Beginner Bicycling 101 Part 3

Today’s ride was a lot better. I could see that you have been on your bike and practising different techniques.

Your ability to get up out the saddle and stand while continuing to keep the cadence up was good to see. (honk,honk). Your spin (blip,blip) was also very smooth and up at just over 100rpm. Once you start riding in cycling shoes and using clipless pedals, you will have a big jump in power, as the hamstrings will come into play in a powerful way.

We practised keeping our speed up over little roller coasters. Nip up into a little harder gear while going down a small hill even if its only a10m drop, spin it and and then go back into a slightly easier gear and keep the spin as you begin to climb again. As you remember, even on a small little roller coaster you can gain an extra 10 meters.

We also did some very steep climbing where you ran out of gears, and had to walk. My gearing was low enough that I was able to stay on the bike, but it was not much faster then you walking. Keep that mind in future rides and run if needed. You will not lose much time. As you learn to throw your bodyweight on the pedals and pull on the handlebars you will be climbing that hill in no time.

Going downhill is another area where you will be able to let the bike roll going into a tight tuck. As you are still a bit timid yet, this will take time to master. Its better to be a bit safe, rather then take chances, however stay off the brakes if you see straight road ahead. The course you will be racing on, will be perfect for tight tucks and a lot of time can be made up, if you master tucking.

Life is to be enjoyed even in the midst of training, and so we stopped and ate some Saskatoon berries that were sweet, large, and yummy. :)
                            
                                Natures natural blueberries, grown wild.

Beginner Bicycling 101 Part 2

Well it is time to ride. First lets do a quick check of your leg length. With bigger feet you need to raise the seat post a bit higher. We will raise the seat a bit at a time.

The old fashioned training in me, had us check your elbow/finger tip to the handlebars reach. I have always used a 4 inch (10cm) reach, with a 4 inch drop from a level seat unless I was time trialing.

The first thing we did, was to encourage you to keep your elbows slightly bent, to absorb the shock of the bumps in the road.

Then you dropped a few gears so that your spin was up around a 100rpm, and I encourage you blip,blip blip.  :)

We then tried having you stand up and grab the brake hoods in a harder gear and at slower rpm. This will need to be practised standing up and sitting down until it comes naturally. Get your full body weight on the pedals pulling on the bars like a dead lift.

I warned you about the parallel cracks to your line of travel that are filled with tar. It was mentioned to cross cracks like train tracks, bridge expansion joints etc, as close to 90' as possible. At a later date, you will learn to jump train tracks and the like.

It was raining out and you learned that you should feather the brakes to dry the brake rims.

Also going around high speed corners your inside knee is up, and your weight is on the outside pedal, with the hip pushed to the inside of the corner and shoulders over the outside pedal, just like if you were downhill skiing carving a turn. This will need to be practised more.

Going downhill you learned how to get into a comfortable tuck with knees wrapped around the top tube or if real steep the inner thigh squeezes the seat.

On the flats we had you go hard for just over half a km or so, Spinning at around 100rpm the gears got harder, till you could no longer keep the 100rpm and then up another gear, till you were able to keep the spin. The elbows were kept level with the ground and the back flat. Flexibility and getting the glut muscles working hard, will get the power to the pedals.  

Once you have acquired clip in pedals, practising round pedalling will be another lesson.

There was just one more thing that we touch on and that was on cycle stretching while riding. Stretching the calf muscles, the back, and the quads while riding is something that comes in handy at times. In the last 5 minutes we shifted to a very easy gear.

Part 3 will coming after you have done 20 hours of homework, ie. cycling. Hopefully see you in about 10 days.

Beginner Bicycling 101, Part 1

So you know how to ride a bicycle and have ridden around the block and a bit further.

Now all your friends are either into Triathlon racing, Obstacle racing or both. You have decided to try Triathlon racing. You are fit and ready to roll.

You went a bought a helmet and a decent bike and you want to get your moneys worth.

What is next?
Well after talking to a few friends perhaps they suggested buying cycling gloves to reduce vibration.

Some real cycling shorts for women and do not wear anything underneath the shorts.

Someone else told you to buy a spare tube, but someone will need to show you how to change it.

Your new bike after a few rides is now skipping gears, as the cables are stretching and your gears are skipping, when you put the power to the pedals. Take it to the shop to get it fixed, or check out youtube videos.

That means you will need some tools and the vast majority of bikes are metric, in case no one told you yet.

Someone else probably told you to get step in pedals and shoes which is more mulla, but it is worth it.

Perhaps a small cycling backpack with a water bladder that comes with it might be an idea. Costco has them cheap.

Buy a second water bottle cage for wide mouth plastic water bottle to carry your tools. It is far cheaper then buying a special tool seat bag and easier to take with you when you stop.

Now its time to ride. Find a friend who knows cycling. Hopefully the store set you up properly on the bike. They can get you in the ball park with seat height, fore and aft seat location in regards to ball of foot over pedal axle.

Did the store inform you that a bell is required by law? Its kind of stupid now, because so many people have ear phones in their head, biking, walking, running and driving, To get their attention you need to touch them, lol, not. 

Did the store show you how to use the brakes and gears? They may have also took off the wheels so that you could get the bike in the car. Did you go for a bike roof rack or a trailer hitch bike rack. As I get older and my deltoids weaker I feel that trailer hitch bike rack is the better option. If you use boat ferries much you might also lean towards a trailer hitch bike rack. Just make sure the wheels are high enough not to be clobbered by small rocks.

A major deal is to have a proper width seat. This is VERY important as the seat may leave you with raw flesh and pain. Some stores have special equipment to determine the seat best for you. That seat stays with you for a lifetime so splurge!

Well just a few more things before you get on the bike. Did you centre the wheels in the axle properly? Did you tighten the wheel axle properly and orientate it in the correct direction? Are the brakes rubbing? Did you in fact pull down the small brake release mechanism?
Lift the back wheel and run through the gears to make sure all is working well.

Now it is time to check the tire pressure. O my, is it presta or shraeder valves? Did anyone tell you to buy adapters for both? Do you know how to put air in the tires? Do you have your own pump, which will also last you a lifetime if you take care of it. Do you remember how to check the tire pressure without a tire gauge by placing your middle finger over the tire and pressing down firmly with the heel of your other hand. The finger should only move a wee bit.

Is it time to ride yet? That will be in part 2.  :)