egapal

Recently bought my first road bike - a used 2012 Felt z85. Up until now, I have only mountain biked, but my brother pitched the idea to do Ragbrai this summer so I need to get some road miles under my belt. Very excited about the bike and can't wait to break it in.

That said, I don't like riding in the cold and am not expecting too much until Spring comes....oh well!

cafzali

Welcome to BF! It is indeed a bit hard to ride in the winter in the Northeast, although with the right clothing (and the willingness to take an extra 10-15 minutes to prepare for a ride and potentially shovel a new path to the bike), it is indeed possible. In fact, we've had relatively mild winters for the last couple.

As far as RAGBRAI, the registration is actually for a lottery that determines the actual participants, since there are usually more people seeking to enter than there are spots even though registration continues electronically until early April. RAGBRAI distance is definitely doable without tons of rigorous training because the elevation profile's not bad, but once you find out you're in if you're doing it, you should be working up your distance to 50 or 60 miles at a clip potentially and/or do a series of fast-paced sprints if time is limited. I usually train for centuries using the latter, but have found either works.

terrymorse 

Nice going, hope you puts 1,000s of miles on that baby.

As this is your first road bike, I suggest you take it to a good local shop and get fitted on it. As I look at the photo, the bars seem quite high for a road position, and they are rotated pretty far down. A basic bike fit shouldn't cost that much, and it can make a big difference in comfort.

You might consider purchasing a trainer, too. Might as well get some saddle time.

egapal

I was thinking about a trainer. I am in decent shape, but not really good riding shape. I believe the key will to put as many hours on the bike between now and the summer. Realizing the lottery results won't be known until May, I need to assume I'm in and begin preparing sooner than later. If we don't get picked, the extra time on the bike will transition very nicely on the trails.

This past Fall, we spent four days in western NC at Dupont State Forest and Bent Creek....maybe we can redo that trip, if Iowa doesn't work out.

A good fitting is also an excellent idea!

Leukybear 

Lookin' good.

Welcome to bikeforums from the golden state!