New to road bikes
Discussion
Following on from this thread http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a... I have purchased one. Having come from MTB's (though not in recent years) I am relatively clueless.
Purchased Shimano R540 SPD-SL Clipless Road Pedals from Halfords last night (£21.95 at the mo) but they had hardly any shoes so I purchased Shimano R078's from CRC today (£47.99 at mo). Already have a decent track pump luckily.
Have Clarkes brake pads on order to replace the hopeless OEM ones. Need a bottle cage & bottle & realised I have no spare inner tubes or even puncture repair kit! Is a bum bag or frame bag the easiest option on a road bike or is it personal preference? Pretty sure reservoirs won't be available for my classic Camelbak now.
Have (very old) Endura padded lycra shorts, Altura jacket & various tops, will need a new helmet though as mine must be 15yrs old!
What else do I need, other than to get out & ride the bloody thing?! I have downloaded Strava, not had chance to play with it yet though.
Purchased Shimano R540 SPD-SL Clipless Road Pedals from Halfords last night (£21.95 at the mo) but they had hardly any shoes so I purchased Shimano R078's from CRC today (£47.99 at mo). Already have a decent track pump luckily.
Have Clarkes brake pads on order to replace the hopeless OEM ones. Need a bottle cage & bottle & realised I have no spare inner tubes or even puncture repair kit! Is a bum bag or frame bag the easiest option on a road bike or is it personal preference? Pretty sure reservoirs won't be available for my classic Camelbak now.
Have (very old) Endura padded lycra shorts, Altura jacket & various tops, will need a new helmet though as mine must be 15yrs old!
What else do I need, other than to get out & ride the bloody thing?! I have downloaded Strava, not had chance to play with it yet though.
Edited by LordHaveMurci on Thursday 20th August 11:25
timnoyce said:
Most people just use a saddle pack. On all rides I take with me 1x spare inner tube, 2x tyre levers, a multi tool, a puncture repair kit and a small pump. On longer rides I might take more, but that will be sufficient unless something catastrophic happens!
Saddle pack, caddy in your 2nd bottle cage or stuffed in your back pocket (or all 3 if its an epic). Echo the above, 1 x spare tube, repair kit, tyre leavers and a pump and or Co2. As above, I use a topeak saddle bag one from any bike shop. think its a medium one. I can carry a tube, puncture kit ( for that 'oh bugger another puncture moment') levers, multitool, split link, couple of bolts , a tenner, mini birzman pump, garage door opener fob and a phone. Think they are about £15. I bought a bottle type to fit in my second bottle cage and seemed huge, so haven't used it. I keep a waterproof in my shirt pocket and nibbles in the opposing one. I don't put anything sharp in my shirt pocket like keys in case of a fall and stabbing them in my back etc
I don't bother with a bag, all fits in back jersey pocket
Leg and arm warmers are handy for the winter, Planet X have some cheap ones
Get inner tubes now, plus patches just in case
Also test the pump to make sure it can at least get you home
Lights are a good shout, I often run a flashing cateye on the front 24-7 all year round.
Leg and arm warmers are handy for the winter, Planet X have some cheap ones
Get inner tubes now, plus patches just in case
Also test the pump to make sure it can at least get you home
Lights are a good shout, I often run a flashing cateye on the front 24-7 all year round.
I leave a couple of lights on the bike all year, my cateye rear and a small positioning light on the front, just in case the light conditions / weather change - I'd rather have them and not need them than be worried about getting wiped out! I have a much bigger front light for riding in the dark that actually illuminates the road in front of me.
I also have a Top Peak saddle bag, again the medium size. Tyre levers and a multitool live in there with a spare tube. On long rides I'll stick a tenner in there and/or bank card, I also tend to carry my driving licence in case anything seriously untoward happens so someone can knock on the door and tell the Mrs. Should probably add a p***ture repair kit but (touch wood) I've not had one in over a year, and never 2 in the same ride, surprising given the state of Lake District roads!
If the weather looks changeable I'll have another layer in a jersey pocket and some snacks, normally little cereal bars. I tend to take a single bottle of plain water on rides up to a couple of hours long, and add a second (with isotonic powder in it) if I'm going further. Not a fan of gels so I don't have any but I suspect I'll be into them when I do the Fred Whitton next year!
Worth getting some new shorts, my preference is for bib shorts but I do have some normal padded shorts too.
I also have a Top Peak saddle bag, again the medium size. Tyre levers and a multitool live in there with a spare tube. On long rides I'll stick a tenner in there and/or bank card, I also tend to carry my driving licence in case anything seriously untoward happens so someone can knock on the door and tell the Mrs. Should probably add a p***ture repair kit but (touch wood) I've not had one in over a year, and never 2 in the same ride, surprising given the state of Lake District roads!
If the weather looks changeable I'll have another layer in a jersey pocket and some snacks, normally little cereal bars. I tend to take a single bottle of plain water on rides up to a couple of hours long, and add a second (with isotonic powder in it) if I'm going further. Not a fan of gels so I don't have any but I suspect I'll be into them when I do the Fred Whitton next year!
Worth getting some new shorts, my preference is for bib shorts but I do have some normal padded shorts too.
Small Topeak here too. Tube,levers,co2 and multi tool and an emergency rear light - Lezyne Zecto. Sustenance,phone and any extra clothing goes in Jersey pockets. Most of my rides are 5-7 hours and there's plenty of room for everything I need.
That said if you're tight for space my missus always rides with a bum bag. Lowe Alpine one I think.
That said if you're tight for space my missus always rides with a bum bag. Lowe Alpine one I think.
Right, I've cobbled together a puncture repair kit, plastic tyre levers, Topeak multi tool & a saddle bag that will need to be replaced ideally. Do you frame mount your pumps, even my smallest won't fit in a saddle bag?!
Will order a new bag, rear light, inner tubes & a water bottle. New shorts etc will have to wait a while.
That should get me going anyway, OH is not amused but hey ho!
Will order a new bag, rear light, inner tubes & a water bottle. New shorts etc will have to wait a while.
That should get me going anyway, OH is not amused but hey ho!
Most minipumps fit behind the bottle cages in their own brackets and are largely inconspicuous.
Its worth budgeting for some new tyres in the short term, the OEM tyres will most likely be a pretty hard compound and poor at giving you any feedback or grip. You dont need to spend much, Micheling ProRAce3 are £16 each from Decathalon and will be a good noticeable upgrade to the bike.
Its worth budgeting for some new tyres in the short term, the OEM tyres will most likely be a pretty hard compound and poor at giving you any feedback or grip. You dont need to spend much, Micheling ProRAce3 are £16 each from Decathalon and will be a good noticeable upgrade to the bike.
pablo said:
Most minipumps fit behind the bottle cages in their own brackets and are largely inconspicuous.
Its worth budgeting for some new tyres in the short term, the OEM tyres will most likely be a pretty hard compound and poor at giving you any feedback or grip. You dont need to spend much, Micheling ProRAce3 are £16 each from Decathalon and will be a good noticeable upgrade to the bike.
Vittoria Zaffiro tyres fitted, are they any good?Its worth budgeting for some new tyres in the short term, the OEM tyres will most likely be a pretty hard compound and poor at giving you any feedback or grip. You dont need to spend much, Micheling ProRAce3 are £16 each from Decathalon and will be a good noticeable upgrade to the bike.
Think my pump would struggle with the high PSi so may budget for a new one, save me finding a bracket too!
I don't take any thing bar a phone, for rescue :-)
"spare mech hanger " and the likes has to be a joke !
only non bike items needed is a track pump and shades. but you can leave the track pump at home ;-)
Longer rides a bit of water and 1 gramm of carbs per minute taken every 30 mins, people DO over eat, I wonder if that's why the new breed of bikers are big bellies ?
"spare mech hanger " and the likes has to be a joke !
only non bike items needed is a track pump and shades. but you can leave the track pump at home ;-)
Longer rides a bit of water and 1 gramm of carbs per minute taken every 30 mins, people DO over eat, I wonder if that's why the new breed of bikers are big bellies ?
Edited by PorscheGT4 on Thursday 20th August 22:46
JustinF said:
It's a joke until a 12 gram bit of aluminium strands you 20 miles from home, proper rib tickler.
you need a park alan key tool to fit it then !No one takes a mech hanger on a road bike !! crazy people ok maybe 1 in 3000 people !
I would say not even 1 in 100 take a spare tube.
I guess you never venture far from home, GT4?
I'd rather carry tubes and sundries that weigh nothing than have to ask someone to drive two hours out to get me, and two hours back. But, hey, it's your marriage and if that works for you then good for you. I wouldn't recommend it to everyone though.
I'd rather carry tubes and sundries that weigh nothing than have to ask someone to drive two hours out to get me, and two hours back. But, hey, it's your marriage and if that works for you then good for you. I wouldn't recommend it to everyone though.
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