One of the most intimidating parts of getting into road cycling is bike maintenance and repair.  It can be very frustrating to pay $700 or more for a new bike, and the only bit of bike knowledge you have is throwing WD40 on the chains to keep them from squeaking (which you should NOT do).
There are a couple options that we’ve discussed, such as getting into Park Tool School, or reading Zinn & The Art Of Road Bike Maintainence.  The third option, bringing it into your local bike shop, is …

In part one of “You’ve just bought a bike, now what?”, I covered the essential items you’ll need after purchasing your (likely first) bike, including the helmet, spare tubes, patch kit, tools, and pump/CO2. Part 2 covered the seat wedge, pedals, shoes and cleats.
Part 3 of this series will help you with the sunglasses, cyclocomputer, headlight, and taillights.

In part one of “You’ve just bought a bike, now what?”, I covered the essential items you’ll need after purchasing your (likely first) bike, including the helmet, spare tubes, patch kit, tools, and pump/CO2. Of course, these items aren’t nearly the only things you’ll need to prepare you for the road.
Part 2 will cover the seat wedge, pedals, shoes, and cleats.

Buying a brand new, perfectly fitted, road bike can be quite an experience, but it’s just the beginning. You’ll need a few more things just to get started, so I hope you’ve set aside some of your hard earned money for the essential cycling gear, tools, and components.
First, let’s cover the essential things you’ll want to get now that you’ve picked out the perfect bike.

While this tip may come in handy more often for mountain bikers, it is a good bit of knowledge for road cyclers as well. Let’s say that you are cruising down a rather worn trail going around 20 mph. You jet around a corner and right in front of you on the trail is a small tree that has fallen. It is far too late to swerve around, so all you can do is slam on the brakes and hope it doesn’t hurt too much when you …

About two weeks ago I was riding one of the local trails in my area. I was about 20 miles out when I ran straight into a trail close/detour sign. As it turns out, the city had repaved some of the trails, and the one I just ran into was still pretty wet. I followed the detour and about 4 miles into the detour, the detour came to an end and rejoined me back into the trail system. I biked for no more than another mile …

Road cycling can be a bit overwhelming for anyone new to the sport. There is a lot to learn about riding technique, the latest cycling gear, nutrition, training, and maintenance. You can spend a lot of money getting your bike tuned up for the summer, or even a long ride. Many beginners who are mechanically inclined often think they can do the tuning up themselves, but get turned off to the idea when they see how many tools are unique to the bicycle. A few years …