Road Cycling - First ride with new road bike

Well, I took the Allez Sport out for a short 5 mile "shakeout" ride, just to get a feel for everything and to make sure the seat is positioned correctly.

All I can say is HOLY CRAP! Man, this bike is nimble! Two or three pedal strokes and I'm up to 18 mph. I've already had it up to 30 mph on a straightaway. And it handles great.

The only mod (not pictured) is a set of Specialized Armadillos. I also ordered a set of Kool Stop brake shoes which I should have by next week. Lastly, I made an appointment to have the wheels retensioned and trued by a pro.

http://idisk.mac.com/mightypudge/Public/allez.jpg

Originally posted by mightypudge
Two or three pedal strokes and I'm up to 18 mph. I've already had it up to 30 mph on a straightaway.


Wow! Nice bike :)

WELCOME TO THE ADDICTION!

Welcome to the Dark Side, just don't fall on it :)

Glad to see you're riding :)

Right on! :cool: That's a sharp-looking bike, I love the color scheme & graphics. You might want to get those reflectors fully perpendicular. :)

A co-worker of mine picked up an old Trek carbon/aluminum road-racer today, and after tuning it up, I took it out into downtown traffic for a quick test ride. I went through the same rush you're describing, even though it's about two sizes too small. They pick up speed sooooo fast! And holy cow, it could run circles around my Cannondale tourer in the handling department :p

Nice looking bike!

That's my ride too! Had it since March. I've upgraded the shifters to 105, switched out the saddle, added Speedplays, and Conti 3000s. What a wonderful, zippy, cool-looking bike! I can't quit gazing lovingly at mine....it's sitting right here next to my computer. I plan to upgrade it to all 105/Ultegra and look at another wheelset down the road, but for now it's a BLAST just the way it is! Beat out the Jamis Quest and Lemond BA that I test rode.

Yep, what a FINE steed! You made a very wise purchase! :)

Oh man, isn't it something else?

When I got my roadbike home (an entry level aluminium Merida) I couldn't believe the acceleration and effortlessness of getting up to speed. My previous ride was a heavy steel MTB that that had served its purpose, but even with Conti T&Cs was a real slug by comparison.

Sounds like you made a great choice and you're going to get hours and hours and miles and miles of fun out of it.

Nice ride!

If it were mine, i'd lose the reflectors and flip the stem right away :) Right now it looks hard to get into proper aero position on it... Seat looks lower than the bars.

Yeah, I agree with shrimpx. Reflectors? Forget it, getting some lights would be better. It will look a lot cooler if the stem is flipped, you will not lose the comfort plus you get the aerodynamics.

Every nice bike there, hope you enjoy your new bike as much as I have enjoyed my new bike.

Help me out here, why would I flip the stem? Anyone have a picture of what this would look like? Thanks!

Originally posted by mightypudge
Help me out here, why would I flip the stem? Anyone have a picture of what this would look like? Thanks!

They're advocating that you flip the stem in order to get your saddle-to-handlebar drop to be greater. Currently it looks like you have the saddle lower than the bars which probably doesn't put you in a very good aero position. Most people run their bars either level with their saddles or an inch or two below. Flipping the stem would decrease its rise thus lowering the handlebars. That said, if it's comfortable to you then you probably needn't change anything... at least not yet and especially if you're new to roadbikes and not fully used to the position. You'll probably find in time that with your current setup, you're sitting too upright which may put some discomfort on your back... especially on longer rides. Getting to a lower position also helps to distribute the weight more evenly across the bike. FWIW, here are two pictures of my bike with a "zero-degree" rise on the stem (I'm not sure what the rise on yours is but it's relatively high).

http://www.neebu.net/~khuon/images/cycling/bikes/Aegis/2001-Aro_Svelte/Aegis-007.jpg
http://www.neebu.net/~khuon/images/cycling/bikes/Aegis/2001-Aro_Svelte/Aegis-009.jpg

mightypudge..noticed your web address. Do you have the new iChat AV installed on your mac? I would love to use the audio or video function of it and talk to somebody to see how it works. Just wondering.

By flipping the stem you will reverse the angle of the drop bar to a lower angle. Better aerodynamics. If the bar feels good the way it is, I would just leave it alone. You should see what my LBS did to my bike to make me feel good. Boy did that raise some eyebrows around here :D

-Wynn

Originally posted by talkdj
mightypudge..noticed your web address. Do you have the new iChat AV installed on your mac? I would love to use the audio or video function of it and talk to somebody to see how it works. Just wondering.

I have the software but I don't have a video camera, so you wouldn't be able to see me. In all honesty, I'm doing you a public service. :)


Originally posted by talkdj
By flipping the stem you will reverse the angle of the drop bar to a lower angle. Better aerodynamics. If the bar feels good the way it is, I would just leave it alone.

I'm pretty comfy where I am. Actually the saddle is about an inch higher than the bars. It appears the picture was taken at a weird angle that makes the bars look higher than the saddle.

OK, OK. I checked my bike and the seat was in fact about at the same level as the bars. I flipped the stem and now things look right. I took it for a spin and it is much more comfortable and aerodynamic.

Thanks for the tip.

Nice ride, Pudge. Just a tip.....next time, move the barbeque AWAY from the house - easier on the bricks..:D

Originally posted by slotibartfast
Nice ride, Pudge. Just a tip.....next time, move the barbeque AWAY from the house - easier on the bricks..:D

Hardy-har-har. That was from the previous owner. :)

Nice bike If I do say so myself....(mine is just like it except has look pedals and an upgraded saddle. Selle Gel)

May you love yours as much as I love mine!

Originally posted by pcsanity1
Nice bike If I do say so myself....(mine is just like it except has look pedals and an upgraded saddle. Selle Gel)

May you love yours as much as I love mine!

I was thinking of doing a set of the Look pedals. I'm not totally happy with the feel of the Shimanos that are on there now. The saddle I'm OK with for right now, but we'll see after a few months.

I think somewhere down the road I'll upgrade to a full Ultegra set. :)

Never let someone else tell you how your bike "ought" to look, especially how you've got your stem set up. This flip-flop stem will give you 4 positions. Best to ride in the most comfortable set-up initially, then lower the stem if you find it's not working out for you.

Dumbest advice I ever saw on a bike forum, people telling you to "flip your stem" because it looks cooler that way. That's NOT the way to "fit" to a bike! :(

Originally posted by ChiliDog
Dumbest advice I ever saw on a bike forum, people telling you to "flip your stem" because it looks cooler that way. That's NOT the way to "fit" to a bike! :(

Amen to that. Comfort is first, last, and foremost the most important thing in a road bike.

You should be able to ride comfortably in the drops. Otherwise there's no point to them. Therefore you should set the bar height so that you can ride comfortably in the drops. That puts the overall bar height wherever it ends up. If it requires rise on the stem, then it does.

RichC