the speed, and that i can go very far, you dont have to worry every second to find your line, you just get your pace and going. What i hate? the very competitive nature of roadies, and the strava obsession.
What i love from the MTB? it gives you more adrenaline, you go on a places that nobody else can go, you are in the nature, and the MTBers are more supportive. What i hate? very easy to fell. So what i prefer? road is my wife, if i have to chose one, i will keep my road, but the MTB is my girlfriend, the woman that i have fun, so Saturday is a road bike day, and Sunday MTB, and those 2 women can co-exist peacefully for a year and a half that i am serious about cycling.0 -
Yeah about the sometimes way too competitive riders on road bikes. I can overtake most of the casual ones going at my haul ass pace (around 35kmh). The funy thing is when they dont want to be overtaken and just speed up to get away. A minute later, I'm tailing them again because they can't keep that speed up.
I can't wait to further explore the dynamics of the bike. Especially how fast am I going to be on open roads with no wind. But right now it felt that top speed is not that much higher, but average speed is much higher, with the effort being more aerobic and acceleration requring much less of it.
Can feel that 100+ km long trips will be a blast. Always enjoyed touring - getting somewhere nice, having a lunch and beer and going back home a different route. Now I have a more suitable machine for that.
Thanks for the input. Finding out that it's all a lot take in. Mainly all the different standards, like tyres. Right now we're having some horrendous weather and I'm having long days at work, so will have to wait till next week to have proper long ride. Till then just hour long training rides.0 -
LimitedGarry wrote:Yeah about the sometimes way too competitive riders on road bikes. I can overtake most of the casual ones going at my haul ass pace (around 35kmh). The funy thing is when they dont want to be overtaken and just speed up to get away. A minute later, I'm tailing them again because they can't keep that speed up.
I can't wait to further explore the dynamics of the bike. Especially how fast am I going to be on open roads with no wind. But right now it felt that top speed is not that much higher, but average speed is much higher, with the effort being more aerobic and acceleration requring much less of it.
Can feel that 100+ km long trips will be a blast. Always enjoyed touring - getting somewhere nice, having a lunch and beer and going back home a different route. Now I have a more suitable machine for that.
Thanks for the input. Finding out that it's all a lot take in. Mainly all the different standards, like tyres. Right now we're having some horrendous weather and I'm having long days at work, so will have to wait till next week to have proper long ride. Till then just hour long training rides.
If you need more speed you can always change the crankset, right now most probably you have compact one (50 teeth in front) to semi compact (52 teeth) or the original one 53, but if you do that you will suffer a lot on climbing. For me compact is perfect since Cyprus is very hilly, and my friends are obsessed with climbing. Our aim is to find the best traditional coffee shops on the villages to enjoy our coffee, thats why our name is Coffee Brake rides
. 0 -
on a long straight get to cruising speed and then go on the drops (without upping effort) and watch your speed creep up. It is very unscientific but will give you an idea of the benefits.
Wait until you feel the benefits of drafting - the more the better but even one person is significant.0 -
Climbing is something I definitely intend to do. On my mountain bike, I can fit 900-1000m of climbing into about 50km, but that includes off-road and technical climbing. Road climbing will be a new thing to me, so I'll probably be looking at stuf that's a bit further away.
To be honest, I have no idea what chainrings I've got, or what cassette range. But I'm very vurious about how the gear ratios work on climbs because comparing the rocket to my MTB, those tiny sprockets make me think no way in hell that can climb. Plan to hit three short climbs today, one minor, one steep, and one steep enough to give some motorised vehicles a run for their money.
Edit: Oh and drafting is not a new concept to me When riding with fast XC riders on tarmac, we'd take turns leading the pack. Really helps maintaining speed. 0 -
LimitedGarry wrote:Climbing is something I definitely intend to do. On my mountain bike, I can fit 900-1000m of climbing into about 50km, but that includes off-road and technical climbing. Road climbing will be a new thing to me, so I'll probably be looking at stuf that's a bit further away.
To be honest, I have no idea what chainrings I've got, or what cassette range. But I'm very vurious about how the gear ratios work on climbs because comparing the rocket to my MTB, those tiny sprockets make me think no way in hell that can climb. Plan to hit three short climbs today, one minor, one steep, and one steep enough to give some motorised vehicles a run for their money.
Edit: Oh and drafting is not a new concept to me When riding with fast XC riders on tarmac, we'd take turns leading the pack. Really helps maintaining speed.
Climbing is way deferent than MTB thats for sure, and for me is harder too since the lower gears are way bigger than the MTB, 34/28 is the usual on compact crankset but you can change the cassette with 32 and thats it, but you will need new derailleur and chain. An other huge deference is that on road you keep a constant pace, and you are trying the pedal spinning to be on 80-90 range. On the MTB the pace is not constant, you change it all the time, and thats why roadies use a cadence sensor with their bike computer. As you said road bike is more about aerobic. You will also need to understand the heart rate zones too.0 -
Ive been a late starter on road bikes, as was a casual rider at most, only getting into it since I bought my first decent road bike in December 2016.
http://www.bicyclerollingresistance.com/
This is a good website if you want to drill down into the tyre situation, but dont get too deep into the rolling resistance as others have pointed out Wind resistance/Aero is more of an issue.
After some good advice I changed my tyres to Conti GP 4000sii and they feel all round better than the stock fitted tyres.
Then theres the issue of correct tyre pressure, which I have asked others about, this again will get you loads of suggestions on whats right. On the road bike you will feel the rough and pott holed tarmac more than on the MTB.
FYI Im 5;10" 76kgs slim build and 54yrs. Ive tried 95 psi in rear and 90 psi in front having settled on those after running lower and higher psi. Its all a trade off on what you want More psi you feel the bumps more. lower psi softer ride but dont roll as good and possible pinch punctures.
Chuck a few rides on the same route with different psi and see which you prefer.
There are so may little bits that help you out. brake pads is another, i swapped stock ones to Swiss-stop pads and I can tell the difference but its also a safety issue as I ride my bike to work every day.
Regards.
Tony0 -
My large chainring is 53T (so I'm guessing 39 on the smaller one). Didn't check the rest of the gearing, might get a cassette with easier lowest gear. Got my position on the bike more or less figured out, bought 1 cm shorter stem, fiddled with the bar position and did a bit of maintenance. Also, the bike no longer has the downhill pedals
Ok, so yeah... Climbing is more difficult than on a mountain bike. Don't ever let anyone tell you differently. That is actually awesome. Means I've new possibilities to develop as a rider and this will definitely benefit me on the mountain bike. Now one factor in this is that I'm still about 10-20kg overweight and am currently making it my priority to lose that weight. I'm still wearing baggy pants from my winter riding (it's gotten really cold now). They're very floppy which isn't nice
The fact I've lost a bunch of weight doesn't help in that regard either. And to top it all off, we're having winds strong enough to increase the difficulty of walking normally. Having a decent riding session on the road is impossible and all the trails are wet and muddy beyond usability. Getting really frustrated.
One thing I have to note - I don't feel the speed as much on the road bike as I do on a mountain bike. That's something I need to get used to fast, because speeds over 30kmh are just a few pedal strokes away at all times, which can be dangerous on busy streets.
Oh and looking at the slick tyres for any period of time makes my Maxxis Ardent 29x2,4 look impressive again.0 -
LimitedGarry wrote:My large chainring is 53T (so I'm guessing 39 on the smaller one). Didn't check the rest of the gearing, might get a cassette with easier lowest gear. Got my position on the bike more or less figured out, bought 1 cm shorter stem, fiddled with the bar position and did a bit of maintenance. Also, the bike no longer has the downhill pedals
Ok, so yeah... Climbing is more difficult than on a mountain bike. Don't ever let anyone tell you differently. That is actually awesome. Means I've new possibilities to develop as a rider and this will definitely benefit me on the mountain bike. Now one factor in this is that I'm still about 10-20kg overweight and am currently making it my priority to lose that weight. I'm still wearing baggy pants from my winter riding (it's gotten really cold now). They're very floppy which isn't nice The fact I've lost a bunch of weight doesn't help in that regard either. And to top it all off, we're having winds strong enough to increase the difficulty of walking normally. Having a decent riding session on the road is impossible and all the trails are wet and muddy beyond usability. Getting really frustrated.
One thing I have to note - I don't feel the speed as much on the road bike as I do on a mountain bike. That's something I need to get used to fast, because speeds over 30kmh are just a few pedal strokes away at all times, which can be dangerous on busy streets.
Oh and looking at the slick tyres for any period of time makes my Maxxis Ardent 29x2,4 look impressive again.
My advice is to change your chainrings to compact 50/34 if you plan to to a lot of climbing. You will lose speed on the flat, but you gonna protect your knees on climbing.
Loosing weight is also very important, it will improve your aero too, and you will be able to stay on the lower position longer without that belly.
Now you got everything you need to start, the rest are more of try and error.0 -
Been working out and stretching for the past three years. But never really gotten to the proper eating habits part. I have no issues with the physical effort. But now that I've picked up even more fitness this year, that extra weight is bugging me because in climbs I can barely keep up with people whom I can smoke on flat trails and technical descents.
Will probably pick up the compact chainrings. Just not right away due to the investment. Seems like I'll be needing a new front derailleur and cranks for that. I'll look into a different cassette thoug. Looks like my short mech should have no problems taking a 11-28 cassette.0 -
I also bought a road bike last week after having a hard-tail MTB for years.
Love the extra turn of speed, covering big distances and watching the scenery fly by. Have covered 400km in the past 7 days including a wicked 100km ride yesterday. I got my bike fit to me and the comfort and longevity on the bike is amazing compared to my MTB. I got off after 4 hours and of course felt a bit sore in places but no pain or discomfort so I would definitely recommend that.
I don't use the drop bars very often, maybe 10% of the time. Partly for comfort - changing positions occasionally helps relieve sore spots but mostly when I am going very fast. For a big lad like me (130kg) the difference between the drops is like 5-8 km/h at least.
As for the lycra.... have you ever seen a fat man in lycra? it's not pretty. I'll be sticking with my baggys for now 0 -
[quote="LimitedGarry"Will probably pick up the compact chainrings. Just not right away due to the investment. Seems like I'll be needing a new front derailleur and cranks for that. I'll look into a different cassette thoug. Looks like my short mech should have no problems taking a 11-28 cassette.[/quote]
You shouldn't need a new front derailleur; just move it down a touch. The BCD of the chainset will determine what rings you can fit. It's often as cheap to buy an entire discounted chainset as 2 OEM rings though.0 -
If it's an Ultegra chainset it is a 6700 at the newest, which is a 5-arm chainset, so you will have to replace the whole thing if you want compact/semi-compact rings.
53/39 and 11-28 is perfectly fine for anything you'll encounter in the UK so if needed just change the cassette.0 -
Hinaultscrapcousin wrote:If it's an Ultegra chainset it is a 6700 at the newest, which is a 5-arm chainset, so you will have to replace the whole thing if you want compact/semi-compact rings.
53/39 and 11-28 is perfectly fine for anything you'll encounter in the UK so if needed just change the cassette.
Assuming you're reasonably bike fit and not beyond retirement age....
I bought a used groupset to build a bike quickly and cheaply. That had a standard double chainset paired with a 12-27 cassette. I struggled manfully with it for a couple of years, but I'm getting on a bit now and eventually gave in, replacing it with a 46/36 CX chainset for a more usable spread of gears. I have a 50/39/30 triple on the other bike.
Back in the days of my youth I made it up Ditchling Beacon on a heavy steel bike with a 52/42 chainset and a 5 speed block. I definitely wouldn't be able to do that now.0 -
It's an Ultegra 6600, in fact. Guy said he got in on sale about a year back. Looked it up now to see the specs on paper.
I'm well aware I'll be needing new cranks should I choose to go compact. Had a look at the derailleur and it seems it will work for the compact as well. Just my eyeball guess though.
And turns out my rear derailleur will take sprockets up to 27T, so 12-27 cassette it is.
Will probably not buy anything until some time next month, maybe even the other. Want to get a feel for the bike first, to know what I need, not just guess. The bad mutha climb I mentioned yesterday is something I can forget about, but the other rather steep climb which I do regularly on the MTB wasn't really a problem of anaerobic strength, but aerobic - I was out of breath in the middle of the hill. So I want to find out what's me not being fit enough to do yet, and what's too much for me to do regularly.0 -
LimitedGarry wrote:It's an Ultegra 6600, in fact. Guy said he got in on sale about a year back. Looked it up now to see the specs on paper.
I'm well aware I'll be needing new cranks should I choose to go compact. Had a look at the derailleur and it seems it will work for the compact as well. Just my eyeball guess though.
And turns out my rear derailleur will take sprockets up to 27T, so 12-27 cassette it is.
Will probably not buy anything until some time next month, maybe even the other. Want to get a feel for the bike first, to know what I need, not just guess. The bad mutha climb I mentioned yesterday is something I can forget about, but the other rather steep climb which I do regularly on the MTB wasn't really a problem of anaerobic strength, but aerobic - I was out of breath in the middle of the hill. So I want to find out what's me not being fit enough to do yet, and what's too much for me to do regularly.
This is what Shimano say but if you have a search on the web you'll find plenty who have got them to work with 28T and some even 30T or 32T (although this usually requires turning the b-limit screw around or fitting a longer one).
The front derailleur will work fine with a 50T, there isn't a specific compact model. The 6600 is rated for 50-56T for the large ring and a capacity of 16T. The limiting factor will be if the braze-on mount allows you to lower the derailleur enough to use a 34T ring. It should do, but it might not.0 -
keef66 wrote:Hinaultscrapcousin wrote:If it's an Ultegra chainset it is a 6700 at the newest, which is a 5-arm chainset, so you will have to replace the whole thing if you want compact/semi-compact rings.
53/39 and 11-28 is perfectly fine for anything you'll encounter in the UK so if needed just change the cassette.
Assuming you're reasonably bike fit and not beyond retirement age....
I bought a used groupset to build a bike quickly and cheaply. That had a standard double chainset paired with a 12-27 cassette. I struggled manfully with it for a couple of years, but I'm getting on a bit now and eventually gave in, replacing it with a 46/36 CX chainset for a more usable spread of gears. I have a 50/39/30 triple on the other bike.
Back in the days of my youth I made it up Ditchling Beacon on a heavy steel bike with a 52/42 chainset and a 5 speed block. I definitely wouldn't be able to do that now.
Fair points, although I know retired guys who still ride 52/42 or standard doubles. I went to a standard when I realised I never used the 28T when on a compact. 39/28 is a bit bigger than 34/25 but it gives me a bail out gear if I need one.
Not sure I understand running 46/36 on the road? Seems like you're sacrificing the high end for no gain at the low end.0 -
Hinaultscrapcousin wrote:This is what Shimano say but if you have a search on the web you'll find plenty who have got them to work with 28T and some even 30T or 32T (although this usually requires turning the b-limit screw around or fitting a longer one).
The front derailleur will work fine with a 50T, there isn't a specific compact model. The 6600 is rated for 50-56T for the large ring and a capacity of 16T. The limiting factor will be if the braze-on mount allows you to lower the derailleur enough to use a 34T ring. It should do, but it might not.
I called a local shop (the only one still open) to ask if they carried 12-27 cassettes and they said they only carry 11-28. From what I understand, 12-27 are not very common anymore. So I searched online on my phone and found both people who got them to work and people who couldn't get them to work even with b-screw adjustment. So I thought "eff it" and went home.
Will look into this further but I'll probably risk it. Even if it doesn't work, I'll at the very least know for sure.
Don't know about the cranks yet. Got on the same climb as yesterday and did it in one go this time, although I did struggle at the end. A wider cassette might just do it.
If I get the compact... should the FD need to be moved even lower, is it safe to assume that a different mount will remedy that?
One thing I have to note - the sound the tyres make.... Dear lord, so calming.0 -
LimitedGarry wrote:Hinaultscrapcousin wrote:This is what Shimano say but if you have a search on the web you'll find plenty who have got them to work with 28T and some even 30T or 32T (although this usually requires turning the b-limit screw around or fitting a longer one).
The front derailleur will work fine with a 50T, there isn't a specific compact model. The 6600 is rated for 50-56T for the large ring and a capacity of 16T. The limiting factor will be if the braze-on mount allows you to lower the derailleur enough to use a 34T ring. It should do, but it might not.
I called a local shop (the only one still open) to ask if they carried 12-27 cassettes and they said they only carry 11-28. From what I understand, 12-27 are not very common anymore. So I searched online on my phone and found both people who got them to work and people who couldn't get them to work even with b-screw adjustment. So I thought "eff it" and went home.
Will look into this further but I'll probably risk it. Even if it doesn't work, I'll at the very least know for sure.
Don't know about the cranks yet. Got on the same climb as yesterday and did it in one go this time, although I did struggle at the end. A wider cassette might just do it.
If I get the compact... should the FD need to be moved even lower, is it safe to assume that a different mount will remedy that?
One thing I have to note - the sound the tyres make.... Dear lord, so calming.
If you want 12-27 I think you have to buy 105 or Dura-Ace, I'm not sure they do an Ultegra 12-27. If you want I might have an old 105 12-28 cassette knocking about that I could post to you? It'll let you try it out before buying something new.
I've just had a look on the Duratec website. I couldn't find any info about the R8 but the R14 has a riveted FD mount that won't allow for a compact ring-set to be used unless you tell them when you order. I'm guessing they then adjust the position of the mount. They say you can use 53/39 and 52/39 but I think the second 39 is likely a typo and they meant 36, so I would guess that your bike will at least take a 52/36 ring-set if you wanted to drop to lower gears.
Honestly though, you should be fine with 53/39 and 11-28 on pretty much anything you're going to ride. I'd just stick with it.
Yes, the sound of smooth rubber rolling on tarmac is superb. One of the best things about riding a fixed wheel on the road is when you have that silent drivechain and all you can hear is the tyres turning over 0 -
Hinaultscrapcousin wrote:Fair points, although I know retired guys who still ride 52/42 or standard doubles. I went to a standard when I realised I never used the 28T when on a compact. 39/28 is a bit bigger than 34/25 but it gives me a bail out gear if I need one.
Not sure I understand running 46/36 on the road? Seems like you're sacrificing the high end for no gain at the low end.
There's no sacrifice involved, I'm just not a particularly fast or powerful rider, and I live in a gently undulating part of East Anglia. And my knees are knackered so I prefer to keep my cadence fairly high.
Even with my triple I rarely find myself using 50/12, and 95% of the time I stay in the 39 ring and make use of the entire cassette.
The 46/36 CX chainset is on the winter bike and when I'm on that I'm generally going even slower. It does mean I do a lot more front shifting, but it gives me a nice spread of usable, spinny gears. On those exceedingly rare occasions I get a long downhill run with a tailwind I'll just spin out then tuck in and take a breather.0 -
Much appreciate the offer of hardware, but I'm from central Europe unfortunately. That is also the cause of my English, not dyslexia.
God damn! Just had a look at this post. Sorry for the wall of text. I'm just very impressionable about this whole thing. Riding a bike is my dearest hobby and I've just found something new that's still my hobby but different. Most of this post are my experiences with adjusting to a road bike and finally getting to trying to learn how to pedal properly. If anything, at least take a look at my questions below the whole thing.
Visited one of my LBS (same one I called yesterday) and bought the 11-28 cassette. It fits, with B-screw turned in all the way. Any larger than 28 would not fit IMHO, at least no in my case. Here, I can officially state that (in my case) Shimano Ultegra 6600 9 speed rear derailleur works with an 11-28 Shimano cassette without any problems and all gear combinations work except for small-small. Using 53-39 crankset.
And I have to say - so damn glad I got the 11-28. In comparison, the 12-23 was insane for climbs.
Also, the riveted mount - I think (or at least assumed after looking at it for three seconds) that the mount on my frame is held in place by hex screws. It's a bit different mount than the one on the R14. Having absolutely no experience with road bike HW, I assumed it's something that's standard to road bikes. I'll get in touch with them via email. They should be able to clear things up (hopefully).
April being April, we had a sunny day with firm constant wind. So I got out of work sooner to take care of the cassette business and go for a 40-ish kilometre ride with a 500 meters high climb. Not very steep but very pleasant. On the first set of tiny climbs and descends, I was reminded that I was supposed to have a resting day on Monday and that today is Friday. And even though crap rides in 35kmh wind were short, they were still demanding and do not count as recovery rides. So I at least had a 30-ish ride on flat.
I always kinda assumed that road cycling was just like MTB riding, except faster and only on tarmac. Now I'm absolutely stoked about the fact that roading is considerably different in so many aspects. And learning how to handle the bike properly is really fun - just started getting a hang of the micro-shifting feature (something I never heard of until two days ago) and nailing it perfectly (I'd often push the lever too far). And I'm also getting comfortable in the new riding position and getting a feel for what should I adjust about it. Getting a feel for the gearing will take more time though. Still can't tell where I am on the rear cassette by feel and have to look every now and then. I'm still terrified of the rim brakes, even though they work fantastically.
I'm a bit more comfortable on the lowest position of the drop bars. Funny thing - since I have a MTB helmet, I had to remove the visor because it's large enough to obstruct my vision in that position.
And one more thing - I might consider getting road specific clipless shoes and pedals since they provide more support for feet. Had some pain in my feet after a longish segment of high effort. Currently, I have have regular SPDs. I'll try installing the ones I use on my MTB (which have the extra surrounding platform).
Today I realised how undisciplined I am about pedalling. I just keep changing my cadence and effort for absolutely no reason. On the MTB, changing pace, effort and cadence is part of adjusting to the terrain, so it just doesn't feel weird, but the road bike gives it away very clearly and just today I realised that I'm doing that on the MTB all the time. Getting a road bike was IMHO a good call in my case. Aside from being an amazing commuter and touring bike, it also helps me see my weaknesses and bad habits that the mountain bike didn't expose.
I have new questions:
Noticed that the headset has this "feature" where the handlebars (when facing straight) are easy to turn only by a couple of degrees and once you reach the limit, slight effort is required to turn further. Don't know how to describe it better. Noticed this today when I was handling the bike in my home shop (basement, really). At first I thought the headset was effed. Took me good half a minute of inspecting it to realise it's a feature to help with keeping the wheel pointed straight. Is this something present by default on all road bikes, or is it a speciality feature? Is there a name for it? IMHO that's a very significant thing about bike handling that I was completely unaware of.
I'm still getting used to the bike and today was one of my low days, but when I'm riding on flat, I rarely go for the four lowest gears. Would you say that's fine, or is it a sign I should get that compact? I understand roadies should have more of a headroom for descents, as the speeds get ridiculous real fast but at the same time four gears seems like quite a lot to me.
Do you guys have any tips for determining when a tyre is considered worn out aside from frequency of flats? My rear should be new-ish, the front less so. The front tyre has a few tiny holes where clearly something sharp has been stuck in but didn't go through.
From what I gather - shifting cables are the same as MTB shifting cables. Braking cables are different. Is this correct?0 -
Yiannis, Ive just sent you a private message asking for route advice. Thanks."The Prince of Wales is now the King of France" - Calton Kirby0
-
The bars should turn freely, there is no autopilot feature. If there's resistance it's generally either the cables being too short, or the headset being buggered.
In the latter case you may be able to improve things by taking the bearings out and cleaning / regreasing / rotating them a bit (depending on type) and reassembling.0 -
keef66 wrote:The bars should turn freely, there is no autopilot feature. If there's resistance it's generally either the cables being too short, or the headset being buggered.
In the latter case you may be able to improve things by taking the bearings out and cleaning / regreasing / rotating them a bit (depending on type) and reassembling.
Cables are slack enough. I'll inspect the headset but really doesn't feel like it's busted. I've ridden bikes with effed headsets and they felt wrong - either sticky or just plain stiff. This really feels like a feature - it's perfectly centred and doesn't obstruct steering in any way.0 -
Out of interest: Are all road front derailleurs so finicky to set up properly?
On my MTB, I have a 3 speed FD flawlessly operating a 2 speed crankset. The tolerances on the road bike seem to be absolutely minimal. And the difference between insufficient tension and enough tension to mess up microshift is very small.
Not really crying or anything. Got it setup and it works perfectly. It's just not what I'm used to at all 0
