First ride on the new roadie.... some observations

[Ajax_Gaz]

Due to one thing or the other, today was the first time i've had to get out on the new road bike. I knew it would be a learning process after spending the last 20 months on an mtb and despite only doing my usual shorter route of 15 miles, boy did i learn a lot today!

- Road bike gears. I thought i had a fair idea of how these worked (Shimano 105) but i was constantly forgetting which was easier and harder on the rear mech, but not only that, on the first hill i was stuck in a medium gear (which i thought was the easiest on a compact chainset) and had to dig in thinking it wouldn't get any easier! Low and behold a few miles down the road whilst looking for a harder gear for the straight,i found the pedalling getting easier and easier!! Doh! Queue much chuckling at myself for not working all this out before!

- Handlebar drops. Probably the single thing that i've really got to get used to. Whilst tootling round the estate i realised my seat was too low and the handlebars were at the wrong angle so i went back, did some adjustments before beginning the ride properly. As it was my first ride on it, i purposely kept moving my hands around - more time definitely spent on the bars, but i found the drop position really weird! I'm definitely used to being more upright, so i know this is going to take quite a few miles to get used to and get more comfortable with.

Other things;

- Arms/hands aching slightly more than usual....probably due to the drops
- Back aching a little - totally new position than i'm used to
- Love how light and easy to ride the bike is..
- Soooo much faster than the mtb too!

Overall, once i got to grips with the gears and using different positions on the bars i was pretty satisfied with the ride and the bike. It's a stunning bike which i made sure to dry off afterwards (thanks to the rain... again!) and i'm sure with plenty more practice and miles under my belt will be a great bike.

Only thing missing was someone more experienced alongside me who i could ask for the odd piece of advice as i was going along but that will come shortly too.

 

[Rob500]

Great stuff Gaz. Keep at it.

 

[MattHB]

Cooool gaz! I'm going to hopefully go roadie in the summer (end probably), so I have all this to come.

 

[Pedal pusher]

Thank you. You have confirmed for me to go roadie is the right decision. I am also like you, on the road with an MTB and at times finding it hard work. Should be around March when an entry level road bike should have my name on it . The first road bike since I was a kid can't wait

 

[fenlandpsychocyclist]

Those of you that have mountain bikes (proper ones ... not those heavy chinese £100 jobs from halfords) may want to consider
changing your tyres to "racing ralphs".
I have them on my Raleigh AT30 which absolutely flies on tarmac, and has just enough grip to be useful on mud.

My best time on my 30 miler circuit on my road bike is 1h45mins.

I did it once on my mountain bike with racing ralphs on in 1h 59mins.

And then another time i had maxxis winter-mountain tyres on and did it in 2h58mins.

 

[ttcycle]

Great stuff, it takes a bit of getting used to but getting to know your new bike is soo much fun! Keep up the good work

 

[Alexvs]

I went out for the first time on my new bike yesterday and also for 15 miles. My experience was pretty much exactly as you've said. The gears weren't too bad (also 105) and only once or twice shifted down instead of up but obviously all will come with practise.

- Arms/hands aching slightly more than usual....probably due to the drops
- Back aching a little - totally new position than i'm used to
- Love how light and easy to ride the bike is...

All of the above even though mine's not that much lighter than my other one (or probably anywhere close to your carbon beast ) it's definitely noticeable when riding.

Here's to many more happy miles on our new bikes

 

[Arrowfoot]

Great stuff Gaz. I took the plunge roadie wise in Nov and absolutely loving it.

 

[Ajax_Gaz]

Cooool gaz! I'm going to hopefully go roadie in the summer (end probably), so I have all this to come.

Definitely the way forward Matt... its definitely a big jump over the mtb.

Thank you. You have confirmed for me to go roadie is the right decision. I am also like you, on the road with an MTB and at times finding it hard work. Should be around March when an entry level road bike should have my name on it . The first road bike since I was a kid can't wait

Love my MTB and its good fun on trails and on my road commute, but its mad really... its only when you've tried a roadie you really see what the fuss is about

I went out for the first time on my new bike yesterday and also for 15 miles. My experience was pretty much exactly as you've said. The gears weren't too bad (also 105) and only once or twice shifted down instead of up but obviously all will come with practise.

All of the above even though mine's not that much lighter than my other one (or probably anywhere close to your carbon beast ) it's definitely noticeable when riding.

Here's to many more happy miles on our new bikes

Ah fab, well done on getting out too fella. ha ha at you having the same experiences... glad i'm making some sense on here

Ditto.. enjoy it!

 

[Ajax_Gaz]

Just remembered another thing from today.... standard saddle on new roadie is very nice to look at, but did leave me quite sore! (Not something i found with the mtb)

 

[jdtate101]

Trust me your buttocks will get used to the "razor" in time and you won't notice it. Helps if you have a nice set of padded shorts or bib shorts (better) though, takes the edge off a long ride.

 

[Holy Warrior]

I remember my first days (I should, they were only last summer) I found hills to be a slog. I was too used to the easy spinning of a MtB and thought I was good. Rude awakening, but once you get the legs to get up a few you realise how much quicker you can climb!

 

[Ajax_Gaz]

Trust me your buttocks will get used to the "razor" in time and you won't notice it. Helps if you have a nice set of padded shorts or bib shorts (better) though, takes the edge off a long ride.

I'm still using my padded mtb stuff... new bib tights and shorts to follow

I remember my first days (I should, they were only last summer) I found hills to be a slog. I was too used to the easy spinning of a MtB and thought I was good. Rude awakening, but once you get the legs to get up a few you realise how much quicker you can climb!

Its weird isn't it... despite me being in completely the wrong gear on the first hill today i was determined to not let it beat me but its also where i'm hoping going out with other riders will help - to get that advice and experience to learn how to climb properly rather than make it up as i go along.

 

[daSmirnov]

I was a mountain biker until a couple of years back. Used my trusty old Raleigh Activator that I've had since primary school for everything (best £200 I ever spent, yeah I saved long for that bike), commuting, "mountain biking" the lot, well heck it still gets used now.

Went to the Lake District a couple of summers ago with the other half to put in some major cycling miles. Rented a couple of mountain bikes up there, and damn was in the market for a new bike after getting back to my half-a-ton Activator. Luckily I waited a bit and gave it a bit of thought and considering most of my riding was on the road, went for a road bike.

Still remember my first ride on it well, like wise kept forgetting which way the shifters worked. My back, shoulders and arms were killing me, despite only doing three or four miles. Next day was much better and I did 10 miles without too much discomfort. Blasting past all the kids on their mountain bikes can't be beaten!

Had a teen on a mountain bike try and race me today, and I'm just like, dude. No. I can hear his squeeky bike following me for about a quarter of a mile as he's out of the saddle pumping like crazy as I'm leisurely cycling along, give him a little wave to say come on then and blast away at 28mph! If I was still on the mountain bike that kid would have represented a serious threat!

Since I've had the road bike, not one cyclist has overtaken me. Long may that stand. And long may you hold back all the roadies that overtook you while you were on your mtb.

 

[Holdsworth]

Good luck with your new roadie, you'll learn to crave the speed it offers. Definitely a massive improvement over any MTB where road riding is concerned.

I switched from a MTB to a road bike 18 months ago. Well when I say MTB I really mean "lump of pig iron with components made of soft cheese", I'd say the three-lettered acronym beginning with "b" but I fear I'd get slated for mentioning it here. Once I realised that riding it was a huge drag I looked for a cheap road bike to make getting to work easier and more enjoyable. I ended purchasing a £50 90's roadie off of eBay and haven't looked back since.