Bike Riding Archives - Road Cycling Blog

The main problems of bicycle riding

Increasingly bicycle riding is an option that provides more people as a means of transport. Many bikes circulating large cities and small towns and villages. We inform you on how to maintain them. It riding a bicycle around town is becoming an option that includes more and more people. There are many advantages: simple, cheap, no spent fuel and does not pollute. We offer tips for good maintenance.

It riding a bicycle around town is becoming an option that includes more and more people. There are many advantages: simple, cheap, no spent fuel and does not pollute. We offer tips for good maintenance.

The main problems of bicycle riding
Although increasing the use of bicycles, to gradually generates awareness and habit of this transport is more widespread. In large cities, it is often not easy coexistence among all circulating it: bicycles , pedestrians, motorists, buses, cars … A van slowly enabling spaces to promote the use of bicycles , and it is half practical, economical transportation, it does not consume and does not pollute the environment. However, for the bikes there are still drawbacks are gradually resolving thing, but in many cases may represent a risk when circular:

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Tips for any early morning fall ride though

Five things you should have done on your 6:00 a.m., 37 F degree, rainy ride back from the auto service center after dropping off your car.

I was reminded of all of these things yesterday morning… 🙂 These are actually good tips for any early-morning fall ride though.Thought I’d share.

Pump your tires up the night before – ’cause you know you don’t have time in the morning.
Wear the winter wind-proof scull cap that covers your ears and not the euro-chic cycling cap. Regardless of how tough you think you are – it’s cold out there!
Wear the wind-proof gloves too. It may be a short ride, but your hands will get cold.

Charge your headlight battery the night before – having your light begin to run low on juice near the end of the ride is not luck; it’s poor planning.
Take your own advice and just do your pre-ride check the night before. I mean come on, Matt – you’re smarter than that! 🙂

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How to Avoid Accidents While Cycling

No matter where you ride your bicycle, whether it’s on a quiet road in a rural area, along the suburban streets where your home is, or in a busy, crowded city, there are certain precautions that you need to take to avoid accidents as best as you can. If you aren’t riding as safely as possible, you’re increasing the risk that you’ll be involved in an accident, and this increases your chances of being severely injured. To avoid problems before they start, therefore, you have to know what precautions to take and how to avoid accidents in the first place.

Don’t Ride on the Pavement

Riding on the pavement may at first seem safer than riding in the street, but it actually isn’t at all. You risk getting hit by vehicles that are backing out of their driveways or swiftly pulling into their driveways without looking. And when it comes to crossing the street, many drivers don’t expect to see bikers in crosswalks,
so they often get hit by cars that are making turns. Also, getting onto the pavement on the other side of the street can also be difficult. The best thing to do is to ride with the traffic in the street and obey all traffic laws as if you were driving a car.

Invest in a Mirror

It’s very important that you look behind you before swerving to another side of the road or even to move over just enough to avoid a parked car. Not doing so may result in you getting hit by a car coming up from behind you. If you find it difficult to look behind you without losing your balance on your bike, invest in a mirror instead. Continue reading “How to Avoid Accidents While Cycling”

Ride Report: First Spring Rides on the Waterford

It hasn’t been a particularly nasty winter or spring – so perhaps this is more of a admission to how little I am riding right now (sad, I know). But, for the first time since fall I have been able to get the Waterford; my main steed (or ”sunny-day go-fast bike”) out twice to stretch her legs. It was a wonderful thing to be back on my main machine after riding the single-speed ‘cross bike any time I was able to sneak away for a quick spin.

That ride revealed some wonderful things that I thought were worth sharing. Perhaps I feel that way because I am newly inspired again and doped up on natural vitamin D. Perhaps these were legitimate mini-revelations. Perhaps I am merely scraping the bottom of the barrel for writing material. Whichever the case – it is my blog so you are going to read about it anyway… 🙂

Lame attempts at humor aside; I felt there was a few things worth writing about. Some of which will come in this post – some in subsequent posts. Here’s a quick index:

First road test of the Shimano RS-80’s I got this fall. Like I said; I’ve been on the single-speed…sad, huh? However, I am now certain in my choice for new every-day wheels.

New Clif Shot Gel road test. Hmmm; after years of using Hammer Products I am now having to search for alternatives. Read more about that soon.

I am also testing Endurox R4 recovery drink after almost a decade of using Hammer Recoverite. Review coming soon.

My habitual spring shake-down of all my components…made significant by the fact that my Waterford will celebrate it’s 10th birthday this October! Keep reading for more… Continue reading “Ride Report: First Spring Rides on the Waterford”

A Little Housekeeping…

As noted near the top of the page, I’ve started a new blog entitled PDX Pro Road to highlight the cool things we have going on at the store. And so, I’m making the conscious decision to make the PDXPR page more product and service oriented while my own page will include things of a more personal nature. My personal opinions, experiences, and thoughts will still be found here. I’ll also double-post some of the product highlights and reviews for items that I’m particularly excited about or personally using. PDXPR will be more product oriented and focus on what we are doing and have in stock at the store.

However, I’m a pretty flexible guy and I mostly want to keep things interesting for those who regularly read my mindless drivel…so if you have an opinion one way or the other: love or hate; leave a comment on this post and let me know what you’d like to see.

So, that said; my promised Parlee updates can be found at PDXPR, while I’m continuing to format and draft my thoughts on my conversation with Bob Parlee at NAHMBS and will post that here, probably linked (or double-posted) at PDXPR. Stay tuned…

Thanks, as always, for reading!

2/8/06 – Motivation

I’ve been struggling a lot with motivation this winter. Because I’m from a cooler climate than the mid-South, I typically enjoy riding in the fall and winter more than the summer. The heat and humidity here is absolutely oppressive to me. But this winter has been tough. There’s a lot going on at the store (which beats the alternative…) and when that is coupled with the reluctance of leaving my now 8-month pregnant wife at home by herself; I just don’t get out much. (Notice I don’t have any cool “action” pictures like Kerry does…just me standing here in the store like I always am…) 🙂

However, when I do get out; instead of my usual pace – trying to rip up the road, pushing my heart rate to the max, working as much riding into as little time as I can – I’ve been keeping the intensity down and doing more “base miles” type riding; leisurely riding through the hills in West Nashville, through the park, and up and down Belle Meade Boulevard. Sometimes we just forget how enjoyable this sport really can be. With the information-overload of our heart-rate monitors and wireless cadence computers and the performance benefits of our super-light frames and aerodynamic wheels it is easy to lose focus on why we do this. Ultimately it’s about the experience.

Great gear sure adds to it – just like having a wide-screen plasma TV with a great surround system – but if you keep getting distracted by other things, it’s hard to enjoy the movie or game you’re watching.
You know, we really are blessed here with some of the best riding in the country. Before moving to Nashville in August of 2000, I lived in two cities that Bicycling Magazine has touted as being among the best cities in the country for cycling. And, while I’ll tend to agree with them; Nashville is really under-rated. Yeah, we don’t have all the bike paths that other cities do (but we’re working on that) and the mountain biking isn’t as accessible – but few places in the U.S. compare with Percy Warner Park, the Natchez Trace, Leipers Fork, and the Old Hillsboro area. When you’re not trying to push your speed up to race-pace or focusing on catching the group of riders ahead of you (or keeping away from the riders behind you…) and you really just bask in the ride – Middle Tennessee is hard to beat.

We all struggle with motivation from time-to-time, and it’s not always the same thing that brings us out of it. But, try a change of pace every once in a while. Take a ride without your computer and heart rate monitor. Ride with a new group or take a new route and wander a little. Sometimes this is where we find our new inspiration and re-discover our sport.

And, with the excitement and distraction of a newborn about to hit me; I’m sure to need a new source of motivation to get on my bike so I can do some racing this year and not fail miserably like I did last year. I’ll be sure to let you know how that all turns out…
Now, turn off your computer and go ride!