New bike, have some questions.

Okay, well I am a n00b too, but I will give it a shot:

First, I would say clipless pedals. This is kind of a "Pot calling the kettle black" moment, as I have a twenty year old bike with flat pedals on it, but everyone I have spoken too preaches about the manifold benefits of clipless.

Second, from what I understand (seeing as how I have a twenty year old bike with column mounted paddle shifters) the lone clicky thing is the up shift and the whole brake lever is the down shift. Someone please smack/correct me if I am wrong, but that's how I understood it. It's either that or vice-versa. Make sure you don't shift when you aren't pedalling the bike. If you need to, lift the back wheel up and pedal it with your hands while you have an assistant shift down to the lowest gear.

Hope that helped! ^_^

zs_21 said:

First, this is my first bike with anything on the pedals. The pedals it came with have straps and a plastic-ish material thingy to hook your feet into ontop of the pedals.

There's a bit of a knack to getting you feet into toe clips but it becomes easier with practice (you kinda scrape your foot along the pedal and flick the front up). Having said that, you'll probably want to go clipless at some time in the future so you might as well bite the bullet and go now. I didn't ride my new bike for two weeks because I was scared of riding clipless for the first time - turned out to be no big deal and wouldn't be without them now.

As far as shifting, the right hand inner changes up (to a harder/faster gear) and the main brake lever changes down (easier/slower gear). The left hand is the opposite. The main brake changes to a harder gear and the inner moves to an easier gear. If you're wondering why they work in opposite ways I'll relate what my LBS told me. If there's a problem with the front mechanism/cable, it will default to the smaller ring so making it easier to ride. Don't know if this is true but it sounded reasonable.

cheers

//k

A Trek dealer should at least have shown you how to use a pair of toeclips , change gear & heaven forbid how the quick-release wheels works! 😕

If not take it back for a refresher introduction as their dealer agreement with Trek insists on it!

Alright, I think I get it, I'll give it a try with the toe clips but may have to suck it up and go clippless. And as for the shifting that's simple enough, although the opposite thing is a tad-bit confusing.

Thanks for the help!

zs_21 said:

Alright, I think I get it, I'll give it a try with the toe clips but may have to suck it up and go clippless. And as for the shifting that's simple enough, although the opposite thing is a tad-bit confusing.

Thanks for the help!

Just take the hardware off of your pedals and ride the bike in the simplest, easiest way you can.

As a beginning, casual rider, don't even think about clipless pedals and special shoes until you think you might be interested in that.

It is not important for casual riding to connect your shoes to the pedals.

As for the shifting: as others have said, the dealer you bought the bike from should have taught you how to use the shifters. To me, it is unconscionable that a shop would sell you a bike without making sure you knew how to shift. Return to the shop and insist they give you decent instruction on this!

All mho of course!

Quoted post said:

Just take the hardware off of your pedals and ride the bike in the simplest, easiest way you can.

That sounds like the most reasonable way to go for now, I can't really afford to invest hundreds into good pedals and shoes at the moment, and as it was what was on my old bike, I know I can do fine with flat pedals.

And I think I have the shifting down fine now.

You can get a good clipless setup for about $130. Last year I bought new shimano SPD road pedals on ebay and used carbon shoes for that price.

Anyway, you don't need to right now. "Cages" (flat pedals with the straps on top) are not terrible and have been used by pros until clipless came along. They take a bit of practice, but as long as you rememeber to have them loose before taking the foot out/putting it in, then tighten once it's in there, you'll be able to turn circles in the pedal proper instead of only ever pushing down on flat pedals (necessary if u have no cages). This is a skill and without it, you may fall over when going slowly, so you could take the cages off for now, but know that it's a goal you should have to be able to use them.

zs_21 said:

Well I just got my first road bike, a Trek 1000, a few days ago, and so far it rides like a dream; I do have a few generic noobish questions though.

First, this is my first bike with anything on the pedals. The pedals it came with have straps and a plastic-ish material thingy to hook your feet into ontop of the pedals. My old bike had nothing on the pedals, just a flat pedal that you put your foot on, no way of hooking in. I wear normal tennis shoes when I ride and so far have been unsuccessful at getting my feet into the straps while standing over the bike, and even if I could get one foot in, I doubt I could get the other in before I loose my balance and fall. Anyone know any remedies for this problem or should I just remove the straps until I can afford to upgrade to some clippless pedals?

Second, I'm not entirely sure how to shift on a road bike. I have Shimano Sora shifters. The breaks flip inward and there is a lever on the inside of both brakes that flips outward. I know the left break controls the big 1-2-3 front gears, and the right controls the 1-7 back gears, but im not positive how to shift up and down on those.

I know these are probably simple issues but I would appreciate any help.

1. When starting out, put your top foot into the clip and cage. As you start, ride with the other foot on the bottom side of the pedal for a few strokes. That will give you enough momentum that you can coast while you insert your other foot. In a pinch you can put your unstraped foot on top and reach down with your hand to help insert your foot. It's easier to do than it is to explain.

2. Pushing the brake lever in toward the centerline of the bike while you're pedaling shifts the chain onto a larger sprocket. Pushing down on the the little thumb lever moves the chain onto a smaller sprocket.

Think of your bike as having 3 gear ranges. One for uphills (little front sprocket), one for flat roads, and one for downhills (big front sprocket). Within those ranges, shift the rear derailleur to keep the pedaling effort reasonable.

Stick with it. As you ride more, both issues will quickly become second nature.

Retro Grouch said:

1. When starting out, put your top foot into the clip and cage. As you start, ride with the other foot on the bottom side of the pedal for a few strokes. That will give you enough momentum that you can coast while you insert your other foot. In a pinch you can put your unstraped foot on top and reach down with your hand to help insert your foot. It's easier to do than it is to explain.

I have used toe clips for many years - still do, and that is how I do it. Some types of pedal with the spindle off-centre makes things worse, but with normal pedals it is easy to get the toe into the clip with a little practise. I like the straps loose enough to be able to wiggle the toe in, and yank it out again quickly if necessary.

Toe clips may not be as good as clipless for power on the upstroke, but they do a good job in keeping the feet correctly positioned on the pedal and provide some security by preventing the foot from slipping off. I feel naked without them.