[Closed] newbie road rider tips

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.