New to road bikes

I just recently became interested in road bikes. In the past I did bmx but as I got older that lost its apeal, and it doesn't help that the city tore out the only track! So I'm 18, just got a bike about 3 or 4 months ago. It's an older peugeot 12 speed that I am dooing a few improvments to. The bike was never realy ridden and just sat. I've done quite a bit of cleaning and now it looks almost new, along with some new grip tape and tires of course as the old was silver? and the tires were rotten. I belive the bike is a mid to high end for the time but I'm not realy sure. Mostly I don't know what is Good and what is not so good for a road bike. The frame is the carbolite type, the crank and bottom sprockets are all aluminium as well as the wheels. The rear gear stack or hub is helical cut rather than stait splines. The gears are shimano and the brakes are weinmann center pull type. It also came equipted with secondary brake levers, which I removed because they are stupid. The "normal" brake levers however are drilled, posibly for looks or to save weight. This is something I havn't seen in a 10 or 12 speed before. One problem I have with the bike right now is the "lame" pedals as they don't even have straps. This is my stater bike, so are there any basic improvments that I should do to this bike? Also should I get biking shorts, shirt, and shoes? What kind?

Welcome to the addicting world of Road Racing. It sounds like you're serious about getting into the sport. What I suggest is seeing if you can upgrade to a low-cost, newer road bike. The reason I suggest this is because the newer road bikes are just so nice and you can get into one with decent components for very little. It will make your transition just that much more exciting and much more comfortable.

I suggest purchasing some economical bike shorts, jerseys, shoes, eyeglasses, gloves, and helmet. A good website to check out is www.performancebike.com They always have good prices and you'll find yourself going back there for misc. items that you'll need for your bike.

If you're looking for a good starter bike that is not only economical, but has great components, check our www.coloradocyclist.com and see if there is anything in the Road Bike section you can afford.

By going this route, you'll start off on the right foot. It makes getting into the sport much more enjoyable and much more efficient. Plus, you'll fit right in with other local cyclist at the club. I hope this helps.

Best Wishes,
Vector7

Thanks for the advise. Right now I am a student so I can't realy aford to buy a new bike on my limited budget. I think I'm going to get the riding equiptment and put decent pedals on this bike, as this is absolutely necesary. It's not a uo8 or some thing, which my uncle has one, they are old and weigh a ton! By the way, what is the average total weight of road bikes these days, just to get an idea.

Rob

For a decent bike probably 17-19 lbs.

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Cannondale Caad7 R2000

Thats prety light. I just weighed my bike today, it weighs ~23lbs. Thats light comparing it to a 30+ pound mt. bike! I met some one the other day who has a carbonfiber bike, it felt like about a therd the weight of my own. How light would the average steel frame bike be?

Rob

About the same for high end steel frames.

Best Wishes,
Vector7

The average weight for a good entry level bike should be 20lbs or so...

I would suggest that you get a good helmet (I would suggest a Trek with the wheel adjustable harness in the rear... they fit securely and are are very comfortable and light). Get a good pair of sunglasses (a bug in the eye at 30 or 40 mph sucks).

Other than that, put your money into the bike... don't worry about the silly stuff like jerseys and freaky spandex bike shorts.

Spend some time with your bike before you decide what to upgrade... You might find that you don't need to upgrade to high tech nifty STI shifters for instance... downtube shifters are lighter weight and lower maintenance... With Sora shifters you still have to take your hand off the bars to shift anyway, so what's the difference?

Oh, and clipless pedals are great. Much easier in town than clips.

The absolute number one must is to get a Brooks saddle. Handmade in England. Leather and metal... no plastic. breaks in and conforms to your body. Amazingly comfortable once broken in! And, if taken care of, a Brooks will last 20 or 30 years or even much longer. Sure, a Brooks is a little heavier than some super modern carbon fiber thing... but at the end of a long ride, I couldn't care less about a few extra grams... I want comfort!

Here's some links worth checking out:

http://www.chainreaction.com/conversions.htm

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/articles.html

http://www.chainreaction.com/pedalfaq.htm

http://www.brookssaddles.com/