daihard 

In both left and right, the smaller shifter gets the chain to a smaller gear, and the bigger one to a larger gear. The effective meaning is that to upshift the front, you need to tap the larger shifter. To upshift the rear, you use the smaller shifter. If the front gear remains the same, a smaller rear gear achieves a higher gear ratio ("upshift"). If the rear remains the same, a larger front does it.

MikeyUK

I'm fairly new to cycling (bought a hybrid at the beginning of the year and have ~600miles on it) and wondered if this bike would be a good introduction to cycling?

Mekk 3G Potenza SL4.0 Sora Red Black And Bronze 2013

lawlessbeanr

I'm new to road cycling and I'm having some troubles with a couple different things. I bought a cheap entry level road bike ($250 Vilano Tuono 21 speed) with intentions of riding the bike path near my house for exercise. The path runs N/S and the winds generally travel N/S so for half of the trip I'm either going with or against the wind depending on which direction I start.

The main issue is I feel super slow (Avg of 11mph on a 2 hour ride the other day) going either way and I'm constantly getting passed up by people on MTB, hybrids, single speeds and of course road cyclists. I seem to get tired super fast and I get a burning sensation on the lower front of my thighs just after a few minutes of riding. I'm just now learning about cadence and I think this has been a big issue for me when I rode my first couple of rides because I was definitely not doing 80-90rpms. I'll be honest I've only been riding in a T shirt and some basketball shorts, no fancy suits or clipless pedals or anything like that but I'm sure it's 99% me (the engine) doing something wrong.


I also feel like I don't know when to shift properly, especially for areas on the path where it goes under highways/main streets where the path slopes down then back up again. I feel like I want to die going uphill and I lose tons of speed. I'm not sure if you're supposed to upshift to get the most out of the small downhill slope, or downshift to get ready for the climb right after the drop.


I've typically been riding in the middle ring on the front and gears 3-6 on the rear cassette (21 speed). If I've got strong winds guiding me I'll go into the big ring on the front and the 4th gear on the rear. Any higher and I don't feel like I can keep a high cadence. I'm also working on getting a better fit for my bike because my current fit is pretty inadequate in it's current state (stem too long, feeling outstretched on hoods)


I know this isn't really a one answer question, but maybe you have some tips for me? I'm also relatively new to this forum, maybe I might have missed a "FAQ" or "New to Road Cycling tips" thread or sometbing like that? If so could u point me in the right direction?

jimincalif

11 mph isn't bad if you are new and getting into shape. I just resumed riding last year after about 33 years off and used to get passed all the time. Now some people pass me and I pass some others.

Yes cadence is important, you need to find what's best for you, 90 is a reasonable starting point. Is your seat high enough? Sitting on the seat with your heel on the pedal at its lowest point, your leg should be completely straight - this is a starting point, adjust from there. Where do you place your feet on the pedals when riding? Ball of foot should be over the center of the pedal. Are your tires fully inflated? How much do you weigh? if you are near 200# or more run the rear tire at maximum pressure per the tire sidewall- front can be 10 less, try it there and adjust to your own preference. Is your bike well adjusted? Brakes not dragging? Shifts well? Wheels run true?

Shifting - shift so that you can comfortably maintain your cadence, especially don't overstress your knees by pushing too hard. You'll run a higher gear riding downwind than you will upwind. When I'm riding trails that pass under roads, if the trail is otherwise level I'll often not shift at all, or just up or down one gear, just depends how I feel, how fast I'm going, how crowded the trail is, etc. But when I was starting out I'd shift down to my front granny gear coming up the other side.

I also started doing some stretches and exercises for hamstrings, IT band, leg muscles, core and back. Don't expect overnight results but you should see steady progress. I went from gasping after 5 miles in September to riding a metric century in March and feeling tired, but good when I was done. It is a lot of things all cumulative. Again seat height is crucial.

lawlessbeanr

Thanks for this detailed post. Today I was able to ride to one end of the trail which is about 14 miles (with some minimal head winds) and averaged 13.3 mph and did it in 1h 3m which is progress compared to my previous rides. On the ride back home (another 14 miles) I averaged 14.3 mph and did it in 58 minutes. I also noticed that I wasn't huffing and puffing nor did I feel the excruciating pain in my thighs like the last few rides. The awareness of my cadence really helped, I know for a fact I was pedaling at a waaaaay too slow cadence on my last few rides, because I didn't even know what cadence was LOL. For the first half of the ride typically I stayed in the middle cassette on the front, and gear 4-5 on the back (headwinds), and on the way back I stayed in the middle cassette on the front, and 5-6 on the back.

As for shifting, I took your advice and didn't worry too much about major shifting for small dips and uphills. I did shift accordingly to keep my cadence high going uphill and it helped tremendously.

For the first time today I actually felt like I made a tremendous improvement and I feel that if i keep at it I can only get better. Thanks a lot.

rtwamski

I am in my 2nd month of riding and am pretty obsessed. I purchased a lower end used bike on craigslist and am wondering if upgrading it is worth the money and effort. I purchased an '09 Jamis Ventura Sport, it has an 8 speed Sora group with an FSA Tempo crankset and an all aluminum frame. So far I have purchased the following accessories/upgrades, Seat bag, Protege 8.0 cyclometer, PD-A530 pedals, shoes for said pedals, a tire gauge and a CO2 pump.

The new 105 5800 groupo was announced recently and I am pretty excited about upgrading my rear drive train components. Can I upgrade an 8spd to 11spd and keep my FD and crankset? If not how high up can I go and is it worth it to get a 6700 10spd over 5700?

Gallinipper87

ANY ADVICE WELCOMED.......THANK YOU IN ADVANCE

I have a Giant Escape 3 (2013) Size Small Escape 3 (2013) | Giant Bicycles | United States (Link to bike)

This is my first road bike. I absolutely love it. I'm changing the stock flat handlebars to drop handlebars and also installing a pair of clip-on aero bars. The drop bars are Ergonova 3T and the aero bars are VisionTech trimax carbon. I'm learning the hard way that when switching from flat bars to drop bars that I have to change a lot of other parts as well. I know from experience that the switch is worth the money, the time, and work. When I was in my teens I had a vintage 10 speed with drop bars and loved them. I bought a pair of Shimano Tourney A073 3 x 7-Speed STI Lever Set Road Bike Triples Shifters. They come with the derailleur, cables and housing but no brake cables or brakes. My bike came with V brakes which work excellent with my flat bar brake levers, but from what I have been reading on forums those brakes are the worst for drop bar levers. What would be a good type of brake for the levers I have?
Posted below are the Specs for the brake/shifter levers.
[TABLE]
[TR]
[TD]
Color[/TD]
[TD="class: seqbpdata"]Black[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: seqbpevenrow"]
[TD]Cassette Spacing[/TD]
[TD="class: seqbpdata"]Shimano/SRAM 7[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]FD/Shifter Compatibility[/TD]
[TD="class: seqbpdata"]Shimano Road Triple[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: seqbpevenrow"]
[TD]Shifter/Derailleur Compatibility[/TD]
[TD="class: seqbpdata"]Shimano[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Brake Lever Actuation[/TD]
[TD="class: seqbpdata"]Short Pull Super SLR[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: seqbpevenrow"]
[TD]Brake Lever Use[/TD]
[TD="class: seqbpdata"]Left[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Brake Lever Use[/TD]
[TD="class: seqbpdata"]Right[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: seqbpevenrow"]
[TD]Cable[/TD]
[TD="class: seqbpdata"]Road[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]End Type[/TD]
[TD="class: seqbpdata"]Shimano/Sram [/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]

I would appreciate any advice from anyone on the correct brakes to buy. Also if you can predict any other parts or problems I might run into during this switch please tell me. Thank you to anyone who took the time to read this have a good day.

Josiehalifax

Hello! I am new (obviously) and am hoping to get some advice on what bike to buy for both myself and my husband.
Right now we are looking at getting used bikes on kijiji, so our options are fairly limited.
For myself, there is a 2010 giant avail 1 and a 2012 trek 1.1. The giant is 650, and the trek is asking 500. Are these fair prices, and which would be a better choice?

Next, my husband has the choice of a trek 1500 (2008 i believe and $600), a trek 1.5 (2012 and $850) and a massi triathlon bike (about a 2010 and asking $500). He will be riding to and from work, which is about 20k a day. We will also be taking weekend rides. Would a triathlon bike be a bad choice? Are these fair prices? Which would be the best choice?

Finally, is there any way for me to be sure that they haven't switched out the groupsets on the bikes? For the avail, I am not overly convinced that it's actually the model she is telling me it is. She says its the giant avail 1, which would have the shamano 105 shifters, but I don't think she knows what she is talking about as she was very reluctant to tell me the model number and her ad is very vague. Any suggestions?

Thanks so much,
Josie

rtwamski

I haven't rode a tri bike before but I have been told they can be a little unstable if your not used to it. As far as the group goes, find the approximate year of the bikes. Google search them and use images to narrow down the exact year by comparing colors and graphics on the frame. From there use bikepedia to verify the original group. If you are traveling far to see it ask for pics of each component, if there are reluctant to share there is probably good reason and you shouldn't by from them.

prime winner

theres a sticky stating not to post spoilers. can someone explain what that means please?

lawlessbeanr

Buying a new road bike soon and the first thing I want to do is slap on some Continental Gatorskins on it. The wheels it comes with are cheap 700x23mm tires that warrant immediate replacement.

My question, which has probably been asked a million times already.....do I get the Gatorskins in 700x23 or 700x25? From the little research I've done, it seems that there is no set in stone answer, every forum I've read just from typing in "700x23 vs 700x25" in google always ends up in a turd tossing flame war between those who are pro-23mm and pro-25mm.

From my understanding, there has been a shift in the last few years in a pro scene where they're all dumping their 23mm's to go to 25mm's. Is this true?

I only ride for fitness on a paved bike path so any info you provide me will help tremendously. I've come a long way since my last post in this thread, lol 11mph avg. What an out of shape joke I was.

LouisD

Hi, I'm about to buy my first *good* bike
its a gift from me, to me for my B-Day

I got a deal on a used Giant Defy 1 2013 = whit no pedals, for 900$CAD = 825 USD
the bike never crashed, and has about 3500km = 2170miles

I went to the local store, to try a Cannondale synapse and a specialized secter and a Caad10
I was pretty comfortable on all 3 I had no real preference, maybe a slight nodge for the synapse
I know everyone says that testing the bike is the best way, but for someone, that is new to a good road bike,
( i am used of riding a frame to big, whit rusted equipment ) everything was a thrill .. hard to say for sure

so I was just wondering if It was a fair offer mostly

My other question is. I'm looking to try clip shoes for the first time
and, I am looking for a set of pedals that are a good (bang for your buck) that wont break the bank to much.
that can also be used whit, non-clip shoes from time to time if I go out for a 4km ride only

GuitarBob

I'd vote for 25s, as you can run lower air pressure, so they are a bit more comfortable. There's some evidence that 25s have a slightly lower rolling resistance than 23s, but I've never noticed much of a difference there...

geddylee

Hi everyone, I was directed here from the introductions forum. I also posted this question in the Long Distance Competition forum.

A bit of history: I currently ride what I believe to be a 1974 Nishiki Competition and I have been riding this for the better part of the last 3-4 years. I say "believe" because the bike was purchased used and model name on the frame is mostly scratched off.

Anyway, although I've been riding for about four years, I've never really been able to ascend to the kind of mileage that I want (I currently ride no more than 60-70 miles per week). This is due in part to a tough schedule and a few nicely times injuries, but now that I can finally afford it, I'd like to switch up my gear a bit.

Naturally, I am very used to my Competition's frame geometry and ride. The problem is, it's about an inch too big for me and definitely too heavy. In addition to that, it's just plain old. I am hoping to buy a bike that would be an easy transition, but not a strict touring bike. I say this because I hope to participate in, or at least train for, some amateur races next summer.

Additional information:

I am 23 years old, 5'7" and 150 pounds. I think I can spend around 1300 on this.

I hope all of this wasn't so vague. Please let me know if you need any more information. Thanks for the help!

artistundenied

Hello everyone hope all is well, new to forums hope i'm doing this correct. I'm looking at a backup wheelset for my supersix. I have the choice between shimano wh r501 bladed spoke wheelset schwalbe lugano tires never been ridden or shimano wh RS10 bladed Vittoria Rubino very lightly used. There both takeoffs from shop bikes so when I say lightly used very low mileage on the s10's. Price difference is $10 so that doesnt really factor in, also a pair of Mavic Aksium mileage under 2k, price on those is about $35 cheaper would appreciate your opinions thanks.

NickyC

Hey all! I'm an 5'11" 230lbs and want to get into road biking for fitness. I bought a used, modified (Mavic wheels, 105s, right bar end shifter) Allez from an experienced rider 1.5 years ago. I rode it several times but it was very painful. Back pain, neck pain (this was the worst), sharp saddle pain after about 15 mins on the bike and days of soreness after each ride. It just felt completely unnatural in position on the bike. I carried it to a shop for a fitting and they only fit on weekdays during working hours (not possible for me). I was also told that being overweight on a road bike was just going to hurt. I think the shop guys had good intentions but I left feeling like they felt I deserved to hurt on the bike because I was fat and making it comfortable (instead of working on performance) was just a work around instead of working on the overweight part. I never made an appointment for fitting. After a month of bad experiences and being embarrassed being a fat guy on a road bike I just gave up. I still want to be a biker. And, I have a pretty nice starter bike. But, I need to know how to start this time so I have good experiences and enjoy it. My goals:
1. Stop the pain. I expect bike riding should be about like lifting heavy weights. It will be uncomfortable when you push your limits and some soreness, but not bad pain on short rides (1. neck, 2. saddle, 3. back). With previous rides I am constantly trying to mitigate pain and never could focus on anything else. Couldn't even enjoy the scenery. Suggestions?
2. Increase fitness and lose weight. I want to be able to get up to riding for 1 hour. I won't be riding longer for a while, just hopefully increase speed over that hour. I have a basic trainer as well. Any links or suggestions to starter plans for overweight/out-of-shape bikers?
3. Find resources for heavy riders to help with gear selection and tips. At 230lbs I'm obese, but until a few years ago I was a 6-day a week, 1.5 hour a day gym guy and at 180lbs (previous normal) I was at 12% body fat so even if I get fit I'll still be heavy.

I am so envious when I see the guys riding and in my city biking is a big deal and hugely popular. I just want to become one of those guys and enjoy the process.

mcmoose

Hey NickyC,

You might get more/better responses if you post in the Clydesdales/Athenas sub-forum.

You don't mention your age, but unless you're over 75, riding a road bike shouldn't hurt, even at your weight/height. I do think you might be making things hard on yourself by riding a bike with a racing geometry -- those are going to put more strain on your neck and back. And you're going to get a pain in the butt if your saddle doesn't support your sit-bones properly.

Folks working their weight down often find it more pleasant to start on a hybrid, flat-bar road bike, or at least an endurance-geometry road bike. But even the bike you have should be "bearable" with the proper fit and saddle... raising the handlebars (increasing the stack), shortening the stem, etc. should definitely help.

Talk with the Clydes -- they can give you good advice!

Good luck!

NickyC

Thank you! I will move this to that forum!

piratusus

After having ridden a few times on my salvaged Fuji Royale II I am starting to notice that my wheels may need some work, there seems to be a minor bit of wobble in both wheels. I am debating between doing the work myself, or taking to the bike shop and having them do the work. As I currently have only the one bike and I don't want it to be out of action for any length of time while the wheels are being worked on, I thought about buying a second wheel set. I thought I would ask and see if people typically do that - that is, have two sets of wheels so their favorite bike is not out of commission when they have to do work on the wheels. Also, I am debating whether it might actually be more economical to try and find a cheap 2nd bike that I can either swap the wheels off of or ride while I am working on the wheels, or buy new or used wheels. I am on a fairly tight budget, so I don't have a whole lot of wiggle room to make mistakes, and I am somewhat mechanically inclined, but fairly new to working on bikes, so doing the work will take me longer than most experienced people, plus my time is somewhat limited. I have no intention of riding any races soon, so I don't care about getting the latest hi-tech stuff, I just enjoy riding by myself on the local bike path. (Example - I rode 24 miles in the rain at a 14 mph pace on Wednesday, lot of fun and saw more deer than people...)

Anyway, if anyone has suggestions about getting a second set of wheels and caveats, I would appreciate it.

Martian63

Rookie myself. I'm thinking if the wobble is caused by rims needing to be trued or bad bearings. I don't think truing is major but don't know about bearing replacement. On second set of wheels you would need to get a rear wheel with a cassette. Might be more costly. Like I said. a rookie here. Just my thoughts.

blart

Anyone got any good ideas for 3-4 day a week workout plans? And any experience with trainers/stationary? I do a lot of commuting through winter but would like to make some progress on my speed (I can average about 18mph for an hour if that metric is any help) at the same time.

The only ideas I have are ones copped from running work outs, which I am used to: tempo, interval, recovery, and long slow workouts.

Thanks.

lilkey

Looking for a used bike and I really have no clue to what I looking for. I don't ride often but would like a bike that I can ride long distance once in a while. My sister has a Cannondale road bike which I like. I found this one on criags list, Cannondale road bike for sale 175 O.B.O, is it worth it? I know the back tire will need to be replaced.

Axe77

hi everyone. I'm a relevant noob (so pardon me if there are some very basic mistakes or the Qs are elementary) looking at buying a road bike and have drilled down to more or less two/three options which are coming to almost the same price for the two Specialized models and about US$290 more for the Pinarello.

All models below are new not seconds.

1. 2014 - Specialized Allez Elite with A1 frame and Tiagra components.
2. 2015 - Specialized Allez Sport with E5 frame (not Smartweld E5 though) and Sora components.
3. 2013 - Pinarello FP Uno which comes with Tiagra components all around.

1. and 2. are same price and 3. is about US$ 290 more.
QUESTIONS

1. Which one of these three is the best buy assuming all three fit reasonably well

2. Would the 2014 Tiagra components on the Specialized be significantly superior to the 2013 Tiagra on the Pinarello. I hear component offerings also sometimes make significant jumps year on year so a prev gen Tiagra may be comparable to a current gen sora (just as a random eg).
3. How would 2015 Sora components compare to 2013 & 2014 Tiagra.

The Pinarello is carrying a healthy discount since its a 2013 model but is still about US$ 290 more than the two Specialised models.

What's the best buy then amongst the three options please?

Please do limit replies (reasoned would be nice if possible) to one of amongst the specific Specialized and Pinarello models listed above. Please DO NOT recommend an altogether different model as the response. My Q is specifically based on what I can access easily at hand today in my size and my budget since our market is not that well developed on bike availability.

Thanks very much in advance.

OldsCOOL

Did you call on it? If the bike frame is your size, the price is ok if the drivetrain works well, frame has no dents or cracks and rims arent too far out of true. Cannondales will hold their value and among Vintage cyclists will command a premium. Factor in the cost of what you would change. If you want long distance riding, throw that seat out.

"OBO" means they dont expect 175.00 so offer them 120.00 or so.

BigC_82

Hello I am new to road bike scene but not to biking. I am feeling like I'm going fall over when I get out of the saddle. FYI I'm 6'5 with long arms. Any tips or pointers on standing up.