Did I make a mistake?

[newtothis]

I have been lurking here for a month or so and I am hoping that some of you brilliant cyclists will be able to help me. Here is the story!

On and off for the last three summers, I have enjoyed taking a short bike ride. Lots of things happened, and I found myself without a working bike this spring. So, I was borrowing my neighbors 10 year old trek 7100. I was riding on a daily basis and was averaging 15 miles. I wanted to ride further, but her bike really wasn't my size, didn't have a water bottle, ect, so it was only logistics that kept me from going further. I began my journey to get my own bike. Lots and lots of research later, I had chosen the trek 7.6 FX WSD....only to find out that my LBS could no longer get it. I found it three hours away but really wanted to build a relationship with my LBS...they have been great. So, I went to another LBS (also fantastic!) and looked at the Specialized Vita. I really wanted the limited, which is no longer available, but I could have gone with the Vita pro. While riding these, I also rode the Ruby. In my search for the limited, I again found it three hours away, but while on the phone, that guy said, "yes, I have the vita limited, but please go back to your LBS and try the ruby again. You won't find a better feeling bike." I thought that was really strange that he mentioned the very rode bike that I was considering. Anyhow, in the end, I ended up purchasing the ruby apex compact. It is a beautiful bike. However, four days having this new bike, I am worried that I messed up.
When I was riding my neighbors bike, I easily could have gone much further than I was going and I have a goal to ride to the next town and back which is 37 miles. (nothing like what most of you are riding, but you have to start somewhere right?) Now, I feel like I am dying after 6 miles. I feel like I might as well be in a spinnig class. What I liked about riding my neighbors bike was that I was enjoying it, and it didn't feel like I was exercising, yet I could tell that my body was changing from my rides. I liked that!!! Now, I just feel like I am working out. I can't enjoy the scenery, I have no idea what to do with the gears on my left hand, I have to remind myself to bend my elbows, ect. It has quickly gone from "going for a bike ride", to a workout. That is not what I intended. Everyone kept telling me I wouldn't believe the difference once I got a new bike. Well, I am finding that very true but not in a good way. Did I make a mistake???? Is there just a huge learning curve going to a road bike? What in the world am I going to do?

BTW, I had a great fitting with my specialized dealer so I don't think that is the problem...but at this point, who knows! I am so frustrated!!!

Thanks for reading my saga!

[goldfinch]

There are many here with far more experience than I but I do have a few thoughts. I got my first road bike last fall, after riding only a hybrid. It was awkward at first and not near as comfortable as it was riding my hybrid bike about. So, at least I can relate.

I suggest, and others, feel free to correct me:

--Forget about your elbows for now.

--Shift to the easiest gear in the front using the shifter on your left hand, and just practice on the flats riding around, shifting only the rear derailleur (the right hand shifter) and leaving the front in the easy gear. Get comfortable riding around this way. If you don't have high enough gears, like on a downhill, just coast. I often ride many miles in my easiest front gear. FYI, the easiest gear on the front is the smallest chain ring.

--After you are really comfortable with riding around in the easy gears, find a slight downhill and practice shifting up to your big chain ring on the front. When you lose speed on the flats or an uphill, shift back down to the easier, smaller gear on the front.

Here is a good article on gearing for beginners: http://sheldonbrown.com/gears.html

The more you ride the more comfortable you will be on the bike. It really took me a couple hundred miles to get comfy on my road bike. I find that I still like my hybrid bike for certain types of riding because it has such a nice upright position. I like it for riding around town. I find that I ride both bikes about equally.

I can't say if you made a mistake. If you really hate it maybe the bike shop would do an exchange for a flat bar bike. I will say though that the drop bar road bike is nicer for long rides as you can adjust your position. If you want to ride upright you can put your hands on top of the handlebars, rather than a more stretched out position, on the "hoods" near the brakes, or on the "drops." I wouldn't even mess with riding on the low, dropped portion of your handlebars until you are more comfortable on your bike. This blog has nice pictures illustrating where the hand position is on the "tops," "drops" and "hoods": http://claremontcyclist.blogspot.com...and-hoods.html

[SadieKate]

I suggest, and others, feel free to correct me:

--Forget about your elbows for now.

Newtothis, I don't know the bikes you're comparing so I really can't comment.

Goldfinch, you're spot on with everything but the elbow comment. Bent elbows serve a couple of extremely useful purposes. They help absorb and dissipate blows from bumps on the road which otherwise must be absorbed by your hands and shoulders, neither of which are very good at this! Bent elbows also means you can't react quickly to involuntary changes in direction caused by those bumps and when you simply need to make fast swerves to avoid the bumps (or small children), etc. More than once, I've seen someone take a fall because they couldn't react fast enough due to their locked elbows. Would you drive a car with locked elbows? Otherwise, good advice.

[goldfinch]

Newtothis, I don't know the bikes you're comparing so I really can't comment.

Goldfinch, you're spot on with everything but the elbow comment. Bent elbows serve a couple of extremely useful purposes. They help absorb and dissipate blows from bumps on the road which otherwise must be absorbed by your hands and shoulders, neither of which are very good at this! Bent elbows also means you can't react quickly to involuntary changes in direction caused by those bumps and when you simply need to make fast swerves to avoid the bumps (or small children), etc. More than once, I've seen someone take a fall because they couldn't react fast enough due to their locked elbows. Would you drive a car with locked elbows? Otherwise, good advice.

Thanks Sadie. My thought was that she was trying too much at once. Maybe I should have said to not lock elbows or grip the handlebars too tightly, but to relax into the ride.

[SadieKate]

Thanks Sadie. My thought was that she was trying too much at once. Maybe I should have said to not lock elbows or grip the handlebars too tightly, but to relax into the ride.

And smile!

[Penny4]

Hi New,

I did things in reverse of you. Last year I rode a 7.5 FX and swore I would never ride a road bike. I just wanted to do some charity rides, group rides, etc.

I found that while the FX was perfectly fine for riding those long distances, I had trouble keeping up with folks on road bikes, and I became a bit uncomfortable on the bike after about 20 or so miles.

This year, I bought a new road bike and was so excited about it. When I took it on my first ride, only about 10 miles, I ....well, i HATED it. My back hurt, my arms hurt, I couldn't remember how to shift. I was a mess on the bike. I really thought I had made a mistake.

After going back to the LBS to have my fit checked, and frankly, just to whine a bit, they told me the bike fit fine, and to keep at it.

They were right. It took me a few rides to really get teh hang of shifting and the different position, but I love my road bike now. I'm a very casual rider, but feel like I can keep up on group rides, and it will let me go much farther more easily than the FX ever would.

I'd recommend asking your LBS to review shifting with you. Maybe they could put you up on the trainer and let you play around so you get the hang of it. Also, others are right, there was another thread on here not too long ago about someone who was struggling with her new bike, and it turned out to be a mechanical issue.

Give your new bike a chance and ask your LBS for help! Hope it all works out for you!

[leah]

I was the new person with the brakes rubbing and I could have written your post. In my limited experience I really do think that sounds like what you're experiencing!

[Owlie]

Yes, there is a learning curve with road bikes. Give it another go and get used to the bike, then make a decision.

Your Ruby is probably geared differently from your neighbor's bike. Road bikes tend to be geared to go fast, so parts of the cassette (gears in back) are going to make you work harder than would a lower-geared hybrid (for example). I found that I had to build strength to use some of those gears. Shift down to the larger gears in the back and that should help. The stuff in your left hand lets you shift between chainrings. If it's a triple: Largest ring is for going really fast on flats or downhills (generally); I still haven't quite built up enough strength for it. Smallest one is for hills, and the one in the middle can do both, depending on what gear you're using in back. Many people (me included) spend most of their time there.

I highly suggest going to an empty parking lot. Ride around and play with the gears. You'll figure out what feels better on flat ground, then you can go on from there and figure out what feels right on climbs, downhills, etc.

[goldfinch]

If it's a triple: Largest ring is for going really fast on flats or downhills (generally); I still haven't quite built up enough strength for it. Smallest one is for hills, and the one in the middle can do both, depending on what gear you're using in back. Many people (me included) spend most of their time there.

She has the Ruby Apex Compact so she has a double on the front rather than a triple. Given that, it makes sense to do a lot of riding while she gets comfortable in the small ring in the front and practice shifting on the rear. The empty parking lot is a good idea.

Good point on the fact that the gearing is different on road bike. I was wondering if newtothis was trying to ride around in the big chain ring on the front (the "hard" gear).

[Owlie]

She has the Ruby Apex Compact so she has a double on the front rather than a triple. Given that, it makes sense to do a lot of riding while she gets comfortable in the small ring in the front and practice shifting on the rear. The empty parking lot is a good idea.

Good point on the fact that the gearing is different on road bike. I was wondering if newtothis was trying to ride around in the big chain ring on the front (the "hard" gear).

Thanks. I haven't had enough coffee this morning for proper reading comprehension.

OP, I can't really talk about compact doubles because I don't have one (and didn't like them on the bikes I rode that have them), but my suggestion still stands on the parking lot. The small chainring isn't comfortable for me except on hills, but you're not me. You might find it works for you.

[TsPoet]

Alright, so these ladies are smarter than I. So, this is not to be a trouble maker, this is what *I* did.
Spin the tires - do they spin freely?
Make sure there is no brake rub...
Make sure the tires are fully inflated...

All of what everyone else is saying is probably exactly right, but I'd go back to the basics and just make sure your new bike is mechanically smooth sailing and you aren't having a mechanical issue.
I've done these things, ridden 10 miles "uphill" only to find my brakes were rubbing!

[OakLeaf]

Very true. Riding buddy of mine was just dying on her brand new road bike. I was with her, we took two short cuts and rode very very slowly, and I never noticed the problem. Her ginormous handlebar bag was rubbing on the front tire... (not sure why the LBS sold her the thing or why she wanted it for a planned 30-mile ride, but whatev')

[Jo-n-NY]

Alright, so these ladies are smarter than I. So, this is not to be a trouble maker, this is what *I* did.
Spin the tires - do they spin freely?
Make sure there is no brake rub...
Make sure the tires are fully inflated...

All of what everyone else is saying is probably exactly right, but I'd go back to the basics and just make sure your new bike is mechanically smooth sailing and you aren't having a mechanical issue.
I've done these things, ridden 10 miles "uphill" only to find my brakes were rubbing!

Very true. Make sure you brakes are not rubbing. Even if you are in the larger chain ring, you should not be working harder on this bike if you are in the easier gears in the back (cogs). There was a past post from someone that said the same thing and found her brakes were rubbing.

[goldfinch]

Alright, so these ladies are smarter than I. So, this is not to be a trouble maker, this is what *I* did.
Spin the tires - do they spin freely?
Make sure there is no brake rub...
Make sure the tires are fully inflated...

All of what everyone else is saying is probably exactly right, but I'd go back to the basics and just make sure your new bike is mechanically smooth sailing and you aren't having a mechanical issue.
I've done these things, ridden 10 miles "uphill" only to find my brakes were rubbing!

Good point on the brakes! I think another new person here not long ago was struggling on their new road bike and it turned out that the brakes were rubbing.

[Rebecca19804]

+1 what Owlie and goldfinch have said about just staying in easy gears at first.

I'm also thinking it's possible that written descriptions of what shifters do (and what the cogs/gears at the front and back do) don't make a lot of sense to you right now. So, if you can, get somebody to show you. One of you can hold the rear wheel off the ground so it turns freely. Your friend can do the shifting while you turn one pedal with your hand. Watch where and how the chain moves. Then swap round so you do the shifting AND also watch the chain move, while your friend turns the pedal. It'll all start to make sense then.

And then when you're on the bike, as the others have said, just ride around in a safe place and experiment shifting up and down. Focus on using the shifters in just one hand at a time - I agree, do the right hand first. Get really comfortable with knowing how each shift affects how hard/easy it is to pedal. Look down from time to time and see which direction the chain has moved, if you can and if you can't remember from your stationary session with your friend.

The key is, as they say, practice practice practice.

I got my first road bike with STI shifters (which is what you have on the Ruby) at the end of March. I was lucky: my boyfriend (in the nicest possible way) showed me how things work starting from bare basics, assuming I knew absolutely nothing. That foundation was crucial. Within 2 days, the whole thing began to feel intuitive.

Contrast that with a friend of mine. After years of riding her hybrid everywhere, she decided she wanted to join me and my (strictly social, all-speeds-and-abilities-welcome) club on our monthly 50+ mile night rides. She bought a road bike in January. She found riding it strange, uncomfortable, intimidating and just plain hard work. But she was keen to try our 72-miler at the end of April and knew it would be really tough with the hybrid so she gritted her teeth and brought the road bike, even though at that point she'd only ridden it maybe 50 miles in total. She did struggle ("even" with the lighter road bike) and ended up bailing out before the end. BUT she came back the next month for a shorter (but hillier) ride. That's when the guys who look after the people at the back noticed she wasn't comfortable changing gears, so they explained the basics and tutored her a bit while they were riding along. And then we hit the hills. I've never seen such determination to get up them! And only after she'd clawed her way up the worst of them did we discover that she didn't know she could change gears with her left hand - from the big ring to the 'granny' ring (or how to do it or why she should) . She'd been doing all the hills in the hardest-possible gears!!! Once she discovered those lower gears, she really began to fly - and enjoy herself!

Moral of the story - sometimes people assume you know more than you do or think "telling" you will be enough to get you started and then you'll work it out for yourself. It's always okay to say "hold on, back up a minute, please can you show me what you're talking about"?

P.S. I seriously lust after getting a Ruby myself. We'd love to see a photo if you want to share!