Tip of the day

[jhuskey]

This thread will hopefully be a place where experienced individuals can post suggestions at random without necessarily be asked about specific subjects.
I invite all to impart a piece of wisdom and contribute.

I will start by explaining how I check behind me while riding.
If you are just starting out as a newbie you will discover that if you turn your head to the left to check out traffic or a buddy behind you your bike will tend to swerve right and if you are close to the edge this could pose a problem. Holding the bike in a straight line gets easier as you get experience and some like to use a mirror.
Suggestion: Take a very quick glance back and if the road is clear move to the center of the lane. This will give you a margin of error and now you can take a good look at what is behind you without running into the ditch.

 

[jhuskey]

If you are not climbing hard and you are not hammering down the flats but just riding a good smooth tempo, try bending your elbows a little, lean over a bit and quit gripping the hoods so hard.
Now slide your hand slightly back and rest the heels of your hand just behind the hoods of the drop bars.
This will put a little more pressure on the saddle but will take pressure off your arms and wrists and maybe your fingers won't go to sleep as much.
It is good to move your position around some especially on the longer rides.

 

[limerickman]

Food and liquid intake.

Very important stuff.

My tip for the newbies is : make sure to imbibe liquid at regular intervals.
Even if you're not thirsty, you need to take on more liquid.

if you feel thristy, you are already dehydrated.
And dehydration leads to much faster muscle fatigue, poorer athletic performance.

 

[jhuskey]

If you have two bottle cages and are not using both for water storage take an old bottle and cut off the top or any plastic bottle that will fit.
You can roll up a windbreaker and stash it in the bottle in case of foul weather or cold decents off a mountain.

 

[Duckfeet]

That's an excellent idea, hadn't thought of that one!

 

[jhuskey]

That's an excellent idea, hadn't thought of that one!

Thanks, my hope is that this thread will catch on and experienced cyclists will post good ideas and knowledge here.

 

[jhuskey]

If you repair a flat never put in a new tube or even a patched tube before checking the tire for cause of the puncture.
If possible locate the approximate area of the punture by matching up the tube with the tire and run your finger around the tire.A piece of glass or metal might still be embedded there.

 

[graywulf]

When descending, wind resistance is often the limiting factor. Getting into a (safe) aero position, making sure your chest doesn't catch wind, and with your crankarms parallel with the ground you can conserve energy and still move fast.

 

[jhuskey]

If you like to carry power bars or something similar, to help keep them fresher longer try wrapping them in aluminum foil and freezing them or at just refrigerating them. The won't last indefinitely but they will definitely last longer.

 

[Duckfeet]

If you like to carry power bars or something similar, to help keep them fresher longer try wrapping them in aluminum foil and freezing them or at just refrigerating them. The won't last indefinitely but they will definitely last longer.

On long rides to avoid the meltdown in my back pocket with bars... I like to carry some solid food with me (my comfort food) along with gels, gu, and liquids. I do snack packs of banana chips, mixed nuts or corn nuts, sugar free oatmeal cookies, pretzels, etc. Easy to nibble while riding and easier on my stomach. I personally like solid food, helps with stomach distress from the supplements of gu and liquids. After 90 minutes, you deplete your gylcogen store so you need to refuel

 

[limerickman]

Another tip : make sure to stretch your muscles BEFORE starting a ride.

I find that stretching the calves, stretching thighs, and rotating my upperbody/midriff.
This helps to loosen muscles, ups the cardio rate gently before riding the bike.

 

[swampy1970]

If you're into working on bikes and you have a habit of thinking that tighter = better then invest in a torque wrench. If the instructions say 'apply a threadlock compound' then do so - don't assume that tightening much tighter will work in the long term. RTFM. If you're working with carbon parts fitting against a different material, read the instructions as so whether you need a lubricant or anti-slip compound to prevent long term corrosion or slipping.

If you don't have any fancy carbon bits then tighten enough to where the part no longer moves with a fair amount of force. Of course you still want stuff like headsets and BB to rotate.

Putting in a new tube. Slightly inflate the tube that you're putting in first. The tube will go in easier and you won't end up with the valve stem all jacked.

 

[Duckfeet]

When checking the inside of your tire, as mentioned, I carry a little piece of tissue or you can use your glove, but I run that up inside the tire and whatever it is will usually snag it instead of your finger. If you need a barrier between your tube and tire, paper money comes in handy or anything that is paper thick to avoid a repuncture until you can fix it properly.

 

[limerickman]

If like me you tend to sweat while wearing your cycling helmet : it's a good idea to buy and wear a Giro sweatband, inside your helmet.

Giro sweatbands are elastic : and after a few uses they lose their elasticity after using them several times.
When the sweatband loses it's elasticity, cut the band in half and - you can still us it by knotting when you tie it around your head before putting on your helmet!
(saves you having to buy numerous sweatbands too adnd it protects the helmet from too much sweat)

 

[Beverly Stayart]

Thanks for these important tips.

If like me you tend to sweat while wearing your cycling helmet : it's a good idea to buy and wear a Giro sweatband, inside your helmet.

Giro sweatbands are elastic : and after a few uses they lose their elasticity after using them several times.
When the sweatband loses it's elasticity, cut the band in half and - you can still us it by knotting when you tie it around your head before putting on your helmet!
(saves you having to buy numerous sweatbands too adnd it protects the helmet from too much sweat)

 

[limerickman]

Thanks for these important tips.

Thanks to everyone and JHuskey in particular, for starting an interesting and informative thread

 

[slovakguy]

If like me you tend to sweat while wearing your cycling helmet : it's a good idea to buy and wear a Giro sweatband, inside your helmet.

Giro sweatbands are elastic : and after a few uses they lose their elasticity after using them several times.
When the sweatband loses it's elasticity, cut the band in half and - you can still us it by knotting when you tie it around your head before putting on your helmet!
(saves you having to buy numerous sweatbands too adnd it protects the helmet from too much sweat)

only mentioning it because of the sweat issue, but you might also consider sweatbands offered by "halo". they use a tiny horizontal rubber (?) barrier to channel your forehead sweat off towards your ears. keeps that annoying trickle from getting on the lenses of your glasses.

 

[swampy1970]

If like me you tend to sweat while wearing your cycling helmet : it's a good idea to buy and wear a Giro sweatband, inside your helmet.

Giro sweatbands are elastic : and after a few uses they lose their elasticity after using them several times.
When the sweatband loses it's elasticity, cut the band in half and - you can still us it by knotting when you tie it around your head before putting on your helmet!
(saves you having to buy numerous sweatbands too adnd it protects the helmet from too much sweat)

You cant be serious... my headband stretched again! Yo Ump, you suck!

Just wondering why Lim, who rides in the coldest place in the Western World (OK, not really, but not far off) is complaining about sweat.

 

[limerickman]

Swamp : I don't sweat too much.
I'll correct that : first hour I do sweat a lot, but after that sweat is minimal.
It was never a problem back in the cloth racing cap days, but since I started wearing a helmet for every ride, i notice that the sweat levels in the first hour have increased appreciably.
After hour 1, sweat is never a problem.

More interested in protecting the helmet rather than sweating to be honest.
Nice shot of mc, by the way!

Slov : thanks for that tip re Halo.

 

[jhuskey]

I use the halo band since the temp reaches 110 on the pavement sometimes. It is a good product and I do sweat.