Tips for Group Riding
Reprinted From Schwinn Website
Riding with your friends is a great way to enjoy cycling. You can challenge and inspire each other, get caught up on what’s happening, plus get to know new people. That said, there are several keys to making group riding safe and efficient. Ride no more than two abreast – if traffic and road conditions allow, riding side-by-side with a buddy is a great way to pass the miles. While riding two-up is allowed in most states, be sure to check local laws and use common sense.Ride with a group mentality - Remember you are one part of a large body. Ride predictably and don’t overreact. Look out for each other and be aware of what’s happening – then be sure to let the other riders know about it. Don’t lead a group into dangerous situations – don’t enter an intersection when the light has already turned yellow or jump across a stop sign if there isn’t enough space between the cars for the entire group to cross safely. Point out road hazards - broken glass, gravel and stones can be hard for others behind you in the group to see. Use hand signals to indicate turns and braking. Avoid sudden movements – swerving and hard braking can cause crashes in the group Stay in control of your bike at all times. Keep your hands on the handlebars and near your brake levers. Avoid using aero (triathlon) handlebars on group rides, as it is harder to react quickly from that position.Move to the right to let faster riders pass – You might hear the words “on your left”. This is the universally accepted way of saying “Hey, I’m moving faster than you, so let me play through.” It’s just that “on your left” is easier to say when you’re breathing hard.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Cleats, Clips, Clipless Pedals; To Clip In or Not To Clip In?
In a word, Yes.
High-end bicycles don’t come with pedals. Once you reach the point at which you would purchase a bicycle that costs what our cars cost in college, you have ridden some miles. Perhaps you’ve wasted money on low-end bicycles (I did), believing that no one in their right mind would spend more than a couple of hundred dollars on a bike(or so Sweetie informed me). Then, finally, you upgraded, and hopefully developed (or are developing) a preference for a pedal system.
Flat pedals are a great invention. You can pedal a bicycle in whatever shoes you have on at that moment—no special shoes required. The tradeoff, however is that you only use about 40% of your pedal stroke. That’s off the top of my head, maybe it’s less—but if you look at the physics of the pedal stroke you can estimate.
When your foot is in a rigid shoe, and cleated into your pedal, you train yourself to use the entire circle—more power, more muscle-groups, better workout. Riding long endurance rides, if you only used only 1/3 of your pedal stroke, you’d not only be working harder, you’d be isolating one muscle group.
To beginners, the idea of having your foot firmly attached to the bike is frightening. I promise you, after a couple of weeks of getting used to ‘clipless pedals’ you will find the thought of being without them frightening. Your foot can’t be knocked or jolted off the pedal by accident, so it increases your stability. More power, more stability, what’s not to like?
In addition, your cleats are attached to rigid shoes, so your foot doesn’t have to flex, and unconsciously ‘work’, inside your shoe. This will keep you from having foot cramps. And the hard sole makes the transfer of power more efficient. We are going to the trouble of pushing (and pulling) those pedals around, so we may as well reap all of the benefits in power transfer, yes?
And puh-leeez... don’t get me going about those old fashioned clips that used to tighten around your shoe. YIKES!
Off we go to the bike shop to make the salesman happy once again!
If you need to economize, save on pedal models rather than shoes. Try Nashbar.com. Ask questions!
Apologies to those of you who are happily pedaling around in your Dura-ace SPD-L’s, Look Keos, your Speedplays and Egg-beaters. This is, of course, aimed at the new cyclists among us.
Beth Travers
USA Cycling Certified Coach
High-end bicycles don’t come with pedals. Once you reach the point at which you would purchase a bicycle that costs what our cars cost in college, you have ridden some miles. Perhaps you’ve wasted money on low-end bicycles (I did), believing that no one in their right mind would spend more than a couple of hundred dollars on a bike(or so Sweetie informed me). Then, finally, you upgraded, and hopefully developed (or are developing) a preference for a pedal system.
Flat pedals are a great invention. You can pedal a bicycle in whatever shoes you have on at that moment—no special shoes required. The tradeoff, however is that you only use about 40% of your pedal stroke. That’s off the top of my head, maybe it’s less—but if you look at the physics of the pedal stroke you can estimate.
When your foot is in a rigid shoe, and cleated into your pedal, you train yourself to use the entire circle—more power, more muscle-groups, better workout. Riding long endurance rides, if you only used only 1/3 of your pedal stroke, you’d not only be working harder, you’d be isolating one muscle group.
To beginners, the idea of having your foot firmly attached to the bike is frightening. I promise you, after a couple of weeks of getting used to ‘clipless pedals’ you will find the thought of being without them frightening. Your foot can’t be knocked or jolted off the pedal by accident, so it increases your stability. More power, more stability, what’s not to like?
In addition, your cleats are attached to rigid shoes, so your foot doesn’t have to flex, and unconsciously ‘work’, inside your shoe. This will keep you from having foot cramps. And the hard sole makes the transfer of power more efficient. We are going to the trouble of pushing (and pulling) those pedals around, so we may as well reap all of the benefits in power transfer, yes?
And puh-leeez... don’t get me going about those old fashioned clips that used to tighten around your shoe. YIKES!
Off we go to the bike shop to make the salesman happy once again!
If you need to economize, save on pedal models rather than shoes. Try Nashbar.com. Ask questions!
Apologies to those of you who are happily pedaling around in your Dura-ace SPD-L’s, Look Keos, your Speedplays and Egg-beaters. This is, of course, aimed at the new cyclists among us.
Beth Travers
USA Cycling Certified Coach
Friday, January 2, 2009
Thoughts for the Day
Food has the inherent ability to help you get either really fast uphill or really fast downhill—your choice
Choose your food for its nutritional benefits.
Reminder: Eat colors
And don’t forget our fine sponsor: www.gotwheatgrass.com
All this who-ah about going fast; Why go fast? Why not just go along at a nice relaxed pace?
Example: It's September ’09... Let's say we have to cover 80 miles in one day. We can cover it, on one hand, in 4.5-5 hours; or, we can cover it in 8 hours. These hours are just ‘bike time’—not including our breaks. Which option makes our ‘bum’ happier?
Train fast AND slow, the rabbit AND the tortoise.
Choose your food for its nutritional benefits.
Reminder: Eat colors
And don’t forget our fine sponsor: www.gotwheatgrass.com
All this who-ah about going fast; Why go fast? Why not just go along at a nice relaxed pace?
Example: It's September ’09... Let's say we have to cover 80 miles in one day. We can cover it, on one hand, in 4.5-5 hours; or, we can cover it in 8 hours. These hours are just ‘bike time’—not including our breaks. Which option makes our ‘bum’ happier?
Train fast AND slow, the rabbit AND the tortoise.
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