New bike - suggestions
 

Hello all.

Bought a Trek Marlin 6 back in mid March and really fell in love with biking. Started off at 4 miles a day and now up to 13-16. Found myself not really on the trails and staying on the paved greenways so one of my coworkers suggested maybe going the road bike route. Started watching videos and doing research and ended up getting the GIANT contend ar1 and it will be in next week.

I need suggestions on
pedals
shoes
light (something that flows with the bike)
bike pouch (looking for a top bar pouch not sure what they are officially called)
helmet (have a MTB one)

thanks in advance.

Hi best advice I can give is to go to a good shop and try on different shoes and look at the different pedal options. See if you can try some out. Best to try on helmets for fit as well. Ventilation is important if you bike in hot weather.

If you own a helmet, why buy another?

I like Cygolite Hotshots for tail lights and Urban light and Motion headlights .... but all that really matters is that they are easy to mount and dismount, easy to recharge, and Bright.

I would recommend considering MTB pedals .... because you can walk wearing the shoes (plus it is easy to clip in.) Otherwise .... whatever. I got Time Expressos .... and they were discontinued .... oops. Choosing Shimano has a lot of benefits.

Congrats on the new bike. The Contend AR 1 looks like a great one for getting into road cycling.

Pedals -- you don't need special pedals when starting out, the Giant will most likely come with platform pedals. You can try clipless pedals at your leisure. If you don't plan to walk around much during your rides, Shimano SPD-SL pedals have a reputation for good reliability. Having used both SPD MTB and SPD-SL/Look-style road pedals, I vastly prefer road style pedals when I'm not going to spend much time walking. I find them easier to clip in and more comfortable and secure because the cleats have bigger contact area with the pedals.

Different brands' shoes and helmets fit differently, you have to try them in person.

Depending on how deep you get into cycling, you might buy a dedicated cycling computer for riding new routes down the line. If you buy a front light that can be attached underneath a combo mount for a cleaner look (usually they'd come with a GoPro mount adapter), you'll be set for that possibility. The aforementioned Light & Motion lights tend to be GoPro mount compatible.

I think you're either looking for a top tube bag or handlebar bag recommendation? Those aren't aesthetically popular among road cyclists, the former is more associated with triathletes who store food/drink that they can access without stopping and the latter with bikepackers/gravel riders who lug around more stuff and aren't as concerned about the poor aerodynamics. Roadies tend to carry their gear in jersey pockets, saddle bags, or in place of a water bottle. The only reason I can think for having one for road cycling is if you want to put your phone there and see the screen, but as I mentioned, it's fairly common to use a dedicated cycling computer mounted in front of your stem instead. There's nothing wrong if you decide to use one of those bags, just be aware that you won't see that setup a lot.

Thanks for the feedback. Went today to the local bike shop and picked up pedals (Shimano SPD) but they were sold out of pretty much everything else. The GIANT, I called support and they verified I have to supply pedals. That was a n00b question because the lady kind of laughed. I’m like why don’t they come with pedals?!? How am I supposed to move this thing without pedals lol. We had a laugh.

After my ride today stumbled in another LBS and they had my size shoes..picked up some Giro Savix. They were very comfortable and had the twist tighten mechanism so I did like that. Also got a Giro Agilis MIPS helmet and didn’t leave feeling like I spent a whole lot.

im really excited to see what road biking has in store for me.

You seem to be making smart choices so far. Waiting to see pics at post 10.

Ha, yeah that's a legit question. After a point, i guess they just assume people have their preferences for pedals.

Personally, i wish bikes would not come with saddles or wheels either - I mean, i know WHY they do it but its such a damn waste for people who already have a couple of bikes and wheels for them. I have yet to find a single bike i wanted to buy which had wheels i would keep/use for the long term. Same with saddles.

Anyway, congrats on your new bike and happy journeys. A very good friend of mine just got into riding as well - he has some fit issues initially but those seem better now and he's out and about riding, and quite enjoying it. Have you taken the plunge to full-on lycra yet?

LMAO! Hell no. One reason I didn’t want bike shorts is not wanting to go in the corner store and be “that guy” LOL.

My coworker that rides says they are a necessity so I started my research. I’m kind of big..6’3 - 259 and I’m biking to work on this weight. The whole outfit I feel i would look like the overweight stripper everyone laughs at. Lol. I picked up a Bontrager zip up bike shirt and that was a 3X and I got a FOX defend shirt which is a 2X. The shorts I got those Bontrager evoke mountain short with the liner inside. I got a couple pairs of 2X but they had a sale on 1X and I fit them perfectly now (dropped 14lbs last month). Just ordered a couple more FOX mtb shirts and I figured I’ll wait till my 6pack makes an appearance before attempting the tighter racing shirts

My coworker was saying he didn’t like the wheels that came on the contend ar 1 (they are tubeless) however I’m all new to this so I was excited when I saw they were tubeless, they look pretty dope too when I saw the tires at the store on another contend model. What are you looking for with new tires, just lighter or something along these lines?

I am a bit of a wheel geek, and i like nice wheels: either aero or light, and pretty much most bikes - except for the 1 or 2 models at the top of the food chain - come with wheels that I want to replace/upgrade. Same with tires - I like riding on racing tires. They are more supple and have a far nicer road feel. They do wear down a bit faster, which I dont care about - spending an extra 100 for a pair of tires a year isnt exactly a significant expense and life is too short to ride crappy tires.

If you are starting out, dont worry about wheel upgrades and such for now. It is one of those things which is more of a "hey, this makes me happy" as opposed to "this makes me faster". There is nothing wrong at all with the wheels that Giant, Trek etc spec with their bikes.

My friend said exactly the same thing about bibs, hehe. I've been laying it on extra thick with the need to shave his legs and all that as well. If you do ever embrace the Dork Side, please for the love of god get black bibs. In my early days, i bought a top-end Assos jersey + bibs that looked great - except the crotchal area of the bibs is white. If it rains, people can learn a lot about which end of the religious spectrum i fall on.

Grats on the weight loss.

Yeah once you're buying your third or fourth bike ever you'll wish they'd sell you a "frameset plus" with the heavily-discounted groupset but without saddle and wheels, and maybe even without stem, bars, and crankset.

You may want to upgrade the wheels at some point, but don't rush it.