Whoohooo!

[magnatom]

First commute on my new bike today!

It's certainly different! My ride was 1 part joy to 1 part fear! There were two places where I felt very uneasy. One right turn I made (the roads were mostly dry, but maybe a little greasy) at a busy junction resulted in the back wheel deciding that it didn't want to go the same way as me! Recovered it though which was probably a relief to the following car (I'm sure it would have had plenty of time to stop, really). I'm sure I would have been fine here on the hybrid's bulky tyres.

The other interesting part of my commute was going down the Clyde tunnel. On my hybrid I have been know to hit 30mph down here (not at the moment though as the tunnel is currently 2-way). So on my approach I decided that this would be the ideal place to try the drops! AAAAARRGHHH! Now that was scary! Once I got going there was no way for me to change position. Judicious use of the brakes was required (I never use the brakes normally!).

Otherwise I really enjoyed it. I feel that I don't need to change gear as often, and can get more power through the cranks (better position probably helps). It was a more comfortable ride than I expected, despite the state of Glasgow's roads. Must be the carbon forks. My hands are a little uncomfortable on the hoods (between my thumb and first finger). I think I may need to raise the angle of the drops a bit (they are angled down slightly).

It feels like I am a beginner again, which is fun. I'm rediscovering cycling!


P.S. It's midterm holiday here which helped!

 

[fossyant]

Well done - the tyres are new, so they will be a bit skittish at first.

 

[Eat MY Dust]

No vid?

Don't worry about the hand pain, that'll go with practice. When I first went out on my first modern road bike I was wondering how I'd break it to Mrs EMD that I wanted to sell it!! Glad I didn't as it only took a couple of weeks to get comfortable. I'd say the biggest thing to watch out for is keeping your tyre pressure up, it's sooo easy to get pinch flats. It tokk me a few weeks and punctures to work this one out!! Happy riding.

 

[magnatom]

Well done - the tyres are new, so they will be a bit skittish at first.

Any ETA on your bike?

 

[magnatom]

No vid?

Don't worry about the hand pain, that'll go with practice. When I first went out on my first modern road bike I was wondering how I'd break it to Mrs EMD that I wanted to sell it!! Glad I didn't as it only took a couple of weeks to get comfortable. I'd say the biggest thing to watch out for is keeping your tyre pressure up, it's sooo easy to get pinch flats. It tokk me a few weeks and punctures to work this one out!! Happy riding.

You can actually see me wobble at the right turn. Not very exciting, but I could post. I didn't squeal!

With regards to my hands, I just feel that the angle of the bars just forces my hand onto the hoods, i.e. puts pressure on it. I will tweak it a little before I head home to see if it helps.

 

[Crackle]

Hand hood position is personal and you will find it slowly with a bit of experimentation. Many years ago I found mine because the pressure I put on some loose hoods slowly moved them to a comfortable position. First thing I do these days is loosen the brakes and adjust the hood angle.

Agree with Fossy on the tyres.

 

[magnatom]

Hmmm. I suppose I could also play with the brake position. First I think I will lift the bars slightly and see if that helps.

 

[HLaB]

Glad you're enjoying the new bike. I don't think I had any soreness in my hands when I bought my first road bike however when I fitted drops to my Sirrus I did for a while in the same place you've got it. I put it down to having veloce on my 1st bike and sora on the sirrus. It does ease as you get use to the hoods and the transition between drops and hoods and visa versa will get easier as well.

 

[magnatom]

Glad you're enjoying the new bike. I don't think I had any soreness in my hands when I bought my first road bike however when I fitted drops to my Sirrus I did for a while in the same place you've got it. I put it down to having veloce on my 1st bike and sora on the sirrus. It does ease as you get use to the hoods and the transition between drops and hoods and visa versa will get easier as well.

I've been and rotated the bars up a little during lunch time, so hopefully that might help on the way home. As you say, I'm sure it will take a little while to get used to.

I do need to get the mudguards on the bike as I spotted some dirt on!

 

[wafflycat]

So Mags... a new toy for you to obstruct decent, law-abiding, put-upon, harrassed motorists with, eh!

 

[magnatom]

Ok. Here is this mornings brown trousers moment. Not the best place to loose the back wheel!

Only my excellent handling skills saved the day!


(Disclaimer: No motorist was delayed in any way as a result of this incident. The driver behind may have felt some slight concern at a cyclist wobbling in front of him, however, I noted down his registration number and have asked the police to pass on a messaged to him. I have asked him to send me a bill to cover any distress caused as a result of this incident. I am willing to cover counseling expenses, new clothing, if required' and any extra petrol that he may have used during the remainder of his commute to work due to his mind being distracted from driving in a fuel saving manner. I will also buy his children presents and provide some flowers for his wife.)

 

[thomas]

(Disclaimer: No motorist was delayed in any way as a result of this incident. The driver behind may have felt some slight concern at a cyclist wobbling in front of him, however, I noted down his registration number and have asked the police to pass on a messaged to him. I have asked him to send me a bill to cover any distress caused as a result of this incident. I am willing to cover counseling expenses, new clothing, if required' and any extra petrol that he may have used during the remainder of his commute to work due to his mind being distracted from driving in a fuel saving manner. I will also buy his children presents and provide some flowers for his wife.)

It was me...£50 to my paypal account will be lovely!

 

[magnatom]

It's nice and dry here today. perfect for taking the bike out again! .....

Except.... I've got a bl**dy chesty cough (green stuff etc) so no bike for me today. Pooo!

 

[Tynan]

I found drops etc skittish and rough on the hands at first but it very soon passes

When you've ridden a hybrid with bigger tyres, it takes a while to get your balance and handling in tune with the bike, I imagine riding a hybrid after a road bike would be like driving a van after a decent car

and drops ditto, once you get used tot hem it feels great

 

[Bollo]

...and you've been creeping into the 'Road Rides' forum as well!

I tend to ride very conservatively on my road bike 'cause its easy to get carried away. You have to be much more careful on poor road surfaces as the narrower higher-pressure tyres tend to skitter across the bumps more.

As for the hand thing, there will be an element of getting used to the new position, but don't be afraid to fiddle about with the setup, if possible by spending as much as possible. For example, I don't get on with 'anatomic' handlebars (the ones with the straightish sections in the drops) as I find they twist my wrists.

One method for bike fitting I dug up a while ago (probably somewhere on St Sheldon's site) worked on the idea that you should be able to lean forwards to your preferred riding position without having to hold the handlebars to maintain your balance. I suppose this minimises the work being done by the relatively weak arms and prevents your hands getting too tired. A good pair of gel gloves can help as well.