Just bought a road bike and have questions

[Karlt]

True dat. I jump the front wheel over the drop kerb as I enter my driveway at home.

 

[raleighnut]

If your in Leicester, take it to John at Bob Warner's on Sparkenhoe Street. Cheap as chips and he is an absolute legend.

You would probably need to book it in with John as he is very busy at the moment (or he was last week when I was in there)
Another very good shop is Cyclops in Syston but to be fair most of the bike shops in Leicester are good, even Julies Cycles (but they are pricey)

 

[sidevalve]

Just wondering - why are you crossing kerbs all that often anyway ? You are on a road bike not a kiddies pavement cycle the hint is in the name.
As for the rattle - where is it coming from? Get the bike wheel off the ground and try turning the pedals nice and slow and listen - could be front or rear. Gently push the chain slightly to one side and see what happens. That will give you an idea of which way the adjustment needs to go. I have said this before and I'm sorry but I will say it again SIT AND WATCH what happens - It is not difficult - indexing is just a fancy name for a way to move the shifter the correct distance [1 'click'] and for the chain to be picked up by the cassette. Like all bicycle control it is simply a lever pulled by a cable YOU CAN DO IT

 

[Boon 51]

Take it to a Giant store and let them do it . You may have to pay but they like having their bikes working perfect

Ditto..

 

[ayceejay]

One of the first 'offs' I had was due to a kerb, I was careening down hill using my heel on the back wheel as a brake
(I was 13 OK?) the tyre burned through my shoe just before my turning so I missed it and hit the kerb on the other side
of the road and landed head first in a privet hedge. The wheels of my bike were a very strange shape so I had to carry it
to school where, as far as I can remember it still is.

 

[Big Dave laaa]

Depending on what gear set you are running there is a trim setting usually. This corrects the front shifter position after shifting up or down. Your chain may be rubbing. Try this before any further adjustment or do what has already been suggested and take it to your LBS

 

[MattDB]

Plus one for the trim -this confused me at first. I bought a bike online but took to a shop to get gears set up right then tweaked myself ever since. I rode on stock tyres all last year and didn't think anything of it until a recent slide (oil). Got some continental all seasons which feel stickier but they're about 65 for a pair.

There are some good videos on gear tuning on YouTube.

 

[willem]

Road bikes are terrible when it gets icy. Your best bet is a second hand mountainbike with rigid front fork, and fit Continental Topcontact WInter ii tyres. Ride this from November to March, and you will not only save your skin, but also keep your road bike in better condition. These winter tyres give great grip on anything other than black ice (get spiked tyres for that, or don't ride).

 

[Garry A]

The SRAM gear cassette on my Defy rattled like hell when I bought it and no amount of adjusting would sort it. I swapped in for a Shimano one and it was much smoother. I wont even go on my road bike in winter conditions

 

[gavintc]

There is less ice on roads than pavements. Cycle where the cars have been and you should find it safer. Most roads are gritted / salted, but few if any pavements are. Bumping up and down kerbs is not recommended - it will get costly if you buckle your wheels.

 

[MattDB]

I went through the whole of last winter on my road bike quite naively without worrying about wet weather or ice or anything like that with crappy stock tyres. A few weeks ago I fell off (wet weather on some diesel/oil) and haven't been able to relax since - keep thinking I'm just going to fall off into the middle of the road and have my brakes on all the way down hills I used to fly down. Think I'm going to either change to a mtb or get the bus this winter!