Nervous about road surfaces

[malcermie]

I have never ridden a road bike but my new Triban3 will arrive in the next few days and I am unsure which road surfaces will NOT be suitable for it. One of my friends will only ride on main well surfaced roads while I have seen other riders on quite rough country lanes. My Hybred will cope with most surfaces including cycle paths, any help please.

 

[black'n'yellow]

Sticking to tarmac roads would make the most sense....

 

[Supersuperleeds]

if it's tarmac, be it on a country lane, high street or cycle path you will be fine. Look at all the cobblestones they go over in TDF, (granted their bikes will be a better build than a Triban, but no offence mean't, a Triban won't be ridden at that sort of pace.)

As with any bike just try and avoid the big holes and no bunny hopping and you will be fine.

 

[Rob3rt]

If it is paved, the bike will be fine to ride on it. Road bikes are not as fragile as some nancy's will have you believe!

 

[lulubel]

You should see the kind of surfaces we ride on around here that are supposed to pass as roads. As long as you take it easy over any sections that have been really badly patched, you should be fine.

 

[RWright]

I have never ridden a road bike but my new Triban3 will arrive in the next few days and I am unsure which road surfaces will NOT be suitable for it. One of my friends will only ride on main well surfaced roads while I have seen other riders on quite rough country lanes. My Hybred will cope with most surfaces including cycle paths, any help please.

Some of the country roads in my area are paved by pouring down some sort of tar and then spreading gravel over it and then rolling. It leaves the surface even but not smooth. It is strange because another road connecting to it can be very nice, smooth pavement. I avoid the rough finish roads on my drop bar bike, too much vibration and it just makes me feel like it is hurting my tires and bike, which it more than likely is.

As far as broken up pavement with potholes and such, they take a lot more concentration for me to ride and dodge the holes and loose asphalt. I will ride them if they are smooth finished but not at night. You will figure it out pretty quickly which surfaces you don't want to deal with on the stiffer drop bar bikes.

 

[HLaB]

Your slick 23mm will be able to handle most surfaces but its a case of a balance of speed, handling ability etc but personally I prefer to stick to the road.

 

[oldfatfool]

It. One of my friends will only ride on main well surfaced roads .

so he lives in mainland Europe?, Certainly rules out 99% of the UK

 

[malcermie]

so he lives in mainland Europe?, Certainly rules out 99% of the UK

I think he has a secret one somewhere in the heart of Kent

 

[Dave 123]

If it is paved, the bike will be fine to ride on it. Road bikes are not as fragile as some nancy's will have you believe!

The more expensive they are the more likely to shrink in the wet. Fact!

 

[Nigelnaturist]

I have been know to go down the odd canal path, to get from one road to another (about 400m) to ride it on the road is 2 or 3 miles. I have even hit the odd big pot hole at speed (well was to me) and they have been fine.

 

[2Loose]

Most gravel tracks and even grassy meadows will be less rough than the average British road and fine for even 23c wheels - IF ridden over reasonably slowly. Canal paths etc. will be no problem and I think the real limit is when the amount of vibration passed onto your arms\backside is uncomfortable. don't worry about the bike, as others have said, they are less fragile than they appear.

 

[slowmotion]

I have a road bike with 23mm tyres and spend a fair bit of time on the gravel/dirt stretches of the Thames path without any problems. A slow speed helps, of course. It's London tarmac that gives me the frights. You have to have an eagle eye to watch out for massive potholes and sunken dips between metal covers, even in the richest boroughs, while dodging the traffic. For the capital city of a faintly wealthy European country, it really is a bit of a poor joke. I can't imagine that the rest of the country could be worse, and I don't expect it to be either, BTW.

 

[Lanzecki]

You'll give up before the bike. You feel every mark, spot, and rutt in the road. And that's not to mention the bigger stuff. Personally I have to ride the rough road's but I prefer main roads for the quality and the straightness. I can only cope with so much gear changing

 

[Dan B]

What everyone else said: it'll shake you up more than it will the bike

That said, I've heard it claimed that the Triban 3 wheels are not all that good, so if you're doing a lot of rough stuff you will want to check them periodically to make sure they're staying true and tight - maybe learn to use a spoke key