bike newbie, need suggestions/advices

[vxg]

Hi guys, I've been pondering for some time to buy a road bike, but there are certain questions in my mind that I have. Hope you guys could help me with this:

1) where can I train in Melbourne ? I hv quite terrible history with cycling. about 5 years ago when I was in uni, I bought cheap mountain bike from big w, a mate asked me to follow him on the road straight away after i took the bike, i lost balance, almost got hit by a car. The next day I tried familiarising myself with cycling by going around melbourne uni at night. was going uphill this narrow alley, lost balance and I hit a tree. that was pretty much it, gave up cycling after that since I was thinking to use it to commute but did not want to get hit by a car. This time i had a better motivation since i want to purchase a road bike to actually exercise on a bike, not to commute. But still I am wondering where can I train safely to cycle without being on the road ? I meant I run a lot and if i want to train running or even sprinting I can just go to a park, but sprinting with a bike in a park when you are newbie doesn't really sound safe, on the road even worse. how do you guys train when you first cycled ? (I live in cbd btw, jsut beside flagstaff garde, too bad no cycling allowed in flagstaff garden)

2) is it ok to buy first bike online ? i know people say I should go to LBS to try out, but my height is about 177 cm so a mate told me just buy online and pick medium size. I am thinking to buy this bike: http://www.cyclingexpress.com/cycle/azz ... sport.aspx
is this any good for beginner ? (my budget is 300-600 btw, dont wanna spend too much on first road bike.

thanks in advance for the help guys
much appreciated

[pawnii]

the bike path along the Yarra is pretty good most of the time. At least if you go off course you'll land it soft river water
When i first started riding I practised on a velodrome for a few weeks. After that i rode around the block on the road. Once i completed 10 laps around the block I worked out a 5km course on quiet roads, then 10km, 15km, 20km and so on.

I wouldn't bother with riding on the footpath as it's more dangerous then beneficial.
Riding with an experienced mate really helps put you on the right track.

[vxg]

which velodrome did you go to ?
any feedback on the bike im thinking to buy ?

thank you !!

[Lazyweek]

But still I am wondering where can I train safely to cycle without being on the road ? I meant I run a lot and if i want to train running or even sprinting I can just go to a park, but sprinting with a bike in a park when you are newbie doesn't really sound safe, on the road even worse. how do you guys train when you first cycled ? (I live in cbd btw, jsut beside flagstaff garde, too bad no cycling allowed in flagstaff garden)

I recently bought a road bike. For me, I practiced clipping in and out and basic bike handling skills in quiet back streets. I found that was reasonably safe. When I felt comfortable with that then I ventured out onto the roads. Having ridden bikes on and off for the majority of my life, I didn't have huge difficulties adapting to the road bike. Just take your time, don't rush things and you should be fine. Regarding sprinting, maybe try finding a hill (that might be hard in Melbourne though). I found a hill near my place where at max effort I can only hit 30 km/hr.

[clackers]

But still I am wondering where can I train safely to cycle without being on the road ? I meant I run a lot and if i want to train running or even sprinting I can just go to a park, but sprinting with a bike in a park when you are newbie doesn't really sound safe, on the road even worse. how do you guys train when you first cycled ? (I live in cbd btw, jsut beside flagstaff garde, too bad no cycling allowed in flagstaff garden)

Build up hours on the Moonee Ponds and Maribyrnong trails. They're connected by Footscray Rd, which is great at weekends.

[vxg]

arent those next to the river ? more dangerous for newbie ?
btw any feedback on the bike in the link above guys ? if you think its reasonable ill buy it straight away

cheers

[misterhorsey]

I'd be more inclined to go to a bike store, ideally with a friend who has a bit of experience. The bike that you've linked to looks fine -but its really hard to tell if its the right size unless you have some experience with bikes.

Also, you'll need pedals for that bike, and if you are wanting to exercise on it, you'll eventually want to get clipless pedals. you can do this all online if that's your preference, but if you find a decent shop with knowledgable staff who are happy to talk with you, you may end up saving a lot of time and saving money by buying the right gear to begin with.

online purchases are great - once you have a better idea of what you're doing.

If you don't have an experienced friend, keep on asking questions!!

[clackers]

arent those next to the river ? more dangerous for newbie ?

I wouldn't have thought so ... although reading your OP you have hit a tree in the past while learning!