Hi everyone. My name is Brian and I'm 17. I fell off my rollerblades yesterday and almost fractured my spine, so I figured biking would be a safer hobby. I have a Trek 4300 Alpha (24 gears) (picture attached) that had worn out tubes and mountain tires. My dad got me the bike about 7 years ago and probably assumed that a mountain bike with thicker tires would be safer. Today I went to the local bike shop (Helen's in Santa Monica, CA) and got some new tubes and thinner tires (attached picture), mostly because I will be focusing on road biking, not mountains. I'm in great shape and really want to get into road biking and make it a serious hobby. I plan to use this bike for a little while, get my muscles accustomed to intense sessions, and then get a dedicated road bike (my b-day's in late September, maybe my parents will help out). Today I already noticed that the gears aren't really tall enough for fast road speeds (on gear 3-8 I was kind of "spinning" going maybe 20 mph) I know that my current bike is not a "road bike," but it will have to do for now. I plan to do about 5-20 miles each session, about 4 sessions per week.
Being that I am a newbie to road biking, I have a few questions.
1. Is my bike a solid model? Should I have any concerns putting lots of road miles on it?
2. How are the tires (see picture attached) that were put on my bike for serious road use? They were the thinnest tires I could get for my "mountain bike."
3. Is my helmet (attached picture) the right type for road biking?
4. Do I need proper road bike attire (tight shorts, jersey) for the amount of biking I plan to do?
5. If I want to bring along some food for a long road trek, should I attach it to the bike frame, bring a backpack, etc?? What do you do, and what kind of food do you bring if you need it?
6. My front brake (left handlebar) makes noise (squeaking, rubbing/friction noise) when in use. Is this normal?
Those are all the questions I have for now. I appreciate your help. -Brian
Being that I am a newbie to road biking, I have a few questions.
1. Is my bike a solid model? Should I have any concerns putting lots of road miles on it?
2. How are the tires (see picture attached) that were put on my bike for serious road use? They were the thinnest tires I could get for my "mountain bike."
3. Is my helmet (attached picture) the right type for road biking?
4. Do I need proper road bike attire (tight shorts, jersey) for the amount of biking I plan to do?
5. If I want to bring along some food for a long road trek, should I attach it to the bike frame, bring a backpack, etc?? What do you do, and what kind of food do you bring if you need it?
6. My front brake (left handlebar) makes noise (squeaking, rubbing/friction noise) when in use. Is this normal?
Those are all the questions I have for now. I appreciate your help. -Brian