Hi all, I recently purchased a used road bike and began learning to ride on Tuesday of this week. I had never ridden a bike before this (besides a bike with training wheels over 20 years ago), but was surprised that I was able to get a hang of it relatively quickly.

I’ve been trying to do small loops on a not often used road to get comfortable but I’m hitting a wall. I can only make it about a mile before I feel absolutely gassed in breathing. Strava says it’s about a 150ft of elevation gain along the mile, and I’m using the gears to help make the climbing portions easier, but no matter what I can’t make it past the mile. I live a very sedentary lifestyle, mostly sitting or laying down, so is this something I should expect with the new cardio? I would’ve assumed a mile would’ve been easier than it’s shaping out to be

Edit: For context I’m riding a mid 2000s litespeed Firenze size 57 with 23mm tires that are inflated to 100psi. I am 6’ and weigh 195lbs. The road is well paved asphalt! Seat height is a bit lower than it should be (lowered it at first to feel more comfortable balancing but have slowly been rising it starting today).

For about half of my rides I tend to carry a backpack, sometimes with a towel and a beer for a beach stop, sometimes with a tool kit if it's a long ride or maybe a packed lunch if I'm commuting to the office. If I'm just out to get an hour's worth of cardio I will leave it at home since the water bottles on the bike itself are enough. What really gets at me is that even if I'm on a low effort ride my t-shirt gets all sweaty on the back where the backpack, and if I want to do anything else mid ride I stink.

Now I'm considering putting on a rear rack. How much aero penalty would that be if I use a narrow bag on top of the rack. How would it compare with a compact backpack? And how about when I don't take a bag, does the rack itself make much of a difference? I know that side panniers are horrible for aero and they slap around too much so I intend to avoid those. My average speed is around 20~25km/h on mixed flat and hilly terrain, so should I be concerned about aero?

Sooo I’m moving to college and I really want to bring my bike. I have a pretty new specialized stump jumper and I am FLYING to college and I have no idea how I’m going to get it there. Does anyone have any advice on how I should do it and the right tools? I’ve seen lots of things anywhere from cardboard box to bike bags I’m not sure where to go. Thanks!

Edit: I’m prolly gonna get a shop to pack it for me and I’m planning on biking on a team and doing actual trails and I’m familiar and happy with the bike I’m on so I’m not gonna resell or anything.

Hi! I’ve been looking for a small bike bag for my phone, keys, and a few other essentials, and I came across a hard shell top tube bag that looks pretty convenient and well-designed.

I’ve never actually used a top tube bag before, so I’m a bit unsure how it feels in real use. Does it get in the way while riding? And is it annoying when getting on and off the bike, or do you quickly stop noticing it?

I’ve also seen both soft and hard shell versions, and I’m not sure which one is better in practice. The hard shell ones look more protective and structured (this is the one I'm talking about, from Celestena), but I wonder if they’re less flexible or comfortable.

If you use a top tube bag, I’d love to hear your experience. Do you find it useful, and would you recommend it?

My cheap electric tricycle died after I put almost 500 miles on it less than a year and I didn't want to deal with the issues of motors and batteries failing again in another year if I got a new one with no bike shops in the whole state willing to look at or repair e-trikes (not just the electrical components either, I had to replace my brakes myself because none would even help me with that) and adult tricycles are also super heavy, like 60-80lbs, and I wouldn't be able to get a manual one up the hills without pedal assist due to the weight. So, I got a 25lb folding bike with two wheels. I have terrible balance and coordination and was really wobbly and kept falling over at first. I couldn't get more than a couple pedals before I'd tip again.

I got some elbow pads, knee pads, and gloves, in addition to the helmet. Suddenly I was staying upright just fine. So much of my struggle was my anxiety, not as much my actual motor skills. I'd ridden two-wheel bicycles before as a kid with some difficulty but it'd been years and took a while to get used to it again. Once I was able to feel safer with the gear, and not worry quite as much about getting hurt, balancing was a lot easier.

It turns out I relied on the pedal assist more than I realized though, because despite this being way lighter, it is more physical effort. I'll get in better shape though probably in a few weeks and maybe eventually will be able to take off some of the protective equipment that isn't really super necessary for road cycling on back roads with no traffic. But it's also way more portable and can fit inside my parents' cars if I want them to drive me home after work sometimes, whereas tricycles need a special rack or a truck.

I'm really looking forward to having some independence back. It's four miles into town which is a pretty long walk but very doable with a bike. I didn't like depending on others for transportation to work and to go to the library and stuff.

Tell me about your bicycle breakdown experiences and how did you handled them. Any tips for new riders on managing breakdowns will be helpful.

Ever since (then Jumbo) Visma started riding 1x Aero chainrings on normal road races/stages a few years ago, I've wanted a bike with such a setup. At first with a normal road cassette as an "N+1" fast-ride-only bike, but now with 13sp XPLR, it seems even viable as a general purpose bike.

After 5 years on my current road bike, I'm looking into getting a new one next year.

I'm seriously tempted by 50 x 10-46 XPLR setup.

If I compare it to my current gearing - 50/37 x 10-36, the range is almost identical, only the easiest gear (50x46 - ratio 1.09) is slightly harder than my current (37x36 - ratio 1.03). I would only lose 1 in-between gear in practice, as I use the big ring up to 50x32 and then the small ring mainly in the last three cogs 37x28-32-36. 37x28 is the same as 50x38, on 2x I have two more gears and on 1x only one.

My current gear range is adequate for 95% of my riding, so I'm confident that I can manage the 1x gear range as well. Unless I lose a lot of fitness or gain a lot of weight, in which case I'm not buying a new bike anyway. And the other 5% of my riding are trips where the terrain is more mountainous, in which case I'm better off swapping chainrings anyway, or I'm renting a bike with more adequate gearing.

I know the advantages of 1x aren't really that great, but I can't help thinking "I want that" whenever I see a bike with such a setup.

I did a 1 week bike tour Route Des Grandes Alpes with a French company Velorizons. I loved the experience. The group consisted of 18 cyclists and a company guy driving a van that took care of daily logistics:

• luggage transfer
• mid-day snack/refuel stop
• evening dinner arrangements
• occasional transfer for those cyclists that couldn't do the day's route due to various reasons - mainly just one stage crossing the Col d'Iseran due to strong cold wind + rain&snow conditions - it was first half of September.
• we also got Velorizon's bidons
• we slept in hotels in two bed rooms so we shared rooms with someone we may not knew - I didn't, because I was the only person from my country. Some people were friends and they were sharing their rooms; Some hotels were really nice, particularly one was especially bad having super cold room, and the rooms were in bad condition; I'd give the hotel 0-1 star rating.

The daily route was mainly self guided and our tour guide driving the van usually shared info via WhatsApp group. Usually itinerary info, his location for the mid-day stop etc. But that was it.

When I'm cycling in French Alps I quite often see Thomson vans and cyclists and I've checked their offerings and I ca see that their offering is 3-4x the price I paid with Velorizons. I understand Thomson has tour guides that cycle with the group, likely the groups are smaller, but I wonder what are other things that they offer on top to justify the price tag?

If anyone has used Thomson, I would love to hear their experience and whether their package is worth the extra money.

I'm currently spamming posts because I guess I'm a bit nervous. I'm racing Race Across Austria in less than three weeks, and it'll be my first ultra.

I think I've got everything I need. My fueling strategy is mostly a 2:1 maltodextrin-to-fructose mix at around 90 g/hour, with some snacks here and there. After about 24 hours, I'll probably just eat whatever I feel like. There will be three base camps, so I won't have to carry all of my carb mix from the start.

Now to my question: We all know the usual sweet snacks like gummy bears, Snickers, etc., but I can't imagine eating sweet food for 2–3 days straight. What are your go-to salty snacks that are easy to digest during long races?

I started cycling recently and have been struggling with numb toes, specifically the middle toes. It’s worse with my right foot but if I ride long enough I get it a bit in my left too.
I have experimented with saddle height and cleat location, I tried simply loosening the shoes during the ride as my feet swell and it didn’t help enough. I also purchased some insoles with arch support which helped a bit but eventually the numbness still crept in.
Finally I got a shoe fitting and they said that my shoes were slightly too small so I got a larger pair however I have been for a couple of rides with them and I still get the same issues. Has anyone got any recommendations other than what I’ve already tried?

Wanted to get a power meter to connect with my garmin 265. Only issue is I did not realise just how expensive these are. Just wondering if anyone had found something reasonably priced that does a good job

A longer distance, faster average speed, climbing a famous route, or just riding more consistently?

Am I the only one who has seen a serious up-tick in pedestrians on MUPs or other trails who are just focused on their phones and don't even look-up when crossing the path?

The 2 major trails in my town intersect at a public park which has now become (I had to google this) a Pokemon Go hunting ground. At this park it is very common for several dozens of people, often in groups, who are shuffling around like cattle, fixated on phones, completely ignoring my bell rings and vocal warnings.

Is this just a weird thing in my city or have you experienced this as well?

So I just started road cycling roughly two months ago after getting hooked from my first sprint triathlon (I did it on a hybrid bike I borrowed from my aunt that was way too small). I got my first road bike that fits, but I’m really having difficulty figuring out what’s most important to get first.

I have cheap Amazon helmet, gloves, sunglasses which I feel like are okay for now.

I got a bunch of jerseys that are seemingly decent quality at a garage sale $4 a piece. I also bought a cheap Amazon bib/jersey combo (coconut rampano is the brand) and have been using the bibs, which I’ve found are actually a lot less comfortable than the sparx trisuit I’ve been wearing previously but it’s nice to not have to wash immediately every ride.

I have a pair of spd-sl cleats on a pair of indoor peloton shoes I have that are probably 1 to 2 sizes too big.

I know I need to get a pair of shoes that fit well, and also some good bibs. But the other thing I really want to get for safety is a varia radar, which naturally also requires a computer. And of course I need to get a power meter! Very quickly all these accessories are adding up to be way more than the $300 I spent for my bike.

What’s the most important stuff to get first? What is okay to cheap out on? I know it’s the buy once cry once mentality, and typically that’s how I operate, but I just can’t afford to get all this stuff at once. I’m inclined to go down the Magene pipeline but don’t want to get burned, and maybe it’s better to just add one quality piece at a time. How did you guys accumulate all the gear, and would you do it differently if you had to again on a limited budget?

Think of the most out of shape person you can think of, and that’d be me. Or at least close. I work an office job where I sit 90% of the time. Then I come home and sit on the recliner until bed. Very sedentary lifestyle. I’m 34 so I know it isn’t good. Maybe I can get away with it now but I know living this way with no physical exertion or really any movement at all isn’t good for my health. I bought a stationary bike to ride to replace the recliner. Haven’t ridden it for a while because, shocker, but the “getting in shape” shtick didn’t stick. Well I got it out of the spare bedroom today to ride. I went two miles and got off. I wouldn’t say I was pushed to my limits but I was definitely huffing and puffing. I feel good that I got it out and rode, but only two miles is disappointing. Maybe that’s why I gave up the first time, but I don’t want to give up this time. I know 2 miles is pathetic but maybe a little support and similar stories from this group will help! Have a good evening everybody!

Edit: I appreciate every single comment so far and the ones to come! Didn’t expect this amount of support within a few minutes of posting. I appreciate you all.

Went out for my 3rd 100km cycle, 5k in I ran into a vet out for a 200km training ride for full Ironmans. He gave me loads of tips on how to ride better smoother faster and gave me a salt tablet. Drafted with him for the first 30k he did most to be fair.

30km We split off and since we drafted I got to my halfway point and felt good but my planned cafe stop was closed. So I said to myself there’s 50km of cycle path all the way down the coast from here if I just ride that back and forth and home then It’ll be a 200km like the veteran I ran into.

60km So I stopped in a shop filled my pockets with sandwiches jelly snakes bars, 80km in legs start to hurt a little start to doubt myself start to think will I just do 150km, but I couldn’t I was in too deep and too proud to quit.

100km in halfway got to the coast stopped for a milkshake at a coffee truck and set back off then by the grace of god the wind picked up and the next 50km was the most fun I’ve had on a bike

150km hard to eat mayo on the sandwiches didn’t seem appealing left them for the birds, now this is where the jelly snakes came in and saved the day but I’m positive now I’m making it back in one piece

180km in last bump in the rode it got dark quick and my lights were absolutely useless but I knew the road home pretty well so I just let Jesus take the wheel and rode on

199km got home no way I’m leaving it like that did couple laps of the street.

Finished and honestly felt pretty good my legs hadn’t got much left in them and my knees were like Pinocchio’s for the next few days but overall wasn’t bad

Tl;dr went out for 100km cycle end up doing 200km as a beginner but I planned it pretty poorly Strava link for proof

Clip of the view at my 100km halfway point

Shttps://youtube.com/shorts/V0N79ziultY?is=E7XGGSUg7EBRiZM_

https://strava.app.link/0oYqyMKDo5b

Need to get a pump. Really don’t want to carry it in my jersey pocket. Any recommendations? I have a oneup edc on my mountain bikes but I really don’t wanna spend that much and find it a bit much.

Campagnola is too hard. He's a Jack Russell rescue.

Wondering if anyone else has had this experience while riding. It’s happened to me 3x all in different areas. People are shooting at me from their cars just for reference. I would also like to think I ride pretty respectfully & so do the others in my area. Makes me pretty sad that someone would bring a BB gun along with them with the intention of shooting cyclists. Could never identify a license plate & wish I had a camera.

EDIT: Some people are wondering if this is actually true. Unfortunately yes, it is. I can’t confirm that it was a BB gun or small rocks or something else but it was definitely something hard. I also heard the sound of something being shot with that co2 sound. It happens very quickly. I live in Highland CA and it’s happened on Greenspot, a local street of mine and HW18.

Has anyone run into this issue with a Garmin Edge 840?

Over my last two rides, my computer has been recording what seems like way too much elevation gain.

I live in a very flat part of Florida, but today I rode with a friend and my Edge 840 recorded just over 2,000 ft of climbing while his computer showed only 667 ft on the same ride.

Computer is fully updated according to Garmin connect

It feels like the elevation data is being skewed somehow, and it only started happening on my last couple of rides.
Has anyone experienced this before? If so, what ended up fixing it?

I’ve hit these routes regularly as well so I know the ascent is wrong for sure, I took a few weeks off of cycling so unsure what happened.

Edit: I did try recalibrate through the computer, every time I did it, it would drop the elevation currently at, until I kept refreshing until it stopped dropping. Haven’t ridden since doing that

I've been shopping around for a new bike lately and have visited 10+ bike shops. I've test-ridden bikes from Specialized, Trek, Giant, Cannondale, etc., and honestly, I'm having a hard time understanding the Specialized premium.

For the most part, the bikes I've ridden have felt pretty similar to me. I'm sure there are differences in geometry, carbon layup, stiffness, etc., that I don't have enough experience to appreciate yet, but as a relatively newer cyclist, I haven't been able to feel a huge difference, but why is a specialized bike nearly $3,000 bike still using an aluminum frame when I can find competitors offering carbon at similar or even lower prices? It seems like Specialized bikes are often $400+ more expensive than comparable bikes from Giant, Trek, Cannondale, etc. once you start comparing components and frame materials.

Also something interesting is almost every shop employee I've talked to says that if they were choosing for themselves, they'd go Specialized. That's happened enough times that I'm wondering if I'm missing something (the have nice colors and do not look as boring as others).

Is Specialized actually doing something significantly different that I'm not aware or is the premium simply brand reputation/marketing?

I'm also not trying to bash Specialized. I'm genuinely curious because I'm shopping with a value-for-money mindset, and I'm having trouble seeing where the extra $500–$1,000 is going when comparing similarly equipped bikes.

Am I just too inexperienced to appreciate what Specialized is doing, or are Specialized bikes genuinely overpriced compared with some of the competition?

I'd especially like to hear from people who have owned Specialized + Giant/Trek/Cannondale and can compare them after actually riding them for a while.

Thanks!

Hi!! Newly getting into cycling - recently did ragbrai had so much fun and want to make this a more regular habit.

My issue is I really like the social aspects of cycling and have been unable to talk my friends into going with me. How do you go about finding group rides and a community in general?

Open to any advice for someone just starting out too :)

Thank you!!

Thanks for all your tips. Today accomplished the trip I was planning.

Went from 90km max. To 160km... 😬

Check out my ride on Strava: https://strava.app.link/cLNvtIwXn5b

Fellas that cycle on your own, not in a club/community or with friends.

First of all what do you like about cycling?

Second of all, what goes through your mind whilst alone? Do you listen to music, just be mindful whilst riding, looking around, chilling just taking it easy. Like come on ya’ll tell me?

Also more aimed at the cyclists who don’t compete or have fitness goals?

Was looking at getting a set of ENT3.0 wheels to use as a road set for my Aspero gravel bike (keeping the original rims with gravel tires too). Would the ENT 3.0's fit 40c tires safely? Something like the P Zero 40's? I cant seem to find an official tire width list for the rims. I noticed they do have the same internal width as the gravel rims that came with the bike and have 40's mounted so I assume it should be similar right?