Road Cycling - Newbie questions, skip if you please!

Hi all!

I have been skimming the boards for a day or two, and it seems like this forum has a great bunch of guys and gals who like to have rational discussions about cycling.

Now, a little about myself. Right now I am in college, and I like to run recreationally, racing every now and again. I love being athletic, I love being outdoors. Some of my hobbies include running, reading, skiing, golf, horses (I am a Pennsylvania State Horse Racing Commission licensed exercise rider), and.... ::insert drum roll::... riding my bike. As far as that goes, heres my stable of bikes...(if you pre-judge me on this, I'm sorry to hear it) A ~1990's Huffy dual suspension mountain bike, which I have beaten to all hell through lots of dirt riding/jumping, and probably even worse, a year or so of hard city riding up and over curbs and potholes and worse. There is an 80's road bike which I picked up off the side of the road during spring cleaning week, it is in average condition except for the fact that one of the cranks is bent and rubs against the frame every time you pedal. Add to that your usual nearly dry-rotted tires, but man do I love riding that bike because of the feeling of aerodynamics and speed I get from it.

Okay that was long winded. On to the newbie questions...

I am looking to get into cycling and turning it into more than an every now and again type of thing. What kind of stuff should I look into buying in terms of clothes, repair equipment, etc.

Being the newbie that I am, I am looking to get a cheap bike to start with. I am blessed and cursed with being a frugal guy, as well as the fact that I have very little money being only a college student. This summer though I figure I can probably save up around 500 dollars of disposable income. So what would you guys recommend in that price range? A good quality used bike, or a lower quality new one?

Finally, how long do you think I would have to train before I could go and race, or is racing a sort of all comers type of thing in some places? Keep in mind I am a pretty fit guy and I run alot as it is.

Thank you in advance, and I am sorry I didn't use the "introductions" forum, but the road biking forum is really the only one that I am interested in targeting.

Welcome to the forum, it does have a nice group of people that answer questions on it.

Thats an interesting question, so make sure you read all the thoughts that will get posted then decide what makes the most amount of sense to you.

If I were in your shoes (just my opinion), I would up my expenditure just a bit and either buy a new Giant OCR3; the Felt F85 or the Trek 1000 all for around the same $550. The Giant OCR3 is a entry level racing frame and is very agile and around 19 pounds makes it the lightest bike in its price range. It also uses larger diameter tubing that makes the bike stiffer for a more responsive ride. The Felt F85 on the other hand is a bit less aggressive in it's geometry thus not as stiff but it is a well designed bike and comes with slightly better components that you cannot find at this price range. The Trek is probably similar to the F85; I only brought up the Trek because depending on where you live the Felt may not be available.

You could also go used, but with a used bike you better be real knowledgeable about what to look for in damaged or rusting tubing, and make sure the components still work good, and also make sure it's not some odd ball thing you can't get parts for, and then make darn sure you know the value of used bikes so you don't get ripped off.

As far as time to train before entering a century race and competing as least to some degree about 10 to 14 weeks depending on your current condition. If your in good condition due to running or some other sport then doing a 100 mile race can happen in easily in those 10 to 12 weeks if you stay on a training schedule. One of the ways to train without getting a heart rate monitor (HRM) is to train by scheduling rides almost every day and slowly progress; this example is if your not currently riding: Week one on Monday you ride 3 easy miles spinning in an easy gear at about 80-90 RPM (some say you need to be around 90-100). On Tuesday you go 5 miles at a speed you feel you need to ride the century at. On Wednesday you do 6 miles at a brisk pace that is faster than the century pace speed and your spinning higher, in other words this is your tough day. On Thursday you rest and not ride to recover from yesterday. On Friday your back on the bike for 5 miles again on century pace speeds. On Saturday you have your longest day and go 15 miles on pace. Sunday you go 4 miles on pace.

Week 2 the process starts over except the mileage increases by about 11% (round up to the next nearest mile) for every day and the paces stay the same through out all the weeks as week 1 had. So Mon 4miles, Tues 7, Wen 8, Fri 7, Sat 19, Sun 6.
Week 3: Mon 5, Tues 8, Wen 10, Fri 9, Sat 25, Sun 8
Week 4: Mon 6, Tues 10, Wen 12, Fri 10, Sat 30, Sun 9
Week 5: Mon 7, Tues 11, Wen 13, Fri 11, Sat 34, Sun 10
Week 6: 8, 13, 15, 13, 38, 11
Week 7: 8, 14, 17, 14, 42, 13
Week 8: 9, 15, 19, 15, 47, 14
Week 9: 11, 15, 21, 15, 53, 16
Week10: 12, 16, 24, 16, 59, 18
Week11: 13, 17, 25, 17, 65, 20
Week12: 15, 17, 25, 15, 70, 22
Week13: 16, 20, 27, 17, 75, 24
This next week is century week.
Week14 19, 20, 30, 10, easy 5, 100

You could easily put this on a Excel spreadsheet. You could also alter the length of the time it take you to do the century either longer or shorter by up too 2 week either way depending on your fitness level. Also talk to your LBS to find out what they recommend the speed level should be for your first Century so you have an idea as to what speed your pace level should be at. Also find out what course your area you live in that most Centuries are done so you can practice on that course. And also your LBS may have a bike club that you can join so you have motivation plus get tips etc. You will also find that as this training schedule progresses you will get stronger and thus faster and be able to turn smaller gears for more speed.

If you decide to take this on, let me know what bike you chose and let me know how your doing. If you need to e-mail me directly for thoughts or encouragement just click on the e-mail tab right below.

Hi Jason

Nice to see how enthusiast you are.

If you think you're very fit, try to check out where the locals train..
Rather than jump to racing immediately, just start training with people that are interested in riding fast. You can learn a lot from them.
Browse the internet and/or check out local bike shops to find out where.

Visit several bike shops to find one that caters best to road racers.

A word of warning: don't be suckered into buying a new and expensive road bike.. it can be a great advantage to start with a beaten up bike.. as it's only YOU that makes a diff. A great cyclist on a very bad and heavy road bike or even mtn bike can beat a so-so cyclist on the newest and fanciest equipment.

Don't fall into that trap! But hey, I instantaneously fell in love with a guy who zoomed past me at lightening speed on an old and battered city bike ;).

Your best bet is a pre-loved bike. Try to find someone who was a wannabe racer but finally decided that road-biking wasn't his love after all.. Or someone who's so engrossed into it , that he buys a new bike every few years.

For equipmt there's a lot to be bought 2nd hand as well, and good stuff too! I'm going to buy a very expensive new TA crank, but still have very good old ones, so I could try to sell those (if I wanted to do so).

So, don't worry too much about the money, but do ride..
uh, do replace those rotten old tyres and get another set of cranks.. btw, I'm into crank-sizing myself , so get your inseam length in MILLIMETERS (NOT INCHES!!!) and take the crank size that's approx 1/5th of that inseam size.

Good luck

Ivana

Fuji

Fuji is an excellent company for quality bikes on a budget.
In addition to the bike you need helmet and gloves (both for crash protection).
A few pairs of cycling shorts.
Cycling jerseys are nice, but not an absolute neccessity. Pick these up from the budget bin in last season's team colours.
Cycling shoes and clipless pedals are essential for serious competition racing, but if you getting into fitness cycling, then cheap toe-clips will work just fine.

Check out the local cycling club for use kit. Most riders have bits lying around that they prefer to see used.

Everyone else's bike suggestions have been very good. I can only think of a few to add, including the Specialized Allez A1 for around $600 and the Ironhorse (Cyclone maybe?) for around $450. I agree that the Giant may be your best choice if you want to race. As far as used bikes go, that would probably be your absolute best choice or absolute worst, and when it is your first bike purchase the odds aren't really in your favor. Having said that, you could always get lucky!

Speaking of racing, those guys are pretty fast. Riding a century ride and racing are horses of different colors. In racing you need to not only be fast, but you also need to be ready to take a good curve at 20mph bumbing elbows and shoulders with somebody next to you, and you need to understand pacelines and racing etiquette. The best thing to do if you are interested in getting into racing is definitely to find your local bike club that has a race team. Most local bike clubs are usually tied very closely to a local bike shop and that can be a great resource. When you get your bike and get comfortable riding it and clipping in and out of the pedals, riding a straight line, drinking from the water bottle while riding, etc., hit the training rides with the bike club and go from there. By that time you will know what direction you want to go with your riding. Good luck and have fun!

Hey thanks everyone for the kind and knowledgeable responses! :)

Get ready for another deluge of questions...

So heres the bikes that people have thus far recommended:

Giant OCR3
Felt F85
Trek 1000
Specialized Allez
Ironhorse Cyclone

1) Is there anyone else on the board who agrees with one more over another or perhaps has other suggestions? (keep in mind for a low budget)
2) Where can I get these bikes... for example do you have any good internet retailers that anyone has used and recommends? How about anyone in the central Pennsylvania area, any recommended bike shops? I am going to go to the one bike shop that I do know about in Hummelstown as soon as I get back home from college, in about a week or so.

With regard to used bikes, can anyone recommend some sites for tips on evaluating used bikes, maybe a little historical site which can point me at which bikes are worth buying from the past and which ones are lemons that will be hard to fix. One thing that I have on my hands lately is time, and I am willing to invest the effort in doing my homework on this stuff.

As far as racing, thanks for the tips, and especially thank you very very much for the training plan froze. Two questions for that: How do I know what type of speed I should shoot for in the century? Oh whoops I see that you said to check with the LBS about that... but if you have any clues as to a time trial fitness test or something I could do let me know, anyone else as well. Secondly, I am fortunate enough to live in an area with a lot of mountains and very hilly rolling hills. It is great for training running wise, how should I factor this in to a cycling plan? Should I schedule specific hill workouts like in running?

feitser_ivana - I have a tendency to go with your line of thinking, I love being the underdog, and proving that I can do just as good with lesser equipment. I did a biathlon (10mi ride, 3mi run) when I was 14, and I used a mountain bike. It was a GREAT feeling to be zooming by road bikes on my huffy dual suspension monster. People were staring, and sure I got passed by lots of others, but the fact that I was able to perform decently on that MTB was utterly satisfying. And I did get that thing going 42 mph too on a downhill, a speed record for me. Many people say if I get a lower end bike I will get the upgrade-itch thing, but hey I would love for that to happen. I would rather have the "upgrade itch" than have the "i bought this great bike and i suck" blues.

In any case, right now I am just testing the waters and seeing what this community of cyclists is like. I want to cover all my angles and then I will try to make a purchase. For right now the Huffy dual suspension will just have to do :beer:

Thanks everyone for the help!

Jason,

I'm curious about your trash find, i.e. the 1980 road bike.

If you are either mechanically inclined or if you know a decent bike shop that sells used bikes and repairs bikes, it might be interesting to bring the 1980 bike in good state of repair.

If the frame is straight and in good shape, if the bike is sized correctly, if you can live with downtube friction shifters -- or even bar-end shifters in friction mode, if the bike is in good or decent shape, you could live with it.

From what you said, I would say the bike needs:
- Either serious crank readjustment (il.e. somebody tried to remove the crank, loosened it and did only partly succeded), or a new bottom bracket or new cranks, plus new chain, plus total regreasing... which would be very sensible.
- Or the pedal hits because the frame is crooked, in which case you might keep the parts but throw away the frame itself.

You will get tricks, tips, etc. from http://www.sheldonbrown.com and http://www.parktools.com

Regards,

The way I look at it is this:
You know you love it all ready (from what you've stated about riding the old crappy 80s ten speed).
Now you have to decide which bike is best for you.
You really have two choices (with sub choices).
Do you buy:

1) A steel bike with junky components for around $500.
2) An alluminum bike with great components for around $1000.

You can rest assured that if you go for choice #1 and stick with the sport that you will shortly (within a few years) be going for #2 as well.
I've seen it happen soooooooo many times.
But everyone has to start somewhere.
It won't be the end of the world.
You'll just end up selling or refurbishing your old bike as a spare.

Have fun,

ps. Check Bikes Direct (www.bikesdirect.com) for the best deals.
For used bikes, try eBay (www.ebay.com). Pick a seller with a good rating and do your homework first.

I haven't seen anyone mention "fit" yet. A lot of how your bike feels will come from personal adjustment, but a bike shop worth it's money will try to fit you. There is another post somewhere on here about fit, but the best link involved custom fit frames. Find out what size frame feels best for you, and test ride everything you can find within your budget. I have a Trek 420 from the 90's that I started on, then bought a Trek 1000 last year. I think the 1000 weighs about 25 pounds. I now ride a Lemond Zurich, which ran about $2,000. My Zurich rides better than the Trek 1000, and does perform much better, but the "feel" of the ride isn't better than the 420. Ride, ride, ride, and ride some more. Then buy. From what I've seen around the stores, Fuji DOES have a lot of bike for the money.
My club has a race team, and that's one of your better suggestions. They want to get better and win, so they will help you get better. Bike shops with race teams is the other good suggestion.
You said you are in college. I watched the Collegiate Nationals road race last month. Maybe your college has a cycling team. Check it out. They might have some kind of former racer as a coach.

Well, here is how I got my carbon bike for less than $750. I check the bike shop at end of the season and found a shop that had a left over Specialized Epic carbon frame and fork with bb and head set installed. Pick it up for $150. I became good friends with the local shop and every time some upgraded I got a call on the used parts. I picked a complete Ultegra groupo for $200. I then added a wheel set, and carbon fork. It only took one winter to get all the parts needed.
I built the bike about 5 years ago, and I am still on it. I have upgraded many parts over the years.
I only have one word of warning. If you going out to ride with the racer make sure that you know the ride area. Ask me how I know. For the most part the rider you meet will be very nice, but there is alway one that has to be the best and want to ride into the ground.

Make sure you set aside enough of your budget for clothing/accessories/tools. No matter how great your bike is, getting stranded or being uncomfortable during a ride is a real turn-off.

At the very least, allocate funds for good bike shorts, jersey, well-vented helmet, suitable glasses, and probably clipless pedals and shoes. For tools, you'll need a multi-tool with a chain-breaker and tire patch stuff.

Well I think I have an idea of what I am going to do.

This summer I am just going to get used to biking a good deal on my mountain bike. I can lock up the rear suspension to make the bike a little stiffer and maybe get some slick tires to try to make it as cycle friendly as possible. I have toe clip things on there, the cheap variety, you know the ones that are plastic little cages around your feet. I love those though because I can torque the whole way through the pedal stroke instead of just pushing down.

In any case I am going to ride that beast for a while and also when I get back home from school I am going to bust out that old trash find (assuming my mother hasn't tossed it in the trash this spring already!) and try to fix it up. I will make sure to post some pics of it to see what you guys think of it.

At the end of the summer I will have a better idea if this is something that I want to pursue further, and I can make a better decision on how much money I want to spend on a bike (not to mention I will have already saved up all the money from working all summer and can take that factor into account).

In the meantime, I will be sure to be around the forums bugging you guys about whatever questions I can think of as I go along.

Thanks again everyone for the kind introductions and the great advice!

Just a word of encouragement, while you're out getting used to spinning. Check into local bike clubs!!

When I decided to get a road bike, I picked up a 1989 allum Cannondale touring bike in mint condition from a fellow club member - for FREE, he just wanted to see someone putting it to good use. I picked up a $1800 Cannondale jekyll mb for my husband for $450 from another club member, same story....not the one he rides and wanted to see someone enjoying it.

My club is a real treasure to me...friends, help, riding partners, trading euqipment or borrowing it when I need it, advice, encouragement, being made fun of...what more could you ask for!

Good luck and have fun!

JFK32, what part of PA are and what size frame do you need? I would hate to see you riding your mountain bike on the road. I have two frames that are collecting dust. Let me know if I can help.
PS the cost will be very cheap.
Dave

JFK; The reason I did not mention what speed you should maintain in a century and to ask your LBS was due to different geographical locations of where folk live and/or ride. Where someone may be able to do average 20mph in one area another may only average 12 in another. So ask your LBS's that question so you have a baseline for your area; some LBS's also know which route a particular event will take and what average speed is expected from that route to another . As far as how does that schedule factor into hills VS flat land-simple-it's that average speed creature popping up it's head again!

One thing I forgot. You may not be able to maintain that higher average speed the first time you run a century-thats ok. Your first century should not be about winning anyway, it should be more about learning. You can learn a lot in that first race, so keep your eyes and ears open and ask billions of questions to everyone!!

By the way, I followed that same (close anyway) century plan that someone gave to me about 30 years ago. The speed works out naturally with it if you stick to it. My first century I came in the back 10% of the pack! But there was some things that I wasn't prepared for even though a friend helped me to prepare! I packed food for the ride per my friends instructions but found out my metabolism was far greater than his; the same amount of food that lasted him the century lasted me only 50 miles! I had to stop into a mini mart to buy more-fortunalty I had some cash or I would have had to drop out. So the first ride will be a learning ride, feeling things out, what to change the next time, when to attack, when not too, tweak this, tweak that-get the picture? The more centuries you ride the better you will do.

Ok, everything is coming into clearer focus now... :)

I will ask my LBS about the century speed, after all I do live in a mountainous area, so if I go North at any point on my century I would be climbing some nasty hills. I guess the speed would probably depend on where the ride was afterall. Maybe I will get one picked out for a certain date and then ask them what they think I should expect. No worries however, I am not planning on doing that most likely until next year! Who knows how that plan could change but we will see.

And thanks for the info about food. Lets see... if you average 15mph in a century, thats 6 hours and 40 min, so that is a LONG time for me to go without food. If you think your metabolism is fast, mine could run circles around yours I am pretty sure. I will probably have to pack a three course meal in my backpack!

Before I ever get into a century I will surely try to do 100 miles on my own and see what it is like and what I will need.

And thanks bikecandy about the idea of going to the bike club. I think it would be good to try to get to know some people for tips and advice anyway. Maybe I can pry someone's vintage cycle off thier hands!

Thanks!