warriorsq

After 20 years of mountain/urban bike riding I'm back on a road bike and just got a Trek 1.5 and have some general questions...

1. Any tweaks I should really do to the bike as soon as I get it home and before a long ride? (I work in IT and always tweak a new pc before it gets used...thats why I ask)

2. Things that you really need to take on a long road bike ride...spare innertube,tyre leavers,money,mobile,water anything else?

3. Is there a real advantage of wearing proper cycling clothes instead of jogging bottoms and t-shirt?

surfer777

I can semi-answer questions 2 and 3...question 2 you already seem to have figured out. I can't think of anything else you'd need to bring other than either a co2 pump or a frame pump so you can inflate the extra innertube in case of a flat. And question 3...there is an advantage to wearing bike shorts with a pad on the butt as opposed to regular jogging shorts because on a long ride the saddle will really start to hurt if you don't have some sort of padding. I can't speak for a jersery though, I just ride in a t shirt and its just fine for me. I guess wearing a jersey depends on whether you want to wick sweat or not and also the look you are going for. I don't care about having the full blown cyclist look and I don't care if my clothes wick away sweat so a t shirt works for me.

LowCel 

It's always a good idea to carry something to inflate the spare tube. Also, I carry a patch kit in addition to the spare tube, on a long ride it isn't particularly uncommon to have more than one flat. The guy I rode with yesterday was having a bad day, ended up with three flats.

There is definitely advantages to wearing proper cycling clothes. Cycling bibs or shorts provide padding as well as being aero. On top of that they help avoid saddle sores. The jersey is a big advantage as well. The pockets in the bag come in very handy, the jersey wicks sweat, and you can unzip it on particularly hot days or just on a climb when you could use some extra air.

10 Wheels

Pump your tires up before every ride.
Jerseys are handy with the three back pockets.
Bike shorts are good if you ride more than 30 miles.

Lights for day and night riding.





High Vis rain jacket

tessartype

Good bibs - or even "just" cycling shorts - can make a world of difference. I bought an entry level Nalini short, and a few weeks later, a basic Castelli (Presta model) bib, and it's a huge difference to riding with non-cycling pants. They're shaped not to interfere with your motions while at the same time padding where it's necessary - and you'll feel the sweat much less.

Jerseys are not a requirement per se, but they're highly useful. First, most of them come with rear pockets for storage - I can cram my mini-pump, tube, levers and food in there. Second, they're usually made from sweat-wicking and more form-fitting material than regular tees - again, comfort is the key word here.

Equipment - as was said, a pump. Lezyne's Pressure Drive model was my choice, and pumped my tires to 100psi without too much of a problem (it's never easy with a mini-pump), comes with a neat flexible tube to prevent breaking the valve (and allows better leverage) that stows inside the pump, as well as a mounting-bracket that mounts to your bottle-bosses - fits neatly next to my bottle-holders without sticking out and interfering with my movements. A mini-tool is also highly recommended.

As for tweaks: My sure it absolutely fits you. Obviously as you get used to the bike, you might want to make some changes - but make sure you're comfortable from the get-go. I found a comfortable fit, and then as my strength and goals changed, I turned more and more aggressive with the setup - dropped a spacer every few weeks, and adjusted my saddle to match. It's all very individual and maybe the Trek store could help - mine did when I bought a 1.2 model. I, for example, prefer a very steep seat angle - I'm at the end of my saddle-rails as it is - and the fitter at the store figured it out even before I thought about it.

warriorsq

Cheers guys!!
I forgot the pump lol and the puncture kit as well is a good idea. Multiple punctures on my mountain bike with its puncture resistant tyres and innertubes have never happened...so just take it for granted I guess. Thought about getting cycling shorts but didn't realise the tops had a pocket and would be easier than bikebag/bumbag

johnny99

A road bike is more sensitive to fit than a mountain bike. Plan on experimenting a lot with your saddle height and offset. You may also need to get a longer stem, especially after you ride a lot of miles. If you already have clipless pedals from your mountain bike, you can probably use the same shoes and cleat settings. Otherwise, clipless pedals are the only real equipment upgrade (other than fit issues like stem and saddle) that I would recommend in your first year of riding.