Beginner - First Ever Road Ride

[Zamorano]

Hello everyone

 

So yesterday was my first ever ride on a road bike, and on well... a road!

 

Just thought I would share some of my experiences, and hope others could share theirs, and perhaps give me some pointers and tips on how to improve:

 

1) started my ride at around 6am in and around sunninghill - roads were quiet and good as I am not too keen on vehicles near me. I need to build up confidence

 

2) I made the mistake of starting my ride on a hill ascent and about 500 metres in, asked myself the question, "why am I doing this?"

 

3) I am seriously seeking advice on how to keep a road bike in a straight line, without straying and getting knocked by a taxi flying past me!

 

4) Having ridden a mountain bike back when I was a kid, I have come to realise yesterday that a road bike accelerates so so so much faster, and well, realised that it is harder to brake as the brakes are much sharper

 

5) I barely managed 5km, and called it a day. Not too sure if that was a terrible first ride or whether it was decent. I felt that I could do much better albeit it for balance, fear of cars, general fitness.

 

Any feedback will be greatly appreciated

Edited September 11, 2017 by zamorano

[Cyclewizz]

Welcome to the hub Zamorano

 

Are there any quiet roads in Sunninghill ?

If there are this is where you should start and hopefully they are flat as it's much easier.

 

Best for you to avoid traffic is you unable to keep the bike in a straight line.

Will be traumatic for you if a car hits you and the point of cycling is to have fun.

 

Don't worry how far or how fast you going, just have some fun and build confidence on the bike.

As you get better then you can ride for longer and faster.

 

In short, ride as much as possible on very quiet roads until you can ride in a straight line and have a lot more confidence.

[Bateleur1]

Hello everyone

 

So yesterday was my first ever ride on a road bike, and on well... a road!

 

Just thought I would share some of my experiences, and hope others could share theirs, and perhaps give me some pointers and tips on how to improve:

 

1) started my ride at around 6am in and around sunninghill - roads were quiet and good as I am not too keen on vehicles near me. I need to build up confidence

 

2) I made the mistake of starting my ride on a hill ascent and about 500 metres in, asked myself the question, "why am I doing this?"

 

3) I am seriously seeking advice on how to keep a road bike in a straight line, without straying and getting knocked by a taxi flying past me!

 

4) Having ridden a mountain bike back when I was a kid, I have come to realise yesterday that a road bike accelerates so so so much faster, and well, realised that it is harder to brake as the brakes are much sharper

 

5) I barely managed 5km, and called it a day. Not too sure if that was a terrible first ride or whether it was decent. I felt that I could do much better albeit it for balance, fear of cars, general fitness.

 

Any feedback will be greatly appreciated

 

Let me start off by saying welcome to the club.  I will start with your last point.

 

When I started cycling again in 2001 (I used to cycle all over the joint in school but then did not cycle for more than 10 years) I did my first ride on a newly bought road bike.  After only 4 km I turned around and crawled back home and slept the afternoon.  So good on getting 5 km done.  It will improve quickly.

 

You will need to get fitter to help you keep the bike straight ... it should come very quickly though and it will take a bit of time to get used to the traffic. Pic your routes and maybe join small groups.  The traffic is intimidating and for me who was used to the traffic and going to SA on holiday a month ago I still found the traffic intimidating but it improved as time goes on.

[Zamorano]

@Bateleur1, thanks for the vote of confidence. I think I will just keep going at it, and am sure it will imrove week by week

Let me start off by saying welcome to the club.  I will start with your last point.

 

When I started cycling again in 2001 (I used to cycle all over the joint in school but then did not cycle for more than 10 years) I did my first ride on a newly bought road bike.  After only 4 km I turned around and crawled back home and slept the afternoon.  So good on getting 5 km done.  It will improve quickly.

 

You will need to get fitter to help you keep the bike straight ... it should come very quickly though and it will take a bit of time to get used to the traffic. Pic your routes and maybe join small groups.  The traffic is intimidating and for me who was used to the traffic and going to SA on holiday a month ago I still found the traffic intimidating but it improved as time goes on.

[Zamorano]

Welcome to the hub Zamorano

 

Are there any quiet roads in Sunninghill ?

If there are this is where you should start and hopefully they are flat as it's much easier.

 

Best for you to avoid traffic is you unable to keep the bike in a straight line.

Will be traumatic for you if a car hits you and the point of cycling is to have fun.

 

Don't worry how far or how fast you going, just have some fun and build confidence on the bike.

As you get better then you can ride for longer and faster.

 

In short, ride as much as possible on very quiet roads until you can ride in a straight line and have a lot more confidence.

Thanks, I have a nice quiet road that I have identified in sunninghill, but to get to that I have to cross a busy road (van der bijl) which is a road that motorists mistaken for the autobahn, and Im not too confident to cross it at this point on my bike:)

[Bateleur1]

@Bateleur1, thanks for the vote of confidence. I think I will just keep going at it, and am sure it will imrove week by week

 

As Cyclewizz suggested, get some suburban roads that are safer so you can build your confidence and up your fitness.

[Spinnekop]

Hello everyone

 

So yesterday was my first ever ride on a road bike, and on well... a road!

 

Just thought I would share some of my experiences, and hope others could share theirs, and perhaps give me some pointers and tips on how to improve:

 

1) started my ride at around 6am in and around sunninghill - roads were quiet and good as I am not too keen on vehicles near me. I need to build up confidence

 

2) I made the mistake of starting my ride on a hill ascent and about 500 metres in, asked myself the question, "why am I doing this?"

 

3) I am seriously seeking advice on how to keep a road bike in a straight line, without straying and getting knocked by a taxi flying past me!

 

4) Having ridden a mountain bike back when I was a kid, I have come to realise yesterday that a road bike accelerates so so so much faster, and well, realised that it is harder to brake as the brakes are much sharper

 

5) I barely managed 5km, and called it a day. Not too sure if that was a terrible first ride or whether it was decent. I felt that I could do much better albeit it for balance, fear of cars, general fitness.

 

Any feedback will be greatly appreciated

1. Early start = good.  After 22 years on a road bike I still love the early rides better for it being so quiet.
2. Any accent.....early on or later or in middle or end of the ride will be tough.  Get your kilos in first before you tackle the climbs
3. The straight line thing will come.  I know guys on the local club ride that still can't keep a straight line. Just get milage in and it will come naturally.  The moment you start to relax on the bike (shoulders, arms, hands) and confidence builds, the stability will come along.
4. Speed....speed.....more speed.  Love my road bike.  Can't brake fast enough?.....get better brakes. 
5. The kilos will come.  Don't worry about that now.  Try and aim for "time" rather.  Irrespective of distance.  Try and aim for 30min.  Then an hour.  etc.etc.  My gut says you should start slow and increase 20% per week's time

Just enjoy it for now.  Don't get caught up too much with all the training mumbo jumbo or details.  Just ride your bike. 

[Zamorano]

 

1. Early start = good.  After 22 years on a road bike I still love the early rides better for it being so quiet.
2. Any accent.....early on or later or in middle or end of the ride will be tough.  Get your kilos in first before you tackle the climbs
3. The straight line thing will come.  I know guys on the local club ride that still can't keep a straight line. Just get milage in and it will come naturally.  The moment you start to relax on the bike (shoulders, arms, hands) and confidence builds, the stability will come along.
4. Speed....speed.....more speed.  Love my road bike.  Can't brake fast enough?.....get better brakes. 
5. The kilos will come.  Don't worry about that now.  Try and aim for "time" rather.  Irrespective of distance.  Try and aim for 30min.  Then an hour.  etc.etc.  My gut says you should start slow and increase 20% per week's time

Just enjoy it for now.  Don't get caught up too much with all the training mumbo jumbo or details.  Just ride your bike. 

 

Thanks so much! I will take those pointers into consideration for my next ride.

[Zamorano]

Hello everyone

 

So yesterday was my first ever ride on a road bike, and on well... a road!

 

Just thought I would share some of my experiences, and hope others could share theirs, and perhaps give me some pointers and tips on how to improve:

 

1) started my ride at around 6am in and around sunninghill - roads were quiet and good as I am not too keen on vehicles near me. I need to build up confidence

 

2) I made the mistake of starting my ride on a hill ascent and about 500 metres in, asked myself the question, "why am I doing this?"

 

3) I am seriously seeking advice on how to keep a road bike in a straight line, without straying and getting knocked by a taxi flying past me!

 

4) Having ridden a mountain bike back when I was a kid, I have come to realise yesterday that a road bike accelerates so so so much faster, and well, realised that it is harder to brake as the brakes are much sharper

 

5) I barely managed 5km, and called it a day. Not too sure if that was a terrible first ride or whether it was decent. I felt that I could do much better albeit it for balance, fear of cars, general fitness.

 

Any feedback will be greatly appreciated

Oh, and I forgot to mention how ridiculous I felt and looked in those tight cycling shorts

[eddy]

Thanks, I have a nice quiet road that I have identified in sunninghill, but to get to that I have to cross a busy road (van der bijl) which is a road that motorists mistaken for the autobahn, and Im not too confident to cross it at this point on my bike:)

 

If that is the only constraint, walk your bike across the intersection. There is no shame in that. 

 

Then, on your quiet road, follow the advice given.

 

One further aspect, the further ahead you look, the easier it is to keep a straight line so don't look down to you front wheel, just ride and you will find going straight comes naturally. It is of course easier if you are moving at enough speed to give you stability, so try it first on a flat or gentle downhill stretch.

 

Enjoy

[dexterdent]

I also did my first road bike ride this weekend - I'm lucky to be in Cape Town with easy access to the western seaboard roads which are very nice for riding. I also have some comments:

 

1. Why is the wind always from the front?

2. Going fast downhill is pretty scary on thin wheels with a narrow "handlebar"

3. My back and neck were pretty sore - the bike was setup correctly so I think it's lack of core strength. Planks it is then.

4. I also started with a hill, Bellevue into Kloofnek. Rookie mistake even with my generous road gearing (50-34 with an 11-32)

5. Other roadies were surprisingly friendly given the constant fear of death by crosswind into the ocean

6. I found it hard to spend time on the drops without hurting my neck, I suspect that will come with time (and core)?

7. Flat roads are loads of fun on the road bike

[Zamorano]

I also did my first road bike ride this weekend - I'm lucky to be in Cape Town with easy access to the western seaboard roads which are very nice for riding. I also have some comments:

 

1. Why is the wind always from the front?

2. Going fast downhill is pretty scary on thin wheels with a narrow "handlebar"

3. My back and neck were pretty sore - the bike was setup correctly so I think it's lack of core strength. Planks it is then.

4. I also started with a hill, Bellevue into Kloofnek. Rookie mistake even with my generous road gearing (50-34 with an 11-32)

5. Other roadies were surprisingly friendly given the constant fear of death by crosswind into the ocean

6. I found it hard to spend time on the drops without hurting my neck, I suspect that will come with time (and core)?

7. Flat roads are loads of fun on the road bike

Agree with you 100%, thanks for your other observations. At least we will learn from others as well.

[Zamorano]

I also did my first road bike ride this weekend - I'm lucky to be in Cape Town with easy access to the western seaboard roads which are very nice for riding. I also have some comments:

 

1. Why is the wind always from the front?

2. Going fast downhill is pretty scary on thin wheels with a narrow "handlebar"

3. My back and neck were pretty sore - the bike was setup correctly so I think it's lack of core strength. Planks it is then.

4. I also started with a hill, Bellevue into Kloofnek. Rookie mistake even with my generous road gearing (50-34 with an 11-32)

5. Other roadies were surprisingly friendly given the constant fear of death by crosswind into the ocean

6. I found it hard to spend time on the drops without hurting my neck, I suspect that will come with time (and core)?

7. Flat roads are loads of fun on the road bike

I have started watching https://www.globalcyclingnetwork.com/ and have found that they have a video for almost every question.

[Spinnekop]

I also did my first road bike ride this weekend - I'm lucky to be in Cape Town with easy access to the western seaboard roads which are very nice for riding. I also have some comments:

 

1. Why is the wind always from the front?

2. Going fast downhill is pretty scary on thin wheels with a narrow "handlebar"

3. My back and neck were pretty sore - the bike was setup correctly so I think it's lack of core strength. Planks it is then.

4. I also started with a hill, Bellevue into Kloofnek. Rookie mistake even with my generous road gearing (50-34 with an 11-32)

5. Other roadies were surprisingly friendly given the constant fear of death by crosswind into the ocean

6. I found it hard to spend time on the drops without hurting my neck, I suspect that will come with time (and core)?

7. Flat roads are loads of fun on the road bike

Your first time descending Robbers pass or Long Tom pass up in Mpumalanga is both insanely scary and the most exhilaratingly cool experience you'll ever have.... 

[bertusras]

Your first time descending Robbers pass or Long Tom pass up in Mpumalanga is both insanely scary and the most exhilaratingly cool experience you'll ever have.... 

 

Robbers is amazing, but last time I went down there the road was full of holes so it was even more exciting!

[Jase619]

I also did my first road bike ride this weekend - I'm lucky to be in Cape Town with easy access to the western seaboard roads which are very nice for riding. I also have some comments:

 

1. Why is the wind always from the front?

2. Going fast downhill is pretty scary on thin wheels with a narrow "handlebar"

3. My back and neck were pretty sore - the bike was setup correctly so I think it's lack of core strength. Planks it is then.

4. I also started with a hill, Bellevue into Kloofnek. Rookie mistake even with my generous road gearing (50-34 with an 11-32)

5. Other roadies were surprisingly friendly given the constant fear of death by crosswind into the ocean

6. I found it hard to spend time on the drops without hurting my neck, I suspect that will come with time (and core)?

7. Flat roads are loads of fun on the road bike

 

We generally are a friendly bunch, bar a few idiots