What do I need / what do I have to pay attention to?
Two things are mandatory: A bike and a helmet. In my opinion, equipping yourself directly with professional equipment for several thousand euros makes no sense at all. Relying on comfort instead of sportiness to start with saves the body a lot of stress, tension and yes, even wounds. For example, I only switched to a sportier bike (smaller frame size, lower stem, high rims on the wheels…) after two years.
A entry-level bike with a bit of patience you can get it cheaply on Ebay classifieds, for example. Anyone who prefers a new bike can of course also look around in an online shop or shop. There are an incredible number of brands and suppliers. Honestly: There are no big differences and things you should definitely pay attention to at the entry-level (price) level. Since these can also be resold relatively easily and without great loss of costs, I would definitely recommend getting a cheap bike first before you are really sure that you will stick with the sport. Incidentally, cheap for racing bikes means around 1,000 euros: Canyon offers the Endurance (WMN) AL 7.0 and Cube the Attain Race Disk for just under 1,000 euros. At Rose (Endurance Pro SL), the beginner bikes start at just under 1,200 euros.
Incidentally, racing cycling can be done like any other sport just test it: Especially in holiday regions you can partly in hotels, but also in extra bike shops/rental points Rent and test bikes. Munich is unfortunately a bit tricky here and google doesn’t give that much, so here are a few insider tips: Bikedress rents out bikes from Pasculli, Bikecenter from Cervelo and Trek, Outside1st rents out Felt Bikes and Mborg from Orbea.
Above all, it is important that the bike fits the owner. Here it is primarily about the frame size, details such as stem height and length, seat height and angle, position of the clipless pedals and so on can be adjusted later at any time. Incidentally, it is definitely worth getting a professional bike fitting (approx. 100-400 euros) here, in which the bike is perfectly adapted to you via measurement and computer calculation.
The appropriate frame size can be easily calculated: stride length x 0.69. Depending on how comfortable you want your rides to be, you can add another 2 centimeters. The smaller the frame, the sportier the ride. By the way, my calculated frame size would be 57, my first bike was a 56 frame, but now I ride a 54 frame simply because I get along better with it. So you see: pure calculations can give a good starting point, but with experience and trying out you can get used to “your” bike.
Road bike, cyclocross, gravel bike? A cyclo or gravel bike can also be a great alternative to start with! If you also want to ride your bike for city tours, the way to work or gravel roads, it even makes a lot of sense! For example, I have gravel coats (i.e. tires) for my racing bike, which I put on the bike depending on the tour. The downside is that you need more power than “pure” road cyclists because the tires and frame are “slower”.
In addition to bikes and helmets, there are of course many other things that make road cycling more comfortable, less complicated and safer:
One cycling shorts: Even if many people don’t get used to the “diaper feeling” at first, it makes (especially long) bike rides much more comfortable. Incidentally, cycling shorts must be so tight that they cannot slip, otherwise chafing can quickly occur
One sunglasses: It not only protects against UV radiation, but also against small animals, rain or dirt thrown up by the road.
Clipless pedals and road bike shoes: By the way, you buy both separately and are usually not included when you buy a racing bike (no, not even the pedals). Road bike shoes are like running shoes: you have to try them on and feel comfortable in them. The cleats, with which you click into the pedal, are then screwed individually to the shoe. In my opinion, it doesn’t matter which click system (note: different cleats have different pedals!) you use. My first bike had the Shimano SPD SL system, I was very happy with that. Now I have the Look system, because my Garmin pedals with integrated wattmeter are only made for this system. As good as!
I have friends who have opted for the mountain bike version because the cleats are not attached to the outside of the sole, but have a recess in the sole where the cleats are attached. The advantage is that you can also walk “normally” because the sole is even. Of course you can also do it, here you need mountain bike shoes and, for example, the SPD binding including pedals. Disadvantage is the poorer power transmission.
drinking bottle(nhalter): Tackling longer tours without food is not particularly smart. You should always have at least one water bottle with you (unfortunately, the holders can usually be obtained separately for a few euros).
racing jersey: In addition to functional fabrics, which always make sense during sporting activities, racing bike tops have pockets on the back in which you can stow your cell phone, keys, bars and, if necessary, a spare inner tube, small tools and air pump.
Bike computer/sports watch: Anyone who rides also wants to know how long they’ve been on the road, how fast they’ve been and so on: Most smartwatches can now also record cycling activities, I personally installed a bike computer on my handlebars right from the start so that I can plan my route (which gives it also with navigation), speed and time in view.
What equipment did/did I have?
I started with this:
My first bike was a Bianchi Semper Pro with a frame size of 56 and cost about 2,400 euros at the time. I didn’t change anything on the bike, I rode it exactly as I bought it for 2 years. There were also pedals (Shimano), road bike shoes (Sidi), bike computers (Garmin Edge), road bike pants (Pearl Izumi), jersey (Craft), helmet (Giro) and sunglasses (Oakley). All in all my Basic equipment cost almost 2,900 euros. Of course, this is also much cheaper! Discounters also often offer everything to do with bikes and the quality is often not bad at all! If you want to keep an eye on your money, you should also keep an eye out for online and offline sales (especially at the end of the season).
I’m currently driving:
My bike is one Venge Pro by Specialized, which is just under 7,000 euros if you buy it new. I bought it used and left everything as it was except for the saddle and pedals. Unlike my first bike, this one has a electrical circuit (easier to use, for this it has to be charged regularly), disc brake (better function when braking and driving uphill), is significantly lighter and has high rims. I returned my Garmin bike computer and exchanged it for the Wahoo elmnt bold exchanged because it is smaller, cheaper and absolutely sufficient for my requirements. I only have the pedals because of the additional watt meter (Garmin Vector) and the saddle was recommended to me by a bike shop. Basically I find it Saddle (Specialized) OK, but it is so wide that the padding on most cycling shorts is too narrow and I always have pain in my seat bones. It’s definitely on my to-do list to get myself a new saddle – it’s important to me that it’s made especially for women and isn’t too hard. I’ll stick with the brand.
I sold my old Bianchi and then paid another 2,000 euros, including the bike computer, power meter and saddle. (By the way, I’m not mentioning the prices to impress anyone or not, but to give you a rough idea of what costs to expect at what level). Basically, it’s the legs that set the pace, not the bike!
I would like to make you an extra post with my different cycling outfits, since the question came up very often beforehand: Which cycling shorts can I recommend?: Bike manufacturers offer both women’s and men’s pants, so basically it makes sense to stick to them. Women’s pants are cut a little narrower and also fit better on women. It is important that it fits, i.e. it is so tight that the pants do not slip. That’s why most cycling shorts also have straps. Ergo: Pants that match your gender with straps.
