How long till I get confident. Done 30 miles so far and still feel very nervous. I struggle going from the hoods to the drops without getting a massive twitch on. And I’m scared stiff of fast downhills. On the mtb I blast downhill without a care in the world.

On a positive note I’m suprised how much faster I am going uphill and on the flat.

Does it fit you properly?
Don’t worry about using the drops, I didn’t for a loonnnggg time & only started using them more when I adjusted my position (self done bike fit, dropped both saddle & bar height)
Roads in the winter descending are scary anyway, so don’t worry about that, especially at this time of year

I did 500 roadie bike miles last year, hated the handling and sold it. Put commuter rubber on my 29 HT spare wheels and the bike handles great

Going from hoods to drops is something you will always concentrate on when doing, it generally means you are going faster & want to get more aero. Find quiet section of road & practice, have a play around with your position you might be too low to start of with Descending follows the same principle as off road it’s just you can go much faster, increase your speed incrementally on hill you feel comfortable with.

What width tyres you on and pressures? If v narrow and v high pressure you will feel skittish at this time of year. I’d be tempted to be on wider tyres and run slightly lower pressure say 85-90psi rather than 100+ and see if that helps

Took me a while to get confident on the drops. It also took a lot more fuss to get the riding position dialled in than on my mtb. Make sure it fits properly, that’ll make a difference.
Shitty winter roads will not inspire confidence either!

On the mtb when you blast down hill you will be relaxed and not thinking about it so being in that frame of my mind makes the descending easier, whereas on the road bike it is a vicious circle as being nervous and worrying will mean you are gripping the bars too tight and tensing up which leads to over correcting your line / braking too much and so on.

I wouldnt beat yourself up about it, what feels twitchy now will gradually start to feel responsive and agile and your confidence will grow naturally. How long this takes i dont know though. Worth remembering also that this time of year is a bit harder due to wet roads, stronger winds, potential frost and ice etc so even experienced roadies will be more cautious than during the summer months.

Not had a bike fit but I did move the seat forward mid ride as I felt stretched on my arms. Improved it a lot. Just I wobble when adjusting hand position. To be fair it was wet and dark.

And was nervous of traffic around me.

I do skills coaching. Let me know if you’re interested.

Not sure on tyre width. It’s on the oe Hutchinson Equinoxe 2 and 100 psi front and rear.

I do skills coaching. Let me know if you’re interested.

I’m a consultant with a £1250 per day fee but I’ve decided not to milk the poor chap. Ffs.

Op, it’s normal I was the same and as others have said you are picking the worst time / conditions to get comfortable. Give it time, but do make sure you google road bike fit as it is key to road biking. 23mm or 25mm tyres at 90psi will give you plenty of grip.

Road bike handling is easy to get used to compared with an mtb ,no different to going from my van to my car there is no more skill needed

Any reccomendations for tyres? I enjoyed it even though I was nervous. Gonna try again on Sunday when the roads are quiet.

Takes time to get used to. Find somewhere to practice where wobbles and mistakes aren’t going to have severe consequences. Riding on the drops will be difficult if you haven’t got your bike fit correct and then you need to sort out the technique – to begin with you won’t be able to stay on the drops for long, maybe a minute or so. Keep at it.

Roadies often have a winter bike (as much to keep the road salt away from the good bike) which will have slightly wider tyres, either 25mm or 28mm, running at a slightly lower pressure say 80-90 psi.

I found it very alien at first. I was scared pedalling down the street…it was like jumping on a penny farthing or a unicycle. Didn’t feel right at all, but it becomes normal after a while. Just a case of getting used to the feel, and becoming confident that you know what you’re doing!

Winter doesn’t help though. Come summer, on the dry roads, you’ll be loving it.

it’s normal to feel nervous and twitchy your first few rides, that head angle on the road bike is a lot steeper than your MTB so it doesn’t take much input with your hands to make the bike move a lot, add the increased speed and that’s why you feel unsteady and a little out of control. stick with it though, you will get used to it. you’ll then under steer your MTB at first when you get back on it.

i remember my first ride with drop bars, a car pulled out and i was gripping the centre of the bars mtb style, paniced and reached for the brake levers quickly realizing it wasn’t my MTB and the levers weren’t there!

I started riding mtb’s in the late 80’s and road bikes three years ago, so I know where you are coming from.

I almost never use the drops, I spend most of my time riding on the hoods or on the tops when I’m cruising.

30 miles is a good stretch to get started, but you’ll need a few more runs like that before it starts to feel normal, and as others have said, this isn’t the best time of year.

Before you buy new tyres, just take the current ones down a few psi (depending on your weight). I’m around 76kgs and run 20mm tyres at 90 psi, and get good grip in all conditions, although wet, gravel and the occasional splash of diesel can upset things from time to time.

Depending on where you live, try to keep off busy roads as the last thing you need right now are idiots in vehicles giving you a hard time.

Stick at it, it’s great fun. I now spend more time on the road than I do off, and last summer I spent a week cycling in the Highlands of Scotland and it was amazing.

Find a club, join their social ride a few times.

Been doing since I was a kid so not something I think about. Though did take up time trialling a couple of years ago and the first time in a tuck on the poles gave me some nervous moments! Takes a fair few rides to get nice and stable. I just went out and did a couple of longer rides (~2hr).

I bought a road bike in March this year and it took a while to get used to, it does feel natural after a while though. Just stick at it and you’ll be fine.

I think I only really use the drops going downhill, and that’s mainly as it feels like being on the drops makes braking more stable.

Takes a while, definitely more than 30 miles. Stick with it though. Once you get used to the twitch handling it is all good. You do seem to have your weight forward but it all works. Drops are actually more stable than the hoods – certainly in CX and road racing that is where I go when i need more control.

Just go steady, you’ll still get further, faster than you would on a mtb. Pick some stuff to aim for* and just go ride steady building up miles and speed. Took me most of the summer to get confident to go for it down hill. Took me several years to actually be any good at it.

*I bought one just after I moved to Somerset and just googled landmarks to go and look at. Beats driving to places.

Bwfc, if you have transport and can get over to wigan in the week (on a dry day of course) I will try and fill your head with what you need, and check your bike setup too, IF you can/wish?
cheers

Tony

Takes time but stick with it.

How’s the single life btw OP? Still free from the animal house?

Wait till you get a speed wobble..

Going from hoods to drops is something you will always concentrate on when doing,

Only if you’re a bit crap. Can’t say I’ve ever given it a second thought TBH, and I only got my first drop barred bike 18 months ago.

I don’t mind being on the drops, it’s just getting on them that’s the problem. And my God the brakes are crap compared to Hydraulic disc brakes.
Been a bit snowtastic round here recently so I was glad to get out.

One thing that did hurt was my forearms. I think that maybe from gripping too tight. My aims for this year are to hit 50 miles, then hopefully 100.

Quite suprised I managed 30 (slow ) miles on my first ride. I struggle to do 15 miles on the mtb.

Oh and regards to single life, not quite single now having a no strings fun time…..!

riding on the roads when it’s cold is also harder, you are coping with the wind chill, don’t worry too much about handling and carving lines because you don’t want to stack it on ice – when it’s warmer you’ll be able to move about on the bike and be more relaxed so it will feel less odd

come the spring, try and get a ride with someone who has ridden a fair bit, they’ll help with the basics

don’t ride on the drops.

I struggle going from the hoods to the drops without getting a massive twitch on

Normally the drops are more stable than the hoods. I suspect (as others have said) that your fit is not great and your bars are either too low or too far away. What is the saddle to top of bar drop. More than 8 cm is pretty extreme for a beginner. When you have your hands on the hoods, do you have a good bend in your elbows? If not, your stem is too long. Are you putting a lot of weight on your arms? If so, Make sure the saddle is level and move it forward half a centimetre at a time.

Fit is everything, but the basics are not hard. Oh and I do skills coaching too (as a hobby really) 😉 but you are too far away for me.

but I did move the seat forward mid ride as I felt stretched on my arms

NO NO NO NO NO NO, you don’t adjust reach by moving the saddle! 😐

I hate descending on my road bike, but mainly because I hate being on the drops and braking feels less controlled on the hoods. I’m not sure if my bike reach is too short though which is why I hate the drops. My knees and elbows feel much too close together when I’m on the drops.

I’m solving this by buying a disc braked road bike or a CX that I can put road tyres on.

Very minimal bend if any when on the hoods. They are bent if I’m more forward on the seat (more on the nose)
I’m 5ft 10 and bike is 54cm. Think the stem is 100mm.

I’m near Bolton if you want any pointers sometime. I’m far from an expert though, and mostly out on the MTB at the moment with the crappy weather… If you see some nobber in Hope MTB kit on a Chinese carbon job it’s probably me, so feel free to flag me down! 😀

Edit: Size sounds about right to me – I’m 5’10″/11″ on a 55cm top tube with 110mm stem.

My mountain bike is currently having new brakes fitted (Deore m615)so decided to have a spin on the road bike. The original plan was road bike winter and mtb summer. I may rethink that!

I was refraining from comment thinking you just need a bit more time, simple as that I thought.
Though seems a tad small….to me. As I’m 5’8″ on a 55 t-t and 120 stem.

Tops to drops should be a ‘no brainer’ as in requires no thought process at all, but that might be easy for me to say.
Do you know anyone with a turbo you can get your bike on to fettle with position and set up?
One little test re arm tiredness, sit in your favourtie riding position, slowly stop. Then without moving your body at all move your hands away from the bars, I repeat don’t move your body. If you fall flat on your face the stem/bars are too low. Adjust until you can move away and still remain in position. Just means you aren’t using your arms and body to sit still on the bike.
There are loads of little DIY things you can do prior to getting a fit. If you get a fit, get a non static one. Some fitters just use a formula, they set you up to a specific set of guides and send you on your way. Some fits give out data after fitting like pedal pattern, wattage etc etc. these can be fettled until perfect.

Changes feel really odd, so allow time. If I have ages off my MTB it feels like every nut bolt and washer has been loosened when I get back on.

If your getting a twitch on when going to drops you’re probably leaning too much on the bars. How’s your core strength? When I go between drops and hoods I unweight my arms by supporting my torso with my core. The bike tracks dead true even when you move both hands at the same time where you’re no handed for a split second. Also choose the time you do it. Move to drops before the big descent before you’ve got some speed on, rather than during the big descent.

You’re right to be scared when descending. That fear will keep you alive. You’ll be going faster than on the MTB with the consequences of falling off being more severe, also you have an order of magnitude less grip and braking ability, even less in the wet.

consequences of falling off being more severe, also you have an order of magnitude less grip and braking ability, even less in the wet.

Yeah you’re selling it to me now 🙂

Get some decent tyres on your roadie – cheap tyres will be uncomfortable and won’t track well or hold the road especially in the wet and you’ll sense it and feel insecure.

Anything of 120tpi (threads per inch) and above will be better than the budget tyres most manufacturers supply – Specialized fit their Espoir tyre for example, which is HORRIBLE.

Anything of 300 tpi and above will transform the bike. After years on Michelin Pro 3s and Pro 4s at 120 tpi I bought some Veloflex Open Corsas from Ribble, 320 tpi and they have transformed my bike – they are super comfortable and grippy and the bike feels so much more secure and “planted” than on the Michelins. Just those tyres have taken my handling and confidence to a whole new level.

There’s only so much you can learn here from random people on the internet. By far the best thing to do is to either find your local road club and ask whether they run a ride for beginners, or find someone with a decent level of road experience to do a sanity check on your riding position.

Do persevere though. I was raised as a MTBer and never rode a bike with drops until my mid twenties. I too remember having similar feeling to you to begin with. Ten years on and I spend more time on the road bike than the mountain bikes (dammit).

After years on Michelin Pro 3s and Pro 4s at 120 tpi I bought some Veloflex Open Corsas from Ribble, 320 tpi and they have transformed my bike

One thing I did learn from random people on the internet is that different manufacturers measure TPI differently…

Exercise caution when comparing EPI of different tire brands as it is common that the total of all carcass layers are added together. An indication of 200 TPI results from 3 layers of 67 EPI each underneath the tread. With all EPI numbers above 127, it should be assumed that the figures have been calculated by adding up the strands in all layers. Schwalbe only indicates the material density in one carcass layer. Commonly, there are 3 carcass layers underneath the tread.

So Schwalbe at 127 actually has more TPI than Veloflex at 320. Still lovely tires though and it is true that good tyres and tubes (especially latex ones) can transform a ride.