![\"climb2\"](\"https:\/\/www.merlincycles.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/climb2-150x150.jpg\")
<\/p>\nYou\u2019re ready for your first ride. Naturally it\u2019s going to take a little while until you&#039;re up to speed with your new bike, so here\u2019s a few tips to help you along the way.<\/p>\n
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Even on a short ride you should at least take enough tools to be able to sort a flat out.<\/p>\n
However on a longer ride you\u2019ll need a bit more, but nothing that can\u2019t fit into a saddle pack.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not worth risking it, there\u2019s nothing worse than being stranded miles from home and all you needed was a chain tool to get you going again.<\/p>\n
On a short ride you can get away with just a bottle but again on a longer rider you\u2019ll need more.<\/p>\n
Dehydration and not being fuelled correctly can lead you to hit the wall. Hitting a wall means you might cramp up or just not simply have the energy to get up that last climb, it might even mean you need to stop.<\/p>\n
So take some drink, a couple of bars, gels etc and you\u2019ll be able to ride better for longer. ALSO don\u2019t forget your phone and some money, you never know what might happen!<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t be tempted to anchor on at every given opportunity, normally a light feathering of the brakes will be enough to slow you down. If you slam on the brakes, you could lock up but also cause problems to any riders who are near you. Mash those brakes only if you really need to.<\/p>\n
![\"saddle](\"https:\/\/www.merlincycles.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/top3-150x150.jpg\")
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Riding with a saddle too high or too low is a common mistake people make, not only will it be uncomfortable it will also stop you from getting the power down correctly.<\/p>\n
When your heel hits the bottom of the pedal stroke, your leg should be almost straight.<\/p>\n
Also you should just about be able to touch the floor with your toes if you\u2019re on the saddle.\u00a0So with that in mind, get on the bike and adjust the saddle height accordingly.<\/p>\n
We know the pro\u2019s do it and you see many riders at the weekend do it BUT washing it this way wears out the bearings quickly.\u00a0Use the right bike cleaning products and do it by hand, pick the right products and you\u2019ll have this done easily and in no time.<\/p>\n
When approaching a junction and the lights are on red, anticipate stopping and unclip a leg from your pedals whilst slowing down and before you stop.\u00a0This way when you stop you already have a leg free to steady you and you won\u2019t fall over!<\/p>\n
Brake before a corner unless it\u2019s an emergency, braking during the corner will cause you to lock up, the back wheel might fly out or worse still its crash time.<\/p>\n
There is a reason that different lubes and oils exist.\u00a0Do a bit of research and get the right oil for the job, particularly if you\u2019re on a carbon bike. Using the wrong lube can cause unnecessary wear to your bike and even corrode the frame.<\/p>\n
![\"top2\"](\"https:\/\/www.merlincycles.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/top2-150x150.jpg\")
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Road bikes now have 20 or 22 gears, make sure you\u2019re in the right one.<\/p>\n
Equally make sure you\u2019re pulling the right cadence, don\u2019t peddle too fast in a low gear or sweat away in a high gear.<\/p>\n
Have a bit of a practice, get to know the bike and also your shifters, it\u2019s always good to know what way changes up and down.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
You\u2019re ready for your first ride. Naturally it\u2019s going to take a little while until you&#039;re up to speed with your new bike, so here\u2019s a few tips to help you along the way.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":3127,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[69,4],"tags":[593,590,565,608,415],"ppma_author":[4640],"class_list":["post-3029","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cycling-how-to-guides","category-news","tag-beginner","tag-how-to","tag-maintenance","tag-new-riders","tag-top-tips","author-christian"],"yoast_head":"\n