40
If one bike has a rear rack, you can attach the second bike's front wheel with a bunch of bungies and tow it. I've done this, and it worked fine.
Now I have a cargo bike, and the towing is simpler:
26
More than likely it is normal and frankly your legs probably aren't used to it. 17 miles is a long way for a beginner so I would pat yourself on the back for that.
You may also benefit from a proper fit from a bike shop. As a lot of beginners either have their seat too high or too low which can limit your power and actually cause you to tire quicker, ...
25
Walk :) Safest.
I do this from time to time (usually when one of the kids have 'forgotten' their bike), and find it easiest to do as pr above, but with a little variation.
If the transported bike is lightweight and otherwise allows it, simply 'wear' it as a backpack, putting your arm through the big triangle. Once it's on, you can determine if it will Work....
24
I had the same "motivation" thingy when I tried to keep my wife motivated in joining me during weekend rides.
First we did a really short and slow trip around the city (about 4 or 5 km at such a slow pace that my legs were hurting).
Then I tried to combine cycling with other activities we both liked. Being both foodies, I tried to find, in every outing, a ...
21
If you are reasonably firm at riding one-handed, you can drive them home by riding one of them while pushing/pulling the other one beside you with one hand.
Let's assume that the bike you will ride is called A and the one you push/pull is B.
First decide, which bike is better to be ridden and therefore will be your bike A and which hand is better to get ...
18
In addition to the answer by @Nate, I also commend you for putting in 17 miles after a 24 miles ride. Don't beat yourself up over struggling a little.
Be sure you allow plenty of recovery time. You do not get fit exercising, you get fit recovering from exercise. If you do not allow time to fully recover, you will struggle to get fitter. Two days after a ...
16
Stuff To Use:
Silicone based lubricant - for all weather conditions - especially good to use in wet or in winter - it's water resistant. It's thicker than teflon based and it's sticky (dust catches onto it making a paste - needs to be re-applied when dirt accumulates).
Teflon based lubricant - for dry conditions only, thinner and runs smoother than silicon ...
14
Chain lube goes on the chain. It's liquid and it drips on. We used to use "oil" for this but now there are lubes that a better engineered to provide lubrication without collecting dirt, washing off in the rain, breaking down chemically, etc. You also use this kind of liquid lube on brake pivots, derailleur pulleys and pivots. Probably not the same stuff you ...
14
Yes, 4km is good, especially if the road is hilly. Any new form of exercise is difficult at the start because it uses muscles you're not used to using, in ways you're not used to using them. It's completely normal to be tired and a bit sore. That's your body's way of saying "OK, I've done enough – ive me a break for a bit," and it's important to ...
13
Prioritize more:
Tires -- the bike must allow me to use the tires I want to use. I used to have a road bike that did not allow any tire wider than 25mm. Any bike that cannot use 35mm tires is useless to me. Some people are still under the illusion that narrow tires are fast, wide tires are slow; there is a bunch of research that indicates this is not ...
12
The key is to know your intended use. Knowing what you don't want also helps. But also a bike has a wide variety of applications, like a car.
Main (non BSO) adult bike types (people are always trying new ideas, or marketing approaches, so this is intended as an overview)
Road (racing) bike. For those who want to ride as fast as possible (for them). The ...
12
Treating "competitive cyclists" as this single unified group (with three subgrouping) belies some prejudices. Like all walks of life there are a diversity of people, all with different motivations, morals and life experiences. As such there is no single correct answer your various questions.
For example:
are people in pelotons generally friendly, ...
12
I'd invest in a pair of bike shorts.
Casual riders going short distances on big comfy saddles can get away with casual or regular sports clothing. You won’t be able to do that riding significant distance on a sports saddle.
Bike shorts have padding, obviously, but are also constructed so there is no seam between rider and saddle. Regular sports shorts ...
11
One possible way is to ride one bike and push the other. One hand goes to handlebars and front brake, the other grips the second bike by the handlebar stem.
This is slow and clumsy, of course, but if you are able to ride the said route with no hands, you should be able to move both bikes as well.
11
You don't need such a repair service. There is a different, more practical solution: a loan bike.
In The Netherlands, most bicycles are used by commuters, so expediting wouldn't work. However, there are also many places that rent bicycles. A good bike shop can simply have a couple of dozen bicycles on hand that they then loan out to a (regular) customer, ...
10
As one comment has indicated, you may need to evaluate if cold this extreme is even safe to ride in. If you determine that is is, there are several issues you'll need to address.
There are a lot of questions here about winter cycling. I went through question with the winter tag. Here are some of the ones applicable to your situation:
Breathing may be a ...
10
Adding to James Keuning's answer:
The way I think about lube and grease is that basically, grease is for things that don't get taken apart as much, and lube is for parts that get more care, more often, and are usually more easily accessible. This absolutely does not mean that bikes do not need grease or that it isn't as important as 'lube'.
I use lube on ...
9
Ghostride it, so long as you're not dealing with high speeds or heavy traffic:
http://www.instructables.com/id/How-To-Ghostride-a-Bike/
And make sure you have a soundtrack:
9
Press charges, and have the police issue a warrant to search for a bike similar to yours/ Investigate (Asking her mom/neighbors questions about a bike that may be similar)
If she shows up with one, you're out of luck, but it's probably not likely.
Additionally, there is no way she would be able to pedal away with a bike that doesn't fit her, so her height ...
9
I didn't get proper bike shorts until I was routinely riding over 100km. Before that (and still for commuting) I just went for whatever I would wear in the gym. However cheap gel-padded (not foam-padded) shorts from ebay have been very good for me. I haven't seen them in real shops but tend to avoid real shops if possible.
If you're in gym shorts, it's ...
9
I'd go for a longer bike rather than a short one. This helps handling at speed and makes it easier to hold a line. A shorter bike needs steering input all the time, whereas a longer / more relaxed geometry will track by itself, but will need more effort to turn.
A packbike is no use if you can't carry the things you need. For some that might be as ...
8
Don't make any major mechanical changes to your bike the day before the race. If it ain't broke, don't fix it- at least not at the last minute. You will end up kicking yourself for it. Make sure you've had plenty of riding time on your bike's current configuration.
Bring tools and tubes, but pack light. Bring a small/medium sized multi tool, a tube, ...
8
I think this working is highly dependent on where you live, and I don't think it would work in most places. You need enough people in the market who would use this service (which probably don't exist in most places). And people need to be willing to pay the premium you need to sustain to have this type of business. Bike shops aren't exactly very profitable ...
8
Just having the age of the rider and the distance to ride as information surely does not allow to judge on whether the achievement is good or bad. For some people 4 km is a hard effort, others would instantly go 40 km without problems. It all depends on the general mental and physical health condition of the person, as well as the structural conditions like ...
7
Ride one bike, and have a friend ride the other bike. Once home, give friend a beer and say "thank you, see you tomorrow."
7
Don't bother - your bike, laptop bag, and cat litter were not lost. It was a horrible experience no doubt, but in the end you didn't lose anything.
So what can be gained from this experience? Stopping anyone else's bike being stolen by the juvenile is the obvious one.
If we assume that this was the first time she had attempted to steal bike - it went ...
7
Replace "cycling" in this question with any competitive sport. How should we know if it's right for you? How should we know what the community of cyclists near you is like, or whether or not you'll get along with them?
Enter a race. Did you have fun? Enter another one. Or don't. Your call.
7
9 miles should not require any changes to your diet, excluding extreme temperatures or excessively mountainous terrain. Your knee hurting is likewise not normal. Your bike may be a poor fit, or you may need to learn to use a lower gear: spinning the pedals faster, with less force required on each stroke.
Neither fatigue nor knee pain should be an expected ...
7
You don't wear underwear under cycling-specific shorts because they have a cushioned pad in them that's designed to sit against your skin. If you wear underwear, too, things supposedly slide around too much and chafe. (I say "supposedly" as I've always just followed the advice so I've no personal experience of the effects.) Non-cycling-specific shorts don't ...
6
Don't enter a category that's too advanced.
Eat a lot, but not too much the night before.
Get some sleep, this one's hard.
Stay out of the way of anyone in a higher category if they're starting after you or lapping you.
Don't drink too much during the race, you'll feel sick. But don't skimp either.
Expect to get elbowed out of the way a lot for the first km.
...
Only top voted, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible
