Learning to ride a road bike

[medavidcook]

Did anyone find it difficult at the begining getting use to a road bike, ie balance etc.

I am getting back to road biking are 10 yrs on a mountain bike so wondering will i find balance difficult.

thanks

 

[Freds Dad]

I will watch this post with interest for any advice as I am I the same position as you.

 

[Doc333]

I started on a road bike a couple of months ago. I did all my cycling on MTB years ago which had downhill bars on. getting my leg over the roadie I found I had no width on the bars compared to what I was used to. So that took a bit if getting to grips with, as it seemed easy to move off line as every mil moved on the bars gets instant reaction with the wheels. I found I was not using the drops too much except for some downhill stuff, and spend most of my time on the hoods or flats. Love it though I have to say

 

[Bryony]

I always rode mountain bikes and when I got my road bike and rode it for the first time I was very wobbly and didn't feel very safe on it. My first couple of rides were at my local country park, they have a Tarmac cycle track which I thought would be ideal (no traffic to wobble into).

I then went on a 14 mile skyride on roads I didn't know in quite a big group. I was concentrating so much on the road and where the other cyclists were I forgot that I was on my road bike and I didn't wobble one and felt quite at home on it!! I love my road bike!

Just keep riding you'll soon get used to it, practice makes perfect and all that!

 

[fossyant]

Nah, they are just much more snappy and twitchy. They resond to your inputs like lightening. I remember going from a 'racer' aged 16 to a Raleigh Record Ace (531c and Shimano 600/Ultegra) and wow was it quick in the steering.

 

[cosmicbike]

It's just like riding a bike..
I came from a mostly MTB background, then a year on a hybrid before my first road bike. The single biggest difference I found was how sensitive the steering is in comparison to a wide, flat bar bike. First few rides out this was hugely evident whilst doing the regular 'shoulder checks', found myself wandering a lot. But, as @Bryony says, practice makes perfect, and now I'm really quite comfortable on it.

 

[ColinJ]

I rode bikes until mine was stolen from school when I was 13.

20 years later, I bought a lightweight steel racing bike from Harry Halls in Manchester (before the IRA bombed them into new premises) and wheeled it over to nearby Victoria station to bring it home. I emerged with it from Hebden Bridge station, mounted it for the 1 km ride home and immediately discovered that ...

• For me, riding was like swimming - once learned, never forgotten! I took to it again within 50 metres - no wobbles, no swerving, no problems.
• That bike was way better than any I had ever ridden before. I was used to childhood bikes weighing 50% more, and with brakes and gears that didn't work as well.

So, my answer is that you should have no problems as long as you take a few minutes somewhere safe to get the hang of your bike. An empty car park perhaps? It will take a while to get the saddle and bars set up just right for you so do that while you are getting used to the bike.

Have fun!

PS What I forgot to mention was that though riding the bike was easy, I found dealing with the traffic much more of a problem! Roads had been much quieter in the late-1960s and I was nervous on busy roads for the first year or so after starting riding again. (I still don't like busy roads, but I can cope if I have to.)

 

[medavidcook]

thanks for the confidence boost, i live in a flat which has off road parking area, so i might hope on it and have a ride on that to get us to it.

 

[jay clock]

the point about bar width is useful. I have discovered I like wider bars than average. My size of road bike comes with 42cm typically and I always spec 44cm when getting a new bike

 

[Venod]

Whilst never having any difficulty adapting to different types of bike I found that after using the wider bars of MTB's, like jay clock above I now use 44cm on the road bikes.

 

[roadrash]

Opposite way round for me, rode road bikes then got myself a mountain bike , bloody hell it was like steering a barge, finished up chopping em down

 

[babytiger]

Always rode mountain bikes till a few months ago. First couple of times out on it were a bit wobbly, thought I was going to fall off and didn't trust the wheels. Now with going out with Pete and keeping up with him forgot all about wobbliness and love it to bits now.Lots faster than my mountain bike.

 

[Boothy]

I got a road bike in September having never ever tried one before. I was scouring the net for tips on how to ride it as it was so different but there really is no need. Just stick at it. You'll soon be comfortable with it and work out what works for you, position wise etc

within a few weeks /months it is comfortable and natural

 

[Eribiste]

I found my first 'hotshot' road bike to be quite twitchy at first, after a couple of years riding a heavier town bike. I soon got used to it though, once I started to think about turns instead of making turns. If I were you, I would avoid changing hand position on the bars anywhere other than straight on for a while, at least until you're comfortable with the feel of the machine, which may take a while. Otherwise, ride and enjoy.