Bike Noob

Because I'm Always Learning Something New

  • Home
  • About
  • Contact
  • Partners

Another writer joins the Bike Noob fold

10.20.2009 by Ray Niekamp // 4 Comments

Don Blount
Don Blount

It’s a pleasure for me to introduce a new guest poster to Bike Noob readers. Don Blount has been reading this blog for well over a year now, and has contributed a number of ideas for posts (You may remember the occasional reference to “Don, of California”). Now Don, who is a newspaperman by trade, has agreed to author posts of his own, rather than just send along ideas. Here’s his first opus:

It’s been a little over a year since I became a recreational road cyclist. I don’t run because of my knees and I tired of doing the elliptical trainer and treadmills in the gym. I ended up on the bike. I got sucked in slowly, starting by riding my mountain bike around town. I had fun and thought “hey, this isn’t bad.” Going 12 miles on that bike was about all I could take. (It’s a bike best suited for riding around with my kids.) After about a month I upgraded to a road bike. I came to this activity as a complete novice, knowing how to ride a bike but not knowing anything about road biking.

Here is what I’ve learned and would share with anyone looking to get into this sport:

It is about the bike

I ride a Scattante CFR Comp. For a first bike I did OK. It has a carbon frame, Shimano 105 shifters and front derailleur, Ultegra rear derailleur. I recently upgraded to Michelin Krylion tires. The bike works for me. I was actually going to buy a less expensive bike but an experienced cyclist who looked at the bikes I was considering advised me to buy this one because it had better components than the others, a carbon frame instead of an aluminum frame and would be a bike I could ride for years without getting bored with it. I spent a lot more than I had planned, but I did get a much better bike than the one I would’ve purchased without direction.

Get a professional bike fitting

I rode my bike for about five months with the setup that I received at the LBS where I made my purchase. During that time I slowly developed pain at the back of my left knee and in my lower back. My original set up wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t right on either. I went for a professional fitting and discovered that my seat was too low and too far back. I have a copy of my measurements, which I check monthly or if something doesn’t feel right to ensure sure my set up remains right.  Riding without getting a fitting is akin to wearing a suit without getting it tailored. Maybe some people can wear right off the rack but not many. It’s worth the investment.

Clothing

I had sticker shock when I first looked at something as simple as a pair of shorts. That was before I understood the difference between good cycling gear and not-so-good gear. I have a friend who has no problem going into triple digits for bib shorts, tights or any other piece of bike clothing. Yet he wouldn’t dream of spending nearly as much for regular clothing. I’m a big Pearl Izumi fan because I know that brand will fit and will wear well. It took me awhile to come to this conclusion. It wasn’t until I returned a set of bib shorts three – yep count em three – times to an online retailer and paid about $15 in postage that I drove an hour to a Pearl Izumi Factory store and got the things I wanted.

Dealing with your local bike shop

I like my LBS and enjoy going in there. But one thing I noticed was that it seemed the clerks were always trying to sell me something. Well, it is a store and not a library and the clerks get commissions on their sales. They weren’t pushy and were quite nice but I’m not the kind of guy who likes to be sold. I like information. I’ve been in that shop enough now that I know just about everyone who works there by name. And I’ve learned enough and they know me well enough that they no longer try to sell me and I can go in just for the discussion. Now I spend more time talking to the mechanics about repairs and talking to others about riding. And I’ve learned a lot from them by doing this.

Wear a helmet

I’ve worn a helmet for the better part of 16 years, including just riding around with my kids. I have a hard time understanding those who say they want to be free or don’t like the feel of a helmet or give some other reason for not wearing one. I recently had a cast removed from my left hand as I took a tumble on the first day of fall, seems appropriate, and broke a bone in my left wrist. I also bruised my left hip, knee and shoulder. I’m probably lucky that I didn’t break my collarbone judging from the way I went down. I was moving out of the way of an oncoming car and my front wheel got caught in a gap between road surfaces. I was 23 miles into a 46 mile ride. The only injury to my head was a bump. But my helmet cracked in about a half dozen places. If I had not been wearing a helmet, I doubt I’d be writing this. However, I finished the last 23 miles of the ride.

Don is back on the bike, recovering nicely from the fall, and promises to send along a more detailed account of his recovery, and an unusual side effect the fall triggered.

Like this:

Like Loading...

Related

Categories // guest post Tags // Blount, guest post

Comments

  1. Al says

    October 20, 2009 at 8:14 pm

    Nice post Don. Your enthusiasm comes through clearly. I look forward to more. Glad to hear you recovered from the fall. Way to HTFU!

    Reply
  2. Jeffh says

    October 21, 2009 at 8:30 am

    Great article, Don. Looking forward to more!

    Reply
  3. Doohickie says

    October 21, 2009 at 9:17 pm

    Welcome, Don!

    I heartily disagree with most of what you say- I do where a helmet and that’s about it. For cycling equipment I’m more of a vintage guy and the thought of riding CF instead of steel is disturbing to me ;-P

    Different strokes for different folks though. The important thing is to get on a bike and ride.

    Looking forward to reading more from you.

    Reply
  4. Doohickie says

    October 21, 2009 at 9:17 pm

    (I wear a helmet too……)

    Reply

Leave a ReplyCancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Get Email Updates

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 257 other subscribers

Categories

  • Accessories
  • Bike fit
  • Bikes
  • Blogging
  • Books
  • clubs
  • Cold weather
  • Community
  • Commuting
  • Components
  • crash
  • cycling
  • Equipment
  • Favorite rides
  • fitness
  • food
  • guest post
  • Heat
  • Injury
  • logs
  • Maintenance
  • Mental
  • Nutrition
  • Odds 'n ends
  • People
  • Poll
  • Racing
  • Records & stats
  • Review
  • Rides
  • running
  • Safety
  • soreness
  • Specialized
  • Technique
  • Technology
  • Tips
  • tires
  • training
  • Travel
  • Uncategorized
  • Home
  • About
  • Contact
  • Partners

Recent Posts

  • Getting Back on the Bike: Road Cycling Tips for Older Cyclists
  • Are BCAAs and EAAs Good for Cycling?
  • How to Fix Numb Toes When Cycling
  • How to Find and Vet a Bike Club
  • Celebrate Pearl Izumi with Big Savings in the Memorial Day Sale

Categories

  • Accessories
  • Bike fit
  • Bikes
  • Blogging
  • Books
  • clubs
  • Cold weather
  • Community
  • Commuting
  • Components
  • crash
  • cycling
  • Equipment
  • Favorite rides
  • fitness
  • food
  • guest post
  • Heat
  • Injury
  • logs
  • Maintenance
  • Mental
  • Nutrition
  • Odds 'n ends
  • People
  • Poll
  • Racing
  • Records & stats
  • Review
  • Rides
  • running
  • Safety
  • soreness
  • Specialized
  • Technique
  • Technology
  • Tips
  • tires
  • training
  • Travel
  • Uncategorized

Archives

  • May 2024
  • December 2023
  • November 2023
  • March 2022
  • October 2020
  • November 2018
  • May 2018
  • September 2017
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • January 2016
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • July 2013
  • June 2013
  • May 2013
  • April 2013
  • March 2013
  • February 2013
  • January 2013
  • December 2012
  • November 2012
  • October 2012
  • September 2012
  • August 2012
  • July 2012
  • June 2012
  • May 2012
  • April 2012
  • March 2012
  • February 2012
  • January 2012
  • December 2011
  • November 2011
  • October 2011
  • September 2011
  • August 2011
  • July 2011
  • June 2011
  • May 2011
  • April 2011
  • March 2011
  • February 2011
  • January 2011
  • December 2010
  • November 2010
  • October 2010
  • September 2010
  • August 2010
  • July 2010
  • June 2010
  • May 2010
  • April 2010
  • March 2010
  • February 2010
  • January 2010
  • December 2009
  • November 2009
  • October 2009
  • September 2009
  • August 2009
  • July 2009
  • June 2009
  • May 2009
  • April 2009
  • March 2009
  • February 2009
  • January 2009
  • December 2008
  • November 2008
  • October 2008
  • September 2008
  • August 2008
  • July 2008
  • June 2008
  • May 2008
  • April 2008
  • March 2008
  • February 2008

Copyright © 2026 · Modern Studio Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

Go to mobile version
%d