first road bike advice/help

kingerae86

im new to road bikes,
im picking up a claud butler road bike in january.
i cant remember if its milano or roubaix model.
what accesories would people recommend to get along with it as im a total newbie!
i was told to get a decent helmet with vents,pair of gloves.
is there anything else you's would recommend?

im also worried about using the strap pedals,as i have never used them before.
is there any advice on using them....leave them loose/easier to get out of etc...

sorry if these questions seem stupid or if they have been asked before but i cant find the info.

thanks

Joey Joe-Joe Jr

No such thing as a stupid question.

Get yerself a saddle bag with some for putting some essentials in, allen keys, tyre levers, spare tubes, spare bulbs, etc and a small pump too. The pump should come with a mounting bracket that goes onto the bottle cage holder.

Pedals with straps can be a bit awkward. I'd recommend clipless pedals with shoes and cleats, can't walk properly in them though so only suitable if your not planning on walking.
Enjoy!!!!!

mp31

High viz jacket

Decent lights front and back

I kept with the toe clips for a few months but kept the straps loose so that I could get the feet out quickly if I needed to. I've just recently moved onto Shimano SPD-SL pedals and road shoes.

If you are buying a lot of stuff then keep an eye out for discounts at online shops like CRC e.g. spend £75 and get £10 discount.

If you are on a tight budget then for the cold I'd suggest Aldi/Lidl for base layers & gloves.

j@utis

All the above and slap a good saddle on it or you'll be suffering.

I collected my first road bike last saturday. First time out it was like errr... how you shift the gears?! where are my breaks?! sh1te they don't work! damn can't get my 2nd foot into those straps on the pedals... all those problems were gone the next time out.

Good luck!

Rochie IRL

j@utis wrote: »

slap a good saddle on it or you'll be suffering.

I suffered and rather than a new saddle I used http://www.wiggle.co.uk/paceline-products-chamois-buttr-cream/
Gotta say it works a treat.

kingerae86

cheers for the replies,they have been a big help.
looking forward to getting it now and some half decent weather of course:D

kingerae86

update on this,
claud butler bike was the milano but was sold out in my size so ended up buying a more exspensive felt f95.
collected it today,cant wait for a day off now to get out and enjoy cycling.

funnights74

1 Good saddle,3 good cycling shorts, Hi viz clothes, even on a good summers day ( rumours have it we get a few of these!!) it's good to be seen. The other replies cover about everything. Enjoy the pain, lol

squeaky crank

kingerae86 wrote: »

so ended up buying a more exspensive felt f95.

you will probably save money in the long run as you wont need to upgrade that baby for a long time. Its a good brand with sound gears brakes etc.

I suggest SPD pedals and shoes. A couple of my mates use SPDs and they are more practical as you can walk comfortably in them as opposed to the cleats which are like walking in stilettos with broken heels. (BTW I dont wear stilettos usually - only once, in Galway, on a Stag night);)

kingerae86

squeaky crank wrote: »

you will probably save money in the long run as you wont need to upgrade that baby for a long time. Its a good brand with sound gears brakes etc.

I suggest SPD pedals and shoes. A couple of my mates use SPDs and they are more practical as you can walk comfortably in them as opposed to the cleats which are like walking in stilettos with broken heels. (BTW I dont wear stilettos usually - only once, in Galway, on a Stag night);)

what is the difference in spd pedals and shoes as appose to cleats?

triggermortis

SPD is usually used on mountain bikes and the cleats are recessed into the sole of the shoe, making walking easy. Road bike systems have larger cleats that make walking harder as they stick out from the sole of the shoe.
Cleats are the part that is fixed onto the shoe

kingerae86

cheers for clearing that up,
i taught they were the same thing.look similar in the online shops when you
dont know what you are looking at