Just bought my first road bike, what else I need to know?

Do not ride it in the woods.

It’ll probably hurt for a while as you get used to the position, and its really not fun in wind/rain/cold (or anything that is perfect summer weather!)

Its not that bad really, almost fun at times!

The Rules should help you. 😉

Proper road shoes and pedals are so much more comfortable if you want to do long/hard miles.
Mudguards for the wet – especially if you’re riding in a group.

Enjoy!

No baggies, helmet peaks or camelbacks 😉

See if you have a good local club near you, join, have fun, race, buy more kit, repeat.

Iain

See if you have a good local club near you, join, have fun, race, buy more kit, repeat.

Racing does look fun, are there a lot of amateur (read slow) races?

I use the road bike for fitness training. My thoughts are that road biking is all about pain management, where the mountain bike is all about fun and adrenaline rushes 🙂

Get fit enough, find the right roads and the right buddies and road riding is a blast. Ride it fast down a bendy hilly road and you’ll get a massive adrenaline rush.

It’s a very different sport, don’t try to compare the two. Find a club, introduce yourself as someone new, and let someone who seems to know what they’re talking about (not just someone with all the kit) tell you the basics. And learn to enjoy pain.

Racing does look fun, are there a lot of amateur (read slow) races?

yes, there are races, but i don’t think the word slow is appropriate, not as fast maybe a better term. have a look at the british cycling pages. but would suggest riding with a club first if only to learn how to ride in a pack. Riding on wheels is a technique you never really learn to do mtb-ing

Get ready for rapid weight loss, if used often!

Thanks, I have a local club so may check it out. I rode a little when younger so remember the etiquette of riding in a group – just the fitness may be a problem now! We’ll see..

Just bought my first road bike, what else I need to know?

Cars are big and hard and the people driving them can’t see you

Have you started shaving your legs yet?

No baggies, helmet peaks or camelbacks

Well obviously I looked out of place last week when I went for my first road ride!

Just be careful of traffic, think that’s the only advice you need isn’t it?!

you need* to get over the mtb way of riding road bikes.
usual mistakes are:
sitting upright but with curved lower back.
thrashing away overgeared thinking harder must be better.
using mtb components (shoes etc) because you think you know better.
going flat out for 15 miles then blowing, thinking that’s a road ride, it isn’t. it’s not unusual to ride 15 miles to get to the start of a road ride.
buying a bike that doesn’t fit you and saying it’s fine. it isn’t you just don’t know it yet.
buying road bits made by mtb companies just because you feel comfortable with something you know.
buying a hybrid made by a mtb company for no real reason other than you like their mtb’s instead of buying a proper road bike.
not wearing lycra, if you stay within 1m of a road bike it’s socially acceptable.

*you don’t ‘need’ to get over these things but if your mtb way of road riding was better the roadies would be doing it like that 🙂

be decisive with your signals and manoeuvres. stay focused when buses & long vehicles go by.

plan ahead when coming to junctions – un-clip & make sure your in the correct gear to set off again.

get some flashing lights

get a decent jersey with pockets

wouldnt wory about racing until confident in a group – albeit road racing is very very addictive.

I’ll admit it cars that scare me most, but I think i’m relatively lucky that I have some quieter roads near to me.

Actually pedals is something I need, theres some I saw that use a mtb spd cleat but have a bit more of a supporting platform. They any good, or Look or Time?

to be honest road pedals are better than mtb on the road, but you will need new shoes. As for brand, time, look, shimano it doesn’t make much difference. I use time and happy with them. Plenty use look and are happy with them.

It was these ones,
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=28051
Maybe the Ultegra SL proper jobbys are better?

one of the benefits of “proper” pedals is the larger platform they offer, if you look at the size of the cleats you get less pressure in one spot which can manifest itself as a pain in the sole of your foot.

Some notice some don’t, depends on whether you want to buy new shoes etc.

don’t need to go to Ultegra
105 sl

Ultegra ones 15g lighter!

Actually pedals is something I need, theres some I saw that use a mtb spd cleat but have a bit more of a supporting platform. They any good, or Look or Time?

I started road riding on MTB shoes then changed to proper road pedals after a couple of months. The difference was massive: proper road shoes are MUCH stiffer, the pedals are bigger and offer more support and they’re just nicer to use.

All of the systems (Look, Time, Shimano) are fine, the cleats are compatible with all shoes so it’s just a case of seeing what looks best at your price point.

http://www.britishcycling.org.uk/road
and
http://road.cc/
are both useful sites for more on getting into road, finding a local club, road news etc. Having said that STW seems to be the forum of choice, it’s one of the busiest biking forums in the world and seems to be able to answer pretty much any question – there’s a lot of closet roadies on here!

Ultegra ones 15g lighter!

Shave your legs for the 15g saving 😉

Ultegra ones 15g lighter!

Oh, if you want light pedals may i introduce these, NB do not look at the price.

light pedals

STW seems to be the forum of choice, it’s one of the busiest biking forums in the world

Yes, looking around this seems to be most active ‘road’ forum!

Riding on the road is great …..+1 for pedals & shoes – major difference. Lycra also very good – does what it’s designed for & imho looks right.
BTW I have some ultegra (sl i think) pedals & part worn cleats going if your interested – email if interested

Just emailed..

NB do not look at the price.

i then looked for the bike they should have been attached too at that price 😯

Be prepared to spend some extra money on stems, bars, saddle and so on to get it sorted. Road bike fit and riding position is super critical, unlike MTB. Not only can you change the stem length and rise but bars come in a bazillion different shapes and sizes too. Don’t worry about getting through several rolls of grip tape in the process. It’s worth it.

Also road shoes and pedals make a big difference. As does lycra. Oh and I lowered my saddle a touch more than I used to think was correct – really helped with the spinning and the riding position. And yes learn to spin – 80-95rpm for me.

Any good reading on bike fit? Was going to get one done properly but wouldnt mind having a go myself in the interim…

Well there are standard concepts, but I just messed about with it and then spent hour after hour on long lonely road rides thinking about it 🙂

Any good reading on bike fit?

http://bikedynamics.co.uk/guidelines.htm

I was just going to stand over the top tube and check i could lift up the front wheel a bit without banging my nuts.

I can’t knock proper bike fitting outfits, if it didn’t work they wouldn’t be in business.
But, I believe you morph a little when you’ve been riding a little while. Not sure about static non dynamic measurements. Plus you can develop little qwerks that really help, that a man in a white coat would never suggest.

I was just going to stand over the top tube and check i could lift up the front wheel a bit without banging my nuts.

In truth this^ and just seeing how you feel when riding and adjusting accordingly are fine. Depending on your flexibility, as oldgit says, you will morph into position over time unless the bike is really badly sized.

I was just going to stand over the top tube and check i could lift up the front wheel a bit without banging my nuts.

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…?

Reach is more important than clearance betwixt tackle and top tube. You don’t want to be too stretched or too cramped. Get the saddle height right then sit on the bike and hold the hoods in a normal riding position. Glance down and the front hub should be hidden by the bars. That’s a good basis on which to take the rest of the measurements from. For more info do a search on bike fit, there’s loads of videos and stats online, far more than I can be bothered to type!

Bike fits can be useful if you’re unusually tall or short or have weird proportions or if you’re looking to become National Time Trial Champion – for most people they’re not essential and a combination of experience, feeling, advice and research is often enough.