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Any bike shop worth their salt should offer you a bike fit before recommending a road bike. Did they?
Well seeing as you've already bought the road bike I'd assume that the shop at least gave you some advice about the sizing...?
Any bike shop worth their salt should offer you a bike fit before recommending a road bike. Did they?
It was EBay for me! BUt I checked size charts as much as I could beforehand and bought from someone same height as me me. Should be within sensible size for me I hope!
Thanks for advice re fits, really useful.
Are road shoes really stiffer - my specialized expert mtb shoes have a carbon sole and they look pretty similair to the road version but with more furniture on the sole, obviously.
And if you are a spinner could you not just use mtb pedals with stiff shoes as your pedalling forces are spread out more evenly across the stroke.
A larger pedal platform would only be useful for mashing I would have thought, and I see a lot of roadies standing and mashing away from the traffic lights but would have no desire to do that as it is chronically inefficient compared to spinning the correct gear from the off.
Some of the stiffer mtb shoes are getting towards roadie shoe stiffness.
As for your comment as to the correct way to pull a away from lights, why waste time changing down through the gears just fire a set of lights, same for corners, just use alittle power, it's a quicker way to get back up to speed.
Some of the stiffer mtb shoes are getting towards roadie shoe stiffness.
the spd type pedal systems aren't.
A larger pedal platform would only be useful for mashing
or climbing.
or accelerating
or for just general efficiency
No- I don't understand the mashing away from lights in big gears, it is so inefficient compared to spinning in the correct gear.
I can only assume the guys that do it (nearly all roadies I see) can't be arsed to change gear, or like putting stupidly high amounts of stress through their knees.
And if they want a buzz from acceleration then mashing is completely the wrong way to do it - it is like start off from the lights in 4th in your car.
No- I don't understand the mashing away from lights in big gears, it is so inefficient compared to spinning in the correct gear.
seriously it isn't, it gets you to speed quicker, i can easliy get my road bike from a standing start to 20mph in a handful of pedal strokes and then settle down to spin. Part of it is road bikes are higher geared than mtbs and at slow speeds you really can't spin them very well, the gears just aren't there. road bikes are meant to be ridden fast and aren't always the most user friendly of things at slow speeds.
But the roadies I see aren't even attempting to get close to a spinning gear when they mash - on my commute I easily and consistently gap the roadies from the light by significant distances because am spinning in the correct gear on my little Birdy folder.
Plus I am wearing mtb shoes and eggbeater pedals, so who knows what I could do with roady shoes and pedals...
...look like a clown on a funny looking bike with tiny wheels?
on one sprint up and over southwark bridge the roady that caught up with me at the lights looked at my 18inch wheels with large Big Apple tyres on and remarked "Nice training wheels". Unfortunately I was turning right and he went straight on, else I would have gapped him as well...
For a folder it doesn't look too bad:
http://www.foldingbikes.co.uk/birdy_speed.htm
commuting is training/recovery not racing.
(or just a means of getting to work)
you do have a set of race wheels (and BC license) for real racing?
yes, but these guys are putting effort into their mashing, for no apparent reason. As I said, if they liked acceleration they could at least start in a somewhat better gear.
maybe they are track sprinters? my flatmate does overgeared standing starts as part of his training for flying 200's and the kilo in 53/11, a great way of using stopping at the traffic lights on your commute as a bit of extra training but he's saving it for the track not trying to beat nodders on bromptons 🙂
I thought that might be a possibility, but all of them?
It is too easy to beat nodders on Bromptons so it is not worth trying...
if it's too easy then maybe stick to real racing? at least if you beat everyone else you get to throw your arms in the air as you cross the line (or do you do that on your commute too?) and get to stand on the podium like a hero.
I can only assume the guys that do it (nearly all roadies I see) can't be arsed to change gear, or like putting stupidly high amounts of stress through their knees.
I do it because if I were to go through the gears from stop to 20mph I'd spend more time shifting than actually with the power on accelerating. Not worth the time and effort when lights are so frequent. When I'm getting a bit tired I might drop a gear or two to ease the pain on the quads, but otherwise there's just no need.
I use MTB pedals because I want to be able to walk about in my shoes when I get to places, because I don't find any problem from sole stiffness (even after 60 miles) and sore feet, and I don't want to have yet another set of shoes knocking about.
when crossing southwark bridge southwards from the other side of Upper Thames Street there is bike orientated traffic light, and all the bikes bunch up there waiting.
When the light changes everyone then begins the climb up southwark bridge, so it is difficult to avoid giving in to the urge to get to the top of the climb first, especially when you have some lycra laden roadie next to.
But what is really annoying is when you stop at any traffic lights and then a roadie will pull in in front of you, as they are obviously the faster rider. When the lights change they then crawl away, mashing the pedals and blocking your path (even worse as they mess around trying to get into their road pedals).
Even if I am not racing I have to swerve round them and then they will catch up with me again sometime in the future.
I look on their progress as rather pathetic and just wonder why they do it.
I mash a highish gear to accelerate from lights, junctions etc as well. Seems to get you back up to speed quicker and to be honest I can't be arsed with shifting back down to easier gears 😆
but it doesn't get you back up to speed quicker - unless all the riders I see in London are useless and not representative.
Plus it is putting severe stress on your knees compared to spinning.
but it doesn't get you back up to speed quicker - unless all the riders I see in London are useless and not representative.
maybe they are not racing just commuting?
and I am commuting as well.
so if they are taking it easily wtf don't they change gear and spin away from the lights quicker and therefore have more chance of getting through the next set of lights before they change to red?
and why don't they always get to the back of a bunch of cyclists at the light 'cos they know damn well that they will be the slowest away from the lights and so shouldn't hold everyone else up?
my specialized expert mtb shoes have a carbon sole and they look pretty similair to the road version but with more furniture on the sole, obviously
I've got high end Spesh carbon soled MTB shoes, and they are nowhere near as stiff as cheapo Spesh road shoes, not even close.
As for traffic lights, for me it's middle of the block and middle ring, which is a good compromise between having to change gear really rapidly and having to mash.
it is like start off from the lights in 4th in your car
No, it isn't. A human pedalling is much more versatile than an IC engine - imagine a singlespeed car 🙂
The Eddy Merckx of the cycle commute....
@turnerguy, why is this such a big issue for you?
road bikes have to be ridden a certain way, they aren't bromptons, or mtbs, they are designed for a purpose, bigger wheels will need a little more effort to get upto speed. If your commuting depends on mood, depends on distance between lights, depends on how far you've travelled, whether your winding down at the end of the ride, just warming up etc.
following is according to phone gps, so not sure whether to believe or not.
Riding back through town after yesterdays pootle, didn't bother changing gear, just left it on big ring, slow revs just loosening legs after ride. Some lights pull away slowly so 0-15mph, the next light isn't far so why bother putting the effort in, another set of lights 0-32mph because i felt like hurting myself.
You never know when a scooter or jcb will go past so you have to be ready to tuck in behind.
Shame this thread has degenerated from some really positive and helpful comments to the usual arguments...
🙄
I will save my abuse for the next road cyclist who deems to block me in then - I only wondered why roadies delight in cycling so inefficiently when the joy of a cycle is surely that you are on such an efficient machine?
And surely a light, skinny tyred road bike could accelerate quicker than my 11kg folder with 18 wheels and fat tyres?
And surely a light, skinny tyred road bike could accelerate quicker than my 11kg folder with 18 wheels and fat tyres?
read up on rotation and acceleration. Weight and diameter matter. it is perfectly possible for a heavy small wheel to accelerate faster than a big light wheel.
you're just making excuses now...
Blimey, I didnt realise I'd need to think so much about how to pull away from traffic lights when I get the bike but thanks!
crazy-legs - Member
Shame this thread has degenerated from some really positive and helpful comments to the usual arguments...
+1
utter nonsense now - as for London cyclists and Bromptons WTF !!
spend a week in the Peaks on a proper bike before posting more drivel.
anyway, to try and get this thread back to something remotely positive, things to consider that you may or may not of and depends on where and how strong you are.
gearing, a reasonably strong rider in the south of england should be fine most of the time on standard 53/39 12-23, but depends on the hills you have, not so much length but steepness. I am in the cotswolds and most climbs are fine with a 23 but there are a few climbs, 25% gradient where the length means you can't just suffer and the gradient and strength mean a smaller gear might make sense. Only you can know whether you can cope, or whether it makes sense to use a compact (50/34) or a larger sprocket, 26 or 27 should work with a standard chainset with no major issues.
bar width i believe tradition is the width of your shoulders, but it really is a matter of trial and error, reach, width, shape, and drop, a lot of variables to play with. it can get pricey if your not careful.
Be aware that what is a minor niggle in position on an mtb can become a real pain on a road bike, you find you don't change position anything like as often as you would on an mtb. And i would advise be careful ramping distances, i think it is easier to get overuse injuries on the road than off.
oh yeah one more comment
"It never gets easier, you just go faster."
Greg LeMond
learn to embrace pain.
It started out as a serious question about why road cyclists choose to mash a big gear from the pedals when starting off, when it is clearly not the most efficient way of cycling.
Does the knee pain ever go away? I used to get a bit on the back of my left one from over extending, fixed that by lowering the seat slightly but I still get aching pains around my knees after a few miles. Cleats seem spot on now though. I'm not trying to pull up as I heard that can cause knee problems, just trying to pedal in circles.
ok - what does choosing a cross bike do to the fit?
Normally a cross bike frame would seem to measure a couple of cm less than a road bike for more clearance.
But you have a higher BB as well, which will mean you will need a higher saddle height in order to have optimal leg extension.
Or would you compensate with just crank length?
doesnt matter as much with a cross bike as you will ride it more like a hardtail MTB than a road bike and wont be in the same position for hours on end.
My cross bike is same size frame (54) - but I run seat slightly lower seat and run a shorter stem (very slightly -120mm as opposed to 135mm). The cross frame is slightly shorter than my equivilent road bike anyway and has a slightly longer headtube.
ok - what does choosing a cross bike do to the fit?
You'd choose a CX bike based on normal fitting process, not what your road bike is like. CX bikes have different geometry, they're shorter in the top tube, more upright at the front, longer wheelbase, higher BB and slightly slacker angles. Most people use slightly wider bars on a CX than they would on a road bike as well.
I keep having an urge to try a road bike but I think I may end up building up a crosser instead.
But when I was looking at likely candidates the Genesis Equilibrium looks like a good option.
So I look at the price - £1300 - and then I look around the web and think that you should be able to build it up to a better spec for pretty much that, or only a little more.
The frame is something like £279 and the forks are £119. You can get a 105 group set for about £440 (£10 for a FR band).
Shimano Ultegra wheels for something like £240.
So that's £1090 so far leaving £210 for the rest of the kit, which is tight maybe but you have much better wheels than the packaged bike and 105 brakes instead of the tektros everyone complains about.
Just thought I'd post that in case anyone else was thinking about that bike.
Not sure Ultegra wheels are strong enough - have some on my winter bike and they felx like ****.
Run 32 spokes laced 3 cross on my cross bike with mavic open pro rims.
Just bought my first road bike, what else I need to know?
Nothing just get out and ride. You'll see some one one week, then the next and before you know it you'll be riding all winter together. Next you'll find a group you can latch onto and get some benifit from those Carlos fandango wheels and shoes you bought for Christmas. Twelve months from now you'll be asking if you should get a Bronze, Silver or Gold licence.
Don't get too hooked on top kit, my bestest bit of kit at the moment is some £69 wheels I bought while my good ones were in the menders, their frickin ace and haven't been off the bike since..R-Meaty-beaty-big 'n' bouncy 500's.
well they are probably better than the WH-RS10 that come with it - only talking road usage here.
SCIENCE 101: Big gear vs small gear.
[url= http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3582/5700207146_1855f54039_b.jp g" target="_blank">
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/21634402@N07/5700207146/ ]SPEED_DIST[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/21634402@N07/ ]ben_oggles[/url], on Flickr
Apart from the small dip at the start, (ie first pedal stroke) the acceleration achieved by mashing a high gear is better than starting in a low gear and shifting to said high gear.
All the riders you see in London are useless and not representative 😉
Does the knee pain ever go away?
You shouldn't have knee pain. When people talk about 'the pain' of road cycling (or MTBing for that matter) they are talking about extreme exertion, aching leg muscles, burning lungs that kind of thing. Not niggling tendonitis, a sore neck or sharp pain in the palms 🙂
All the riders you see in London are useless and not representative
They must be - I won't feel so bad for shouting at them in future when they block me in.
Plus you have to add to that chart the time they spend faffing around getting into their road pedal, whereas I clip into my eggbeaters immediately.
Seriously though how much float do those road pedals have compared to, say, eggbeaters?
turnerguy, buy the right tool for the job, if you want to ride on the road buy a road bike, if you want to ride cross buy a cross bike.
Don't use eggbeaters, i have time which are similar and i would say my time rxs on the road bike have more float than the atacs. you don't notice it though, it is just there.
Dunno about egg beaters but there are three cleat options with Look pedals giving different amounts of float. To be honest I do hate clipping into Look pedals but they are so much better when riding that I put up with it. I'm tempted to try Shimano, but that doesn't look to be any better.