How to get a newbie comfortable on a road bike?

[Louis]

Is this just a matter of them needing more time in the saddle?

A young woman at work who recently decided to do some triathlons just bought her first real road bike. She was much more familiar with and comfortable on her MTB and tells me that when she's on the road bike she feels as if she's about to "fall over." (Let's assume it's the right geometry for her - she bought it at a reputable LBS that caters to tri-geeks, but it certainly isn't one of those TT bikes.) She's unstable (or feels unstable, which may be a different thing) to the point where in order to drink she has to stop riding.

I've reassured her that unless she's going less than say 5 mph, it's nearly impossible to fall over. I also suggested that she practice riding one-handed, then as she gets used to that, maybe no-hands.

Any other specific recommendations you folks may have for her?

TIA

[Ken Robb]

Her bars may be too low for her to feel comfortable at this time. She might be more confident in a position where her head would be higher so she feels more seated than leaning over---kind of like on her mountain bike.

[MattTuck]

Have her go to an athletic field, and ride around on that. Hopefully falling won't be so bad, if it does happen.


I suspect what she is feeling is a higher center of gravity (either from a higher BB or just the geometry and position) and a twitchier front end.

I'd suggest she go to an empty parking lot and set up cones, and practice weaving in, making turns, etc. After getting adjusted to how the bike handles in turns, riding straight should feel very stable.

[christian]

This is too much weight on hands or too much reach. Have you seen the bike?

[gavingould]

i've heard from a bunch of people about the narrow tires making the person feel uneasy. they think they're riding on a knife edge compared to their MTB tires, and this thought is strong enough to override what their body is telling them about balance. maybe a bit more to the point, was she a trail-riding mountain biker, or just used to one as commuter/casual rider?

maybe put on the widest road tires it can handle and put her in a field, start cornering at low speed? that and more saddle time should increase her confidence fairly rapidly. it will take some time to overcome the less upright position too.

[Grant McLean]

Any other specific recommendations you folks may have for her?

TIA

Find someone non judgemental and patient to ride with her.
She likely lacks confidence, which is what would get her to relax
on the bike, and make her more stable. Blaming rider position is
over rated as a problem, skills development is more important.

It's hard for us to remember what it was like to be new to road riding,
there is a lot going on that we take in stride. Most people progress
quickly with a little help, usually from someone they trust and like,
and are receptive to their advice. It's supposed to be fun.

-g

[Ti Designs]

Find someone non judgemental and patient to ride with her.
She likely lacks confidence, which is what would get her to relax
on the bike, and make her more stable. Blaming rider position is
over rated as a problem, skills development is more important.

It's hard for us to remember what it was like to be new to road riding,
there is a lot going on that we take in stride. Most people progress
quickly with a little help, usually from someone they trust and like,
and are receptive to their advice. It's supposed to be fun.


When working with a new rider, print out the post above and read it over and over until it sinks in.

[speed]

http://www.bicycletimesmag.com/userfiles/justride.jpg

[yoshirider]

i've had the same feeling of "falling over" when i got a bike with a fork cut shorter than my previous bike. i ride in the hoods a lot so we solved the problem by turning the handlebars more upwards so that the hoods came up higher. it made a huge difference

[Steve in SLO]

Here's a list a mental list I made for my wife when she started riding:

Fat tires, air them down
flat pedals, unless she's very comfy in clip-ins
Deserted, flat streets to start
Practice starting off/stopping/shifting
Supportive mentor

Alternately she could transition to the road by putting skinny slicks on her MTB and airing them up.
She is likely much more comfy with flat bars, too. If all else fails, a flat bar setup in a road bike can be used. This is what we went to on my wife's bike and now she wants to ride.

[veloduffer]

I also find that newbies like the brake levers (used on cross bikes) on the tops/flat section as well, which more akin to mtb setup. Many feel uncomfortable/insecure about reaching for the levers from the drops and hoods.

[bargainguy]

Just a guess here.

If her new bike has a straight fork with a steep HT and little or no trail, that might help explain why she feels a little unbalanced - her previous bike might have had a slack HT and gobs of trail for all we know. So there's nothing really wrong with her new bike other than different geo from previous, something she's definitely not used to.

[kevinvc]

Another vote for wider tires as part of the solution. When I put 28s on my road bike I suddenly felt much more comfortable. They rolled over pavement cracks and typical light road debris without twitching the bike. It was even more obvious when I did some high speed descents. The extra traction was really noticeable, which raised my confidence and comfort level dramatically.

I've got a few thousand miles under me since then but I still don't envision going back to 23s. I'm not a racer and I honestly don't think the wider tires slow me down for any of the riding I do, including fast pacelines.

[slidey]

I'd back what Grant said. If your friend can have someone experienced and patient enough to ride with her, then that'd be the first step towards either getting her used to, or figuring out if something is off with the road bike and/or the fit.

[Likes2ridefar]

My little story...

I recently bought an old steel bike setup as a single speed from a forum member that has a moustache handle bar allowing a much more upright position than I've ridden in quite some time. Great for commuting!

My other bike is a Cervelo R5 with a slam that stem headset cap, no spacers and a -17 stem. I'm quite comfortable on this bike and have spent thousands of miles on it over the past 2 years racing around the world as well as plenty of training miles.

Last week, I rode the steel commuter for 4 days straight before hopping on the Cervelo again.

The cervelo felt terrible! Unstable, wobbly and just simply awkward. It took about an hour of riding the Cervelo before I felt comfortable again.

moral of the story is ride lots?

assuming the bike fits her and is set up properly and there arent crazy stack heights with the spacers, i'd say she just needs time on it!

[josephr]

When working with a new rider, print out the post above and read it over and over until it sinks in.

+1 ----- my wife is starting to road ride after only occasional mtn and path riding. If I ride alongside her too long, it gets nasty....so, started her on shorter group rides where our club has a designated patient person to be beginner friendly. I ride along with the faster group...

also I've taken her to our closest state park with a can't-get-lost route and traffic is cyclist friendly. We'll ride along the first mile or so, but then she lets me go and we do our own thing. She has to stop to drink water, but thats ok. She'll get there eventually.

New riders require lots of patience and quite honestly, I think it takes a group to share those times...too much for one person to take on.
Joe

[tv_vt]

Lots of good tips here. Not sure if these have been mentioned:

put her on a trainer and make adjustments based on her comments - seat tilted poorly? seat too high or too low? seat too far forward or too far back? rotate handlebars and/or brake hoods? reach and drop of bars not right?

Does the bike geometry just not work for her? twitchy cuz of short trail or too short front center? top tube too long? head tube too short?

when my wife got a new Roubaix 9 years ago, we ended up gettinga new seat, bars, stem and seatpost to get her fit right.We adjusted things for about a month. And she hasn't changed a thing since, riding about 2K per year, including a century or two.

I'd also suggest a handlebar mirror, like the one that fits into the end of the handlebar with a ball and socket design (left bar end only) or an Italian Bike Mirror from Aspire Velotech. Might make her more comfortable riding on roads, if she's used to mtb trails w/no cars.

[deechee]

Did she say she was going to fall over sideways or to the front? If she's riding a tri-position, her seat should be more forward relative to the BB. That, added with the person who said maybe her bars are too low, will make you feel like you are falling forward? She could sit farther back, and without the hips rotated so far forward. If she's on road geo, yes, handling can get twitchier without the more slack angled head tube on a Tri bike.

Regarding drinking, I've seen a lot of people struggle with this, one hand holding the top of the bar near the stem seems to be more stable than on the shifters.

Also, mountain bike brakes and levers are much more accessible to smaller hands. Most handlebars are not small hand friendly, and she might be having trouble getting the full leverage of the levers.

[Tony T]

Is this just a matter of them needing more time in the saddle?

Not sure if anyone asked, but.... How many miles has she ridden on the road bike?

[Louis]

Not sure if anyone asked, but.... How many miles has she ridden on the road bike?

I'd guess around 30-40

She got an Orbea Aqua TSR.

http://img.artscyclery.com/product/OB3ATSR-1.jpg

[VA-Scooter]

I would guess a road bike would feel a bit "nervous" to a beginner. Like a short wheelbase sports car as opposed to a much larger car. A good sporty feel comes at the expense of stability-It is something that takes time to acclimate to.

[Tony T]

I'd guess around 30-40


My best guess then is that she just needs to put in more miles, and she'll get used to the change from a mtn bike to a road bike.

[Spoonito]

I moved my fiancé over from a big heavy hybrid with wide tires to a road bike. I have it setup with the seat slightly lower than I would want it, pretty far forward on the rails, stem angled up with all the spacers underneath. Also put on 700x28 tires. Before I adjusted the seat and put the tires on, she said it felt shaky at slow speeds and wasn't comfortable. She likes it better now. I think it's just a getting used to the bike factor. She also doesn't have clipless pedals. I put on a set that's flat on one side and has spd style clips in the other for when she's ready to try it out.

[buldogge]

I agree 100% with Tony...

The only way to get more comfortable is to ride more...this is why you see so many people buy bikes and then fall away so quickly.

Louis...I would just have her start by going on the Levee or RFT or even Katy and just ride until her legs fall off.

Do this a few times and then ride out in the country (north of 70), repeat.

Before she knows it, she will be joining you around W. County and up the hill.

-Mark in St. Louis

My best guess then is that she just needs to put in more miles, and she'll get used to the change from a mtn bike to a road bike.

[drinkslinger]

Definitely a skilled and patient riding partner who can help to allay her fears as well as help build her confidence.
When I started road riding about 6 years ago, all I came across was the Stravasshole type who basically chided me for being a n00b. It took a while for me to find a circle of pals who were supportive and just enjoyed riding.

As for her fit, all things being equal, if she's riding flat pedals, it'll never be perfect, but as long as the fit is close, she'll be fine till she builds the confidence to run SPDs.

Don't forget to look into local clubs. Some have very good programs of clinics for inexperienced riders.

[carpediemracing]

+1 on more riding time.

There are other things too. MTB riders tend to steer more - you can do that at low speeds, on less smooth surfaces, with wide low pressure tires. On a road bike you don't steer as much as you lean (with a slight nudge of the bars to start the lean, whether that nudge is conscious or not). I suspect this is the primary reason for feeling unstable - she's steering everywhere when in fact she should be tilting her hips (or however you want to describe "not steering").

Ideally a knowledgeable and instructive type rider should ride with her for a bit, give her tips on a few basic approaches she can focus on when she rides. If it were me I'd focus on the exact things I think are important for any rider.

Hand positions - tops, hoods, drops, emphasizing that although the hoods may be comfortable most of the time she should learn to use the drops whenever she thinks things will get iffy (downhills, corners, and if the road is bumpy). Tops are great for seated riding (including climbing), for setting up when she wants to reach for the bottle, and to stretch out a bit.

Steering (or not) - Try to keep bar input to the absolute minimum until you're down to walking pace, don't turn the bars, just lean the bike. The faster you go the more important it is to avoid sudden bar turning movements. It's like a car - when parking you turn the steering wheel a lot, on the highway you barely touch the steering wheel to change lanes. Bikes are like that too.

One handed stability - it's absolutely the most stable to ride one handed by holding the bar directly next to the stem, i.e. the tops. This way you minimize any unintentional bar input. I hold the bars like this, with both hands, for my fastest descents - it's most stable at highway speeds.

If she focuses on a few things each ride then she can conquer them. Then she can focus on 1-3 new things. Repeat over and over. I'd consider gearing if her cadence seems totally wrong, dispelling myths ("I need to be able to touch the ground from the saddle"), and explaining the reasoning behind whatever it is I'm teaching the rider.

The whole process of exploring, learning, practicing, and (sort of) perfecting is something I find really intriguing, and in fact I'm still doing that for cycling after riding seriously for more than 2/3 of my life.

[jamesau]

In addition to the other good points that have been made, I may emphasize some of the following to those returning to cycling (especially if they’re borrowing one of my bikes):

Proper way to mount/dismount (starting/stopping) as described by Sheldon here: http://sheldonbrown.com/starting.html.

Proper way to lean the bike against a post/railing/car tire to prevent damage paint damage/dings. Also, if laying bike down, do so on non-drivetrain side on soft surface.

Braking: No more than 2 fingers on the brakes. Squeeze progressively – no stabbing. Use rear brake only for low-speed maneuvering. Emphasize front brake’s power for stopping from higher speeds.

Also on stopping, as you come to a stop, encourage the bike to tip/fall towards your unclipped/intended side by turning the bars to the opposite side while squeezing the rear brake. (This and the above are demonstrated before leaving the driveway for the first time, the rest may be covered on the road)

Lightness on the controls. By this I mean light grasp on the bars, slight bend on the elbow, relaxed shoulders. The bars are meant for control inputs, not ‘holding on’. Usually a light squeeze between the thumb and base of the forefinger is all that’s needed.

Look where you want to go (not “watch where you’re going”). Train your eyes further up the road where you want to go while maintaining awareness of road conditions immediately ahead (‘chin up, look ahead’ mantra). These two points along with lightness on the controls promotes a feeling of balance and maintaining an intended line.

On bumpy sections, unweight the saddle with pedals level while maintaining light relaxed grip to absorb bumps and maintain traction.

Shift only while pedaling, downshift as necessary when approaching a stop, hill, tight corner.

Caution against overlapping wheels when in groups.

Caution against complacency/daydreaming when riding on the road.

The emphasis is always fun and establishing basic proficiency to encourage fun and safety (and preventing the newer rider from crashing the bike I may have lent them)

[mvrider]

In our area, we have a wonderful resource in Velogirls (http://www.velogirls.com/coaching/main.php), whose founder teaches skills clinics. When my wife started road riding 3 years ago, we both signed up for the class so that she would have an instant partner. In a deserted parking lot, we ran through multiple drills, including braking, riding with hands closer to the stem, riding with no hands, riding while bumping our partner on the shoulder, basic counter-steering, and so on. All were designed to increase the student's confidence on the bike. The instructors and fellow students were all very supportive.

Now my wife is an unusually confident person (e.g., she insisted on using clipless pedals from day one), but I thought the clinic really did help. Having someone break down the mechanics of riding really benefited her.

For what it's worth, we started riding on flat multi-purpose trails before migrating to flat roads, and finally our famous hills. The process only took a couple of months.

BIKE SKILLS 101: FUNDAMENTAL BIKE HANDLING SKILLS - SPONSORED BY BICYCLELAWYER.COM

This 4-hour co-ed clinic is the foundation of everything else you'll learn on the bike. This is the clinic where we teach the old dogs new tricks and the newbies the fundamentals. You'll learn about balance and weight distribution and how that affects your ability to ride your bike safely and confidently. We'll learn skills like riding with no hands, emergency stops, and how to look behind you while holding your line, how to steer, and counter-steer. After just four hours, we guarantee you'll be a better bike handler and have much more fun on the bike.