New to road biking....
bongofish
Posts: 123
So I've been enjoying mountain biking for about 2 years but really fancied a lighter road bike for some more adventures. So I just got delivered my new Boardman SLR 8.6 2021 model. I know the spec ain't the best but it's lightish at 10kg for a large and has the claris set on it. Compared to my 22kg vitus emtb.
The gears are jumping on the back cog abit so going to have to set them up.
But I was wondering if there is anything you wish you guys had been told when starting out that you learnt the ling way? If truth be told I'm a little nervous of riding in the roads as been used to paths , fire roads and woods for last 2 years . I wouldn't mind changing my tyres on the bike, has come with vitarri Zaffiro (or whatever there called) , but would like something that rolls extremely well and very puncture resistant as the last thing I want is to be miles away from home with a puncture. So think about the gator skins.
Any advice at all for a newbie would be really helpful.
Thank You
The gears are jumping on the back cog abit so going to have to set them up.
But I was wondering if there is anything you wish you guys had been told when starting out that you learnt the ling way? If truth be told I'm a little nervous of riding in the roads as been used to paths , fire roads and woods for last 2 years . I wouldn't mind changing my tyres on the bike, has come with vitarri Zaffiro (or whatever there called) , but would like something that rolls extremely well and very puncture resistant as the last thing I want is to be miles away from home with a puncture. So think about the gator skins.
Any advice at all for a newbie would be really helpful.
Thank You
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Comments
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I think Gator skins are generally seen as tough tyres but perhaps not the best for grip and can be quite difficult to fit. Is there a particular reason you don't like the Zaffiros? My personal favourite is Vittoria Rubino which I now have on all three of my bikes but there are literally hundreds to choose from. A puncture is annoying but is not a disaster on a ride. As long as you have a spare tube, pump (or CO2) it is pretty straightforward and really something every cyclist should be able to fix - it will happen to you at some point so just make sure you can deal with it and you will be fine. Prevention is always better than cure so keep your tyres properly inflated and give them a check every so often to make sure they are in good condition and your chances of a puncture will be reduced. It is not unusual for road tyres to run at 80 to 100psi or so, possibly more than you are used to on a MTB.
I don't particularly enjoy cycling on busy roads either and avoid them whenever possible. I'm quite fortunate in that respect as I have a lot of quiet country lanes near me and I usually favour these for most of my rides. If I'm heading further afield then I tend to use MapMyRide to create routes and use Street View to suss out what the roads look like. Generally, I will avoid A roads and stick to B roads or lanes whenever possible.
Enjoy 😎Bianchi ImpulsoBMC Teammachine SLR02 01Trek Domane AL3“When I see an adult on a bicycle, I do not despair for the future of the human race. “ ~H.G. Wells Edit - "Unless it's a BMX"0 -
Practice removing tyres with tyre levers and refitting them, take a spare tube with you on rides (to use in the first instance of a fairy visit) along with mini pump plus repair kit.
Then buy some nice road tyres such as GP5000s, in fact, without googling it your new 2021 Boardman might come with tubeless ready wheels so you could try tubeless GP5000TLs (you will need sealant and tubeless valves too).
Don't buy Gatorskins!
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2020 Voodoo Marasa
2017 Cube Attain GTC Pro Disc 2016
2016 Voodoo Wazoo1 -
Read Cyclecraft by John Franklin - lots of good info about to ride on roads with traffic. IMO, having a bit of sprint speed is the most important thing, coupled with road position - if you can get up to maybe 25mph as you go through a narrow bit, you can take the lane without holding up (and upsetting) other traffic. People will argue with various bits of it, but on the whole it's a good place to start.
Don't get angry/road rage with people, even when they just nearly hit you. Cars will always win vs bikes in a fight. Let the sad idiots get on with their sad idiotic lives.
The SMIDSY wobble is a good one, too - when you're approaching a car joining from a side road, wobble your bike or even move in you lane side-to-side a bit. The human eye catches sideways movement in a way that just heading towards someone doesn't ("looming", aka "he just came out of nowhere"). Similarly, the human eye is attracted to flashes, so run a flashing light both ends all the time. However, flashing lights are poor at giving positional information, so also have steady lights both ends after dark.
I couldn't believe the improvement GP5000 tyres made to my bike - they were twice the price I'd ever spent on tyres, but approx 500 times better
Take plenty of water along and enjoy
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I've just made the jump from mtb to hybrid Road bike and yes it does take some getting used to.
1st time I went to stand up and pedal on road bike felt so different that I sat back down again but after 3 or 4 rides I'm fine doing it.
The other hard thing for me to get used to is the looking behind you for traffic etc,it takes a while to adjust on the road bike but like anything you will soon get the hang of it.
Oh and having to avoid potholes and dodgy strips of cracked tarmac.
You'll be surprised how fast you can go though.
I love the speed.
Good luck.0 -
When I bought my first road bike, the first thing I did was put Gator Skins on it. As I didn’t know any better I thought they were great until I bought my next bike which had Conti GP5000 in which we’re amazing but prone to a puncture or 2. I’m currently using Schwalbe Durano which still have puncture protection but are much faster rolling than the gator skins. As to your question about something you wish you’d been told at the start, it would have to be don’t scrimp when buying bib shorts.2014 Giant Defy 1
2011 Dawes Discovery 501 Deore Hybrid
2019 Claud Butler Alpina 29 MTB1 -
100% this, don't scrimp on any contact points, buy the best pair of shorts you can afford.simonl83 said:When I bought my first road bike, the first thing I did was put Gator Skins on it. As I didn’t know any better I thought they were great until I bought my next bike which had Conti GP5000 in which we’re amazing but prone to a puncture or 2. I’m currently using Schwalbe Durano which still have puncture protection but are much faster rolling than the gator skins. As to your question about something you wish you’d been told at the start, it would have to be don’t scrimp when buying bib shorts.
Saddles & shoes were they hardest thing to get right for me anyway & I'm still not convinced about my shoes..........0 -
I'd also add that please don't get on Strava and become obsessed with speed/KOMs etc. Just go out and enjoy the rides over the rest of the summer and autumn.......still dable with the MTB over winter and then come nexr season you'll be raring to go!
Enjoy!2 -
I'm also relatively new to the roadie scene and can tell you that the day I bought a saddle that fit my buns perfectly (i bought a Charge Spoon) and bib shorts, it upped the enjoyment of each experience by an immeasurable amount. I have 5 pairs of bib shorts now...0
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If you find something ( kit wise ) that you really get on with, buy 2 of them ( or 2 pairs ). There’s nothing more annoying than finding a perfect saddle / pair of shoes / mitts / whatever, only to find they don’t make them anymore when the ones you have wear out.0
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If you are nervous about riding on the road, don't ride on the roads that you drive on, as they will likely be full of other cars too. As motorists we tend to stick to certain roads and as cyclists tend to stick to the same roads as well. There will be plenty of unclassified lanes in your area that have very little traffic on them that you will have little knowledge of their existence, so dig a map out, or peruse google maps and make up routes that are off the beaten track, that way you stand a far better chance of enjoying your ride without twats trying to run you over as their journey has been delayed by seconds.
Counter to other posters don't get caught up in buying all the gear too soon. Get the basics, but buying multiple items is worthless until you decide that road riding is really your thing. There's nothing wrong with wearing mtb gear on a road bike at first. Leave the tight fitting lycra to the wannabe racers and show ponies. Having all the gear doesn't make you faster or a riding god. Even if it does help aerodynamically, it'll be by such small margins that you won't notice unless racing competitively.
Lastly and most importantly, enjoy it. Like MTB it's a great way to get outdoors, improve your fitness and mental health.0 -
Buy the best bib shorts you can afford.
Buy the best tyres you can afford.
Be prepared to try multiple saddles before you find "the one".
Nicely cushioned bar tape can make a big difference to your comfort on the bike.
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