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First road bike and first ride advice please!

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  • July 30, 2014 at 10:15 pm #22032
    GritstoneRider

    Hello, I’ve been a long time lurker, but actually got around to buying my first road bike today so decided to set up an account. I’m a fairly experienced MTB rider and was sponsored as a youth rider, but I’m not niave enough to think that this experience means much on the road!

    The bike I’ve opted for after trying various BTWin, numerous Carrera, a Boardman Sport and a Specialized Allez is a Felt F95 SORA 2014. The F95 was the lightest of all of them and just had a better fit for me, plus they seem to be reasonably well rated. I was chuffed to get one for £369 from Merlin as I was more than ready to shell out £600 for one.

    The pedals I’ll be running are MTB SPDs, this means I can use my existing Shimano shoes while I get used to riding on the road.

    The bike is arriving tomorrow, whereupon I’ll stick it in the stand, get everything working and then hook it up to the turbo for a few days practice.

    My first ride will probably be from Manchester up over Holme Moss and back and that brings me to my question for you guys. What kit should I be taking and what general advice would you give a hairy legged lycraphobe MTBer on his first road ride?

    I’ve bought a Topeak saddle pack, inner tubes, two bottle cages and bottles and a nice small Lezyne pump, what else do I need?

    Thanks!

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  • July 31, 2014 at 8:04 am #806887
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    notfastenough

    I don’t want to put you off
    I don’t want to put you off or anything, but that’s quite a long ride (probably circa 4 hours) to be in a new riding position, on a different saddle etc. Assuming you’ve already got the general bike fitness from MTBing, have you considered just taking a couple of weeks to build up? Even one slightly shorter/less hilly ride initially would help.

    Obvious things that often need sorting as your distances/climbs increase are:

    Fit – poor positioning can easily lead to or exacerbate injuries or aches/pains
    Neck strength (since you’re essentially looking up for prolonged periods, and neckache is common)
    Backache from the stretched position
    Sore bum from the change in saddle (and as I’m sure you know, the stock saddle is often unsuitable, so you end up changing it – even your usual saddle may be uncomfortable due to leaning further forward)
    Handling – I’d want to be fairly familiar with the bike’s handling characteristics before I went bombing down Holme Moss
    Any number of little details – do the brakes react how you expect? Is the bar tape comfortable? What’s your preferred tyre pressure? How are those tyres in the wet/on steep climbs/cornering/generally?

    To put it another way, I was talking to someone about bike insurance, and mentioned that if my bike was nicked, replacing it is only half the inconvenience, the real trick is then setting up the replacement in the same way as my current bike.

    July 31, 2014 at 6:12 am #806885
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    bamilton wackademical

    Don’t forget the tyre levers.
    Don’t forget the tyre levers. For a first long ride, I’d say food is essential too. I find carrying a couple of cereal bars and an energy gel works well for me. I don’t always need the latter, but it’s useful to have if you start flagging.

    July 31, 2014 at 12:21 am #806883
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    chokofingrz

    You sound pretty organised to
    You sound pretty organised to be honest!

    On a new road bike, you will need to get your fit dialled in. So read up on the basics of fitting and try to get your saddle height, fore/aft, bar height and stem length to a comfortable position before your epic ride. And take a multitool or Allen key for adjustments on the go.

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