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Road bikes are shite. I can lock a back wheel, could maybe lock a front but don't want to try.. however down a Valleys 1:3 in the rain they tend to be frighteningly ineffective, meaning I have to pull them as hard as I can all the way down to be able to have a chance of stopping before the inevitable roundabout at the bottom.
Shite. Fact.
Anyway, to the OP - setup is absolutely critical on road bikes, assuming it's the same for crossers on road rides. You spend the whole time in the same position practically, so you better make it good -a nd there are loads more variables.
Saddle tilted forward a little bit, and rotate the bars so you're comfy on the drops then position the hoods so you are comfy there too.
Took me 18 months to get fully sorted on the roadie.
No but then you also don't have that much grip...
Re: the brakes. It's mostly about learning to judge your braking distance all over again. You just need to look a little further ahead and adjust your speed accordingly.
After a few rides you'll find that you are maintaining a much more even speed and really only use the brakes to make small adjustments to the speed rather than scrubbing off masses at a time.
I thought road brakes were rubbish too, then i upgraded a few years ago and realised that they aren't.
Extended 1:3 DHs in the wet may well be outside the parameters of road bike design and normal use 🙂 (though I've ridden a few of the Welsh ones and am still alive so they obviously are capable enough even in that situation).
I suppose you'll also say they're crap because they're not brilliant on twisty rocky singletrack 😉
Saddle tilted forward a little bit, and rotate the bars so you're comfy on the drops then position the hoods so you are comfy there too.
Well, whatever works for you but if you're having to tilt the saddle forward, it usually suggests that either the front end is too low, the saddle's not right for you or you're not flexible enough.
Road brakes vary from frighteningly crap to way more powerful than discs. My Dura-Ace ones fit into the latter category, the first time I used them I'd have stopped more slowly by running into a brick wall. Holy mother of god, they're bonkers powerful!
Cantis on CX bikes take a bit more setting up and you need to learn to brake progressively, not just rely on the sheer power of discs to jab the brakes at the last second.
to way more powerful than discs
I would have to see that to believe it, I'm afraid!
Mine are 105 btw. Compared with say Deore discs they're a joke.
if you're having to tilt the saddle forward, it usually suggests that either the front end is too low, the saddle's not right for you or you're not flexible enough
Don't want the bars any higher, would be too sit-uppy on the hoods. The saddle is the only one out of many I've tried that didn't give me numb genitals IF I tilt it forward slightly, and I'm way more flexible than most cyclists. If I weren't I wouldn't be able to ride in a decent tuck like I do.
Saddle level means that the middle part is mashed into my perineum, because my pelvis is rotated forwards because it can be due to my flexible hamstrings. If I tilt it forwards most of my weight is on my sit bones and blood flows freely to where it needs to be.
Agreed. Not so good in the wet though eh?
Swisstop Greens'll sort that out pretty quickly.
Some road bike brakes suck, especially cheap OE ones fitted to budget bikes ime, but good ones, as James says, are pretty damn effective and as much as you'd ever want with narrow tyres.
Generally, one of the best things I've ever fitted, were a set of compact drops. So much nicer to ride than traditional ones, particularly if you're not used to them generally.
54 posts in and nobody has said MTFU you jessie. 😉
Road riding is ace, you'll soon get used to it. Agree with the setup. There's nothing worse than when your Lower back and Neck starts to ache knowing you still have miles and miles left to cover.
An extra layer of bar tape on the hoods and Gloves with Gel Pads in might help too. Oh and decent Saddle and Shorts with a good pad.
Eth3er - good on you for sticking with it.
I know this is a MTB forum, but I'm quite surprised at how the road-based version of cycling (I nearly said darkside) is treated on here; from the disbelief that you can do 60mph on a pushbike (which you can) to the belief that lycra is some sort of sin against humanity (It's simply the most practical attire) to the lie that roadies are grumpy (you almost always get a nod, but don't expect an enthusiastic 'hi!' coz they've probably got a lung over each shoulder they're blowing so hard).
Road brakes are shiteNo they're not.
Agreed. I find them frighteningly effective and at speeds of 40+mph I find it takes a lot of concentration to brake and stay balanced fore/aft properly with a caliper brake. Infact I try to get my hands on the drops when braking at this speed because if I'm on the hoods I don't feel secure.
Also, if you think they're fast with baggies on, just try the racing snake look - the speed you can attain with such little effort is breathtaking!
Mine are 105 btw. Compared with say Deore discs they're a joke.
I've got 105 brakes on the commuter, and Dura-Ace on the race bike. The 105 are indeed horrific, particularly in the wet, the Dura Ace are absolutely worlds away, far far far better.
from the disbelief that you can do 60mph on a pushbike (which you can)
It's not particularly easy tho, and I can think of only a few roads on which it would be possible. Only with balls of solid steel tho!
Roadies are grumpy tho, be fair 😉
Edit re brakes - I am in the process of moving to Ultegra to keep costs sensible - are the Ultegra brakes any better? Stock shimano pads also good?
my pelvis is rotated forwards because it can be due to my flexible hamstrings.
Usually the other way round, isn't it - pelvis tilted forwards because of [b]in[/b]flexible hamstrings.
Oh, and troad brakes are fine - 60+ mph off Holme Moss and some French mountains, and my Ultegra brakes pull me up super sharp.
Usually the other way round, isn't it - pelvis tilted forwards because of inflexible hamstrings
No - think about it - to tilt your pelvis forwards your hamstrings have to extend don't they? If they couldn't, your pelvis would have to be more level, requiring you to either arch your spine or raise the bars.
Looks like I need new brakes then, esp if I am going to pull the baby trailer with my road bike due to being under-biked in Germany...
My experience of roadying has been it's a nice sociable thing to do - just remember to take your turn on the front and anticipate a bit.
Lycra - midly offensive, but given we all ride round with a polystyrene box on our heads, mildly modified to form a helmet, none of us are going to be winning awards for sartorial elegance in our ride attire, baggies/Camelbacks or no.
Re: Brakes, as usual... it depends.
I have two road bikes:
Bike 1: SRAM Force brake calipers with standard SRAM Force pads - proper powerful - disc brake level power.
Bike 2: long drop tektro calipers with standard tektro pads - borderline scary, even in the dry.
I keep meaning to upgrade the pads on bike 2 but haven't got round to it.
i suspect we're talking about two slightly different things - I view it from the perspective that cycling overdevelops quads and back muscles, and effectively underdevelops abdominal muscles and hamstrings/glutes. Hamstrings often become "shortened" and inflexible. This tends to result in a pelvis that tilts forwards.
But, taken in isolation, yes, inflexible hamstrings would otherwise pull the pelvis back in a standing position. Trouble is, we don't stand on the bike, and other muscle groups are affected as above.
Buggest upgrade you can do to road brakes is pads.
In my experience though Ultegra are better than 105 but the pads are still shite.
With the Mavic brakes on my road bike (with swiss stop pads) I can lock the front wheel at 40mph if I brake like a gorilla however I never need to. (I'm probably approaching Gorilla size too)
Canti's are a different kettle of fish admittedly - might be worth trying a set of Mini V's for pure road riding as I've heard they are a bit stronger but the cheapest option will be to upgrade the pads
Apart from "hamstring issues" or otherwise tilting the sdaddle forward implies that you have it set to high in the first place as you are effectively lowering the seating position and moving it forward when lowering the nose.
Alternatively you may have the love spuds of a horse and need the extra room but then you'd have a different view on the lycra issue I guess 😀
You can put me down as another lycra conscientious objector. Road bike has SPDs and I ride it in MTB shoes, MTB helmet and baggies. I have too much consideration for my fellow road users than to subject them to the sight of my puny frame wrapped in a thin layer of slightly shiny stretch covering. Euuhh.
Having said that, always get the silent nod from other bikes when out and about. They're very broad minded.
Am about to switch to a CX bike to allow mixed surface commute. Will I face similar sartorial challenges? Or does anything go for CX folks?
As Duc says - check out different pads.
I have a set of Tektro on my commuter, Tiagra and 105 on my road bikes. They were all good with the original pads and they're good with the replacement (octopron) brand pads I've got.
IME long drop brakes aren't qute as good. Still fine though with the right pads.
I've found them much better than cyclo cross cantis. Cantis can be powerful but they are a pain to set up and go out of adjustment very easily.
I don't rate discs for road use. They don't like being caked in road grime/salt and left in a damp garage. Standard treatment for a all weather road bike in the UK.
tilting the sdaddle forward implies that you have it set to high in the first place as you are effectively lowering the seating position and moving it forward when lowering the nose
No, you misunderstand.. moving forward on the saddle is precisely what I have to avoid to take pressure off my perineum. I tilt it forward just a smidge to raise the back and then I sit on that where my sit bones are. If I tilt it forwards too much then I will slide down and as you say end up sitting on my soft parts in the middle of the saddle- as I will if I have it too far back.
It's a fine balancing act, but it's there now and I arrived at work today having ridden an hour without any numbness at all, which is pretty good for me. I have had to reajust since I dismantled the bike for transport 🙁
Cantis require a bit of experimentation to set up. Try running the straddle wire as low to the tyre as you can - they'll feel spongey and sh!te but will actually have way more power. Second the better pads suggestion too.
I find drop bars way less comfortable than flats but the secret is changing position - without being able to do this, flat bars will start to feel like a torture device over long distances. Drops are great for head winds too.
For anything but summer riding I actually prefer baggies for the extra warmth. You're not doing a time trial, and if everyone was forced to comply to pointless rules about having peaks, or showing off your mammal toe, we'd never be able to bask in the glory of people like the Lone Wolf :
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http://bikesnobnyc.blogspot.com/2009/02/inspiring-rides-true-greatness-knows-no.html
I used to be a lycra nay sayer until i realised that riding around with a sail on your back sucks. Give me spray on clothes for the road ta.
You guys with rubbish brakes need to set them up properly. 105's should be very, very good. I know all mine always have been, even in the wet. My ultegra brakes are even better.
And only lycra on a roadbike? Fall off, just once. See if you still think it's a good idea. The memory of riding home using my shirt as a pair of shorts because my other shorts had literally been ripped off is one that will never leave me. Baggies every time for me.
Baggies on road is crap, you can feel them flapping around in the wind, they catch on the saddle and you end up with a draft blowing around inside your clothing.
Lycra is warm, comfy, flexible, aerodynamic and the best attire for the job.
Unless you're samuri and you fall off when ever you ride a bike...
Road cycling lycra is a big rip off, all you really need is this:
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and a box of these:
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done.
You guys with rubbish brakes need to set them up properly.
How then? What setup is there to do?
it's quite funny watching mtb'ers as they progress to road bikes.
the hunched upright position they adopt
the abhorrence of lycra.
riding flat out for 10 miles then bonking thinking that's a road ride.
pedaling in squares.
insisting that bits of unsuitable equipment will be better 'for them' because they know best.
just about every mtb'er i know has ended up riding road or tri as well as mtb, the ones who don't are still corpulent and unfit.
As a new road bike owner myself, can I just ask which shoulder some of you more experienced roadies find it most comfortable to keep your chip on?
I suspect that for most people the point of riding a road bike is personal transport, enjoyment and fitness, not getting from A to B with the least effort.
If that's not the case, I hope you only wear skinsuits and aero helmets. Oh and don't forget that if the seams aren't at the back, that's costing you a second in drag evey 10 minutes. 😛
105's should be very, very good. I know all mine always have been, even in the wet. My ultegra brakes are even better.
Depends what you're used it doesn't it. I'm happy with my 105s at the moment, got totally used to how they work. However, I know when I get on my summer bike I'll be stunned at the brake power. I'll then get used to that, until I go back to the winter bike, when I'll nearly pile into the back of a car.
Repeat ad infitium.
105 ones are adequate (if that's better!), but far surpassed by Dura Ace. I did have Tiagra brakes, they seized solid after 6 months, great!
As a new road bike owner myself, can I just ask which shoulder some of you more experienced roadies find it most comfortable to keep your chip on?
if you buy decent (expensive) bib shorts they often have a pocket in the back for a race radio, i find this a perfect receptacle.
nope, it's all too confusing for me. aside from the trinny and susannah fashion victim-ness which some of us do see to so love i feel the need to have some sort of emotional graph i can measure myself on.
i'm off out on my roadbike shortly so i should be grumpy right? and self conscious as i'll be wearing the wrong helmet. but when i come back most likely i'll have a spin on the mountain bike at some point. so where does that leave me? mountain bike on the road - an obvious fool. and most likely i'll still be wearing my road gear so a subject a mockery for any passing mountain bike type. so now i should be upset as well as self conscious.
not that it gets any better. if i take my hard tail then i'll be over focused and have to compensate for some sort of inadequacy by racing everyone i see, esp on the uphills (where obviously i will conquer what with being 'roadie scum' and all). not that it gets any better if i take my full suss. then i'm either going to be old school, all bike and no skills or insufficiently baggy. and that's before the niche-ness. i only go out on my rohloff bike or the vintage bikes when no-one's looking. and then there's the cyclocross bike!!
back in the day when i thought it was all just about fannying about on bikes i seemed much happier....
you are not niche enough.
no mention of rigid 29'er either?
[i]How then? What setup is there to do? [/i]
Indeed, I didn't think it was possible to get it wrong but clearly some people are. I run my pads very close to the rims on my roadbikes and the pads are completely flat to the rim, no toe in or anything daft like that.
I rarely need to apply more than a finger of pressure to bring myself to a rapid halt, even from speed. Maybe it is something to do with the pads but I've only ever used 105 pads even with my Ultegra brakes.
I really like the "idea" of road bikes, indeed I've bought a couple, but in both cases ended up selling them again. Partly because the image of sailing effortlessly along smooth roads seems to translate to a reality of crashing and banging along the pot-hole riddled mess that passes for country roads on a bike that seems far too nervous and fragile for the job. And partly because no matter how I adjusted my riding position, after an hour or so I invariably ended up with an aching back, stiff neck and completely numb hands.
Shame really 'cos I still really like the idea <wanders off to gaze wistfully at shiny new road bikes>.
Partly because the image of sailing effortlessly along smooth roads seems to translate to a reality of crashing and banging along the pot-hole riddled mess that passes for country roads on a bike that seems far too nervous and fragile for the job
Don't be a buzzkill.
At least let me shatter my own dreams in the next week or so 😉
I didn't think it was possible to get it wrong but clearly some people are. I run my pads very close to the rims on my roadbikes and the pads are completely flat to the rim, no toe in or anything daft like that
Same here. Still the same. Can stop reasonably in the wet in a non-emergency situation; cannot stop quickly at all [b]in the pouring rain[/b].
Jamie - you soon learn where the good and bad roads are. And you may never learn to deal with the disappointment when they tar and chip one of your fave routes.
Molgrips
It might be worth cleaning your brake surface up a bit if thats the case.
You haven't got ceramic rims by any chance have you ?
In fact what rims are you running full stop?
because no matter how I adjusted my riding position, after an hour or so I invariably ended up with an aching back, stiff neck and completely numb hands.Shame really 'cos I still really like the idea <wanders off to gaze wistfully at shiny new road bikes
if you were fitted properly that shouldn't be an issue. no point in buying the latest bling machine if you have no budget for the important things:
a bikefit done by somebody who knows what they are doing.
good shoes/insoles(if needed)
good shorts
a change of stem and/or bars to get the ideal fit.
These threads always leave me with the impression that 'mountain bikers' are like the emo kids of the cycling world.
And you may never learn to deal with the disappointment when they tar and chip one of your fave routes.
The main road I ride on every day gets this done about once every year or so, and it's always in summer when the tar melts, so both spots of tar and loose chips get flicked up at your frame 🙁 Still haven't got the tar marks out of my old frame.
As for the brakes they slow me down well enough but they can't compare to the power of v or even u-brakes. Mind you mine are the cheapies that come on an Allez 24.