First road bike...embarrassing?

[meadows]

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...

I too have started my cycling journey on a carrera virtuoso and earlier in the year I completed a 50 mile sportiv on it fine. Mine only has 16 gears so always feels a little undergunned. However its a cracking cheapie bike to start on.

 

[bigjim]

I too have started my cycling journey on a carrera virtuoso and earlier in the year I completed a 50 mile sportiv on it fine. Mine only has 16 gears so always feels a little undergunned. However its a cracking cheapie bike to start on.

They are a good starter bike but I also think they are a good long term prospect. Little to wrong and not expensive to replace parts and not a heartbeaker if it's stolen. That Zelos has a steel fork which IMO takes it into light tourer territory. Would survive rough airport handling better than a lot of more expensive stuff.

 

[meadows]

They are a good starter bike but I also think they are a good long term prospect. Little to wrong and not expensive to replace parts and not a heartbeaker if it's stolen. That Zelos has a steel fork which IMO takes it into light tourer territory. Would survive rough airport handling better than a lot of more expensive stuff.

Even when I plan to upgrade to a better bike I plan to put mudguards on etc and use as a winter bike for ridding to work etc

 

[jay clock]

In terms of gearing you probably have 50 teeth at the front and 12 at the smallest at the back. I can do over 30 mph before I run out of gears, so i would be surprised if you do run out

Enjoy the new bike

 

[cyberknight]

I too have started my cycling journey on a carrera virtuoso and earlier in the year I completed a 50 mile sportiv on it fine. Mine only has 16 gears so always feels a little undergunned. However its a cracking cheapie bike to start on.

In terms of gearing you probably have 50 teeth at the front and 12 at the smallest at the back. I can do over 30 mph before I run out of gears, so i would be surprised if you do run out

Enjoy the new bike

More gears generally give you less jumps in the same range unless you put a wide range cassette on , my boardman with 10 gears has a 12-28 on so a little lower gear for the hills if i need it but top end is the same and i have clocked 40 + .On the flat i am mid block for low 20s rolling.

 

[Alan O]

This thread leads us to a wider question: What bike actually would be embarrassing.? Under what circumstances?

I saw a bloke who came close to what I'd call embarrassing a few days ago. He was riding a smart-looking carbon road bike (I can't remember which) and was dressed entirely in team lycra. The problem was he was fat - fat even by my own considerable proportions.

But he managed to pull it off and turn it round into a 10/10 on my awesome scale - by carrying a can of Strongbow in his bottle carrier

 

[KnackeredBike]

I saw a bloke who came lose to what I'd call embarrassing a few days ago. He was riding a smart-looking carbon road bike (I can't remember which) and was dressed entirely in team lycra. The problem was he was fat - fat even by my own considerable proportions.

But he managed to pull it off and turn it round into a 10/10 on my awesome scale - by carrying a can of Strongbow in his bottle carrier

You do realise that was just a pisshead who had nicked a carbon bike. And lycra, apparently.

 

[RoubaixCube]

Without sounding like a broken record this is my Carrera, as the username suggests it has had next to no maintenance over tens of thousands of miles and still happily plods on. Only once has it failed to get me to my destination, and only one puncture on two sets of Gatorskins.

In the picture it is towing a big old lawnmower en route to some cycle path clearance.

Bikes are like cars in a lot of ways, you can spend a lot of money on one but to be honest the cheap ones go in the same direction at pretty much the same speed, often with fewer repair bills. Bikes for me are amazingly utilitarian objects, with no "fat" to trim they will get you from A to B for no money but a lot of fun. Ride the bike as much as you can and it will reward you back.

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I dont think that lawnmower's quite going to cut it jim

 

[bigjim]

I bid a stupid amount on an Ebay bike last week. To my suprise I won it. When I went to pick it up I found a new/old bike awaiting me. It had been bought a few years ago and just never used. Still had some of the wrapping on it. It rides beautifully but it is a cheap so called "starter bike". I am anything but a starter, but will have no problem taking this proudly on a Club Run.

 

[SirDickieBird]

Well my bike wasn't embarrassing today but perhaps an Aldi milk carton cut open, shoved with provisions and jammed into my bottle cage was. Wanted to go backpack-free and not yet invested in a cycling top with pockets. Spares and phone etc in saddle bag.

 

[SirDickieBird]

Class

 

[Reynard]

Nothing wrong with being resourceful

 

[cyberknight]

I use an old water bottle with the lid off to stuff a windproof / armwarmers in if i am planning a ride where i know i can refill drinks bottle and the weather is iffy .

 

[Alan O]

You do realise that was just a pisshead who had nicked a carbon bike. And lycra, apparently.

And a can of Strongbow