first road bike questions

omniscient_toad

I just bought my first entry level road bike (a Giant defy 3.5) after years pootling around on various clunky cheap bikes (it's amazing how heavy they suddenly seem after using a road bike for the first time) and plan on using it for daily commutes to and from work and also getting around the city.

I'm trying to work out what basic bits and pieces I need to get for commuting, I'm going to pick up a decent lock (is there a way to secure the quick release wheels as well as the frame?), a few sets of spare inner tubes and a pump I can carry with me.

I'm not sure what shoes to use as I'd prefer to change into work shoes there and I find my runners a bit too big and clunky to comfortably fit in the pedal clips, are there some hard wearing shoes for caged pedals that'll stand up to daily use and typical Irish weather? I think i'll hold off on cleats/clipless pedals for a while, possibly for a second bike in the future less focused on commuting.

As for clothing I guess some kind of lightweight warmish shorts + top that won't soak up litres of water and become sodden in the rain that I can change out of and stow away at work, is there some cycling specific brand or type of clothing that would suit?

Sorry if these questions seem trivial and mundane, I'd love to get into road biking properly down the line with a fancier bike, cleats and the proper gear but for the moment it's run of the mill commuting until I get more ambitious/refill the bank account!

Coronal

Congrats on the bike, I love the look of Giant bikes

omniscient_toad wrote: »

is there a way to secure the quick release wheels as well as the frame?

Yes, you get a second lock or something like the Kryptoflex cable, (this is actually a lock and cable, but you can get them separately) lock the rear triangle and wheel with your main lock to something solid and then secure the front wheel with the secondary lock.

omniscient_toad wrote: »

I'm not sure what shoes to use as I'd prefer to change into work shoes there and I find my runners a bit too big and clunky to comfortably fit in the pedal clips, are there some hard wearing shoes for caged pedals that'll stand up to daily use and typical Irish weather? I think i'll hold off on cleats/clipless pedals for a while, possibly for a second bike in the future less focused on commuting.

To be honest, if you want to get special shoes, you might as well go with cleats and shoes. You can get SPD pedals, which can be tuned to have a very low release tension, and the shoes are quite walkable. How long is your commute?

omniscient_toad wrote: »

As for clothing I guess some kind of lightweight warmish shorts + top that won't soak up litres of water and become sodden in the rain that I can change out of and stow away at work, is there some cycling specific brand or type of clothing that would suit?

Cycling specific kit is good. Again, depending on the length of your commute, a cycling jersey is nice to have. Have a browse through here, for example, or check out the dhb kit at Wiggle for decent value stuff.

omniscient_toad wrote: »

Sorry if these questions seem trivial and mundane, I'd love to get into road biking properly down the line with a fancier bike, cleats and the proper gear but for the moment it's run of the mill commuting until I get more ambitious/refill the bank account!

The bike you have is more than suited to road cycling! I started with my fixie mostly for commuting, but have done up to 100 km on it. You'll be grand, just go for it

omniscient_toad

Thanks a lot for the encouraging post I felt a bit daft asking fairly obvious questions about commuting in a forum full of experienced cyclists .

The extra cable to secure the wheels looks perfect, no point spending big money on a second heavy duty lock for the wheel once the frame is secured.

My commute is about 40km each way but my worry about getting clip in pedals and shoes is that this is the only bike I have and I'll be using it for trips to the shop/into town/cinema/over to friends houses etc etc. Would the spd shoes be alright for walking about in for an hour or two to save carrying a pair of spare shoes with me at all times?

I figure I'll have to buy another pair of shoes of some sort, just because my existing shoes wouldn't suit and my running shoes get a lot of use already and spend most of their time in a locker when not in use. Would an spd compatible shoe work with my existing caged pedals for a while before I change them to spd pedals?

Thanks for all the advice, it's really appreciated.

Coronal

You can get something like this: http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=5937 which has an spd clip on one side and is flat on the other. I doubt if you could put a cage on it, though. The MTB shoes might work with caged pedals, but there probably wouldn't be that much room for them to get in.

I walk around in SPD shoes all the time, indeed, you can get ones that look pretty close to normal shoes and have a reasonable sole and everything.

For 40 km each way, I'd go with the pedals and shoes, personally. You can do without, but it really makes a lot of difference.

omniscient_toad

Hi again, back after a week or so of commuting on the new bike in trainers/casual clothes while deciding what to get. I'm definitely seeing the benefit in buying double sided pedals, mine have an irritating knack of hanging upside down by default which means shortly after every traffic light I'm left awkwardly trying to scrabble it back around and get my foot into the cage (also borrowed a friends fixed gear for a trip with the same caged pedals and it was a nightmare).

I'm definitely seeing the attraction in padded shorts as well, I didn't realise how much of a jump it was from a heavy lump of a cheap bike to a light racing bike, even avoiding the holes and drains you really feel anything other than perfectly smooth road (which seems to be in the minority on the bicycle lanes on my commute!). Never having had front and back gears I managed to slip the chain twice on my first trip out before feeling like an idiot and realising it wasn't a problem with the bike but a daft combination of gears/skewed chain.

So after this week the priority is padded shorts, double sided spd pedals, some spd shoes I can walk in for a bit, spare tubes and a hefty bikelock, anything obvious I'm missing?

In terms of a pump I can carry with me in case of a puncture is it feasible to get a tire up to pressure with something so small, it's just I used a stand pump at home and it took some effort to the point where it seems some of the little mini pumps would be horrific for getting an empty tube up to full racing bike pressure.

Thanks for all the advice, even with just the bike and all my mistakes (and saddle soreness!) I'm genuinely loving my commute everyday, I just can't resist going full out and chasing any more experienced fully kitted out cyclist I come across and ending up in work looking deranged and pouring with sweat

mp31

Just wondering, how long does it take to cover the 40km for your commute?

Coronal

omniscient_toad wrote: »

So after this week the priority is padded shorts, double sided spd pedals, some spd shoes I can walk in for a bit, spare tubes and a hefty bikelock, anything obvious I'm missing?

In terms of a pump I can carry with me in case of a puncture is it feasible to get a tire up to pressure with something so small

You won't get it all the way up to pressure, but with a lot of elbow grease you can get it up to something that will get you home so long as you watch out for any nasty potholes or bumps. At lower pressures these can cause snakebite punctures, which ruin your day completely.

omniscient_toad wrote: »

Thanks for all the advice, even with just the bike and all my mistakes (and saddle soreness!) I'm genuinely loving my commute everyday, I just can't resist going full out and chasing any more experienced fully kitted out cyclist I come across and ending up in work looking deranged and pouring with sweat

Excellent I see you have come across The Race. Now let us never speak of it again

Hmmzis

For the 40k commute SPD type pedals and shoes would be perfect but for getting around town they might be a bit awkward (maybe the MTB ones are better in this regard).

For city traffic I personally prefer MTB flat pedals, great grip with regular runners and no hassle at traffic lights to get back on.

Also a good backpack to carry around some spare gear and some waterproofs could come in handy.

If your office has showers then feel free to give your legs some burning. Wakes me up in the morning like no coffee in the world