cycling for years w/o knowing a thing
 

Hello All,

I'm new to this forum and I was hoping I could learn a thing or 2 about being a better cyclist. Some background on me, I started riding roadbikes when I was 23 and have been doing so for the past 5 years. I've probably rode over 10k miles and I've spent thousands of dollars on cycling. I really love riding as a hobby though I haven't been doing it much over the pandemic. Despite all I've said, I hardly know anything about these beautiful machines and I decided that today I would try and change that.

I ride a 2013 cervelo R3 with a hodgepodge of different components. Whenever something goes wrong with my bike I just find myself throwing money at the problem instead of getting a better understanding of what caused the problem so I can be a more informed consumer. I also feel like I have a really good bike with features I don't completely understand (like my electric derailleur that sometimes seems to have a mind of its own). I feel like I tried to get a bunch of "pro" stuff while still being fairly amateur. Where should I begin in better understanding my bike, cycling in general, and how to properly maintain/repair my bikes?

Welcome to BF.

Youtube is your friend. Usually.

Our own BF Mechanics Forum.


Buy good tools.
Park Tools has instructional videos that might be useful in maintaining your bike.

First, I had that exact same bike and loved it. I never would have parted with it if I'd had a choice. I replaced it with another Cervelo that's also wonderful, but I still miss the R3 and I'm sightly jealous. 🙂

Welcome. To your last question, there are great resources all over the net. If you have any specifics questions people in here love talking about bikes.

How do you even get into building your own bikes and wheels?!? That's definitely something I'd like to try.

https://www.sheldonbrown.com/

is a good resource.

Bikes really are simple machines and there’s so much help instruction on the internet there’s very little need if any to go to a shop.


Im fairly handy at best. My wife would say I’m exaggerating.

Building a bike isn't very difficult. These days, there are many factory built wheels with excellent quality. I assemble my bikes from the frame up, but don't bother building wheels. Campy/Fulcrum usually has what I need.

If you've been riding solo only for 5 years, you probably could benefit from doing some group rides. You'll learn some valuable skills in a good group.

Check if there are any group rides in your area.

Awesome thanks for all the advice everyone! I have a Trek that's laying around that needs a lot of work so I think I might just start with seeing if I can get that running. As far as joining a cycling group I will try that too once I get my Cervelo rolling again.

While old bikes can be a sweet and memorable ride, don't forget to try the new bikes. Sometimes the cost of upgrading a bike, even with you doing all the work, will have your bike with lesser tier components on it than if you'd bought a new bike with your dream groupset on it.

My 1991 Paramount rides extremely nice and the 105 5800 I put on it shifted better than anything else I've had.... even my Ultegra Di2 on my new bike. But the new bike is so much more fun to ride.

This is true for many bikes. But as they get more sophisticated. Like hydraulic brakes and electric derailleurs it takes more skill. I been riding a bike for 50+ years and the only time its been in the shop is when I bent the frame and forks when I was hit by a parked car at night. This is one reason I try to KISS. Clincher tires on 26" rims, Rim brakes, a mechanical single chainring transmission, and no suspension.

That said, A little research can go a long way toward keeping a more elaborate bike in top shape and limit trips to the bike shop and replacing parts.

Parked cars are aggressive!!