Hot answers tagged technique
37
Cyclists shaving their legs is more tradition than anything else--there is a whole industry around creams, soaps, and salves. However, I'll defer to Sheldon Brown's explanation for a few acceptable reasons why they do it:
To prevent infection when crashing.
To pull off bandages more painlessly after dressing a wound.
To get a massage of the legs without ...
25
Reference - Cyclecraft by John Franklin
A cycle takes more than twice as far to stop using only the rear brake compared to using only the front brake, which will usually stop the machine just as quickly as using both brakes. Nevertheless, you should always apply the rear brake, and slightly in advance of the front brake, so that a slight skid at the rear ...
18
You're most efficient sitting with a cadence between 80 - 100 (faster if you can do it) so it's recommended that you stay seated as much as possible. For mountain biking staying seated increases the weight on your rear tire and reduces the chances of it slipping as long as you can keep a smooth spin stroke and not 'mash' the pedals on the down stroke.
...
18
For the most part, the same kind of advice you give to any cyclist will suffice here. Encourage them to take it easy at first, to give them the opportunity to experience cycling--and specifically climbing--in a supportive, non-threatening environment.
Pick a good route
What hills and roads you pick will have an effect on how the newbie cyclist perceives ...
15
Whilst I come from a mountain bike background so my advice might be different from someone with a road background, I've found the following tips work well when I've been on a road bike in the mountains.
Keep your weight centered - don't be tempted to lean back. You want to keep a good amount of weight over the front wheel to help it grip.
Look through the ...
15
Years ago when cars started to get ABS, the argument was that a skilled driver could stop quicker with it turned off, and there was proof of it. When Traction control came in a skilled driver could go faster with it turned off. When ESP became available, ditto. We all know that an unskilled driver benefits enormously from these aids, and it turns out not ...
14
Downtube shifters will really get you in touch with your bike--more than with many other shifting systems, I believe that I can actually FEEL the rear derailleur moving in my hand when I use them.
Needless to say, I ride a lot of old road bikes.
You will quickly gain the control to shift either from various hand positions on your road bars. Assuming ...
14
Make sure the tension is low at first (should be a little screwn on face of pedal). Generally you will get to a point of looseness where you are popping out unintentionally, go just tigher than that.
Cleat placement also can be a factor. The closer to the toe it is, the easier it tends to be to get out. Be careful about moving too far from the balls of ...
14
Do it little by little.
Like a learner driver, go find a car park or a quiet road, you don't want to be doing this in the traffic. Ironically, you probably don't want to be doing this on a surface that will give you a soft landing. I suppose a flat playing field might work, but cycling on grass isn't as smooth as cycling on tarmac and you'll need a ...
13
Group rides of this size and speed often consist entirely of racers. If a steady double paceline hasn't formed, then to be more specific, this is one of those rides that is, in effect, a race itself.
So with that in mind, so some general thoughts about these types of group rides:
If they are all wearing the same jersey and you are not, ask permission to ...
12
Weight distribution is critical, and it is a bit of a fine balance, much like doing a track stand. I find that it is easiest to do this by staying seated and crouching towards the front of the bike. Standing on the pedals will tend to put your weight too far forward and make it difficult to achieve smooth power transfer to the wheels.
Smooth Power Transfer ...
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I ride both SS/FG and approach climbing hills much of the same way I would if I were on a geared bike with one very big exception...MOMENTUM. When on a heavily geared SS/FG I gain as much speed as possible going into the hill and push hard to maintain it throughout the climb.
Basic climbing tips:
Slide back on saddle and drive heels through the bottom of ...
12
Not a stupid question. The simple answer is that they are throwing every ounce of leverage, weight, and power into the pedals and that much movement side to side is the visible result of trying that hard to move forward.
If you could stay absolutely still, and input the same amount of force to the pedal, then more of that energy would go to moving forward, ...
11
A shorter stem does make your steering quicker, it also enables you to sit further upright and gives more leverage on the handlebar.
The longer stem gets you more forward and in a better position for climbing but I think it makes low speed steering awkward and is uncomfortable for long stretches on the bike.
I went from some ungodly long stem (100+mm) with ...
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Yes there is one main trick, and some regular skills.
The trick is: if you LOWER THE TIRE PRESSURE, any tire will float over sand like magic. It should not be so underinflated as to allow easy pinch flats, but the lower the pressure, the more marked the floating effect. There are just two limitations:
If the tire is skinny (low volume) it might not be ...
11
I'd qualify myself as a "skilled" cyclist. I would not say that I only use the front brake 95% of the time.
When riding in a peleton it would be very dangerous to make any kind of sudden stop as you cause alarm and possible collision with people behind you. If i do need to slow in a group, I use only my back brake. It allows a far more gradual slowing and ...
10
I divide between two extremes:
Riding long distance with lots of stuff on good pavement: load the bike;
Riding short distance with not so much stuff and/or on rough road: load the back;
Of course, there are some additional considerations:
If the road is so harsh you must stand up to manoeuver (off-road, back-country, XC, etc.), load yourself. The bike ...
9
I've always used both. Among other things, if you apply both brakes you're in much better shape should one of the brakes fail suddenly (eg, broken cable, unanticipated wet rim, etc).
But then, I've never pretended to be a racer.
Added: It should be noted that, unless you're riding like a maniac (or at least like a BMX rider), 95% (at least) of your ...
8
curtismchale's answer is spot-on -- I'm only answering to quote from my favourite cycling article "On the Technique of Climbing" by Luis Bernhardt:
When you are sitting in the saddle, you are basically on a Universal Gym. The way you fit the bike prescribes how efficient you are.
Seated climbing is the most efficient way to go: just pick a low enough ...
8
Pushing and pulling and rhythm:
You'll certainly need clipless pedals - you won't develop a decent stroke if you're only pushing down on the pedal. You need to be pulling as well.
I would advocate speeding some time on a fixie, too. If you have to keep you legs moving, you will start to feel more connected to your bike and its speed.
Get yourself a ...
8
They quite simply must sway the bike back and forth because of the mechanical reality of the situation. It's not even really a conscious act — if the rider didn't do this, the bike would fall out from under them.
These riders are applying extreme power to each pedal. Since the pedals are not centered laterally, applying a large force to the right pedal (for ...
8
Being aware of your weight distribution can help a lot. You want to make sure you are not leaning forward and taking pressure off of the rear tire.
You can also help keep your rear tire planted by giving a slight downward twist on the handlebars with your wrists. Kind of the opposite of a bunny hop.
As far as braking technique goes, try to be ...
8
Standing to pedal won't damage your knees. Supporting and propelling you when you are standing is exactly what knees are designed to do.
If anything standing is better for your knees than sitting. When you are sitting down their motion is limited because the top and bottoms of your legs are 'fixed' in position. When you stand your knees and hips can move ...
7
One of the best reasons for having a round pedal stroke is efficiency. If you pedal stroke is smooth and efficient, you will get more power to the wheels with less effort. Some exercises for improving your pedal stroke; the winter is a great time for such low intensity exercises.
Pedal a very big gear up hill (20-40 rpm) for intervals of 5-10 min x ...
7
Pushing down on the pedals is a natural thing. So to improve the "roundness" of your pedal stroke, completely ignore the down-stroke, instead focus on the following:
Continuing the pedal stroke "across the bottom". This will probably feel something like trying to scrape mud off the bottom of your shoe.
On the up-stroke, focus on driving your knee upwards ...
7
My experience is limited to single pacelines, but here goes:
The spot with the least effort is at the back, because the slipstream at its is widest here. If you're having trouble hanging on to the back then you may not cut it further up the group -- you'll just open up a gap and annoy everyone caught behind you.
The problem in the back is that every time ...
7
Will you damage components?
Probably, if this is a repeated pattern, yes.
When standing to climb you will be in a higher gear than when seated climbing. This means the cadence of your legs and pedals is slower. Add to the slower cadence the fact that you are powering down hard to accelerate uphill and there is significant power going through the chain and ...
7
Is this the right road to use?
First off, you might consider avoiding this road, or at least certain parts of it. Are there areas with more traffic? Narrower lanes? See if there's a way around those sections.
Visibility
If you haven't already, you could also work on making yourself and your bike more visible to drivers. Consider wearing a safety vest. ...
7
It sounds like an unpleasant road to ride on, I'm sure you would use a different route if one was available.
If you can feel the slipstream, to the extent that it moves your bike around, things are passing to close. Paradoxically you may find that by riding further from the curb, passing vehicles will leave you more room.
People tend to leave as much ...
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