# First road bike...embarrassing?



## SirDickieBird (14 Jul 2017)

Hopefully not but I'm sure some will look down on it...

Never having ridden a road bike before and not wanting to spend ££££ just yet, opted for 2nd hand and a Carrera Virtuoso (2012) came up at a good price nearby so headed over, picked up and now waiting for a first proper ride... It has Gator Skin tyres on that look in good nick - any opinions on these? 

First impressions - much quicker than my slicked-up mtb; only done a 5 miler around the block but beat a couple of Segment times without going for it. Only thing is it's a compact chainset and top gear seems not as high as my other bike so hoping I can get used to this. 

Hopefully will look and feel better at a sportive on a Halfords special than on my crusty mtb...

Long run at the weekend...


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## Okeydokey (14 Jul 2017)

Gatorskins are generally considered a good choice of tyre. Can't see what you have to be embarrassed about? Probably that your next bike might come from Halfords I'm guessing.


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## I like Skol (14 Jul 2017)

THIS review sounds very positive. Looks like you have got a budget bargain.


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## Spiderweb (14 Jul 2017)

Gatorskins are great, very puncture resistant and they will last several thousand miles.


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## Fab Foodie (14 Jul 2017)

It's not what you ride, but how you ride it that counts :-)
Enjoy!


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## Doobiesis (14 Jul 2017)

Gator Skin tyres are def better. I used to get punctures all the time but not since I put those on. 

Get the fit right, if you don't want to pay for a fit look online and figure it out. Because 25 miles in you'll struggle if it's not correct. The make of bike is irrelevant as long as it's fitted. 

Dawn


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## Nigel-YZ1 (14 Jul 2017)

I've got Gatorskins on the Carlton. No punctures yet.
You're out and flying. What you ride doesn't matter.
Carrera do good stuff. Had a friend with a Kraken mtb. Brilliant bike.


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## MikeG (14 Jul 2017)

Welcome to the forum, SDB. I knew Harold very well in a former life........

I'd just get the adjustment right, lubricate everything, get the tyres pumped up properly, and get some miles done. You're on a bike.......what is there to be embarrassed about?


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## rugby bloke (14 Jul 2017)

Hello and welcome to the Forum.

Nothing wrong with a Carrera Virtuoso - I ride the 2015 model and it has served me well for many miles over the last couple of years. Git me around the RideLondon twice so they are up to the job when it comes to Sportives. Plus people won't have any expectations of you so its nice to surprise them !

Enjoy your riding !


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## Mrs M (14 Jul 2017)

Gatorskins are great tyres, got them on my Felt roadie 
You'll get used to the compact chainset, just keep


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## Rooster1 (14 Jul 2017)

I re-started my affair with cycling on a £20 steel road bike, circa 1990s. It was a little too big and the shifters were terrible, but it really helped me get back into it. So it matters not.


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## smutchin (14 Jul 2017)

SirDickieBird said:


> top gear seems not as high as my other bike



Unlikely if your other bike is an MTB... unless you're getting top gear and bottom gear mixed up?


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## Fab Foodie (14 Jul 2017)

Dogtrousers said:


> And even that doesn't really count


Well true, it the fact that you're riding that counts...which by inference means you're riding it in a certain way whether fast/slow or for Sportive or tootling to the pub!


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## DCLane (14 Jul 2017)

Virtuoso's are fine - they're a good starter bike. I ran one as a winter bike a few years ago and looked like this:


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## Bimble (14 Jul 2017)

Embarrassing? Nahhhh ... just get out and enjoy yourself. Have you got over the twitchyness yet? It took me a little while to get used to it after commuting on a big clunky MTB for years, felt like I was going to wobble and fall off when I went slow.


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## RegG (14 Jul 2017)

Just enjoy the riding and don't worry about the bike - as others have rightly said, the bike is not important, you are out there doing it!


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## Reynard (14 Jul 2017)

Welcome!  Just enjoy the bike and have fun  

P.S. I bought my roadie in Halfords. No shame in that.


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## rugby bloke (14 Jul 2017)

One for the Carrera Appreciation Society !!


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## SirDickieBird (14 Jul 2017)

Thanks for all the love! Really friendly feel to this forum. Glad to see the Halfords tag not an issue. ..

On the car forums I've been on lots like to diss them with the Halfrauds tag which is unfair. 

It seems I've made a decent choice and looking forward to a ride out at the weekend. 3 weeks to my first sportive for a local charity


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## Racing roadkill (14 Jul 2017)

A guy came on a long ride with me last Saturday. His bike had Gatorskins. After the third puncture in 60 miles, he formed the same opinion as me, about them.


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## Spiderweb (14 Jul 2017)

Racing roadkill said:


> A guy came on a long ride with me last Saturday. His bike had Gatorskins. After the third puncture in 60 miles, he formed the same opinion as me, about them.


7000+ miles on the same set of Gatorskins, one puncture just recently on the back tyre. My cycling friends are now pretty much all Gatorskin converts.
Your friend must have been really unlucky.


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## SirDickieBird (14 Jul 2017)

On the twitchiness front - tried pedalling standing up a short hillock and that didn't go well...


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## Okeydokey (14 Jul 2017)

I suspect all things 'tried' don't go well first time.


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## smokeysmoo (14 Jul 2017)

SirDickieBird said:


> On the twitchiness front - tried pedaling standing up a short hillock and that didn't go well...


Coming from MTB's I couldn't even reach down for a water bottle when I first got a road bike without slowing down to a crawl 

On the gearing, I agree with @smutchin comments, are you getting mixed with high and low? The gearing won't be as easy your MTB, basic reason is road bikes are lighter, quicker and not geared for riding up mountains 

That said the compact is the most common chainset for road bikes to ship with these days. In a nutshell it gives a broad spread of gears while making hills easier work than with a standard double. If you do find your spinning out too easily on the flat then you can try changing your cassette, (go smaller), maybe your chainrings, (go bigger), or if need be it's an easy job to swap the chainset out for a standard double.

There's some more info HERE about compact v's double


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## cyberknight (14 Jul 2017)

I believe they came with a compact and a 12-26 cassette ?
I have a slicked MTB with drops with a top gear ratio of 48 x12 and although i can push it on the flat at a fair lick , its certainly harder work overall than my old bike which was a carrera vanquish ( same as a virtuoso but a carbon fork ) which had a top gear of 50 x 12.
For a similar effort i was effectivly pushing the same gear at the back with the smaller chainring on the front so i was going a bit slower for the same cadence and power.
So you are probably feeling slower by the fact your using less power to go the same speed, also you will have a more aero position on the road bike so wasting less effort overcoming wind resistance.


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## Gravity Aided (15 Jul 2017)

Looks a lot nicer than what I re-started cycling on. A whole lot of trading and bike repair later, I have a pretty nice stable of bicycles.


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## cyberknight (15 Jul 2017)

Heres my old virtuoso


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## johnnyb47 (15 Jul 2017)

There's absolutely nothing wrong with your bike buddy. If it's comfortable, and in fine fettle, get out there and enjoy your new bike. When I see a cyclist out on the road , I only appreciate seeing them out enjoying what there doing and never give there bikes a second look. If you think your bike looks embarrassing take a look at mine :-).
Its out of the ark but I wouldn't have it any other way buddy.


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## NorthernDave (15 Jul 2017)

Nowt wrong with a Carrera.

On a sportive you'll see all sorts from MTB's on slicks to hybrids to road bikes of all descriptions right up to many thousands of pounds worth of exotica. 
Anyone who thinks it's appropriate to pour scorn on anyone elses ride is an idiot best ignored.
The important thing is that you enjoy your ride.

And I've got Gatorskins on both road bikes and would recommend them to anyone. Just remember that they're puncture resistant, not puncture proof...


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## Noru (15 Jul 2017)

Nothing wrong with a 2012 Carrera Virtuoso, bought mine back in 2012 and still using it. Complemented it with a touring bike and a vintage town bike for shopping but it's still my road bike 5 years and a few thousand miles later. It's overdue some TLC to be honest!

The 50-34 double is great for the flats but can make the hills more of a challenge if you're used to a mountain bike.

Does yours have the same paint job as mine or do you have the Olympic limited edition version?


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## ianrauk (15 Jul 2017)

Noru said:


> View attachment 362399
> 
> 
> Nothing wrong with a 2012 Carrera Virtuoso, bought mine back in 2012 and still using it. Complemented it with a touring bike and a vintage town bike for shopping but it's still my road bike 5 years and a few thousand miles later. It's overdue some TLC to be honest!
> ...




Looks a nice bike that...


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## Dec66 (15 Jul 2017)

If you're feeling people are being sniffy about Halfords jobbies... This is my Apollo TDF (as the Carrera TDF used to be called, before they introduced the "Carrera" branding). She's 12 years old, she cost me all of £250 new, she took me on my first L2B with no worries whatsoever, and the above picture was taken in France, where we shared a little adventure around Artois a few weeks back.

She popped a spoke the other day, so I just bought her two new wheels as a thank you for her 12 years of loyalty, despite my dalliances with my Mongoose Crossway 350 Hybrid, my B'Twin Triban 500SE and my Cube Peloton.

Enjoy your cycling, and enjoy your bike; anyone being sniffy about your bike on a car forum is just being a nobber.


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## johnnyb47 (16 Jul 2017)

Dec66 said:


> View attachment 362418
> 
> If you're feeling people are being sniffy about Halfords jobbies... This is my Apollo TDF (as the Carrera TDF used to be called, before they introduced the "Carrera" branding). She's 12 years old, she cost me all of £250 new, she took me on my first L2B with no worries whatsoever, and the above picture was taken in France, where we shared a little adventure around Artois a few weeks back.
> 
> ...


Brilliant post. Well said buddy


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## johnnyb47 (16 Jul 2017)

It doesn't matter what bike you have. It may be a £3000 state of the art bike or a Raleigh shopper , cycling is one of those things that caters for all kinds of budgets and goals that you want to achieve. That's what makes cycling such a diverse sport/ lesiure / mode of transport for the millions of us on planet earth.


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## Gravity Aided (16 Jul 2017)

Just at our local bike co-op today. A true cross section of bicycles and cyclists. Gives me hope for humanity, even on this side of the auld pond.


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## SirDickieBird (16 Jul 2017)

It's the white and blue version (as seen above by the waterside). 

I'll take back any concerns - think I was influenced by a few haters on other forums....

Thanks...


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## Alan O (16 Jul 2017)

SirDickieBird said:


> I'll take back any concerns - think I was influenced by a few haters on other forums....


You do get a bit of snobbery in various corners of the Internet, but I haven't really seen any here - you can ride any old wreck (I know, I do) and you'll get support 

(And yours is, as many have said, a pretty decent bike)


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## gaijintendo (16 Jul 2017)

I am of the opinion that the base Triban 100 is probably sufficient for 90% of all cycling in the UK. It could certainly get me to work. I could probably squeeze 100 miles out of one.
But we have freedom of choice, and can spend what we like. I like steel bikes, I wanted disc brakes, so I dropped a bit more.


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## cyberknight (16 Jul 2017)

Dec66 said:


> View attachment 362418
> 
> If you're feeling people are being sniffy about Halfords jobbies... This is my Apollo TDF (as the Carrera TDF used to be called, before they introduced the "Carrera" branding). She's 12 years old, she cost me all of £250 new, she took me on my first L2B with no worries whatsoever, and the above picture was taken in France, where we shared a little adventure around Artois a few weeks back.
> 
> ...


Indeed , and on club rides you will generally get people who know as a rule is the legs not the bike and they appreciate what you can do or try to do .The club i ride with i have one of the cheapest bikes there as most are on bikes that cost 2-3 times more , i have seen them turn up for reliabilty rides where the winter bikes is about £3k, its only my lack of time to train thats really holding me back in any meaningful measurable way .


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## johnnyb47 (16 Jul 2017)

With some people though ,you will always get some sort of negative remark about your trusty stead. On the opposite end of the scale , I got a sarcastic comment just the other week about my bike. I entered a classic bike race ( pre 84/83) I can't remember which ,but one guy in the race had to make a flippant comment that my derraileur was new and not in keeping with the race rules. I just laughed in his face and made a point about his new tyres and bar tape. It was a charity fun ride/ride at the end of the day.
You will always get the odd person who will look down there nose at you. 
99.9% of cyclists though are a decent bunch who are just happy to see others out and about enjoying what they do.


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## GuyBoden (26 Jul 2017)




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## dfthe1 (26 Jul 2017)

Here's my trusty Carrera. I use it for commuting, shopping, riding with the kids (with a child seat on the bike), long rides, short rides, 100mile sportives...

If anyone's been looking down on me they haven't made it obvious.


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## KnackeredBike (26 Jul 2017)

Without sounding like a broken record this is my Carrera, as the username suggests it has had next to no maintenance over tens of thousands of miles and still happily plods on. Only once has it failed to get me to my destination, and only one puncture on two sets of Gatorskins.

In the picture it is towing a big old lawnmower en route to some cycle path clearance.

Bikes are like cars in a lot of ways, you can spend a lot of money on one but to be honest the cheap ones go in the same direction at pretty much the same speed, often with fewer repair bills. Bikes for me are amazingly utilitarian objects, with no "fat" to trim they will get you from A to B for no money but a lot of fun. Ride the bike as much as you can and it will reward you back.


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## bigjim (27 Jul 2017)

That Carrera Zelos looks like a steal at the moment for £220. I quite like the colour as well.
http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/road-bikes/carrera-zelos-mens-road-bike


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## NorthernDave (27 Jul 2017)

bigjim said:


> That Carrera Zelos looks like a steal at the moment for £220. I quite like the colour as well.
> http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/road-bikes/carrera-zelos-mens-road-bike



For British Cycling members, the price drops to under £200...that really is a deal.


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## meadows (27 Jul 2017)

SirDickieBird said:


> Hopefully not but I'm sure some will look down on it...
> 
> Never having ridden a road bike before and not wanting to spend ££££ just yet, opted for 2nd hand and a Carrera Virtuoso (2012) came up at a good price nearby so headed over, picked up and now waiting for a first proper ride... It has Gator Skin tyres on that look in good nick - any opinions on these?
> 
> ...


I too have started my cycling journey on a carrera virtuoso and earlier in the year I completed a 50 mile sportiv on it fine. Mine only has 16 gears so always feels a little undergunned. However its a cracking cheapie bike to start on.


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## bigjim (27 Jul 2017)

meadows said:


> I too have started my cycling journey on a carrera virtuoso and earlier in the year I completed a 50 mile sportiv on it fine. Mine only has 16 gears so always feels a little undergunned. However its a cracking cheapie bike to start on.


They are a good starter bike but I also think they are a good long term prospect. Little to wrong and not expensive to replace parts and not a heartbeaker if it's stolen. That Zelos has a steel fork which IMO takes it into light tourer territory. Would survive rough airport handling better than a lot of more expensive stuff.


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## meadows (28 Jul 2017)

bigjim said:


> They are a good starter bike but I also think they are a good long term prospect. Little to wrong and not expensive to replace parts and not a heartbeaker if it's stolen. That Zelos has a steel fork which IMO takes it into light tourer territory. Would survive rough airport handling better than a lot of more expensive stuff.


Even when I plan to upgrade to a better bike I plan to put mudguards on etc and use as a winter bike for ridding to work etc


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## jay clock (28 Jul 2017)

In terms of gearing you probably have 50 teeth at the front and 12 at the smallest at the back. I can do over 30 mph before I run out of gears, so i would be surprised if you do run out

Enjoy the new bike


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## cyberknight (28 Jul 2017)

meadows said:


> I too have started my cycling journey on a carrera virtuoso and earlier in the year I completed a 50 mile sportiv on it fine. Mine only has 16 gears so always feels a little undergunned. However its a cracking cheapie bike to start on.





jay clock said:


> In terms of gearing you probably have 50 teeth at the front and 12 at the smallest at the back. I can do over 30 mph before I run out of gears, so i would be surprised if you do run out
> 
> Enjoy the new bike


More gears generally give you less jumps in the same range unless you put a wide range cassette on , my boardman with 10 gears has a 12-28 on so a little lower gear for the hills if i need it but top end is the same and i have clocked 40 + .On the flat i am mid block for low 20s rolling.


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## Alan O (28 Jul 2017)

Dogtrousers said:


> This thread leads us to a wider question: What bike actually would be embarrassing.? Under what circumstances?


I saw a bloke who came close to what I'd call embarrassing a few days ago. He was riding a smart-looking carbon road bike (I can't remember which) and was dressed entirely in team lycra. The problem was he was fat - fat even by my own considerable proportions.

But he managed to pull it off and turn it round into a 10/10 on my awesome scale - by carrying a can of Strongbow in his bottle carrier


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## KnackeredBike (28 Jul 2017)

Alan O said:


> I saw a bloke who came lose to what I'd call embarrassing a few days ago. He was riding a smart-looking carbon road bike (I can't remember which) and was dressed entirely in team lycra. The problem was he was fat - fat even by my own considerable proportions.
> 
> But he managed to pull it off and turn it round into a 10/10 on my awesome scale - by carrying a can of Strongbow in his bottle carrier


You do realise that was just a pisshead who had nicked a carbon bike. And lycra, apparently.


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## RoubaixCube (29 Jul 2017)

KnackeredBike said:


> Without sounding like a broken record this is my Carrera, as the username suggests it has had next to no maintenance over tens of thousands of miles and still happily plods on. Only once has it failed to get me to my destination, and only one puncture on two sets of Gatorskins.
> 
> In the picture it is towing a big old lawnmower en route to some cycle path clearance.
> 
> ...



I dont think that lawnmower's quite going to cut it jim


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## bigjim (29 Jul 2017)

I bid a stupid amount on an Ebay bike last week. To my suprise I won it. When I went to pick it up I found a new/old bike awaiting me. It had been bought a few years ago and just never used. Still had some of the wrapping on it. It rides beautifully but it is a cheap so called "starter bike". I am anything but a starter, but will have no problem taking this proudly on a Club Run.


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## SirDickieBird (29 Jul 2017)

Well my bike wasn't embarrassing today but perhaps an Aldi milk carton cut open, shoved with provisions and jammed into my bottle cage was. Wanted to go backpack-free and not yet invested in a cycling top with pockets. Spares and phone etc in saddle bag.


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## SirDickieBird (29 Jul 2017)

Class


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## Reynard (29 Jul 2017)

Nothing wrong with being resourceful


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## cyberknight (29 Jul 2017)

I use an old water bottle with the lid off to stuff a windproof / armwarmers in if i am planning a ride where i know i can refill drinks bottle and the weather is iffy .


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## Alan O (29 Jul 2017)

KnackeredBike said:


> You do realise that was just a pisshead who had nicked a carbon bike. And lycra, apparently.


And a can of Strongbow


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