Need Technical Help!

Ok - been riding a mountain bike on the road since Julyish. Was doing fine with it - averaging about 11 mph. Did my first 25 mile ride in September. Really inspired me that I'd like to do longer rides (NO aspiration whatsoever to race). My DH said that if I really wanted to do that - we needed to get road bikes - because there was just no way we were going to do 50 or 100 mile ride on an MTB.

So - I kept hearing about how much easier a road bike is to ride. That my speed would increase without any effort on my part. How much lighter the bike would be. How much easier the hills would be.

I got a Trek Pilot 1.2 w/the Flat bar option. I just was not comfortable being in a laying down position with a true road bike handle bar. Took it out for the first time today.

I'm dying. It was so much harder than it was on the mountain bike! We did our normal 18 mile weekend ride and I only averaged 8 mph! The hills nearly kicked my ***. I didn't have to get off and walk like I did when I first started - but damn close.

So the whole time we're riding - my DH is chatting in my ear about all the things I need to be doing....keeping a constant pedaling speed, not adjusting how I'm pedaling but changing the bike to allow me to keep the same pedaling.....etc etc etc etc.

It's all gobaldy gook to me! I hear what he is saying - I've read the posts on the board - but I just can't get it from someone telling me or reading it. We're out in the boonies - so riding with a group or getting to a LBS is a major trip.

So - does anyone know of a good beginners DVD that would show me basic technique for riding and hill climbing? I need to have someone say the words and then ~show~ me what they mean. I'm still using platform pedals - haven't gotten the nerve to try clipless yet. I know that will help - but I'm just not ready.

Any help will be appreciated. I'm trying not to be discouraged by today's ride. I do recognize that it was my first time on a road bike so there is going to be some getting used to it before I'm comfortable. And maybe my expectations were too high based on what everyone kept telling me. And it certainly didn't help that I need to get the bike tweaked a little bit - the brakes are too wide for me - I could only reach them with the very tips of my fingers so they were really hard to squeeze. And I think the stem or something needs to be changed because my neck and shoulders are really in pain. On my MTB they got me a taller stem and shortened my handlebars and that made all the difference in the world.

Sorry about your very first road bike ride! :( :( :( :( :(

Can't give you any suggestions about DVDs, but I would say it sounds like you need to get fitted. Hopefully the shop where you purchased this bike can do this for you. Yes, it sounds like you need to switch out your stem, etc.

Just so you know.... the reason the handlebars on the road bikes are designed this way is because you are more aerodynamic which is important on longer rides. Another is that when you have the choice of riding in the "drops" as they are called, you are able to stretch out your lower back which is very important in long distance cycling. I've ridden many a century and a few double metrics and can say that having that option available to me has been a life saver in many cases.

Another factor to consider is what kind of pedals you are using on the new bike. Clipless pedals are designed for you to get maximum power from your pedal stroke both going up and down hills. It takes awhile to get used to them, but in the end they are worth the effort!

How much does your bike weigh? This is also a factor going up hills.

Just my 2 cents worth. I just hope you made the right decision when you decided to go with the other handlebars. I wouldn't recommend them for century rides. Hopefully someone here on the Forum can give you input on that kind of riding.

Hi there,

Don't be discouraged, you're out there, and that's the toughest part so good on you!

From the sounds of it, you definetely need an adjustment if you can't reach the brakes. This may help you feel more comfy on the bike. I'm not sure what the Pilot rides like with a flat bar option but having "drops" make you more aero like Bike Goddess said. But you can always ride the "hoods" for a more upright position.

As for getting basics on riding and hill climbing there are lots of material online, in bookstores, etc but to be honest with you, I think you'll gain so much more by continuing to ride and increasing your comfort level on the bike. I came from a MTB background before road riding and understand how you feel. My first ride was a loop around the neighbourhood and getting the "feel" of my bike. As I took the bike out each time, I learned a little more about how she handles. Maybe not now, but eventually I would seriously consider clipless. It will significantly improve your riding and climbing as well as you have the benefit of the pull and push with your clips.

I'm no expert and there are tons of experienced riders on this forum who give great advice. But all I want to say is keep riding, you're doing great!!!

Also, make sure you check the air in your tires. Most road bikes take about 100 lbs of air. If they are low it can really slow you down and make you work extra hard. Don't give up. Have the shop check the fit. You'll be hooked on that road bike before you know it!

Thanks all - I am taking it back to the shop tomorrow to get it tweaked.

I understand about the aerodynamics - but my balance is so horrible - I just couldn't control the road bike with the normal handlebars. I have a hard time looking over my shoulder for cars without wobbling all over the place....and forget about trying to get a drink! :) I sure won't be riding in a Peloton anytime soon - that's for certain!

Do you have a triple chain ring on your new bike, Allie? You may have moved from a triple on your MB to a double on your RB... that will be significant to what you notice on hills. You can always get a triple for your RB...

You will find as you get used to the hills on your new bike, that you will slowly get faster on the RB because it is so much lighter.

The comparitive lightness is probably what makes it feel a bit squirrelly... but you'll get used to the feel of it and be able to control it easily.

You'll come to love it... when I hop back on my old Black Thunder MB, it just feels so heavy and clunky.

Good luck on the fitting and being able to reach the brakes etc... looking forward to hearing how you grow into it...

I don't put in a terrific amount of miles on my bike(s), but I cycle most days and love it. I only have spd's on my road bike, I can't get out fast enough on my mountain bike (the brakes are MUCH sharper), although that bike does have half toe clips on.
Anyhow, reading your post made me smile, with fond memories of my first road bike ride.
It near KILLED me!! :rolleyes:
I live in a very hilly area, so I've had to get used to them, I'm not fast by any stretch of the imagination, I have to really concentrate on how my legs are moving, how my breathing is going - I find every hill a challenge, but I love it (sorta!)
On my mountain bike, I could get up many big hills with relative ease, I particularly found the very long hills almost theraputic! but the gearing is different on a mountain bike, they're made for hills.
Your husband sounds like a star - give him a hug from me :) All too often here, I see men who have flown up the hill, leaving their poor lady to either walk or slog without technique "why don't you help her instead of leaving her behind" is what's in my head. Try listening to him, don't just hear his words as you slog up that hill, feel them. It's only thanks to my husband that I've finally managed to get up some of the hills around here :)
Keep at it on the road bike, you'll be amazed at how fast you are when you do get back on your mountain bike, those hills will melt away.. but first you gotta do them on that shiny new road bike ;)

Thanks All! This is where I'm at.....the LBS said that most definitely my brakes needed to be adjusted (I knew that) but they also said my seat was too low which was probably stripping me of power as well.

They gave me a loaner road bike with the normal handlebars on it to take home and try. The guy I talked to really felt that in the long run I'd have more pain on the longer rides sitting more up and down with the flat bars. He said it would start giving me back pain from sitting for long periods of time with my spine all stacked up on top of each other instead of stretched out.

He said that if I felt after riding the loaner I could live with those handlebars - they'd figure out what to do - hot rod the bike I just got or swap out the entire bike.

I rode for a little ways as soon as I got the loaner home. I didn't love it - but I think I can get used to it. I did feel pain, but in different areas more along the sides of my back - which he told me to expect. He said those aren't muscles you generally use so for the first few rides you will get sore. i do think I'm going to ask for the second set of brakes along the flat part of the bars. I just still get that "oh sh*t feeling" and having the breaks all the way down kind of freaked me out. I think I'd feel more comfortable having that safety net. To compensate I was riding mostly with my thumb around the top part of the brake - so I could get my fingers to the brakes quickly - but I have really weak hands - and I could tell just from the little bit I was riding that would kill me if I did it for too long.

Surprisingly I also really liked the different shifters as well. Again, I have really weak hands - so being able to use my whole hand to shift instead of just my thumb was great. I'll just have to put labels on my handlebars to remind me which way is which! I can't remember for the life of me!

And the best part - my DH was having to work to keep up with me and I wasn't really going that hard! WOO HOO! The hills were still a challenge - but I could see a difference in how well I was able to do them. It wasn't nearly as much work!

Thanks all! Especially to Bike Goddess who really got me thinking twice about the flat bar handlebars! That really made me go back to the LBS and revisit the topic with them to make sure I had the right bike. I think with the normal handlebars - everything will work out just fine!

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i do think I'm going to ask for the second set of brakes along the flat part of the bars. I just still get that "oh sh*t feeling" and having the breaks all the way down kind of freaked me out. I think I'd feel more comfortable having that safety net. To compensate I was riding mostly with my thumb around the top part of the brake - so I could get my fingers to the brakes quickly - but I have really weak hands - and I could tell just from the little bit I was riding that would kill me if I did it for too long.

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I have those brakes on the flats and I love them! I used them all the time when I started out, and only more reently have I been using the other brakes as well, as I feel more comfortable in the hoods. I hardly ever ride in the drops.

I too have cyclocross brake levers on all my road/touring bikes. Like you I have small and weak hands, I nearly gave up road cycling for good, until my (not so) Lbs suggested such levers :)
Enjoy :D

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Originally Posted by Allie1DukeFn

Ok - been riding a mountain bike on the road since Julyish. Was doing fine with it - averaging about 11 mph. Did my first 25 mile ride in September. Really inspired me that I'd like to do longer rides (NO aspiration whatsoever to race). My DH said that if I really wanted to do that - we needed to get road bikes - because there was just no way we were going to do 50 or 100 mile ride on an MTB.

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Hey Allie1DukeFn - I was thinking of you today. Since about the time you started riding your mountain bike I have been riding a road bike. Well recently I purchased a mountain bike and today I thought I would take it for a little spin out on the road so I could try everything out before I hit the trails well yikes you must be fit because it was so hard compared to my road bike (which is carbon and very light) needless to say I didnt go very far because I was soooo tired. I kept thinking of you and I just had to let you know that you rock riding your mountain bike on the roads for so long.

You will be very speedy on your road bike Im guessing, so you better start practising your best "on your left" voice for all the riders you are going to pass. :D

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Originally Posted by Allie1DukeFn

Ok - been riding a mountain bike on the road since Julyish. Was doing fine with it - averaging about 11 mph. Did my first 25 mile ride in September. Really inspired me that I'd like to do longer rides (NO aspiration whatsoever to race). My DH said that if I really wanted to do that - we needed to get road bikes - because there was just no way we were going to do 50 or 100 mile ride on an MTB.

So - I kept hearing about how much easier a road bike is to ride. That my speed would increase without any effort on my part. How much lighter the bike would be. How much easier the hills would be.

I got a Trek Pilot 1.2 w/the Flat bar option. I just was not comfortable being in a laying down position with a true road bike handle bar. Took it out for the first time today.

I'm dying. It was so much harder than it was on the mountain bike! We did our normal 18 mile weekend ride and I only averaged 8 mph! The hills nearly kicked my ***. I didn't have to get off and walk like I did when I first started - but damn close.

So the whole time we're riding - my DH is chatting in my ear about all the things I need to be doing....keeping a constant pedaling speed, not adjusting how I'm pedaling but changing the bike to allow me to keep the same pedaling.....etc etc etc etc.

It's all gobaldy gook to me! I hear what he is saying - I've read the posts on the board - but I just can't get it from someone telling me or reading it. We're out in the boonies - so riding with a group or getting to a LBS is a major trip.

So - does anyone know of a good beginners DVD that would show me basic technique for riding and hill climbing? I need to have someone say the words and then ~show~ me what they mean. I'm still using platform pedals - haven't gotten the nerve to try clipless yet. I know that will help - but I'm just not ready.

Any help will be appreciated. I'm trying not to be discouraged by today's ride. I do recognize that it was my first time on a road bike so there is going to be some getting used to it before I'm comfortable. And maybe my expectations were too high based on what everyone kept telling me. And it certainly didn't help that I need to get the bike tweaked a little bit - the brakes are too wide for me - I could only reach them with the very tips of my fingers so they were really hard to squeeze. And I think the stem or something needs to be changed because my neck and shoulders are really in pain. On my MTB they got me a taller stem and shortened my handlebars and that made all the difference in the world.

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I ride a road bike, hybrid bike & mountain bike. If I ride one style mostly & then switch, my body lets me know about it. The suble ergonomic differences can make a huge difference in feel. The road bike is lighter & faster, but there is much less room for error. The other bikes are very forgiving in transit but need more muscle power with each cadence. The hybrid & road bike have cleats, the mountain bike has normal pedals. It took me 2 years of riding before I was confident enough to go with cleats. I would never allow a child to have cleats as they can be potentially dangerous until they are mastered. They're fantastic once you're used to them, however.
Concerning your handlebars, were you "fitted" to your bike professionally? Sounds like there needs to be some adjustment. Handlebar width, I am told, should equal shoulder width.Also, when you're sitting & the crank lever (stem which attaches onto pedals) is parallel to the ground, your medial malleolus (inside lumpy bit of ankle) & medial condyle (inside lumpy bit of knee) should be vertical. Might pay to call in & get it checked. Hope my opinions & experiences help you.
PS isn't it wonderful how husbands/boyfriends tell you how you should be doing things?

I also had difficulty reaching the brake levers with my stubby little fingers. The LBS dude installed shims to shorten the reach.

To answer some of your questions from my perspective:

Your discomfort, back/neck/shoulder pain, lack of handling skills (i.e. wobbling when looking around), and any other thing that makes you feel like an idiot because you can't seem to understand why riding a bike is so difficult or weird or different.......all of these things are just first time experiences. All of that goes away in time. You'll build up the right musculature so you don't have problems (all of this given that your bike fit is okay). You won't be wobbling all over the road. You'll be able to ride on the hoods and in the drops with no problem. All of this just simply takes time to develop. Don't expect to get on a road bike for the first time in your life and ride it like a pro. It doesn't happen that way. You'll develop all of these skills, strengths, and balance but also remember that these are the things that need practice and training to develop. You can't get them any other way then with time.

I believe the same situation applies to the riding and climbing DVDs you asked about. Personally, it doesn't seem necessary for you at this point. All you need to do is spend time on the bike right now. You need to learn how it feels, how you feel, how to handle the bike, how to shift. You need to get all of the basics down first. After a few months then you can look into different types of riding techniques or how to do this or that. The problem with doing that stuff now is that you don't seem to have the basics down to even let you jump to "Step B". Make sure you do "A" first.

Maybe a change in mentality will help. You seem to either have high expectations or too fast a timeline in which things are supposed to occur. Don't rush it. If anything, rushing takes away from the time to develop good behaviors, habits, and techniques. You don't want to build bad habits that will need to be corrected later on down the road. It's harder to do that than just learn it slowly and right from the beginning.

Give it some time!! ;)

Is two years enough? Look at the post dates. :p

so how's the bike handling coming along?

:D :o :D

I am having a similar problem with my new (07) Pilot 1.2...I have enough reach for the brakes but in order to shift up to the largest chain ring my wrist is twisted at an impossible angle. I like the option of having the drops if for no other reason but to change positions on long rides. someone posted earlier that they hardly ever ride in the drops and since I feel more in control with a flat bar I'm thinking of trading the drops for flats.

I have ridden the new bike quite a few times but the situation hasn't changed and I see no other option. I'm simply frustrated and dissapointed, I looked forward to getting this bike for a year and this was not a problem that had even occurred to me.

Today is Saturday, the operation will take place Monday or Tuesday so if anyone has any input that could help speak up now!