[Closed] newbie road rider tips

Road tyres have more grip in the wet thank you think. Except on lines or drain covers. Don't ride over then anything other than vertical.

Slow down on corners?

Just take your time going into corners. Wet or dry conditions because both can catch you out at speed.

..... and just remember. Road bike brakes dont actually stop you like mtb disk brakes .... they merely slow you down a tiny bit.

I built my first road bike about 6 months ago, having only ridden mtb's since the mid 80's.

My first tip would be, trust you tyres and just take a few rides to get used to the way the frame rides. As long as you have half decent tyres, you'll get less slipping and ginking on a road bike than on an mtb. Second tip would be, watch the road; avoid man hole covers and the like, as wet iron and rubber are not the best of combinations.

Just take it easy for the first few rides, and the bike will soon tell you what is does and does not like.

Don't run silly high pressures in the wet and cold, save the 120psi for dry and warm days, 80 or 90 is better in the Winter

Grip will be fine, the pain in your legs and lungs less so.
Road riding is relentless, there is a reason roadies never smile!

Cellotape hands to bars to avoid any chance of waving to a fellow cyclist

..... and just remember. Road bike brakes dont actually stop you like mtb disk brakes .... they merely slow you down a tiny bit.

They're fine. Set them up well and learn to control them

Road riding is relentless, there is a reason roadies never smile!

I don't road ride much, but I found the outside-foot-down-lean-bike-in technique that works on long flat corners when MTBing works even better on the road bike. Clean tarmac is incredibly grippy even when a bit wet.

Get some decent tyres like Michelin Pro 3s and experiment with pressures, depending on your weight around 100 is probably OK for winter riding. Watch out for polished tarmac on junctions and corners. Once you've got that sorted try some latex inner tubes, they are amazing and will transform the feel of the bike. Carry a conventional butyl spare inner though as latex is so flexible that it will herniate out of the tiniest cut in the tyre and go pop. With latex inners on a dry road you'll be amazed at the comfort and grip.

Road riding is relentless, there is a reason roadies never smile!

I disagree with that. We smile when we exceed 40mph going downhill. No, hold on - that's a grimace. I think you may have a point there 😉

I've recently starting MTB'ing, after many years on the road. So I can give some advice from the other side of the fence.

Firstly, don't worry about grip. Road tyres have tons of grip. Well at least they do in the dry. In the wet the grip varies depending on compound and tyre pressures. Don't let the fact that the tyres are slick worry you. Some roads tyre manufacturers - Conti for example - put grip-like patterns on their winter road tyres. But these are there for cosmetic reasons. There's no mud on the roads, and the width and profile of road tyres mean that they cut through the water at most speeds. From what I've read you'll need to be travelling over 100mph for a road tyre to start aqua-planning, so there's no need for grip to clear water. As others have said - when it's wet go slow around the corners and avoid slippery drain covers and white lines.

Braking on a road bike is easy compared to a MTB. All you need to do is make sure you're going in a straight line and grab a big handful of front brake. As the roads are 'smooth' then the front wheel won't track in the same way that a MTB front wheel does in the rough terrain. So there's no need to balance the brakes. I hardly use my rear brake on my road bike. Once the front wheel is weighted - particularly when braking hard coming down a steep hill - it doesn't take much rear brake to lose the rear wheel. When you get overtaken by your rear wheel it never ends well 😉 I can pretty stop on the spot on my road bike, all with the front brake. I've never lost the front, or even had it skid.

Another valuable tip is to always descend from the drops. Firstly, it gets your weight lower. Secondly, you get more leverage on the brakes than you do from the hoods. And you go faster!

And a final tip. Never overtake another roadie before an accent. It's just too embarrassing when they re-take you half way up the hill and leave you for dead. Wait till it gets steep and you know how good at climbing they are before overtaking.

And when overtaking on the flat the trick is to get up a good head of steam in their slip-stream and then coast past sitting up on the tops, back-peddling, and commenting on what a lovely day it is for a cruise 😉

And of course, before you hit the road - read up on the rules - [url] http://www.velominati.com/the-rules/ [/url]

Another valuable tip is to always descend from the hoods. Firstly, it gets your weight lower. Secondly, you get more leverage on the brakes than you do from the hoods. And you go faster!

From the drops, you mean, yes?

From the drops, you mean, yes?

Yes, good point. Corrected.

These smooth roads with no dirt.... I have not got any of those in Dorset. Road surfaces are breaking up, mud everywhere, I even got some air off a small landslide that had covered a road. Moss, rocks, gravel, poo, new streams... It's like mountain biking, but faster.

Cornering...
Get on the drops.
A flaired bar like a salsa cowbell gives you more control. Elbows out a bit, more leverage.
Read up on counter steering, a secret from the motorcycle world. It's weird but works, push down and slightly forward on the right side to go right, and vice versa. If you run out of corner, this can make the difference between victory and casualty.
Get quality tyres, cheap tyres are not good, good tyres are not that cheap.
Just like a mountain biker, pick your line, look at the exit of the corner, and not the barb wire fence directly in front of you.

And not about cornering... Get a hi viz gilet or similar, leave a flashing light on the back of the bike all day long at this time of year, assume everyone is out to kill you, stop at a pub or cake shop.

[img] [/img]

Counter steering...

Give this a watch, try it in an empty car Park... You will soon appreciate how it works.

Chill out.

Before you go out take some time to set the bike up properly. Set saddle height, handlebar height and angle, position of the hoods and tyre pressures so that when you sit on the bike you're comfortable and relaxed.

When cornering keep a relaxed position on the bike, keep the outside pedal down and trust the tyres. Plan ahead, look into the corner at the line you want to take and don't focus on things you want to avoid. Start slow and build skills and confidence from there.

Closing thought. From what you've said your biggest problem is likely to be mental. From mountain biking you have good bike handling skills and a good sense of balance, however now you're transferring these skills to the road for some reason you're telling yourself that there'll be a problem. Seriously, chill out.

I did 100 miles yesterday. I reckon that is probably 4000 interactions with motorists. Mostly fine. I really want to tell the blind-corner close passing numpty from mile 98 that he was the shittest driver out of 4000. It's an achievement. The richest person out of a random 4000 selection is probably a multi millionaire. The best footballer out of 4000 regular football players is probably in the premiership. It's an exclusive percentile

Road biking is bloody great. Aim long, travel places

A flaired bar like a salsa cowbell gives you more control. Elbows out a bit, more leverage.

What a bizarre thing to say? Handlebar movements are minimal and effortless that's why MTBer's feel nervous when jumping on a road bike as the hamfisted input they are used to is just not required especially at speed when weight/position has a lot to say.
And please don't start this ridiculous wide bar thing we have in MTB. If anything it's narrow bars for sprinting.

Did you order too many of those bars and have a lot to shift?
Should report you for misinformation and spamming 🙄

tyre size... i am a big guy so never use anything smaller than 25mm. if this weather stays any longer I may well go with 28mm durano plus tyres for a bigger contact patch, and better protection from pot holes.

Fact is road tyres grip roads better than knobbly tyres.

How big are you Charlie? I'm over 100kg and play either in the front row or second row for my rugby team. I'm really not small. Yet I have no dramas running 700x23 for training and racing (well...[i]I[/i] call it racing...not sure if what I do under race conditions actually qualifies but you get the idea)

Mr smith... Have you tried them? Have you?

I am in a position where I experiment with bars, and have found these significantly more comfortable on the drops.

Take a look at them, it's a very subtle difference. When you are on the drops on a normal bar your forearms are pararell, with these your elbows come out a bit and it give you more control. This is why they are very popular on cross bikes, touring bikes, gravel racing... And also on normal road bikes. As I mentioned earlier, the roads in my neighbourhood are not like those of the TDF, i have tight twisting back lanes, dirt and crap... and this thread was asking about cornering, not sprinting or racing. These are great bars for cornering.

Did you order too many of those bars and have a lot to shift?
Should report you for misinformation and spamming

Too many to shift... No these are the best selling bars in my shop by miles, fresh deliveries restocking several times a week. Not sure if you are joking or being insulting. I don't hang on stw to sell bars with dis-information. I've used these, salsa and surly supply them as stock on many complete bikes, loads of my customers have tried and like them.

How big are you Charlie? I'm over 100kg and play either in the front row or second row for my rugby team. I'm really not small. Yet I have no dramas running 700x23 for training and racing (well...I call it racing...not sure if what I do under race conditions actually qualifies but you get the idea)

I'm 100 kg too. Yeah sure 23mm tyres won't burst into flames. But I find the extra 2mm gives me more comfort, and more speed on the poorer road surfaces. It's subtle but makes a difference.

I don't race road so flat out speed is not an issue. I ride a Tom ritchey steel road bike (not a carbon mega bike) stick gel inserts under my bar tape, clear off for all day rides, and stock up on cakes from honesty boxes. And for that 25mm is better for me.

I would suggest trying 25mm and seeing how you get on. This industry is full of standards that have been challenged: Turns out 130mm stems are not that great on an MTB for example.

Just read this thread after posting about Bell Laps. The reason I like the flared drops is that they are more comfortable which lets me ride on the drops longer and go faster. More confidence for me lets me descend faster - even better!
I am sure if I had stuck with conventional road bars I would have got used to them eventually but frankly I like riding my bikes not adhering slavishly to the 'rules' . Equally you might think they're rubbish.
Back to the OP - in my experience being comfortable on the bike is the single most important thing - ignore advice to 'slam' your stem for example (unless it makes you more comfortable of course).

No doubt they are very popular for touring, cross and gravel racing.

With normal bars you can stick your elbows out with a shift forward and a drop of the shoulder, something you would do anyway 'pinning it'. And then you aren't left with your elbows out when you want to get down and make progress into the wind.
I guess they help nervous nodders unsteady on a bike gain some confidence.
Which brings me to a pertinent point of an upright position and it's effect on cornering, a bit of flexibility and a pro length stem (120-140) is going to do more for your cornering/weight distribution than a fancy bar, getting the weight over the front wheel where it's needed gives more grip and the c-o-g lower. I see lots of new cyclists with a shopper style position and a skyward pointing 90mm stem. It's obvious why they feel they can't corner at any speed.

AD - Member
Just read this thread after posting about Bell Laps. The reason I like the flared drops is that they are more comfortable which lets me ride on the drops longer and go faster. More confidence for me lets me descend faster - even better!
I am sure if I had stuck with conventional road bars I would have got used to them eventually but frankly I like riding my bikes not adhering slavishly to the 'rules' . Equally you might think they're rubbish.
Back to the OP - in my experience being comfortable on the bike is the single most important thing - ignore advice to 'slam' your stem for example (unless it makes you more comfortable of course).

^^This

Exactly what I found with flared bars (Midge Bars in my case). Ride what makes you feel comfortable, not what the 'rules' or fashion dictate. You'll ride further, faster and have more fun. No downside.

Beware puddles, they often conceal giant potholes.

Even after 18 months of road coming from 13 years of mtb I'm not brave enough to descend at speed on the drops - it scares me.

I've also found relaxing on a road bike more importantbthannon mtb but that could just be me.

😀 was that aimed at me mrsmith?
First time I have been described as a nervous nodder - brilliant.
Anyway for the OP's interest - my current road bike (an old Ellsworth flight) is set up with a relatively low long stem for exactly the reasons mrsmith quotes - the only real difference to the set up I suspect the mrsmiths of the world espouse is the slightly flared bars. They work well for me. They may not work for you but give them a go.

[url=

endurancenut - Member

Braking on a road bike is easy compared to a MTB. All you need to do is make sure you're going in a straight line and grab a big handful of front brake.

Insane advise 😐

MrSmith - Member
Did you order too many of those bars and have a lot to shift?
Should report you for misinformation and spamming

That's a bit strong and unnecessarily rude.

Back on topic; perfect the stealthy 'hello!'. Sneak up on your target, start the overtake silently and when you're in their blind spot, bellow 'morning!' or some such. Makes em jump every time 🙂

Many thanks for all the responses. You are right, I think it is a mental thing. I know I can handle a bike, but its just the tyres are so thin!

Taking all the advice on board though so thanks again!

On another forum, a chap posted up how his first road bike was high end Scott Foil (~£4k). A couple of weeks later he posted pics of a trashed Foil having fallen off cornering on his 3rd ride. Take it steady until you're used to the handling as the consequences could be more than financial.

Hey charlie, thanks for the tips. Turns out that we're not so dissimilar. My road bike is Reynolds 853 Steel and has a 12 - 25 sprocket cluster. I've no idea what honesty box cake is though. I've no intention of trying 25mm tyres thanks. I've used 23s for so long and to such effect that I don't see the requirement.

Anyway, I must take issue with your assertion that

When you are on the drops on a normal bar your forearms are pararell

[img] [/img]

Oh and for the attention of ashley (the OP) that's good cornering technique in that photo. Outside pedal down, head up and looking ahead into the corner fingers lightly covering the brakes (look at left hand).

That's a bit strong and unnecessarily rude

Nice selective cut and paste, you missed this: 🙄
Here's a few more ➡ ➡ : arrow: ➡ ➡ 🙄

Using emoticons doesn't give you licence to be rude. Sorry. Nothing more from me now, off for a run.

@ roadie in denial to avoid confusion, Martin is probably covering the front brake as he's a johny foreigner (front brake left).

Sometimes a brand new tyre can be a bit slippery, that soon goes (especially wired non folding)

Don't charge into corners, don't do that anyway.
Look ahead like you do on the mtb, look for metal work and raised white lines, but worst of all the tell tale rainbow colours of spilt diesel.

Spinning of grinding whilst cornering doesn't help, finesse is you friend.

Avoid all black kit, save it funerals and not your own.

Some good advice posted on this thread, and some crap as usual... Of course it's the guys that actually think they're a level above everyone else in ability dishing out the crap advice, and then shooting down the genuinely helpful guys in flames (or trying to)!

Anyway... Cornering on a bike, regardless of on road, or offroad, with riser bars or with drops, is largely the same. It's all about good technique... Outside pedal down, look through the corner (not where your front wheel is), get your weight as central on the bike (promoting a 50/50 weight distribution) as you can, and do as much braking as you can before the corner so you're not trailing the brakes when you're leant over. Whatever the individual does to set the bike up to promote this is totally up to them, for some that might mean a short and upright stem, for others a long and low stem, for some wide bars, for some narrow and deep drop bars. It's all personal preference!

Ride what feels comfortable to you, not what others tell you to ride, or how they say you should set the bike up.

FWIW the cornering in the drops on a road bike is good advice for definite, more than anything cos it gives you much better control over the brakes than anything. It feels a bit counter intuitive at first getting into the drops to descend, but once you're used to it, you'll go much faster, and be able to brake later and harder.

Will also echo the advice on avoiding anything made of metal, or painted surfaces when it's wet. They're slippy enough on a mountain bike with a large contact patch, on a road bike they're lethal! They are the wet roots of the roadie world, no tyre known to man grips to them.

And also agree with what charlie the bikemonger says about tyres... Cheap tyres usually use harder compounds, which whilst they might last longer, won't be as grippy. That's not saying you should spunk £40 per tyre instantly, but a £40 tyre is likely to be a lot grippier than a £10 tyre. Also, for a lot of people, it is very much worthwhile giving 25c tyres a go, cos they're not really any slower, they're only the tiniest bit heavier, but they do offer more comfort and a slightly larger contact patch (ergo slightly more grip) which is highly beneficial in a lot of cases.

There's some great advice in this thread. That counter steering vid is a revelation to me!

Just take it easy on the corners since there could be gravel or leafs or oil or similar. It can be hard to tell when its a bit wet, especially at night.

Also, brake well before the corner. Look where you're going and get your weight forwards, especially if riding downhill. Use a long, low stem and ride in the drops for downhill sections if you can, since this'll give you more control.

I always love it when people try to teach how to counter steer! It's something every child who can ride a bike already knows how to do - it's only MAM who feel the need to analyse it. Any "science" explanation which mentions centrifugal force is always going to be rather rubbish, but I did particularly like the way they suggested the force of gravity balanced that whilst acting in a completely different direction - about the only accurate part of that was at the end where they said they'd ignored much of the physics involved. The bit where they suggested shifting your weight rather than counter steering at low speed was also good - how exactly do they reckon you shift your weight from one side to the other on a bike (relative to the tyre contact patch)?

Or maybe I'd be much better at riding my unicycle if my brain worked fast enough to consciously counter steer on that to stay in balance.

Can't help you much on the bike handling front other than to say that more miles -> more confidence, os take it easy until you feel comfortable.

One thing I will say is that you are guaranteed to have 'The Rules' quoted at you at some point. They are supposed to be a joke (even if some of them make good sense). Take them with a pinch of salt or become a humourless ghoul of a cyclist.

Another advocate of 25 mm tyres here, presently the Duranos mentioned earlier which are bomb proof but a little heavy to the point it dulls the bike. I,'ll change them when/if the weather ever improves something lighter but still 25mm.

Most important tip from me would be to keep your road position good, don't get pushed into the side by traffic. Check out the NCN for some routes either circular or one way with trains back.
Try riding with others in group which really can up your speed when collaborative.
I have had wheels wash out on both types of bikes and don't really see so much difference in bike handling from road to mtb maybe some minor stuff but pretty intuitive.

The lack of tread on a road tyre means the entire contact patch is gripping the road. Essentially a seemingly slick road tyre maximises the grip available even in the wet, with soft and dual compound options adding a touch more stickiness usually on the cornering shoulders.

IME mountain bikers transition to road pretty easily. We're usually comparatively good bike handlers, descenders, and climbers, and probably don't back off much on the wet, but we often waste our energy charging off the front of groups and hanging in the wind, and defiantly sport hairy legs.

That's my experience anyway from racing 3rd & 4th cat, and from road training camps abroad with up to 2nd cat. It's a generalisation of course, but the point is that there's no reason why you shouldn't feel confident.

Ride a cyclocross bike with cantis in the mud and you can really learn what it's like to have hairy handling and next to no brakes.

Roadie in denial...

Anyway, I must take issue with your assertion that

When you are on the drops on a normal bar your forearms are pararell
If you've set your handlbars up so that you're forced into this position when in the drops, you've set your bars up wrong. Bars should be turned so that the tops don't snag the wrists when you ride in the drops. Take a look at this photo of Tony Martin to see what I'm talking about.

I agree, I was referring to your arms being more parallel to each other, not the ground.

Honesty boxes... Outside farm houses on Sundays you will sometimes find home grown veg, cakes, jams, biscuits etc on a table by the road, with a small box with a slot. Stick a quid in and help yourself to a cake. Is this just a dorset thing?

shermer75 - Member

There's some great advice in this thread. That counter steering vid is a revelation to me!

Counter steering is something you probably already do although no one has ever pointed it out to you.
If you have a video of you riding off road just check, more than likely you will flick left ever so slightly before a right turn and visa-verse.

Counter steering is something you [s]probably[/s] definitely already do although no one has ever pointed it out to you.

Pretty much impossible to ride a bike without counter steering - a point the evangelists for it seem to miss. As I mention above any child who can ride a bike knows how to counter steer (in the same way I know how to balance a unicycle, despite my conscious brain not being fast enough to do so).

Don't put all your weight on the saddle - hover over it, you'll soon find out why on our roads, unless you like being kicked up the arse repeatedly! Similarly don't death-grip the bars, light touch/hover over them.

Learn to pull as well as push on the pedals, you may not have the luxury of ultra-low gears to grind your way up big inclines, so you need to make the best use of every pedal rev to keep going forward. 39 x 26 is a LONG way from 22 x 34...!!!

I started road riding again this year after 20 years on mountain bikes and it was a real wake-up call - it's pretty uncomfortable at first, but you'll get used to it.

Similarly don't death-grip the bars, light touch/hover over them.

This is critical, you should be loose enough to be able to flap your elbows at all times.

Another point, particularly as you're coming from MTB: make sure you're not shifting all your weight backwards. Getting off the back of the saddle is essential for MTB descending, and suicide on the road - you need to be centred or slightly over the front wheel. Getting down in the drops will help with this.

I can imagine running your brakes slack might add a little bit of confidence if a road bike feels a little alien. I like my brakes slack anyway, so hopefully I'm not the only one doing this but I can't say I've ever thought to discuss it before.

On most road calipers there's a lever that lets the caliper open out a little bit in order to remove the wheel without fouling the tyre on the brake pads. I set my brakes up quite tight with the lever closed and adjusted with the barrel, but then I use the lever as a feel adjuster where most of the time it's fairly open with a long brake lever throw and plenty of modulation, but if I happen to want or need outright power I just flick the lever round.

I also find this helps with better brake control from the hoods so it's generally my choice if I want to use the drops or not.

Run your gears slack as well just in case you may not really want to change gear, take some air out of the tyres you can always stop and put it in later. Lower your saddle another tip gets your centre of gravity down for cornering and if you put some short cranks on this may prevent you from pedal strike in the event that your slack brakes dont slow you up enough to take a bend and your shit tyres with the wrong pressure haven't dropped you on the road.

I'd never heard of counter-steering, but from that video I think I already do it.

Dales_rider - Member

Not sure where the bee in your bonnet's come from, I was advised to run my brakes much slacker than I was, it works.

Bit like runing MTB brakes with the bite point close to the bars, and there's no need to have them set up close that they only just clear the joint in the rim. It gives them far more power as you're pulling with a shorter lever (rather than the wholelength of yoru fingers). Same as beginers going rock climbing, first session you end up with blisters on your palm as that's where you're strongest, after a few months you get callouses on your finger tips as you've developed strength there. Avereage cyclist is never going to brake enough to develop that kind of finger strength!

thisisnotaspoon - Member

Not sure where the bee in your bonnet's come from, I was advised to run my brakes much slacker than I was, it works.

Bit like runing MTB brakes with the bite point close to the bars, and there's no need to have them set up close that they only just clear the joint in the rim. It gives them far more power as you're pulling with a shorter lever (rather than the wholelength of yoru fingers). Same as beginers going rock climbing, first session you end up with blisters on your palm as that's where you're strongest, after a few months you get callouses on your finger tips as you've developed strength there. Avereage cyclist is never going to brake enough to develop that kind of finger strength!

Bee no, bad advice yes, its different on flat bars riding on the hoods as you need to pull the brakes closer to the bars your hand rotates with the associated problems.
As for rock climbing and blisters on your palms and callouses on your fingers WHAT !

Dales_rider, I have no idea why you're so against the idea, especially as you haven't justified why.

I'm just sharing what works for me, which given that it's a known approach in mountain biking might just help a mountain bike rider transitioning to the road.

I've never run out of brake power or control, not even in avoiding a crash or controlling a skid, and rarely get overtaken descending or cornering. Perhaps it works for some people. I've got small hands and it gives me extra leverage both on the hoods and the drops.

Anyway, it doesn't matter I guess. I'm sure everyone else can come to their own conclusions.

As for rock climbing and blisters on your palms and callouses on your fingers WHAT !

Short levers/fingers have more force than long ones. Beginners climb gripping the rock/wall with their whole hand, thus get blisters/callouses on their palms, as they get stronger you see them move further up your fingers as they use them for grip rather than the whole hand. The parralel with bikes is you get far more power/controll if you set the bite point closer to the bars as you're using the 'stronger' part of your hand.

Get some [s]performance enhancing[/s] illegal drugs inside you and then all you need to worry about is the purple tap dancing squirrels.