First ride completed!! YAY

[Jubba Ronnie]

Ok guys thanks to those of you who helped me with working out how many miles i should start with..... so i just went for it!! haha
The guys at the bike shop set my bike up really good and everything is so smooth....first few miles i probably pushed myself too much but got into a rythym and to be honest when i got home i felt like i could go on forever...
I didnt know how far i had gone so i took the car round my route after and was very surprised when the speedo told me 12.1 miles...i was really expecting my bum to hurt more than it does..
my palms hurt a little on way round but feel fine tonight...
I was however surprised at how unforgiving a road bike on our roads is, having been used to mountain bikes with suspension..really felt every fault in the road and one stretch felt like i was on full spin in a washing machine...lol
but all in all i really enjoyed it and will probably carry on with the same distance for a while until i get my cycle computer....
Chat to everyone soon Andi

 

[Halfmanhalfbike]

Congrats. and welcome to the world of Roadies. It won't be long before you can knock off 12miles without even noticing

 

[Chrisz]

Good effort mate - that's quite a reasonable first step

 

[Fab Foodie]

Great start!
Yep modern stiff road-bikes will feel a bit unforgiving at first, but you soon get used to it. Hopefully the lively feel more than makes-up for it!
Tyre pressures are worth playing with a bit, rock-hard is not always best on less than billiard table surfaces, backing-off a few psi will surprisingly cut the vibes and the effort.
Enjoy!

 

[Jubba Ronnie]

cheers for the support guys, think the tyre pressure idea would defo help...the bike shop set bike up so i reckon they done it to the book...can i damage the bike by lowering the pressure?

 

[jimboalee]

when i got home i felt like i could go on forever...

So how do you like the taste of Adrenaline ?

 

[Fab Foodie]

cheers for the support guys, think the tyre pressure idea would defo help...the bike shop set bike up so i reckon they done it to the book...can i damage the bike by lowering the pressure?

You won't damage the bike, but too low tyre pressures will lead to 'snakebite' p*nctures where the bike hits a bump and the rim pinches the inner-tube, however if your tyres are this soft you should easily notice and they'll feel stodgy to ride. Investing £25 in a good track pump with a guage like a Joe-Blow sport is really worthwhile.

 

[BIGSESAL]

cheers for the support guys, think the tyre pressure idea would defo help...the bike shop set bike up so i reckon they done it to the book...can i damage the bike by lowering the pressure?

You might damage the wheels if your pressure is too low. If you hit a pot-hole or something similar all of the stress will go on the wheel as the tyre is underinflated and won't absorb stress as well as it should. I would try and keep the tyres within 10psi of the pressure quoted on the tyre side wall.

 

[TVC]

Nice one JR, it won't be long before you need to ride 12.1 miles just to warm up.

 

[jayce]

good start fella

 

[Fab Foodie]

You might damage the wheels if your pressure is too low. If you hit a pot-hole or something similar all of the stress will go on the wheel as the tyre is underinflated and won't absorb stress as well as it should. I would try and keep the tyres within 10psi of the pressure quoted on the tyre side wall.

Agreed, I assumed he wouldn't run'em near flat!

 

[Randochap]

Good start!

You might see what size tyre you can fit. A wider tyre with lower pressure will smooth the ride without compromise. Most recreational riders should be running 28-35mm tyres ... unless they have convinced themselves that they are really the next Boardman and not some regular Fred out for a casual spin.

 

[Jubba Ronnie]

cool cheers guys, been out again same distance today and to be honest i think as i knew what i was expecting today it didnt seem half as bad...my palms are killing today though...ill get over it though... thanks for replying everyone..

 

[Scoosh]

my palms are killing today though...ill get over it though...

Gloves ? padded handlebar tape ?? Both ???
Your friendly Lidl store is doing its bike stuff next week, so you could manage a computer and a pair of gloves - for less than £7.

Their cycling shoes are not bad either.

HTH

 

[Randochap]

my palms are killing today though...ill get over it though...

Your palms are trying to tell you something. You won't "get over it."

You need to listen to your palms and pad them and/or attend to the bike fit issue that is causing the problem. Plus ... well, we already covered that.