# Anyone willing to lend a newbie a hand (SouthBay)



## RMaz74 (Aug 12, 2005)

Hello! Newbie here  

I am 31, live in Manhattan Beach, and I just purchased my first road bike (2004 Bianchi Team Veloce). I purchased the bike to train for the Malibu (Sprint) Triathlon. The bike arrives on 8/17 and I am starting to feel a bit overwhelmed... What did I get myself into? I will be taking the bike to the LBS to get it put together on Thursday. After that... I am clueless. Some of the basic questions that I have are:

1.	How do I clip in/out without falling on my face?
2.	How do I shift gears (I have Campy)?
3.	How do I change a flat tire
4.	What basic maintenance should I be performing and what tools will I need?

I'm getting more and more stressed by the minute. I have searched on the net for information but I think it would be more effective to get 'hands-on' advice for someone who is experienced in the art of road bikes rather than reading it from a book. 

I would be greatful if there is someone in the SouthBay (Manhattan, Hermosa, Redondo, Palos Verdes) or Westside that would be willing to help me out and give me a 1 hour overview. I will drive to your location with my bike... just name the place/time. 

Please let me know.

Thanks,
Ryan


----------



## RMaz74 (Aug 12, 2005)




----------



## Cdubb (Mar 27, 2005)

*Relax...*



RMaz74 said:


>



Ok..I'm getting worried myself just by reading your post ..

Alright, when is the triathlon that you're planning to join? A triathlon is not an easy task to do unless you have trained for it..

As for the bike related worries, I suggest that you go to your friendliest bikeshop in town. Maybe Helen's? or Supergo in Fountain Valley. If you are buying stuff from them, I am pretty sure that they will help you out with anything you are worried about...

Don't rush into things!! Train!! Ask people!!


----------



## RMaz74 (Aug 12, 2005)

Cdubb said:


> Alright, when is the triathlon that you're planning to join? A triathlon is not an easy task to do unless you have trained for it..


Cdubb... thanks for the response; I was beginning to think that there were no riders in SoCal who visited these boards. 

The triathlon is Sunday, Sept 25th. It is a Sprint Tri (.5mi swim, 18mi bike, 4 mi run). As far as training goes... I think I've been properly training (with the exception of the bike). I have been following a beginner tri training program (running 4 miles 3x a week and swimming 3/4 mile 2x a week) for the past month. I haven't started any of the bike training yet as I just got my bike assembled on 8/20. I plan to hop on the saddle today (Monday, 8/22)... but I'm SOOOO nervous. 



Cdubb said:


> As for the bike related worries, I suggest that you go to your friendliest bike shop in town. Maybe Helen's? or Supergo in Fountain Valley. If you are buying stuff from them, I am pretty sure that they will help you out with anything you are worried about...


I've been to the Helen's in Manhattan Beach several times and the folks their didn't seem all that friendly. I bought some things (spent about $200) just to get some dialog started. Maybe I'll give 'em another shot. 



Cdubb said:


> Ask people!!


That is what I've been trying to do on this board... just not feeling the love


----------



## Cdubb (Mar 27, 2005)

*Ok..*

1. Practice clipping/unclipping around your neighborhood to get used to the routine. If using Look pedals or similar, step in to clip in and twist (toes in) to unclip.
2. For shifting gears, just experiment at home. Click the thumb and lever shifters. I'm pretty sure that you will figure this out by yourself.
3. Changing flats- do a search on this forum and you will find lots of info about it. 
4. For maintenance, you have to make sure that your chain is well lubricated. I suggest having the bike prepped by a respectable bike shop. The bikeshop that I go to is Bike Palace in San Pedro. They have terrific service and if you go there during slow hours around 2pm on the weekdays, they will be more than happy to assist you with your troubles. As a matter of fact, I think that they have bike workshops weekly. Check out: www.thebikepalace.com for info.

Lastly, if you really cannot find a bikeshop that will teach you hands on, post on the Beginner's Forum, not here..I'm pretty sure that you'll get lots of responses from the old timers..



RMaz74 said:


> Hello! Newbie here
> 
> I am 31, live in Manhattan Beach, and I just purchased my first road bike (2004 Bianchi Team Veloce). I purchased the bike to train for the Malibu (Sprint) Triathlon. The bike arrives on 8/17 and I am starting to feel a bit overwhelmed... What did I get myself into? I will be taking the bike to the LBS to get it put together on Thursday. After that... I am clueless. Some of the basic questions that I have are:
> 
> ...


----------



## jksu (Mar 8, 2004)

*latri*

being a major newbie, you need to find some friends....

join latri. you can visit their web site... lots of group rides, especially around the santa monica area. but i think they have soem in the south bay too. nice folks... i'm not a member but may join in the fall.

i'm new to the tri thing also...planning to do the ralph's 1/2 ironman next march. run okay, bike decent, but need to learn to swim!

don't sweat it...it's a bike for goodness sakes. if you don't need training wheels you've through the hard part. remember, all of this is supposed to be fun! if you don't want to sweat it, ride the bike a few times without the clipless pedals...get used to the shifting, balance, etc.. once you put on the pedals, like the other person said, practice clipping in & out at home...and clip out way in advance as you approach stop signs or intersections to avoid that last second panic.

john



RMaz74 said:


> Hello! Newbie here
> 
> I am 31, live in Manhattan Beach, and I just purchased my first road bike (2004 Bianchi Team Veloce). I purchased the bike to train for the Malibu (Sprint) Triathlon. The bike arrives on 8/17 and I am starting to feel a bit overwhelmed... What did I get myself into? I will be taking the bike to the LBS to get it put together on Thursday. After that... I am clueless. Some of the basic questions that I have are:
> 
> ...


----------



## il sogno (Jul 15, 2002)

RMaz74 said:


> Hello! Newbie here
> 
> 1.	How do I clip in/out without falling on my face?
> 2.	How do I shift gears (I have Campy)?
> ...


The guys above have given you some good tips. I would add that you might want to practice clipping and unclipping on your yard or in a park so you won't have to worry about injuring yourself in a fall. 

Shifting gears: right is for rear. So your right shifter will always shift the rear derailler. Pushing the shifter in will shift both deraillers to the larger cogs - the higher gear for the front derailler, the lower gear for the rear. 

Tires. Can't help you much here. I have ridden sew ups for 20 years and believe it or not, I don't know how to change a clincher!

Maintenance. I take my bike in for a tune up every year. I wash my bike every couple of weeks, making sure I lube the chain. This gives me a chance to look the bike over. I push and pull at frame members and the fork to make sure nothing's coming loose. Like the guys said, find a good LBS like Helen's. Join up on their rides and get to know them. 

BTW, congrats on the bike. Don't worry too much, just ride it and have a great time.


----------



## Takashi (Jul 27, 2005)

Well Ryan, any update on your bike? By now you should be up and running.... But just to reiterate what was already communicated, clipping in and out is just a matter of practice. I've been riding my brothers bike around while I search for a bike of my own, and I found clipping in and out of his Look pedals to be pretty straightforward. It's by no means second nature to me yet, but it's not as stressful as you make it seem! I would suggest finding a big empty parking lot and spending some time practicing. Actually, since you live in Manhattan beach, I'm assuming that you took the bike to Helen's to get it assembled. If that is the case, I'd recommend just taking it out back behind the shop and riding up and down the street practicing getting in and out of the pedals. There's a long empty street back there.

And regarding changing flats... I actually just changed my first road flat today (I'm accustomed to changing mtb tires... And even then, I haven't done so in almost five years probably), and that too was pretty straightforward. Maybe if you just bum around Helen's, get chummy with the tech guys, they'll show you how to change a flat properly... But it's really not that bad.

Anyhow, that's a nice bike, if it's a 53 and you end up hating the sport, let me know, and I'll take it off your hands! 

good luck


----------



## RMaz74 (Aug 12, 2005)

*Update*



Takashi said:


> Well Ryan, any update on your bike?


Well, I got the new Bianchi delivered on 8/18 and had it assembled at Helens in Santa Monica that day (the Manhattan Beach location .5 miles from my pad has about a 2 week wait for service). After picking the bike up I brought the bike inside my apt. to look it over. WOW... this is a great looking bike! I still didn't have shoes yet, so I went to another LBS up the street (TriZombies) and picked up some Sidi Genius 4s. Got home and practiced clipping in/out in the living room  . I adjusted the tension on the pedals so it would be relatively easy to clip in/out. After doing this for about 20mins... I felt confident... I was going to brave the mean streets of Manhattan Beach  .

My first ride was not as intimidating as I thought. I was a bit nervous? I had absolutely no clue what I was doing in terms of shifting... but some how, I started to get the hang of it. I still probably shift incorrect (mainly when I go from the small front to the large front) and I am probably taking some life off of my chain... but I guess that's what newbies do... live and learn. My first ride lasted about 50mins and I almost fell 2x. I have to remember that my other foot is clipped in as well. I have a habit of only unclipping my right foot. My a$$ was SO sore the next day because I don't have the proper shorts... but I took the advice of others in this forum and I rode through the pain for 5 days straight. Now, it doesn't hurt so badly. 

I realized quickly that I have to build up my leg endurance... my problem is that I have severe chicken legs. I'm not sure if I'm cut out for this sport, but I'm going to try my best. I am riding on almost completely flat surfaces (The Strand) and I am only using the small front and middle back. Hopefully this will get better with time/practice.

Finally, the only things I am really concerned about now are #3 & 4 in my original list. I have no clue how to change a flat tire or what maintenance I should be performing on the bike. I have taken the advice of Cdubb and called the Bike Palace in San Pedro; however, they do not know when the next maintenance workshop will be. As of now... if I get a flat while I am doing the tri... I am OUT! 

Well... wanted to give everyone an update. My apologizes for the length. I appreciate all who have responded. Hopefully we will meet up on a ride someday and you can say (as I am passing you ), "Hey, I remember when you were a newbie"...


----------



## The Walrus (Apr 2, 2000)

One other suggestion for building your skill set: check at the closest REI to see when they're offering wrenching classes. I know my local store has a pretty regular schedule of courses catering to different levels of complexity, and yours should, too. It's a good way for someone new to the sport to get some knowledge without getting a serving of attitude with it.


----------



## il sogno (Jul 15, 2002)

When you feel more comfortable on the bike a few rides up and down the Sepulveda pass will cure you of the chicken legs.


----------



## fivekbob (Aug 22, 2004)

*Hey Ryan*

Hi Ryan, I'm Bob in Torrance. If you want to work on your endurance head down a few miles to Palos Verdes Estates and try the 4 Palos Verdes Drives. Going south on Palos Verdes Dr. E...you first have about 2.2 miles of incline, followed by a shorter decline then more incline and then going downhill towards the ocean on the famous switchbacks.
No reason for the stress. The gearing should become second nature to you as you will feel the need to shift. I'm about as novice on maintainance as you are and I got used to my spd pedels in less than a month. If you ever want to go on a ride, let me know and I'll do the drives with you. A good starting or staging point would be Malaga Cove Plaza at the junction of PV DR. W and S.
By the way, I'm primarily a runner and work part time at the Village Runner in Redondo Beach.....
Good Luck, 5K Ride Smart



RMaz74 said:


> Hello! Newbie here
> 
> I am 31, live in Manhattan Beach, and I just purchased my first road bike (2004 Bianchi Team Veloce). I purchased the bike to train for the Malibu (Sprint) Triathlon. The bike arrives on 8/17 and I am starting to feel a bit overwhelmed... What did I get myself into? I will be taking the bike to the LBS to get it put together on Thursday. After that... I am clueless. Some of the basic questions that I have are:
> 
> ...


----------



## bundokbiker (Aug 6, 2005)

*i'm a bit late*

sorry, but I don't look at this board often.

I hope the tri went well for you. let me know if you want to do a ride, I frequently ride to PV. i've been known to train with a beginner, besides i'm no expert myself. send me a PM or email.

Bo


----------

