600miles - 7weeks
 

I have had my bike for about a month and half...reached 600miles today.

How did you fair in your first month or two while riding in terms of miles traveled?

I don’t know how to change a tire and I ride without the proper equipment to change a flat, hope it doesn’t catch up to me.

Any maintenance that I should consider doing…trying to be proactive unless it is too soon.

If I were you I'd start with learning how to change a tube. It's only a matter of time before you flat; it's much easier to learn at home than out on the road the first time. It's easiest to change a tube when you are out on a ride, then learn how to find and patch the leak when you get home.

If you have a friendly LBS go in there and say you want to get a kit for dealing with flats and some instruction on using it (if you go in when it is quiet) - they are likely to be happy to assist you (especially if you are buying the accessories from them).

What you need:

* tool bag (under seat)
* spare tube
* mini pump (that can go in jersey pocket or on the frame)
* Tyre levers (to get access to the tube)

Optional:

* Puncture repair kit (for when you get more than 1 flat)
* CO2 canister/inflator (to get your tyres up to a good PSI level and make sure you don't pinch flat after the change!)
* Multitool (allen keys etc for doing on road fixes)

Additionally, get a track pump with a pressure guage to ensure you are running the correct tyre pressure, and check every 2-3 rides. You want to ensure you are running a good pressure so you don't pinch flat and that you don't make your ride harder than it needs to be! Track pumps make the whole thing really easy.

Anyway, good work and keep it up!

Close to 100M a week is a good start - and in case you haven't heard, cycling is the new golf (guys leaving early in the morning multiple times a week, spending hours away from the family with other guys and spending a small fortune on equipment!)

HTH

Just learn how to change a tube; it's all you need for now. Learning to fix a flat won't hurt though. I think I rode about a shetload in my first month or two, but I can't remember the exact distance.

good luck with that.

if you live near an REI or other large good bike type store, a lot of them will run clinics for home bike repair, sounds like you would do well with a class on bike maintenance.

its actually all very easy and intuitive.

I grew up on a bike so I cannot say how many miles I used to ride as a kid. After a long hiatus I returned to cycling at age 35. Again I wasn't tracking my mileage, but I don't think I could handle more than about 12-15 miles in one ride at that time, and even medium hills were making me turn around and go home. I'd say 40-60 miles per week at first.

It took a year or so before I could do 50+ miles in one ride without feeling wrecked. These days I am in much better form and am regularly racing distances higher than that with good recovery by the next day or two.

sounds uncomfortable.

1)It is probably time to clean and lube the chain
2) A quick clean of the bike with Windex and paper towels.
3) A liitle dry lube on the front and rear derailer after making sure they are clean.
4) Clean and lube the shifting cables at the bottom of the bike.
5) Is the bike shifting right? Cables stretch and you might need to increase tension by turning the barrel adjuster at the rear derailer.
6) Check tires to make sure no glass is stuck in them
7) Are the brakes working correctly?

First, well done on 600 miles in 7 weeks, thats good going for someone just starting out. Careful not to overdo it too soon though, I've seen a lot of people get nice expensive bikes, ride every day for a month and then never see them again, nice bike goes on ebay about 2 years later having sat in the garage since that first month.

Definately practice changing your tube, its not that hard but you'll be glad you practiced when it happens on the road, getting the tyre bead out and back in can be a frustrating process the first time until you know whats what.

Also v70cat is very right, proper bike maintainance is essential, it will reduce the chance of things going wrong on rides, and will add years to the life of you bike.

:lol: