General Cycling Discussion - New To The Sport!! Help Needed

Hello everyone and thanks for having such a great forum where people like me can hopefully get some help...

So i have decided to finally go ahead and fulfill my dream lol. I have always wanted to buy a road bike but never really got the itch.. That is until the weather became super nice..

So last week i purchased a 2010 Specialized Tarmac Pro Dura Ace ($4500) i know its a bit overkill for a beginner but i didn't want to fall in love with the sport and have to upgrade.
I also purchased a pair of specialized S Works road shoes color black, purchased shimano dura ace 7810 pedals, specialized S Works Helmet Color red, a pair of bontrager shorts and last but not least a cateye double wireless.

I guess im here to find out what the hell i need to know and see if i can meet some people in the Edison NJ area that i can ride with as well as try to find out how i can learn about the bike and how to fix or modify it if need be.

Thanks
Dennis

Welcome to BikeForums. $4500 on your first bike? :twitchy: I guess you won the lottery. :rolleyes:
Stop by the Northeast Regional subforum (http://www.bikeforums.net/forumdisplay.php?232-Northeast) and you should meet lots of riders in your area.

With the N+1, you will shortly need another bike. Don't worry you will find a reason to justify it.

$4500 is a big investment for something you don't even know you're going to stick with. you could of started w/ a Trek 2.1 or a Cannondale CAAD9 for much less and have been just as happy w/ your first purchase. I can say i just picked up my first road bike recently and I already have upgradtitis

That is a lot of money to spend to find out what type of bike to buy next, but I hope you are really enjoying doing it.
http://www.adventuresportsonline.com/club/bikeclub.htm#Jersey
http://sheldonbrown.com/home.html
http://www.parktool.com/repair_help/index.shtml
http://www.bikely.com/listpaths/
Dont spend too much time looking at these sites - go out and ride.
If you take the bike by car to places to ride, the swagman hitch mounted rack is nice.

You probably should have bought an Allez first, see if you like the sport even...

You must have money to spare...

Welcome to BF and enjoy the ride with the new bike. That's a lot to spend on a bike if you aren't even sure if you will like it or not. Just ride it and put on the miles.

Hello everyone and thanks for having such a great forum where people like me can hopefully get some help...

So i have decided to finally go ahead and fulfill my dream lol. I have always wanted to buy a road bike but never really got the itch.. That is until the weather became super nice..

So last week i purchased a 2010 Specialized Tarmac Pro Dura Ace ($4500) i know its a bit overkill for a beginner but i didn't want to fall in love with the sport and have to upgrade.
I also purchased a pair of specialized S Works road shoes color black, purchased shimano dura ace 7810 pedals, specialized S Works Helmet Color red, a pair of bontrager shorts and last but not least a cateye double wireless.

I guess im here to find out what the hell i need to know and see if i can meet some people in the Edison NJ area that i can ride with as well as try to find out how i can learn about the bike and how to fix or modify it if need be.

Thanks
Dennis

Good choice on a first bike even if it might be a bit agressive to some. :D One of the things you will find in forums like these is it is hard to get you purchase right for anyone but you. If you bought a less expensive bike some would say you should have bought a more expensive bike. If you got an Aluminum bike some would have suggested a CF bike.:innocent: Some might even suggest a steel bike.:eek: But you have what many of us would have moved to anyway at least with the equipment. If you stick with it that will be as much bike as you need for many years to come.

Simply ask at some of your LBS and they can point you to groups to ride with or as some have suggested look in the sub forums for your area. But be warned you still will be looking for wheels and more than likely a saddle. If you end up riding with a group just see what the others are riding and you will soon learn what you need.:lol:

Congrats on your new purchase. I think a lot of us are just jealous. I know I am...

I'm curious, School. Did someone who seemed like they knew what they were doing at the place you bought this great bike help you get fitted to it? What got changed from the time they pulled it off the hook til you rolled out the door?

thanks for all the advice guys. i actually purchased this bike out of state. im pretty much going to ride it right out the box as soon as it put together by my lbs. The reason for not getting it there was because buying it out of state i paid far less and didnt have to pay sales tax. I know its a bit over kill for my first bike but i dont like to half ass stuff. Hopefully i can meet some friendly riders and learn a great deal..

For local contacts, see http://www.bikeleague.org/cogs/resources/findit/?city=Edison&state=NJ&zipcode=&all=all&groups=1&courses=1&clubs=1&events=1&shops=1&rides=1&instructors=1&seminars=1&range=miles&miles=20&submit.x=19&submit.y=13

Great bike, by the way.

tomorrow i will be riding for my first time lol. so far i do think i need a more comfortable saddle

where is a good place to learn when i should and shouldnt change gears and were to know what gear i should be in

where is a good place to learn when i should and shouldnt change gears and were to know what gear i should be in
If your lungs are hurting more than your legs, shift up. If your legs are hurting more than your lungs, shift down. If neither are hurting, keep pedaling and enjoy the ride.

where is a good place to learn when i should and shouldnt change gears and were to know what gear i should be in
Here's a good link.
http://www.bikeleague.org/resources/better/beginningcycling.php


Just curious. If you paid $4500 for the bike, how much did you pay for your shorts, jersey, shoes, and helmet?

Cool! I love that you committed and that you are "all in." I disagree with the people that say you went overboard. That is one nice ride! I guess you could have gone the route that many people do... Buy a $700 bike, ride it a few times, and say, "oh well, I didn't spend too much" and let it sit in the garage... Or really get into cycling after the $700 purchase and realize that you didn't buy nearly enough bicycle for the enjoyment of the sport and go out and spend $4500 on a new bike. Either way - the $700 didn't get you what you wanted and you still spent it. As long as that $4500 doesn't take food out of the mouths of your kids, I'm all for it!

Congrats on your new purchase. I think a lot of us are just jealous. I know I am...

Okay, just how did you manage to get into my head???

Here's a good link.
http://www.bikeleague.org/resources/better/beginningcycling.php


Just curious. If you paid $4500 for the bike, how much did you pay for your shorts, jersey, shoes, and helmet?

i got my shorts for $112 my shoes for 300 and helmet was 200 and the cateye was 60

Okay, just how did you manage to get into my head???


hunter lets go devils

hunter lets go devils

:p

So, how did you like that 7-3 triumph over the Islanders? It was a nice way to bid "the Igloo" goodbye, with a strong victory and a retrospective of the great names and triumphs of the past.

Hail, Mario!

:p

So, how did you like that 7-3 triumph over the Islanders? It was a nice way to bid "the Igloo" goodbye, with a strong victory and a retrospective of the great names and triumphs of the past.

Hail, Mario!

lol i didn't like it we are battling you for the division. it seems the devils cant beat the **** teams but play well against the good ones. Mario is the greatest goal scorer to play the game hand down if he didnt have any injury's he would of surpassed Gretzky goal scoring wise. Im a devils season ticket holder

It must be the tough economic times. I find more posts in the forums about how much something costs rather than how something performs.

Welcome to the wonderful world of cycling. People are going to think you are a poseur for buying an expensive bike and not being able to ride it very well. On the other hand if you had bought an old bike and wore normal clothes they would look down on you for being a fred. Its a catch 22.

Welcome to the wonderful world of cycling. People are going to think you are a poseur for buying an expensive bike and not being able to ride it very well.

Expensive bikes "ride" (wheels on the ground) very similar to cheap bikes. However, they do crash (wheels to the sky) different.

Welcome to the wonderful world of cycling. People are going to think you are a poseur for buying an expensive bike and not being able to ride it very well. On the other hand if you had bought an old bike and wore normal clothes they would look down on you for being a fred. Its a catch 22.

i take it its a lose lose situation. i just hope to see some new areas meet new people and stay in shape

Actually, it doesn't really matter what other people think. If you are enjoying your bicycle and it gets you excited about each ride... then you did the right thing. I ride with people that might be thought of as freds, however, these people can ride their 20 year-old 7 and 8 speeds right along with carbon fiber 11 speed crowd. As long as the bike does what you want it to do, whether it cost $300, $2000, $4500, or $15,000 then you can be happy on your ride.

If you put your money where your mouth is... it seems to be more of a committment.

thanks for all the advice guys. i actually purchased this bike out of state. im pretty much going to ride it right out the box as soon as it put together by my lbs. The reason for not getting it there was because buying it out of state i paid far less and didnt have to pay sales tax. I know its a bit over kill for my first bike but i dont like to half ass stuff. Hopefully i can meet some friendly riders and learn a great deal..

You spent a heckuva lot less than you would have for a high quality motorcycle or auto...................
In Indiana, you would be required to 'fess up on the out-of-state purchase and pay sales tax (to Indiana) at tax time. On the other hand, the state Dept. of Revenue has no way to find out about that purchase unless you tell them, as far as I know.

Yeah, I think most states are like that now, but they all depend on your self-reporting of what you spent.

so first ride complete!! i did 16 miles with a max speed reaching 27.1 miles per hour. So far i love it not sure if 16 miles is good for a first run or not. What seems to be a good distance to reach for per day? Also the only complaints are my palms seem to get a pretty good work out i hope i get used to it lol

Great for you!!! Keep it up.

How are those legs feeling? A good distance to ride is whatever you are comfortable riding that day.

How are those legs feeling? A good distance to ride is whatever you are comfortable riding that day.

my legs feel fine. only problem i really had was learning how to shift gears correctly. not sure what turning the brake lever in does does or turning the smaller lever in does. Sometimes i thought i had it down and the next it seemed like it did something else lol. my ass is a bit sore and during the ride my palms hurt some

3rd ride 26 miles i love it

Are you figuring shifting out? That's something I need to get better at as I'm pretty much a pedal masher. I've just ordered a computer with cadence so that I can work on shifting to keep my rpm about the same no matter how fast I'm going. That's supposed to help.

Check the regional forums and announce yourself.

Yeah, I think most states are like that now, but they all depend on your self-reporting of what you spent.

No doubt they troll the internet too for self reporting like this.

No doubt they troll the internet too for self reporting like this.

Sh, don't tell anyone that I secretly work for the IRS :troll:

my legs feel fine. only problem i really had was learning how to shift gears correctly. not sure what turning the brake lever in does does or turning the smaller lever in does. Sometimes i thought i had it down and the next it seemed like it did something else lol. my ass is a bit sore and during the ride my palms hurt some

get some cycling gloves