First road bike, first ride. Scared witless.

[Saluki]

I'm not quite brave enough to clip in yet. I took the SPD pedals off my mountain bike after faceplanting in the local park when a yorkshire terrier on a tripwire ran under my bike. I was so surprised I just fell off sideways. I will probably try them next week once I've got a few miles in.

Did you land on the dog? I might have made the effort if some owner with the extendo lead had let their dog run under my bike and caused me to fall off. I keep my dogs under control and expect others to do so. I could just be a grumpy old cow though.

When I got my Giant its predecessor was a really nasty Apollo XC-26 and it weighed about 40lbs and was a pile of poo. The roadie was twitchy beyond belief. I hung on to the brakes for grim death and descended my first hill at a whopping 5mph as I thought that I was going to die. By the time I had ridden from Strathpeffer to Beauly - mid way home and stopped for a cuppa, I was a lot happier with the bike & had sussed the gears out. By the time I had got home on the back road as I was not riding up and down Aigas hill thank you very much, I was smitten. The XC-26 went to the carboot sale 2 days later. I got £20 for it so was quite chuffed.
The Giant is now responsive rather than twitchy, the brakes are easily reached from the hoods and I always ride clipped in now.

Enjoy, those first few days are just the best on a new bike. The rest of the days are pretty epic too.

 

[Archeress]

I like reading threads like this, but never really had these feelings. I'm a child of the late 70's / early 80's and you either rode a road bike or a bmx. MTB's were as I remember them were still in their infancy. I had my first road bike at age 10.

Hugs
Archeress x

 

[Eribiste]

My first new road bike is my Boardman Road Race, which I've had for about a year now. I used to have a Pashley Roadster Sovereign; a lovely bike to ride, with loads of style, but being rather heavy and having only five gears I was never going to be strong enough to talk it into going up and over any serious hills, so I sold the old gentleman and bought the boarder from a well known motor factors.

First impressions? Quick, especially uphill, with great acceleration, but blow me, the saddle hurt, and boy was it twitchy! It took me about 40 miles and almost as many twitchy moments to get used to thinking a turn instead of actually making the turn, like I used to have to do on the gentleman's town bike. Furthermore I needed about 150 miles and two changes of saddle to get my tail tough enough for the job of riding a road bike. Now I've got used to it, I really like it. I've just got to get good at riding it now.

 

[Cuchilo]

I like reading threads like this, but never really had these feelings. I'm a child of the late 70's / early 80's and you either rode a road bike or a bmx. MTB's were as I remember them were still in their infancy. I had my first road bike at age 10.

Hugs
Archeress x

They where called racers then ! None of this fancy road bike stuff I got a green racer for my birthday when I was 7 or 8 and the police stopped me crossing the road to the park to try it out . They said the bike was to big for me and I went home in tears . My mum went to the police station and they all left work in tears She never did hold back when someone upsets her little soldier Im 40 now and she still does it

 

[fossyant]

I had a racer as a kid from about 12 to 16. Then got a job and purchased a 531c Raleigh with Shimano 600/Ultegra.

OMG was it twitchy and fast compared to a racer. You soon get used to it.

 

[jo_e]

Did you land on the dog? I might have made the effort if some owner with the extendo lead had let their dog run under my bike and caused me to fall off. I keep my dogs under control and expect others to do so. I could just be a grumpy old cow though.

Alas, no, I missed. ;-)
I know the extending leads are handy if the dog is a frequent escapee, but can't stand it when they are given full length of the lead across a divided path when there are acres of grass on either side.
The woman walking the dog barely acknowledged the incident, scooping up her precious bundle and tutting at me.

When I got my Giant its predecessor was a really nasty Apollo XC-26 and it weighed about 40lbs and was a pile of poo. The roadie was twitchy beyond belief. I hung on to the brakes for grim death and descended my first hill at a whopping 5mph as I thought that I was going to die.

That sounds a lot like me on Monday night.

Enjoy, those first few days are just the best on a new bike. The rest of the days are pretty epic too.

I really enjoyed yesterday. Just getting ready to leave again and it's hammering down with rain. Waterproofs or car? :-/

 

[jo_e]

Chose the waterproofs. Things to add to my shopping list: Overshoes, mudguards. Ew.

 

[youngoldbloke]

We never called them 'racers'. There were 'racing bikes', and 'touring bikes' and just 'bikes', but never 'racers'

 

[Fubar]

I like reading threads like this, but never really had these feelings. I'm a child of the late 70's / early 80's and you either rode a road bike or a bmx. MTB's were as I remember them were still in their infancy. I had my first road bike at age 10.

Hugs
Archeress x

Me too, I had a Raleigh Arena (my brother had the bigger Olympus) with the dreaded suicide bars - and always referred to them as racers. #feeling_old

 

[sleaver]

When I was a kid, a friend of mine had an old racer and I can remember trying to ride it and I hated it because it was so twitchy. I can also remember that at the time, I had a good old Releigh Lizard.

Fast forward a good few years to a couple of months ago and getting my first road bike, I was also nervous on my first ride because it was twitchy. However over time I've just got used to it and use it to my advantage now to avoid potholes or lumps of horse mess on country lanes. Even to a point of leaning it over quite a bit in a corner, thinking this is going to end badly, but making it through the corner without issues.

 

[SWSteve]

Me too, I had a Raleigh Arena (my brother had the bigger Olympus) with the dreaded suicide bars - and always referred to them as racers. #feeling_old

what are these suicide bars everyone talks about, they all just look like bars :/

 

[thegravestoneman]

Me too, I had a Raleigh Arena (my brother had the bigger Olympus) with the dreaded suicide bars - and always referred to them as racers. #feeling_old

I had an arena as a christmas prezzie and my first new bike replacing my chopper. I thought it was an awful thing, suicide levers yep terrible things, something to squeeze as you went over a wall, through a hedge, into the back of a parked car, into the lake, passed your house and a load of other places you didn't want to be.

 

[youngoldbloke]

 

[Dan Ferris]

My first ride i was the same, but i then went out again the next day to face my fear and now hooked. Each time i go out i have to learn a new evasive move but it just speeds up the reactions.

 

[Leodis]

Got my first road bike ride coming up soon, first time using clipless as well..