first road bike

[xzenonuk]

hey guys an gals i have been using a rockrider 540 for about 3 years and i decided to try something different.

i bought a triban 500se in decathlon earlier and im really impressed with the quality for the money it rides pretty sweet, i just need to take it out for a proper spin but i have found no kinks yet, except for my inexperience of drop bars lol i have mainly been a mtb user all my life

worked out that i spend most time on roads on the mtb so went for something better suited and cheaper then i can upgrade parts as they wear and hopefully get a better average speed than 10mph lol

any tips for a road bike newbie? or ideas of weak parts that i should think about upgrading first? any info is much appreciated

just need to get a wee pump for emergencys fitted on it and its good to go, im excited hehe its my first +1

 

[cyberknight]

Nothing weak on the triban for the price they are very good bikes.

 

[Drago]

They have a rep for punching seriously above their price.

 

[Lozz360]

The 500SE is great value for money as already said. I changed the pedals on mine to clipless. I couldn't get on with the plastic cages. I found the tyres were a bit prone to punctures so changed them to 25mm Specialized which are much more comfortable. Regarding the wheels, I swapped them for Mavic Aksiums mainly because I kept having to tighten spokes on the rear wheel after every ride. In hindsight I could have got Decathlon to tighten the spokes properly as the bike was still under warranty at the time.The only other change I have made is swapping the 12t - 25t cassette for a 11t - 28t. I got the bike new in June 2015 and found it is an excellent first road bike. I'm sure you will enjoy yours.

 

[xzenonuk]

hehe cheers guys im seriously looking forward to my first decent ride on it, loving my decathlon mtb got a few thousand miles on that and only recently had to service the wheel hubs after cycling in all weather and winters

gonna take some getting used to as im too used to a mtb, guesss i gotta bend my back a lot more

edit: think ill take it slow to start with, i know a few smooth routes to try that shouldn't be busy, i was wobbling all over the place till i got some speed on it and i keep reaching for a brake lever that isnt there lol kinda feels like im learning to ride a bike again and i love that feeling

 

[Sharky]

just need to get a wee pump for emergencys

I just go behind a hedge.....

 

[Kajjal]

I came to road biking from mountain biking. The advice I would give is don't be afraid of bib shorts / tights. They are much more comfortable and convenient, I wear them mountain biking now as well.

Also read up on how to setup a road bike but set the bar height to suit yourself as most people don't want a really low head down racing position.

 

[biggs682]

Just enjoy it

 

[xzenonuk]

Thanks all, just been having a tinker with it, edged the seat forward a bit and changed the stem to a shorter and higher one and also changed the pedals, had spares lying about and it's more comfortable to ride now

just waiting on the ground to dry a bit later then I can get a good ride in

 

[Banjo]

Keep your old stem.after your body adapts to the road bike position you may want to put it back on.

 

[xzenonuk]

Well I had my first proper ride on it, I decided to bite the bullet and took busy roads into princes street then down leith and along silverknowes all in all 22 miles,

much more used to it now and the bike never skipped a beat good shifting gears etc saddles a bit hard though

 

[Jason]

I changed the saddle and pedals when i had a Triban, other than that LIGHTS. stick some on day and obviously at night

 

[xzenonuk]

got some lights on it just had another ride on it as well I'm taken too it quicker than I thought I would, think I'll give the legs a rest tomorrow though and try to work out what's squeaking on the mtb think it's the bb

 

[xzenonuk]

got 2 blue water cages on it now and some of the bling from decathlon, blue alloy quick releases etc which are about half the weight of the normal ones, i know their solid i have different coloured ones on my mtb and still got to fit some of the blue stem spacers and the blue seat clamp and when i replace the cables at some point it also has blue cable end thingys and some of the blue blinky lights lol, im gonna get another evolva x5 front light i have one on the mtb and it's awesome.

yay more blue without been too much

been out on it 3 times now and no problems covered 52 odd miles now, i think ill be able to get used to the saddle as well yay, just need to get my weight down and fitness up for some of the hills but i have been getting up them though wishing for a lower gear at times and the drop bars, shifters and brakes are starting to become second nature apart from the bottom position, much more confident on it now

ill get some pics soon when i finish blinging it up hehe

edit: oh i was having a sit on a bench in princes street earlier and a very big guy with more muscle than me suddenly stopped in front of me and approached me, he was carrying some type of dove wet wipes and started asking me if i wanted one,

after several no's he was like "aye i got loads i can't use them all u can use them to wipe ur bars or seat then put one on my saddle and went off"

wtf just wtf lol

 

[Jason]

wet wipes are great for cleaning baby bottoms and bikes. It is a well known fact :-)