Road bike advice

wondered if i could ask for a bit of help again.

was going to go to a local bike store but figured i would spend a lot more than t'internet prices.

not sure what products are good and what isn't really.

don't need top dollar stuff but don't want crap either.

looking for....

helmet
pedals is it worth starting straight onto cleats?
shoes see above
pump when out
spare tube(s)
padded undershorts(won't be wearing lycra for a while:eek:
multi tool
guess tyre levers are all the same?
saddle bag.

think thats it but may have missed something.

oh and a pic or two will be sorted soon enough.

thanks

jb
 
Jobe said:
helmet
Best to go to a bike shop for this. Need to try them on to see what fits your head.
pedals is it worth starting straight onto cleats?
Yep, you'll want them at some point so you may as well get used to them now. Shimano R540 is a good budget choice.
shoes see above
only thing to check is that they are compatible with your chosen pedals. Road cleats (SPD-SL) use a 3bolt fitting and mtb cleats (SPD) use a 2bolt fitting.

padded undershorts(won't be wearing lycra for a while:eek:
Just get some padded lycra bibshorts. You can wear baggy shorts over the top if you prefer.

pump when out
spare tube(s)
multi tool
guess tyre levers are all the same?
saddle bag.
All this stuff is much the same. Aldi/Lidl often have saddle bags with tyre levers and multi tool in them for £5. I'm sure you'll be able to get similar stuff online also.
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Maybe also a track pump? The small pump you take with you is used if you get a puncture out on the road but often they wont go up to the high pressures needed for road bike tyres. It's good to have a track pump to check the pressure at home before you leave.
 
helmet - They all have to pass the relevant tests, so they're all much of a muchness on that front, but they will vary on weight, price, fit, etc. As touch says, see what fits you and decide based on your budget.

pedals is it worth starting straight onto cleats? - Yeah, I'd say so. It's not like you're starting on them without even knowing how to ride, so you may as well jumpy right in. I did, and managed fine. R540s are good if you go straight to road pedals, but you may prefer to go to mtb ones like M520s as the shoes are easer to walk in.

shoes see above - Wiggle or Decathlon do decent SPD-SL ones. Shimano have some decent cheap mtb/touring ones.

pump when out - Lezyne Pressure Drive, Topeak Pocket Rocket... Expect to pay about £25 or so.

spare tube(s) - Any will do

padded undershorts(won't be wearing lycra for a while - Get bib shorts. They're awesome. Decathlon have some starting at £20, or Wiggle have some for a bit more.

multi tool - I have the Topeak Hexus II, which cost about £20 and has about everything you could need on the go. Some people prefer something more minamilist, but it's up to you.

guess tyre levers are all the same? - Pretty much, though make sure they're reasonably strong as you don't want them snapping. Lezyne ones are good. Decathlon ones are big but strong.

saddle bag. - Topeak do loads of these. Pick whatever suits you. They do some good ones with a toolkit inside, but they are a bit bulkier than some people like.

And yeah, get a track pump. I'd recommend the Blackburn Airtower 2 myself. £20 on ebay.
 
This measures rpm of the crank right?

Or putting it another way, how quick I'm peddling?

Would this be so important for a beginner?

Jb
 
Also did my first ride tonight

Set Strava going but it seems to have cut off after 4k

I did 15k in total which is fine for a start. Throat feels really tight, like i have a chesty cold.

Not sure on times but was around 40mins possibly.

Whilst it was working, Strava is telling me I did 4.3k in 10 mins which was all into the breeze though it felt like a bloody hurricane. It says I averaged 27-28km\h. Also the last 5k was into the same breeze though it did feel a fair bit slower.

Something I did notice is the bars seem really 'twitchy', like it's really easy to wobble them. Must be because my arms are bent and closer together.

Jb
 
Jobe said:
Also did my first ride tonight

Set Strava going but it seems to have cut off after 4k

I did 15k in total which is fine for a start. Throat feels really tight, like i have a chesty cold.

Not sure on times but was around 40mins possibly.

Whilst it was working, Strava is telling me I did 4.3k in 10 mins which was all into the breeze though it felt like a bloody hurricane. It says I averaged 27-28km\h. Also the last 5k was into the same breeze though it did feel a fair bit slower.

Something I did notice is the bars seem really 'twitchy', like it's really easy to wobble them. Must be because my arms are bent and closer together.

Jb
Click to expand...

The twitchy bars does not sound good, when I collected my so called "setup and ready to ride" bike the silver bolt at the top of the headset was very loose, actually it was about to fall out! I found quite a few bolts were not at the correct torque...

Try going around the stem and torquing all the bolts down to Giant specs (Back of manual), also make sure the wheel is seated correctly in the fork and the quick release is tight enough.

It is always good practice to check all bolts are at the correct torque on a new bike.

P.S What size did you go for and what is your height and inseam?
 
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ramdrive said:
The twitchy bars does not sound good, when I collected my so called "setup and ready to ride" bike the silver screw at the top of the headset was very loose, actually it was about to fall out! I found quite a few bolts were not at the correct torque...

Try going around the stem and torquing all the bolts down to Giant specs (Back of manual)

Always good practice to check all bolts are at the correct torque on a new bike.

P.S What size did you go for and what is your height and inseam?
Click to expand...

Tightening up the bolts on the headset won't do much if the preload is too loose to begin with, unless you loosen off the stem bolts first.

Try applying the front + rear brakes and rock the bike forwards/backwards whilst keeping the wheels on the ground. Is there any movement between the bars are the frame? If there is, adjustment instructions here: http://www.pinkbike.com/news/tech-tuesday-headset-adjusting-2010.html (bike in example is a mountain bike, but exactly the same concept applies)

To be honest if the steering feels a bit twitchy I'd put that down to this being your first road bike rather than any mechanical issue. I thought my first road bike was really twitchy to begin with too, you soon get used to it.


edit: I'd agree in general with checking all the bolts. If you don't have a torque wrench just make sure everything is finger tight. I almost lost the rear derailleur on my Giant CX bike because the bolts had come very loose in the first couple of rides.
 
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Twitchy steering might just mean compared to other bikes. My wife's bike with swept back handlebars and a very upright head tube and minimal fork rake feels like turning a wheel barrow compared to my road bikes.
 
Vonhelmet said:
Twitchy steering might just mean compared to other bikes. My wife's bike with swept back handlebars and a very upright head tube and minimal fork rake feels like turning a wheel barrow compared to my road bikes.
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This. Sorry fellas, should have made myself clearer. Everything is tight.

Frame size is Large. I'm 6' with 34" inside leg. M/L is where I come out on the chart but both me and the sales guy thought it should be slightly bigger.

Jb
 
Vonhelmet said:
Yeah, definitely take spare tubes with you on the road. The last thing you want is to be stood in the freezing cold or pouring rain buggering about with patches. In my saddle bag I have two spare tubes and a puncture repair kit. It would have to be a very bad day for me to end up using the repair kit.
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Agree although a friend had a really bad day a few weeks back - got to his bike with a rear puncture, put spare #1 without getting the second thorn, 5 miles in his front flatted (used his second spare tube), 10 miles his back went again (took my spare). I'm pretty sure he used up his bad luck that day!

Congrats on the new bikes those who have bought btw - and don't fear the lycra ;)
 
https://imageshack.com/i/ipCyGyYLj

Firstly if I haven't added this pic correctly please delete Dons.

Added some of the bits I've bought for it.

Pedals have been changed to M342's. Like the idea of being able to hop on without cleated shoes.

For these i decided on MT34 SPD's. Whether MTB shoes are the ones for me I shall find out.

Got some other bits and bobs inc bib shorts. The missus thinks i look like a right berk in them. The witch even got a pic of me in just them.....:eek:

Spare tubes are continental quality T700*20 25 race 28 Presta 42mm. If someone could please confirm these are correct I would appreciate it.

Thanks for reading.

Jb
 
The bike looks good. The bar shape looks a bit different, quite a big angled bit on the drops, should be quite comfy. Good choice of pedals, given what you've said, means you can ride in plain shoes if you want to.

Don't worry about looking daft in bib shorts. You'll get used to them, and she'll got bored of laughing at you in them before too long, mine did ;)

Yeah, those sound like suitable replacement tubes.
 
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