Finally got a Road bike Bike

mkdon05

Delighted with myself!
Girlfriends brother had his old bike in his shed and because he bought a new one, he gave me his old one!
Its an easton frame with shimano gears and cogs and 2 really good wheels. All i need to do now is get it seviced and the handlebars re-gripped and im away

Ps How inflated should the tyres be? (ie. rock solid or a bit of give)

now that i think of it, i'll need to get cycling shoes as it has clipless pedals:(

Trojan

Tyres should have a "max PSI" number on them - buy a decent track pump that tells you what your PSI is at. In general it's pretty high (solid) to avoid wasting energy.

crashoveroid

Trojan wrote:

Tyres should have a "max PSI" number on them - buy a decent track pump that tells you what your PSI is at. In general it's pretty high (solid) to avoid wasting energy.

You should pump your tyres to about 120 psi but check the tyre first to see it can take it.

Quigs Snr

If they are older tires, i.e. bike has been lying about a bit, there might be some perishing. 100psi should be hard enough for you. I would race at 100psi on a wet day (120psi at all other times depending on the wheels I have on). Track pump is the best investment you can make. (I could swear I saw some in Tescos cheap the other day). Those little hand things are only useful to get you home if you flat.

mkdon05

Quigs Snr wrote:

If they are older tires, i.e. bike has been lying about a bit, there might be some perishing. 100psi should be hard enough for you. I would race at 100psi on a wet day (120psi at all other times depending on the wheels I have on). Track pump is the best investment you can make. (I could swear I saw some in Tescos cheap the other day). Those little hand things are only useful to get you home if you flat.

Well it has been idle for a good while, do you reckon i'm best off just getting new tubes and tyres?

AndyP

mkdon05 wrote:

Well it has been idle for a good while, do you reckon i'm best off just getting new tubes and tyres?

Yes, the sidewalls can give way quite easily if they are perished and thats not something than can be readily fixed at the side of the road in the middle of nowhere.

Quigs Snr

If the bike has been lying around especially in the open and with it tires deflated, the rubber on the sidewalls can crack. Pump it too hard and you might pressure it a bit too much. Take a look anyway and see if you spot any cracking on the sides of the tires.

mloc123

Quigs Snr wrote:

Track pump is the best investment you can make. (I could swear I saw some in Tescos cheap the other day).

Picked one of those track pumps in Tesco a few months back, €15. Works fine.