It’s not as though I’ve never ridden a road bike. I’ve probably ridden a couple of dozen of them in the car park out the back of the shop, for maybe 200 yards or more at a time….. 😉

But I’ve taken the plunge, bought the whole kit and kaboodle brand new, and tomorrow I’m getting a lift in and riding home. It’s only 15 miles but it’ll be 14.8 more than I’ve ever done before.
I’m really looking foreword to it. The bike’s been teasing me at work since Friday and new bits and bobs keep arriving every day, and should be complete with a Bonty TLR (tubeless) tyre kit tomorrow, although I’ve still got to set my cleats up and fit the pedals and computer

Something new. Can’t be bad eh?
I’ll report back if I survive but this is the offending beast:

Trek Madone 2.3 by PeterPoddy, on Flickr

Nice one, enjoy..

first time out on my road bike I just ran flats to get a feel for the bike first… Maybe something to think about unless your used to them.

Oh man get that pump off the frame quick…. 😉

You’ll love it

The pump should be going in next to the bottle cage at some point if I can source a mount. But I’m going nowhere without it! 🙂

^^ What he said! ^^

Cheers,
Jamie

it’s a slippery slope Peter. you’ll be calculating your VO2 max and admiring your tans lines before the week’s out.

Enjoy.

it’s a slippery slope Peter. you’ll be calculating your VO2 max and admiring your tans lines before the week’s out.

Oh bugger!

Lush mate enjoy!!

admiring your tans lines

That’s what riding is summers for isn’t it to work on your bike tan and prove you’ve got the miles in.

there’s still time

Nice bike peter, do you work at the shop? If so which branch?

Ashley, yes, The Bike Company in Staines. Surprisingly we are a Trek dealer….. 😀

Thats why I ask, I work at a diy retailer just round the corner. 15 mile commute guessing bagshot way? A lot of hills on that ride! 🙂

Get that saddle canted up by a couple of degrees at the nose or it will throw your weight forward onto the bars. Lovely bike!

That’s a nice looking bike.

I too took the plunge this year and have really enjoyed it. I used to totally dismiss road riding as pointless especially when I had time to ride lots and had the Peaks on my doorstep. Now I live further south with no quality riding on my doorstep and a proper job, house less time etc I’ve really appreciated the ease at which I can get out in a road bike.

I’ve actually enjoyed the riding too….and have developed some great (dodgey if you ask the boss) tan lines! I reckon I’m fitter on the mtb too because I’m riding more.

Thats why I ask, I work at a diy retailer just round the corner. 15 mile commute guessing bagshot way? A lot of hills on that ride!

Ahh I see. 🙂
You’re in the right direction too, I live in Farnborough.

Get that saddle canted up by a couple of degrees at the nose or it will throw your weight forward onto the bars. Lovely bike!

It might be the pic making it look odd, it looks level in reality, but I’ve not even sat on it yet! I’m going in early to get it set up…. 🙂

Awesome bike mate, gonna have to ride in now if you are! Race you up egham hill.

Remember, no smiling. 😐

Will you be strava-ing your first route? it will be the start of your best addiction to date, so you may as well record it.

Have you shaved your legs?

Remember not to smile at any one you see on your journey.

Don’t forget the team sky kit either.

Will you be strava-ing your first route? it will be the start of your best addiction to date, so you may as well record it.

Oh god. Yes. I am!!

make sure you have your tea room preplanned. those places love the smell of honest cyclists in their tea rooms. you will need to remember to eat loads of cake as it is hard work on the road.

Nice bike.

To where are you riding? There’s some absolutely fantastic road biking down your way, if you go South and/or West.

Well that was OK. Quite enjoyable really. Had a bit of shoulder ache after a mile, which seemed to go away fairly quickly, and a bit of back ache that went away when I upped the saddle about 5mm when I stopped to tweak the gears. But it only took me 55 mins to get home at about 16.5mph average and the bike rides really nicely. I’m very pleased with my choice.
Although it has to be said I ran out of gears on virtually every downhill. It does feel a bit under geared at the top end.
There’s he odd thing I might tweak here and there but I even the saddle seemed OK.
🙂

You need a smaller pump, a nice lezyne one should do it then took it in the back pocket of your jersey.
Nice bike hope you took the cling film off the bars!

Probably worth leaving it on for the first few rides to stop the sweat and slevs from staining the tape ;O)

I used to be a level saddle cyclist but I now have the mtb’s with the nose slightly higher. Same with the road bike. I always think it’s worth trying a good few adjustments as more often than not I’ll stumble on a nice angle maybe after three adjustments. If I stopped at three, I might never have found it. The last road bike I messed around with it about 6 times before finding a nice position. This was probably over a few hundred miles.

Actually I found the saddle pretty OK. it wasn’t the best but it seems comfortable enough.
The stuff on the bars was the packing out of the box. I always leave it on when I’m PDIing bikes.
Lezyne pumps are crap. Topeak every time, and being as I’m commuting I want someone that actually works, not one that sort of works, so Mini Morph it is!
My tubeless kit should turn up today anyway 🙂

I like the wilier better

Nice bike PP.

I popped my cherry two weeks ago with a 1.2. Having loads of fun 🙂

Glad you had a good ride back mr poddy. 55 mins is pretty good.

Although it has to be said I ran out of gears on virtually every downhill. It does feel a bit under geared at the top end.

I don’t think spinning out at about 30-32mph is that bad assuming you’re not some sort of cadence tornado. The advice I got was gear for going uphill, not downhill. I’ve hit 45mph with gravity doing all the work.

Although it has to be said I ran out of gears on virtually every downhill. It does feel a bit under geared at the top end.

50×12 at 130rpm = 42.4 mph

I don’t think I’ve ever run out of gears on a downhill. Once you get above 40mph you’re better off getting low and reducing wind resistance rather than pedalling. Sitting on the top tube, with your chest on the bars is the recommended method for beginners of course 😉

It may be that you need to get used to a higher cadence. An 80rpm average is pretty much standard for roadies, although elites and pros will be higher than that. I’m neither of these but I’m a spinner and so typically average 90rpm, and spin out at 130rpm.

How jolly thrilling for you 😕 😆

50×12 at 130rpm = 42.4 mph

True, but can anyone pedal smooth enough circles at 130rpm to not thrown the bike into a terminal wobble at 40mph+?

Gear for the climbs and take a breather on the way down.

great looking bike, enjoy!

Picked one of those up for my old man last year. He seems to love it but I didn’t quite get on with the saddle myself

Its a slippery slope I tell you!! one day its commuting to work and back, the next you will be in the shower shaving your legs, dreaming of the next chain gang when you can get some more strava KOM’s 😀

BTW I think you worked on my bike a while back (orange P7 that needed new brakes!) it is riding like a dream and its so much nicer being able to stop rather than pulling the levers and hoping (as i did with the Avids :D)

Looks good, probably the best looking bike in the whole Trek road line. I really like the Madones, but my god they’re boring colours at the moment!

An 80rpm average is pretty much standard for roadies, although elites and pros will be higher than that. I’m neither of these but I’m a spinner and so typically average 90rpm, and spin out at 130rpm.

80 is pretty slow, I’d say most people are closer to 90 anyway.

If you really do feel undergeared PP you can fit an 11-up cassette, it’ll almost certainly have a 12-27 or sommat on there.