New bike day! Any tips for a beginner?

Spin easy and have fun.

Excellent choice–just get out and ride and don’t forget to get in an easier gear for the climbs!

Don’t give up if it’s noticeably harder than running at first. The muscles you use and the ways you use them are very different. If I went for a jog right now I’d be winded as hell in like five minutes but I can bike for an hour without batting an eye.

You can still train to be good at both I did that for a while but am definitely off the running bandwagon at this point.

Don’t be an afraid to pace yourself. I grew up riding bike parks, and it was a revelation when I realized that cranking every hill wasn’t necessary or advised on road rides.

Like If your quads are absolutely burning 10 minutes in, you’re pedaling too hard 

Check the air in the tires weekly at least.  And use a pressure gauge, don’t try to think you can feel if it is hard enough.

Your saddle looks a bit low in contrast to the frame size and I suspect you may have lowered it so that you can put both feet on the ground at once while remaining in the saddle, which is a common instinct for new riders. Saddle height is quite important to utilise the muscles of your legs properly, which not only makes your cycling strokes more efficient but can also reduce potential injuries. A general rule of thumb is that your leg should almost but not quite be fully extended and straight on the downward stroke of your pedalling action, and if you are extending your knees outwards while you are pedalling then your saddle is too low. That’s open to interpretation of course, so it wouldn’t hurt to get a bike shop or more experienced cyclist to eyeball this for you.

Now, this means that when you are stopping you can’t simply put both feet on the ground at once, which might take some getting used to. If this is an issue for you (and I really hope I’m not being patronising here…) take a look at some experienced cyclists and you’ll see they often lift themselves from their saddle slightly, tilt their bike to one side and rest one foot on the ground first before steadying themselves, moving forward so they’re no longer sitting on their saddle and resting their other foot on the ground. You’ve got standard “flat” pedals which are good for a beginner, and it’s best to use these to help you with this process before deciding whether or not to move to a more advanced integrated pedal/shoe combination with cleats on the shoes that lock into the pedals.

I hope this might help and congratulations, you’ve got a great bike to ride there, and your running background will give you a great cardio base to get started! I find running and cycling complement each other really well.