SuperGregNo1

Last year I commuted and trained on a Costco mountain bike given to me for free. I decided biking was for me, and have been looking for a road bike. I plan on using this for commuting, exercise, probably triathlons eventually (current I run, 5K to HM), and would like to do STP.

I ended up finding a 2011 Trek 2.1 in my size (62cm) for an OK price and finally picked it up a couple days ago. This is my first road bike ever, so this is all new to me. Especially things like bumpy terrain being completely different on a road bike compared to a cushy MTB with big tires and shocks.

Sooo... I hadn't had a chance yet to ride the bike at all since I bought it. I got home last night after dark, and decided to take it down the road. Now, I have no problem with running or biking at night. It doesn't bother me one bit, but when I've biked before it was relatively slow, on a nice road, on my MTB. I do have a headlight but apparently it's not too bright. Also, I had it on flashy mode and not solid. I was less than a mile down the road probably doing close to 20 mph and KABOOOOOM I hit a fricken pothole in the bike lane.

I would post what I said immediately after I landed back on the ground, but I'd probably have to censor most of it.

I thought for sure both wheels were ruined. I pulled over and spun the front wheel, it looked good. Went to spin the back wheel with my pedals and found out the chain had fallen off. Dang. Got the chain back on and when I spin the rear wheel it doesn't look bent but the bike wobbles quite a bit.

I worried like crazy about this until I had a realization in bed that night, and told my GF "Oh man I know what that wobble is, it's that Freddly reflector on the wheel!!" And she said "Good heavens, get that thing off before someone laughs at you!!" Actually she didn't, I had to tell her what I know about Fred which of course started like "Well see there's this bike forum....". LOL

I did take the reflector off and it's nice and smooth now if I spin the wheel up. No pinch flat either. Lesson learned!

Anyway here she is:

rumrunn6

sweet wheels man! get those wheels checked by a shop. good practice with new aquisitions. it's amazing what happens to wheels over time

tjspiel

Your bike wobbled while you were riding it or it wobbled when you had it flipped upside down and were spinning the pedals?

AdamDZ

Have the bike checked by a good bike shop. A reflector won't cause wheel wobble.

volvostephen

Gee - I wish my first road bike was that nice - or wait... I wish my current road bike was that nice....

So - my 2 cents, I think you meant that your wheel felt unbalanced or had a hop, not that it had a wobble. Wobble would be side to side and a reflector wouldn't cause any issue there. Hop would be up and down but you likely don't have that wither. Just the reflector causes it to feel unevenly weighted. So - to that I would say, just put another reflector on it opposite to the first. Haha. Never take them off - only add them. Seriously - if you do plan to ride a night, put some real reflectors / lights on it. I saw a guy coming in from a club ride and you could not see him at all. Complete ninja. Ridiculous. I tend to Fred it up. Reflective safety vest and many lights / reflectors. I had a compliment on the brightness of my light the other day and when I went to turn around to talk to the dude stopped in the car, I fell over in the soft shoulder clipped in and got some nice road rash. Not sure how that is relevant here... O ya - lights - got to have them and good ones. I use a Cygolite 350W USB one. Love it. Had it for maybe 3 months? Lots of compliments on it.

SuperGregNo1

I picked it up off the ground by the seat and spun the wheel hard, and could feel the bike gyrate up and down a bit. I didn't feel anything unusual riding it.

AdamDZ - I guess it's not a "wobble" but it is unbalanced (like volvostephen says, a hop). After taking the reflector off to test if that was it, the issue is gone.

Seattle Forrest

Nice looking bike!

The most important thing for the STP is comfort. You're going to be doing a little more than 200 miles in two days, max, and maybe in one. Plan to spend a lot of time on the bike.

Have you been on it since hitting that pothole? I'd be a little concerned about the wheel, but not terribly. Mostly, I'd be concerned about that wobble coming back while you ride the bike - spinning the wheel when there isn't weight bearing down on it is different from riding. If it bothers you, take it to a shop and they'll deal with it.

You need some lights, but not so much to avoid potholes. If you're riding to and from work, you'll learn your route pretty well and know where all the hazards are.

Seattle Forrest

Also, donate the reflectors to Bike Works. If you want something like them, add spoke lights (ideally in pairs or quads so as not to unbalance things) to your wheels, or reflective tape, or something.



These are pretty cheap, and it's my opinion that they help you be seen from the side, even at an angle, which probably helps you avoid being hit by someone coming from a side road.



If you wanted to spend a lot more money, you could get really fancy.

Andy_K 

Sweet bike. Now you just need a really bright light.

DVC45

I want!
Where do I get the fancy ones?

Rick@OCRR

Wow, I got my first real road bike 44 years ago . . . before TREK was even around, now I do feel old! That bike does look fast SuperGregN01 so your commute probably just got a lot quicker!

Rick / OCRR

AdamDZ

I don't know.... I find the spoke lights... gaudy Like the neon lights under cars.

SuperGregNo1

Thanks for all the comments guys. I did buy the bike new at a bike shop (just previous year's model) so when I bring it back in for a free tune up I'll have them take a look at the wheels.

JeremyZ

I dunno SuperGreg, it seems like if you hit a pothole hard enough to throw you off of a road bike, there is probably some wheel damage somewhere. I'd get it checked if I were you.

dynodonn 

Damn! Got me beat by a year, though I like to still have my '50 Indian Chief that the road bike replaced, since it would be worth a tad more to bike collectors today than the road bike.

SuperGregNo1

Sorry if I gave the impression that I was thrown off, just a big jolt. Maybe it felt worse because I was unaware of what was coming, like being sucker punched. Anyway, like I said I'll have the bike shop check it out next time I bring it in. I really hope I didn't do any major damage on my very first ride.

SuperGregNo1

Well, I got to put a few miles on the bike (12 to be exact) this morning on my first commute of the year. Much different than commuting by MTB. On one hand bumps and little obstacles in the bike lane are more of a pain, but on the other hand I feel like I can take the lane and keep up with traffic more often. Weather is a bit crappy here so of course the bike and I are full of grime now.

Should I reoil the chain every day after a commute in rain or wet conditions? Or just more often?

Also, my handlebars seem to be angled down a bit. Is there a standard position or do you just adjust them for your own comfort? With the long reach I feel like my grip is slipping forward.

a1penguin

Sweeeeet. Get some gloves with gel padding. I love mine and they are holding up well.

jtdunc

SuperGregNo1., you are the man. Fine looking bike. I'm sure you'll ride it like the wind. The key is to ride the spit out of it.

Good gear really does help. Love the black and red. Congrats!