are road wheels delicate

[jim55]

hi folks ,,newbie alert ,,right i commute to work just now (2ml or so ) although the yard is moving further away (about 6ml)so the bike will b getting used more ,,i use a flat barred commuter just now (no suspension and 26" wheels).im just a returning rider so its a good bike and i feel comfortable on it ,,now my question is this ,,,iv bought a drop bar entry level road bike and tbh it feels a bit scary ,,thin bars very twitchy,,and cos i put my hands on the flats its not the best for reaching the brakes in a hurry (and for a commuter bike thats not good (tbh the brakes are shite anyway),,are the thin rims and tyres upto city streets ,,im prob a bit paranoid about this but with the commuter i just feel more in control and can bump up wee pavements and stuff ,,will this feeling pass if i stick with the road bike ,,i just dont wana wreck it and being honest if the brakes were better id b a lot happier so ,,are the rims up to the job

 

[StuAff]

Hello and welcome. Some more info on the road bike (parts spec etc) would be useful in case anything needs replacing...it could be simply a case of changing the pads or the bike being checked over by a professional.
In the meantime, don't ride on the top of the bars in traffic- I (and I think most road bike riders) keep their hands on the hoods. That way, you can steer more easily, and more importantly reach the brakes. You'll get used to the agility- or twitchiness- soon enough.
Nothing wrong with a decent set of road wheels & tyres (you might want to go to a good set of 25mm tyres if you haven't already got them for a bit more comfort). Yes, you are being paranoid

 

[jim55]

il prob change the pads any recs on these ,,its a coyote route 66 if u know the model ,,and reaching the levers is hard enough youve really gota put serious pressure on the levers for the pads to bite ,,even then they wont lock up or anything (honestly ,i couldnt stop in a hurry ,,sure id get slower ,,but they are not a patch on my other bike which would put me over the bars im sure if i pulled them on real sudden and hard),the rest of it im sure il get used to but the brakes dont inspire confidence at all

 

[fossyant]

Yes good quality road wheels are fine. PS shouldn't be on the pavement !!!

 

[Bicycle]

hi folks ,,newbie alert ,,right i commute to work just now (2ml or so ) although the yard is moving further away (about 6ml)so the bike will b getting used more ,,i use a flat barred commuter just now (no suspension and 26" wheels).im just a returning rider so its a good bike and i feel comfortable on it ,,now my question is this ,,,iv bought a drop bar entry level road bike and tbh it feels a bit scary ,,thin bars very twitchy,,and cos i put my hands on the flats its not the best for reaching the brakes in a hurry (and for a commuter bike thats not good (tbh the brakes are shite anyway),,are the thin rims and tyres upto city streets ,,im prob a bit paranoid about this but with the commuter i just feel more in control and can bump up wee pavements and stuff ,,will this feeling pass if i stick with the road bike ,,i just dont wana wreck it and being honest if the brakes were better id b a lot happier so ,,are the rims up to the job

Well.. There are rims and rims. Essentially, any road bike rims you buy will be up to the job of riding on tarmac. You can't take liberties with potholes and kerbs, but they'll do all the commuter miles you want to do. Without knowing which bike it is and what the rims are, I'm still pretty sure they're up to the job. But do not kerb them.

Because of how you sit, the way it differs from the riding position on an MTB or hybrid and a billion other factors, a road bike with drop bars might well feel a bit wobbly and unstable at first, but that soon passes.

It feels twitchy because compared to an MTB it is twitchy.

If you're used to a bike with discs or V-brakes, the stoppers on a road bike might at first feel odd or ineffective, but they're fine for what they need to do. Again, it's a matter of getting used to it. To make a trite point where it's not necessary, stage racers ride these things (or their posher cousins) down Alps at over 60 mph, so the brakes can't be all that bad).

As far as getting fingers to brakes goes, there are a few positions that you'll soon feel OK with. Riding with your hands gently 'pistol-gripping' the hoods of the brake levers is tops with many people.

There's a whole bunch of stuff you can do to adjust your riding position so the brakes are more accessible: stem length, bar height, saddle height, saddle backwards or forwards... You can even rotate the bars a few degrees or move the position of the levers on the bars.... but I'd look at the cheap and low-input options first.

Road bikes need a good bit of air pressure in the tyres (anything from 80 to 125 psi) so check them weekly and get a track pump to give them a squirt every now and then.

In no time at all you'll feel completely at home on a road bike. They are weird after a flat-barred commuter. It's not you!

But they are also a fabulous way of getting to work, so stick with it and enjoy the learning curve.

 

[jim55]

hahahahPS shouldn't be on the pavement !!!

you know what its like when u commute ,,i stay in central glasgow so theres a few scary bits and its far easier just to bump up and use underpasses and stuff ,,not really a pedestrian precinct lol

 

[YahudaMoon]

hi folks ,,newbie alert ,,right i commute to work just now (2ml or so ) although the yard is moving further away (about 6ml)so the bike will b getting used more ,,i use a flat barred commuter just now (no suspension and 26" wheels).im just a returning rider so its a good bike and i feel comfortable on it ,,now my question is this ,,,iv bought a drop bar entry level road bike and tbh it feels a bit scary ,,thin bars very twitchy,,and cos i put my hands on the flats its not the best for reaching the brakes in a hurry (and for a commuter bike thats not good (tbh the brakes are shite anyway),,are the thin rims and tyres upto city streets ,,im prob a bit paranoid about this but with the commuter i just feel more in control and can bump up wee pavements n stuff ,,will this feeling pass if i stick with the road bike ,,i just dont wana wreck it and being honest if the brakes were better id b a lot happier so ,,are the rims up to the job

So your a pavement cyclist ?

 

[jim55]

great post ,,thanks
Well.. There are rims and rims. Essentially, any road bike rims you buy will be up to the job of riding on tarmac. You can't take liberties with potholes and kerbs, but they'll do all the commuter miles you want to do. Without knowing which bike it is and what the rims are, I'm still pretty sure they're up to the job. But do not kerb them.

Because of how you sit, the way it differs from the riding position on an MTB or htbrid and a billion other factors, a road bike with drop bars might well feel a bit wobbly and unstable at first, but that soon passes.

It feels twitchy because compared to an MTB it is twitchy.

If you're used to a bike with discs or V-brakes, the stoppers on a road bike might at first feel odd or ineffective, but they're fine for what they need to do. Again, it's a matter of getting used to it. To make a trite point where it's not necessary, stage racers ride these things (or their posher cousins) down Alps at over 60 mph, so the brakes can't be all that bad).

As far as getting fingers to brakes goes, there are a few positions that you'll soon feel OK with. Riding with your hands gently 'pistol-gripping' the hoods of the brake levers is tops with many people.

There's a whole bunch of stuff you can do to adjust your riding position so the brakes are more accessible: stem length, bar height, saddle height, saddle backwards or forwards... You can evcen rotate the bars a few degrees or move the position of the levers on the bars.... but I'd look at the cheap and low-input options first.

Road bikes need a good bit of air pressure in the tyres (anything from 80 to 125 psi) so check them weekly and get a track pump to give them a squirt every now and then.

In no time at all you'll feel completely at home on a road bike. They are weird after a flat-barred commuter. It's not you!

But they are also a fabulous way of getting to work, so stick with it and enjoy the learning curve.

 

[jim55]

So your a pavement cyclist ?


er,,,no ..when i goto work i start at 6 so their is very little foot traffic ,,theirs a few cars but not many people and i dont ride on pavements

 

[YahudaMoon]

So your a pavement cyclist ?


er,,,no ..when i goto work i start at 6 so their is very little foot traffic ,,theirs a few cars but not many people and i dont ride on pavements

Lol. Dam ! I was looking for a pavement cyclist.

 

[supercooper]

Hi and to C/C ...Road bike all day long I think but road bike means road bike or they would of called them pavement bikes lol

 

[PoweredByVeg]

Just tap in "Paris Roubaix" into Youtube and see what punishment the pro's give their skinny wheels when they go over the cobbles

 

[MontyVeda]

hello and welcome... tek no notice lad... if you feel more comfortable/safer bobbing onto the pavement at various places, and you're not "terrorising" pedestrians when doing so... I wouldn't hold it against you.

 

[Piemaster]

Just tap in "Paris Roubaix" into Youtube and see what punishment the pro's give their skinny wheels when they go over the cobbles

Pah! Nothing compared to the streets around here.

I've got 36 spoke wheels built on alfine hub / on-one a57 rims, Was a little concerned after hitting a few potholes at first but didn't seem to be a problem. However I noticed after getting back in tonight I have a bent spoke Something I'll have to monitor

 

[Bman]

Road Bike wheels are not *that* delicate

View: http://vimeo.com/24459148