If you could give one piece of advice to a beginner...

[rbreid]

Smile and wave cheerily to everyone you see...............You can p*** more people off that way than by any other means known to man!!!!
Seriously though, lots of good advice given already. Personally I never set a finish time to a ride and never have. Bike time is me time and that attitude has meant great pleasure has come my way through cycling without the restraint of the clock or a fixed route.
Enjoy

 

[Shadow]

'Mickle method'.
(use Search function if you are unfamiliar)

 

[Shadow]

Inflate tyres to recommended pressure, regularly. (With the track pump you purchased, as recommended by SSL, post # 20)

Do this, regularly, and the propensity for punctures will diminish in inverse proportion.

 

[steveindenmark]

Buy quality, Not cheap.

Steve

 

[MickeyBlueEyes]

Do not give up quickly. After my first two years of road cycling I liked it, after three years I am loving it.

 

[Nigelnaturist]

Get a cheaper hobby like photography.

 

[mickle]

Teach your children how to lube a chain and mend a puncture.

 

[Mr Haematocrit]

If you don't know why you need a power meter, you don't need a power meter.

 

[totallyfixed]

Listen.

 

[ColinJ]

Inflate tyres to recommended pressure, regularly. (With the track pump you purchased, as recommended by SSL, post # 20)

Do this, regularly, and the propensity for punctures will diminish in inverse proportion.

Alternatively ... if you ride on typical recession-degraded UK roads, value your fillings and don't like having to go back down the road to pick up bottles shaken from bottle cages - knock 20-30 psi off the 'recommended' pressures (which are usually actually maximum pressures) and watch where you are riding to avoid the worst of the potholes!

 

[Hill Wimp]

Forget speed, forget miles, get on your bike and ride.

 

[mustang1]

Learn to love the wind.

 

[Nigelnaturist]

This is pretty good from SD in another thread:

However its the level of coldness, that takes some experience to be able to asses to be right when riding.

 

[Sittingduck]

However its the level of coldness, that takes some experience to be able to asses to be right when riding.

Warmer than shivvering but colder than 'ok'

 

[Doyleyburger]

Don't go flat out as soon as you leave the house you'll be knackered later on during the ride.
Stretch before and after the ride.
Make sure you warm your legs up before you up the pace. ...Iv found that the most important thing for my rides and learnt the hard way