First road bike...embarrassing?

[SirDickieBird]

Hopefully not but I'm sure some will look down on it...

Never having ridden a road bike before and not wanting to spend ££££ just yet, opted for 2nd hand and a Carrera Virtuoso (2012) came up at a good price nearby so headed over, picked up and now waiting for a first proper ride... It has Gator Skin tyres on that look in good nick - any opinions on these?

First impressions - much quicker than my slicked-up mtb; only done a 5 miler around the block but beat a couple of Segment times without going for it. Only thing is it's a compact chainset and top gear seems not as high as my other bike so hoping I can get used to this.

Hopefully will look and feel better at a sportive on a Halfords special than on my crusty mtb...

Long run at the weekend...

 

[Okeydokey]

Gatorskins are generally considered a good choice of tyre. Can't see what you have to be embarrassed about? Probably that your next bike might come from Halfords I'm guessing.

 

[I like Skol]

THIS review sounds very positive. Looks like you have got a budget bargain.

 

[Spiderweb]

Gatorskins are great, very puncture resistant and they will last several thousand miles.

 

[Fab Foodie]

It's not what you ride, but how you ride it that counts :-)
Enjoy!

 

[Doobiesis]

Gator Skin tyres are def better. I used to get punctures all the time but not since I put those on.

Get the fit right, if you don't want to pay for a fit look online and figure it out. Because 25 miles in you'll struggle if it's not correct. The make of bike is irrelevant as long as it's fitted.

Dawn

 

[Nigel-YZ1]

I've got Gatorskins on the Carlton. No punctures yet.
You're out and flying. What you ride doesn't matter.
Carrera do good stuff. Had a friend with a Kraken mtb. Brilliant bike.

 

[MikeG]

Welcome to the forum, SDB. I knew Harold very well in a former life........

I'd just get the adjustment right, lubricate everything, get the tyres pumped up properly, and get some miles done. You're on a bike.......what is there to be embarrassed about?

 

[rugby bloke]

Hello and welcome to the Forum.

Nothing wrong with a Carrera Virtuoso - I ride the 2015 model and it has served me well for many miles over the last couple of years. Git me around the RideLondon twice so they are up to the job when it comes to Sportives. Plus people won't have any expectations of you so its nice to surprise them !

Enjoy your riding !

 

[Mrs M]

Gatorskins are great tyres, got them on my Felt roadie
You'll get used to the compact chainset, just keep

 

[Rooster1]

I re-started my affair with cycling on a £20 steel road bike, circa 1990s. It was a little too big and the shifters were terrible, but it really helped me get back into it. So it matters not.

 

[smutchin]

top gear seems not as high as my other bike

Unlikely if your other bike is an MTB... unless you're getting top gear and bottom gear mixed up?

 

[Fab Foodie]

And even that doesn't really count

Well true, it the fact that you're riding that counts...which by inference means you're riding it in a certain way whether fast/slow or for Sportive or tootling to the pub!

 

[DCLane]

Virtuoso's are fine - they're a good starter bike. I ran one as a winter bike a few years ago and looked like this:

 

[Bimble]

Embarrassing? Nahhhh ... just get out and enjoy yourself. Have you got over the twitchyness yet? It took me a little while to get used to it after commuting on a big clunky MTB for years, felt like I was going to wobble and fall off when I went slow.