Questions tagged [technique]
How to improve your cycling form -- whether you want to pedal with less pain or become more aerodynamic. Can also be used for mountain biking or BMX techniques such as hopping or jumping.
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Do skilled cyclists really "use the front brake alone probably 95% of the time"?
Sheldon Brown's Braking and Turning Your Bicycle page states that:
Skilled cyclists use the front brake alone probably 95% of the time
and
"Generally I advise against using both brakes at the ...
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What skills/drills should I learn to descend faster and more confidently? (for mountain biking)
I've ridden road and mountain bikes for years, and this is my first year riding as a part of a team (and actually doing races). I've been stuck at nearly the same level of skill when descending and ...
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Broken glass on the bicycle path, what to do?
Often I find myself driving with my racing bike on the dedicated bicycle lane in my city. The problem with these bicycle lanes is that there is a lot of broken glass (once every few kilometers). ...
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What is a simple mnemonic for remembering the thread direction when removing pedals?
Given that pedal threads are different on the left and right pedals: the right side pedal has a right-hand thread (removes counterclockwise, installs clockwise); the left side pedal has a left-hand ...
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Load your bag or Load your bike?
Probably, another debatable question from my side.
When carrying items while riding, like water bottle, repair kits, pumps, or other stuffs that you might need, What is the best option.... to carry ...
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Is there a way to hop up onto a parallel curb?
The scenario: you're riding in a curb-adjacent, paint-only bike lane. You happen to look over your shoulder (or in your mirror) and see a vehicle approaching from behind, either fully in the bike lane,...
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How to jump curbs?
Putting aside the question should one ever ride on the sidewalk, I would like to jump curbs safely and seamlessly.
Assume a hardtail mountain bike with high saddle (we are in the city), at a speed of ...
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Why do cyclists shave their legs?
Why do cyclists shave their legs? Is it because of wind resistance?
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How can I improve my pedal stroke?
I know a part of biking endurance and speed come from having a perfect pedal stroke. What should I do to improve my pedal stroke?
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How to descend mountain roads?
What skills and techniques are required to descending at high speeds while maintaining control of the bicycle? How does this change when the roads are wet or have gravel in them?
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How to get my feet out of SPD pedals?
I just bought some SPD shoes and pedals last night and I was trying them out (on one foot) while balancing in my living room. I ended up falling over because I couldn't get unclipped. What suggestions ...
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How can I prevent cars from passing me too closely?
Recently, a driver buzzed by me, leaving just a couple of inches between my handlebars and his car. It was very scary.
In general, how can I prevent cars from passing me too closely?
Please cite ...
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How to properly ride over ripples on gravel roads (washboards)?
On certain back-country gravel roads, a combination of erosion and tire-tread seems to create these 4-inch ripples that can repeat for long stretches of the road. Riding over them at any speed at all ...
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How can I tell if my bike can ride down stairs without damaging it?
I would like to know if my bike can handle going down a flight of about 15 stairs. (edit: ride it down, not jump)
Specifically I have a Merida Crossway 100 . However, I would like to know if there is ...
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How is cornering on the road different than cornering on dirt?
The general advice about cornering is to lean the bike, not the body, to put pressure on the outside foot, and not to brake or brake only with the rear brake if absolutely needed.
--me
There are ...
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What's the best way to lift a bike onto a storage hook?
At work we have hooks attached to the wall so that we can hang our bikes from the front wheel. They're effectively the same as these:
I see heaps of people struggling to lift their bikes onto the ...
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Is it possible to drop a foot in corners while using clipless pedals?
My friends convinced me to try clipless pedals, that I never trusted too much (BMX background). Now while I'm getting used to them and experience very funny falls, I try to figure out, can a used-to-...
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How to decelerate effectively with a rear brake?
My front brake is not operational and it will be a couple of days before the replacement Shimano Deore arrives. There are probably other use cases for braking with a rear brake. For example, pad ...
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How do I efficiently shift gears on a road bike with downtube shifters?
I have bought a vintage Campagnolo road bike, so the shifters are on the down tube.
I own a mountain bike and i am used to changing gears on that one, but don't know the proper technique to change on ...
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What are some good tips for riding in a large group?
One of the popular bike routes near me has a few groups that ride together on Saturday and Sunday. The groups get as big as 30 to 40 riders and they move fast (25 to 35 mph). I have occasionally ...
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Looking for Techniques for Riding Uphill on a Single Speed
I commute on a Single Speed (SS) bike about 13mi round trip. Going home is not a problem as the gradients are low and I can climb them. However, going in to work the gradients are much steeper and I ...
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Is turning head to look backwards while riding a bike a safe and recommended technique?
I currently have two problems with this:
While looking backwards, I do not see where I am going.
It is difficult to maintain perfectly the same direction while turning around.
Probably both problems ...
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Most favoriable collision with a car? How should I act before collision, supposing enough time?
Suppose a car is going to collide with you. What can you do to minimise the consequences?
By collision I mean that it may be intentional or an accident. Anyway I am looking for tips on how to act in ...
user652
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What is the trick to riding on sand?
I have been trying to ride on some trials that have very soft sand and especially agitated by ATVs. When I hit a soft patch my front tire pulls in one direction and I freak out a little. I cannot ...
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What is a good way to learn how to ride a bike on rollers?
After seeing a few questions about rollers pop-up, such as this one, it has spiked my interest in these things again.
So how do you learn how to ride on rollers? How long does it take you to get the ...
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What effect does changing the stem length have on my bikes handling
I'm finding that when jumping my mountain bike seems to be very nose heavy no matter how far back my saddle is. What effect will moving to a shorter stem length have?
My bike, a Boardman FS-PRO came ...
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How to start uphill?
It is tricky to start pedaling uphill, especially with some complicating factors out there. I want to learn the proper technique.
Saddle height
For any uphill, I put my saddle at "XC height",...
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Is it a good idea to lift the front wheel to go through small bumps?
I was wondering if it is a good idea, when riding fast on a road bike, to lift the front wheel when I find a 5-10cm bump.
Does it damage the rear wheel more? Is it good or bad for the front wheel?
I ...
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Does rocking the bike side to side when e.g. sprinting or climbing help?
Or would more power go through the pedals if the rider held the frame still/upright?
Or is there little difference? How would it be measured and what are the forces acting on the bike when rocking ...
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Is cornering in snow any different?
The general advice about cornering is to lean the bike, not the body, to put pressure on the outside foot, and not to brake or brake only with the rear brake if absolutely needed.
Well, does this ...
- 13.7k
9
votes
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Which position adjustments maximize the use of the glutes in a road bike?
I usually don't feel the glutes firing when I'm seated unless I'm in a really long and hard climb or if I stand up and move back.
Is there any common adjustment to maximize the glutes utilization? Or ...
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How to train front braking technique?
One of my mountain bike buddys has severe issues with downhill riding technique. By downhill I don't mean downhill racing in this context but riding down trails that are rather smooth but with some ...
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Why and how much is riding big-chainring-frong small-cog-rear a negative practice?
A friend of mine is riding consistently in largest chainring front and smallest cog rear. The corresponding teeth counts are respectively 44 and 11.
The bicycle is an Acera-level mountain bike with ...
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3
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answer
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How to practice jumping over cars with disc brakes and SPD shoes?
This question here raises a sub-question, to avoid accidents. I am looking for some safe ways to practice jumping over cars. I use SPD shoes and disc brakes because I have noticed that I can burst ...
user652
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Trouble balancing when starting
I recently starting riding again (stopped for 10 years) and am having balance problems when starting. Using the proper starting technique causes me to wobble and lose my balance, tho' I haven't ...
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How do you keep from coasting too much on a bicycle?
Something that has always confused me about working out on a bike. I want a Hybrid to ride for fitness. I do not want the Road bike, mostly because I'm not going to ride on the road (I am too afraid ...
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