Now that winter is over for a large portion of the country (sorry if you live up in the North) spring is either coming on in full force or slowly creeping it’s way in with daytime temps climbing back up into the 60F to 70F range. These temperatures are what we’ve been waiting for and are just teasing us to get back outside and ride.

The rain, snow, and ice that winter brings can have serious effects on the surfaces we ride on and can significantly increase the chances of our being involved in an accident if we’re not careful. Heading outside to ride after being on the trainer is awesome but there are some things you need to watch out for in order to make sure you come back in one piece.

Four Things To Watch For

1. Sand and Gravel. When the roads start to ice up and become slick, the transportation departments like to use sand and gravel to help cars maintain some semblance of control. It doesn’t help those that still want to drive at Nascar speeds during these conditions but for those who are cautious it can help. The problem for cyclists occurs after the snow and ice melt. The sand and gravel that was used to cover the roads is left behind after the snow and ice melt leaving it thick in some areas or just lightly coating the surface in others. You need to be cognizant of this potential hazard because hitting a patch of loose sand or gravel can easily cause you to face plant. Kevin over at The Life and Times of Biking Brady just posted about such an incident.
2. Debris. I’m not talking about hurricane like debris we can see down in Florida but rather small sticks that are remnants from branches being broken off trees due to the ice and snow. The big branches get stacked up at the curb for pickup by the city but where the branches fell, and where they were stacked next to the road, there’s probably quite bit of smaller branches or branch fragments that would make it very easy for an unaware cyclist to lose control or puncture a tire.
3. Wet areas. Damaged water pipes due to freezing conditions can be a big problem even after the warm weather arrives. Many of these leaks go neglected for a while and can make riding dangerous. If the leak is at a curve, or corner, take some extra care because having a wheel slide out from under you while diving into a corner at high speed could get ugly.
4. Potholes. These are problems even outside of winter but winter conditions have a way of making existing ones worse and making new ones at an exponential rate. This is a bit of a personal rant but Dallas is the worst area I’ve ever seen for potholes on an everyday basis. They’re everywhere and go neglected by the city forever. There are some you could potential lose yourself, your bike, or your care in. Or all three if you’ve carrying your bike on a trunk rack. Seriously. It’s terrible. The harsh winter only makes it worse. Be extra vigilant and look ahead for potential holes that could catch your front wheel end your cycling season prematurely.

There are four things to watch out for while out on your early spring ride. Take advantage of the good weather but be safe. If you have other tips please post them in the comments below.

Post Script

P.S. – If you have a keen eye, and I know my readers do, then you saw the unobtrusive (that means you would have had to have a keen eye, or two, to see it) newsletter sign up at the top right of the blog. It could represent a significant step towards my world domination but for the meantime it’s simply another way for me to connect to my readers. I haven’t fully vetted what I’ll use that newsletter sign up for but when I do you’ll be the first to know because you’ll be signed up and will get the news. Seriously though, it’s another step in the growth of Biking To Live and I encourage all my readers to sign up. I guarantee that I’ll never share your email address because I hate SPAM. Even SPAM in a can.

Feature image courtesy of hr.icio.

All my regular readers know that I went without a bike for about five months after my old one gave up the ghost. I bought a used bike in January and got on a borrowed trainer until the weather started to improve. On Saturday, I was able to get my first bike ride outside in over five months.

Getting Ready

I was in no hurry to get out first thing in the morning because it was cold (around 35F) but was due to warm up to around 60F during the afternoon. I targeted a ride time of around 10:00 AM to let it warm up some. I spent most of the morning making sure everything was ready – moving gear from my old seat bag to my new one, oiling the chain, putting air in the tires, making sure cleat bolts were tight, and so on. It took longer than I thought but I wanted to make sure everything was good. The only thing I didn’t find was my favorite water bottle that Cliff gave me. I had a backup but will need to go pick up a couple better ones.

The Ride

Back in October 2009 I moved to a place that now lets me ride straight from the front door and cut through some neighborhoods to get to White Rock Lake here in Dallas. I had mapped the route out on Google Maps and driven it once. I have to cross a couple of semi-major roads but the traffic isn’t bad at all. The route spits me out at Flagpole Hill and then I just cross Northwest Highway to get to the lake.

As I was cutting through the neighborhoods and approaching the backside of Flagpole Hill I noted that I was going downhill quite a bit. That would mean going uphill on the way home. I didn’t care though. As I approached Flagpole Hill I saw my first challenge of the day – a two-level hill that didn’t look fun. About half-way up there was a flat section that gave me a small break which helped. After getting to the top it was back down and on over to the lake.

There were a few people out but most were runners. There were a few cyclists but not near as many as there will be in a month. I’m sure the temperature kept them at bay this morning and boy did they miss out. Seeing White Rock Lake during this time of year was a big change. The trees were barren and everything was brown. With no leaves to block views I could see more of some of the beautiful houses lining the lake. It was nice but I miss the green.

I made one full loop of the lake and then headed back for home (about 18 miles total). This would be the hardest section of the entire ride. The first hill I saw the approach to Flagpole Hill. Some of you may remember that this is the hill I used last year for hill repeats. It’s just as brutal as I remember and it literally punched me in the gut. I crawled up it full of shame. Once on the backside I coasted down but knew I had two more hills to get up. Both of them were just as bad as I thought they would be and totally wiped me out. Once past the last hill though it flattens out for the last mile or so home.

The New Bike Performed Great

The new bike is awesome. It accelerates so easy and the extra gears (my last bike was a 7-speed cog and this one is a 9) really helped on the hills. I found that I can cruise along several miles an hour faster than I could on my old bike which really surprised me. Even as out of shape as I am I felt like I was already performing at a level above what I could on my old steed. Once I really start getting the miles in, and attacking the hills, I’m looking forward to seeing where this year in cycling will take me.

The day wasn’t without issues though. Namely my poor, unfit, ghastly looking body. I’m so out of shape. This short 18 mile ride totally wiped me out and left me sore on Sunday. I’ll get over this as I put the miles in. Going without a bike for 5 months didn’t help but there were things I could have done to take care of myself in the meantime. Can’t focus on that now though. Eyes front.

I’ve Missed Riding

I didn’t realize how much I had missed riding. I was only a few hundred feet from the house and was already feeling great. The cool air, wheels rolling on the pavement, clicking of gears, heaven. I found myself saying ‘Goodmorning’ to almost everyone I came across. I’ve needed this so bad.

Thanks to all my readers who have put up with my whining, posturing, and lack of posts these last five months.

I’d also like to point out that Jeff over at 331miles also returned to the bike this weekend and Mike over at Mike’s Bike Blog wrote a great race report.

Image by Fluturilla.

Thanks to Victor Jiminez of Bicycle Lab (@bicyclelab on Twitter) for his assistance in putting this article together.

As the weather warms up ever so slowly here in North America, more and more cyclists will be leaving the trainers behind and heading outdoors to get their rides in. Before heading out we need to make sure we have all the required equipment and one of those items is our helmet. Of all our road cycling gear, I think the helmet is the most important item as it offers protection for our gray matter in the event we do crash.

Five Steps To Choosing A Cycling Helmet

1. Find your price point. Road cycling helmets are typically between $60 and $250. Design, materials, retention systems and purpose are what drive the prices. They all offer protection if you crash but features like custom fitting mechanisms, visors, adjustable/removable padding, reduced weight, exotic materials, and extra ventilation will cost more. More expensive helmets tend to have more adjustable fit and retention systems. For around $100 you can get a very good quality and nice fitting helmet.
2. Check the certification. Cycling helmets have certification? Absolutely. Helmets sold in the U.S. are required by law to meet testing standards as set forth by the Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC). The purpose of these tests is to make sure that the helmet can handle the impact if you were to crash. With helmets getting lighter and more comfortable every year a standard is necessary to ensure that you’ll be protected. Look for the CPSC stamp or sticker on the helmet.
3. Pick some helmets. Road cycling helmets often sport very light weights, maximum air flow for good ventilation, and improved aerodynamic designs. All of those improvements are achieved at a cost. Take a look at the helmets available and find a few that appeal to you taking into account your budget and the helmets features. They do make road helmets specifically designed for women that have more feminine sizes, color choices, and space for ponytails.
4. Find Your Size. This is the most critical step in the entire process. You want your new helmet to fit correctly so it offers the protection it’s supposed to. Some of the lower end helmets may only come in an ‘Adult’ size so you may not need to measure your head size. More advanced helmets typical come in small, medium, and large sizes depending on the circumference of your head. You can measure the circumference of your head, at it’s largest point, with a flexible tape. This will give you a good starting point as the labels on the helmets will list both the helmet size and head circumference it’s made for. This is only a starting point though and my recommendation is that you try on several brands and sizes to find the right one. You may find that a medium in one brand fits more snugly than a medium in another brand while one is more comfortable than another. Most helmets now offer some kind of adjustable retention system that lets you dial in the fit so it’s just right. This is achieved with a ratcheting wheel or mechanism on the back of the helmet that lets you loosen or tighten the fit on the fly.

Four Steps To A Great Fitting Helmet:

1. Try the helmet on.
2. Hold the helmet tightly and shake your head like you are saying no ( it should be very snug with little play and generally very comfortable).
3. Adjust the retention system so that the helmet stays on your head.
4. Adjust the chin strap so that it’s snug when your your jaw is open.
5. Get help. Don’t go it alone and ask for help when you’re in the store. The employees know how helmets are supposed to fit and can help you with both sizing and fit. That’s what they’re paid to do so take advantage of it.

We all have opportunities in life. Whether we take advantage of them or not is almost always up to us. Unfortunately, two of the biggest opportunities we miss is getting more exercise and losing weight. Why we don’t take advantage of those opportunities to fix those problems can usually be attributed to family, money, time, and career.

Missed Opportunities

Over the past 39 years I’ve missed lots of opportunities to both lose weight and improve my health. I’ve never really taken it seriously until the last year but even then only made a half-hearted attempt at it. I trained pretty hard last year to ride my first century until bike problems derailed that in September. While training I missed a huge opportunity adjust my diet and if I had done so I would have seen much more weight loss and better fitness gains. Am I unhappy with what I achieved last year? No but I know it could have been better. That’s why this year, my 39th year, will be a breakout year. I will not reach the age of 40 without making some big changes.

Over the past two weeks I’ve been posting articles on commitment, self-discipline, 50 reasons cycling is great, motivation, how to measure cycling success, and nutrition. All of those articles mean something to me personally and I hope will inspire cyclists or others, like me, trying to lose weight and improve their lives.

What Am I Going To Do?

1. Ride. I never would stopped riding if my old bike hadn’t given up the ghost. There’s nothing I could do about it though and that bike gave me over 15 good years when I actually used it. Now that I’ve finally purchased a newer used bike I can begin training in earnest again. I started on the trainer a couple of weeks ago in order to get my legs back and get reacquainted with sitting in the saddle. I’ll continue on the trainer until the evenings start to get longer and if the weather is good on the weekends plan on riding out at White Rock Lake again. I moved to a new place a few months ago and am now within riding distance of the lake instead of having to drive there.
2. Train. When preparing for my first century I followed a Century Training Plan out of Bicycling Magazine. I think it did a great job in preparing me even though I didn’t get to ride the century. I think it’s very important that when we ride we ride with a purpose. That means each ride is part of either a short or long range training plan (I can thank my 16 years in the Navy for this kind of thinking). I’m very tempted to restart the Century Training Plan and target a late spring century ride. I plan on doing a post about training in the near future.
3. Eat right (Live). This is my biggest missed opportunity of all. I’ve known for years that my eating was terrible but never took the time to fix it. That changed yesterday when I got started with nutrition. Initially I’ll just be counting calories while adhering to a 2000 calorie per day plan. I want to get a feel for portion sizes and what nutrients I’m getting first and then start fine tuning it later. The two biggest things for me in this area is to stop eating out and to drink more water. Look for more posts on nutrition in the future.

Carpe Diem (Seize the Day)

Today I’m 39 years old. I don’t bring that up just to get ‘Happy Birthday’ comments (although those are nice) but to bring up the point that I’m at a major cross roads in my life. I’ve missed opportunities for 39 years to improve my fitness and health. I don’t want to turn 40 a year from now and not have turned things around. I missed opportunities to do things with my cycling that I had always wanted to do like local criteriums and time trials. I really want to change that and see if I can get myself into some semblance of athletic fitness to attempt those things.

What Am I Getting For My Birthday?

My wife sent me an email this morning letting me know that she and the girls couldn’t decide which Twin Six jersey to buy me so they left the decision up to me. I’m really liking the The Brew Pub but am leaning towards buying myself a new helmet instead (edit: I’m getting the helmet). I’m way overdo for one and would rather wait on the jersey until I can fit into it better. I’m also waiting to hear back on something I submitted myself for that’s announced on 2/28 (it’s not job related). Not sure if I’ll make it but if I do it would be a great birthday present and I think would go a long way in helping me, and others, in the three areas above. Only time will tell but I imagine the competition is tough.

Throwing Down The Gauntlet

I’ve laid out in broad strokes what I’m doing above. Details will emerge later as I refine my training and nutrition plans. Are any of my readers doing the same? Are you waiting for an excuse to Ride, Train, and Live? Are you up for the challenge?

Feature image courtesy of Baston.

I’ve made a commitment that today I start counting my calories and eating better (you’ll know why tomorrow). I did buy a food scale this weekend and have messed around with The Daily Plate so that I can start tracking my calorie/nutrient intake on a daily basis.

Right now my daily calorie intake is set to 2013 calories. This takes into account my age, height, current weight, activity level outside of cycling, and my goal to lose 2 pounds per week. I’m certainly not going to bore you with what I’m eating each day but will provide any insight or lessons learned I have.

I Need To Get Smart

I am so dumb in the area of nutrition management as it pertains to cyclists. I know snippets of info here and there but there is so much info out there that information overload can be achieved in about 30 seconds. Stuff like hydration, supplements, when/what to eat before/during/after riding based on what type of ride it was, etc. I’m probably going to do some research and experiment a lot and see what works while keeping track of my calorie intake and losses.

Creating A Meal Plan

I want to move to a point where I plan out my meals a week in advance. That way it will make my shopping/cooking easier. I thought this might be easy but I’ve found out that it isn’t. I’ve found some 2000 calorie/day meal plans on the Internet and may give them a try (or at least portions of them). At least initially, I think I may just stick with weighing/counting what I’m eating and see how that goes right now. Today I have to pick up some measuring cups.

If any of my readers have recommendations, advice, or experience in these areas I’m all ears. That includes book recommendations.

Feature image courtesy of Beth Rankin.

Cycling clothes. They can be the bane of our existence as a cyclist. We’re ridiculed because non-cyclists think we look funny in them. We’re self-conscious because of how we look in them (at least I am). I love cycling clothing. It’s functional and jersey designs can be pretty cool. I also hate it.

Do they make cycling clothes for real people?

So what if I can’t fit into the same tshirt I wore in sixth grade. What’s the big deal? You mean, as a cyclist, I’m supposed to fit into a pair of bibs or a jersey designed to look tight on my little sister? Seriously?

By real people I mean cyclists, like me, who are struggling to lose weight. Cycling is a great way to lose weight but the clothing manufacturers out there aren’t thinking about us when designing their spring lineup. I seriously think they use a telephone pole as a prop to help them determine sizes. If they’re designing European sizes then they use a 4×4 post.

That’s all in jest of course but I think the underlying argument is valid. Overweight cyclists have a hard time finding cycling clothes that fit. Then you take somebody like me who’s overweight, and short (only a 27.5″ inseam), and you’re screwed. There wouldn’t be a problem if we (I) were height-weight proportionate but that’s why we (I) took up cycling in the first place. Catch 22.

Are there cycling clothes out there that will fit? Yes, but it’ll be hard finding something that fits right. For instance, in order for me to find bibs that can compensate for my excessive girth I have to buy in the 3XL size which is usually designed for somebody really tall. That means the bibs are too long. It takes some experimenting and shopping around to find stuff that works.

Love and Hate

Where To Find BIG Cycling Clothes

I know they aren’t popular among the ‘purists’ and ‘pros’, but Bike Nashbar has jerseys and bibs that fit me. I’m talking about the Nashbar brand clothing not name-brand stuff like Pearl Izumi, Cannondale, or others. One of my favorite pairs of bibs is a Nashbar brand. Catch their stuff on sale and you can get some good deals.

Performance Bike sometimes has some stuff that will fit too. I’ve got a good long sleeve jersey I got from them last year that’s great. Jerseys are easier for me to find though. Jerseys for big folks with cool designs are hard to find (there are some). Mostly expect to have your choices limited to solid colors. BikeJerseys.com seems to have a selection of cool big dude jerseys but I’ve never bought from them. I’ll have to do that and do a review. I’ve also recently discovered Aerotech Designs and will look at them too.

There are times I don’t feel like looking like a overstuffed sausage and wear a big workout shirt made by Russell Athletic. It’s comfy and cool. There’s no rear pockets or ’style’ factor though.

Your Thoughts?

I know most of you just want to tell me to deal with it and ride. I can understand that. You can say as much in the comments. If you’re like me though, and can’t buy your cycling clothes off the rack, perhaps you have some additional resources I haven’t listed above.

In the meantime, it’s back to counting calories and riding.

Feature image courtesy of n0seblunt.

I’ve been very truthful in that my diet is horrible. Have I tried to eat better? Sure but I always have problems with eating too much and eating the wrong stuff. I knew it was a problem but was too lazy to fix it. I made some half-heart attempts but never put anything permanently in place to correct the problem.

This is further mind-boggling because I knew that I needed to be counting, or tracking, my calories in order to solve my weight problems. So why don’t I do it?

Why Don’t We Count Calories?

Is it because we’re lazy? Maybe but I think the biggest problem is because we think it’s too hard. We’ve all seen the books available that show nutritional information for particular foods (calories, fat, carbohydrates, etc.). You have to look up your food, figure out how much you ate, and then write it down in whatever you were tracking it in (legal pad, moleskin, or perhaps excel). Then you had to add up everything and see how you were doing. Now you needed to figure out your balance of carbs, fats, and proteins. Good luck!

It Doesn’t Have To Be Hard

These days there are online tools (both free and paid) that let you do all this. They have big databases of pre-loaded foods with all the nutritional information already entered. All you have to do is figure out how much you consumed and the rest is done for you. Some of these online tools even track goals (weight loss per week, total weight loss, goal weight, etc.) as well as your exercise. They’ve taken all the hard work and made it easy.

I’ve used Fit Day in the past but was never really sold on it. Their database had a lot of food in it but you still had to enter a lot of stuff manually. Maybe that’s why I quit using it. Two days ago I was on Livestrong.com and found The Daily Plate. I looked at it but didn’t sign up. Then I read over on Jason Kearney’s blog, Out Here In The Middle, that he used The Daily Plate. so I headed back over there today to sign up (for free) and see what it was like.

I’ve only experimented with it a little bit but already love it. It pulled up my brand of oatmeal right away so I started putting in the rest of the things I’d eaten for the day. It tells you how many calories you’ve eaten for the day, how many calories you have left to eat based on your goal (for me it’s losing 2 pounds per week), and a nutritional breakdown. It also lets you add how many glasses of water you’ve consumed for the day. It’s got a ton of features I haven’t even explored yet.

Needless to say, I like it a lot. I’m going to give it a go, see how it works, and write a more detailed review later.

You Still Have To Measure

These online tools are great but in order to make them work we still have to measure how much we’re eating and exercising. For those of us cycling we have our trusty cyclocomputers to tell us how far and how fast we’ve ridden. What about food? We guess right? Wrong!

I’m just as guilty as the next person when it comes to measuring food intake. Some items are easy (1 packet of artificial sweetner has this many calories). What about that big bowl of noodles last night? Or that container of chicken I had for lunch? Or the taco dinner at your favorite taco joint. When left to do our own guesswork we always underestimate. Especially when it comes to food and counting caloric intake!

How can we, I, take our weight loss seriously if we can’t be honest with ourselves on how much we’re eating? The answer is that we can’t. Period.

That’s why I’m buying a food scale today.

Are You Counting Calories?

I’ve included a small poll below to see how many of my readers are counting their calories. Do you do it manually using the old book method or do you use one of the online tools?

Leave us a comment below if you have any good tips or recommendations for counting calories. Or maybe leave me a comment because you love my blog so much.

Vote Now! I guarantee there will be no hanging chads!

Feature image courtesy of Alan Cleaver.

Beech Mountain near Boone, North Carolina was made famous in Lance Armstrong’s book It’s Not About the Bike: My Journey Back to Life. His bicycle ride up that mountain was the culmination of his recovery from cancer and the re-launch of his cycling career. He flipped a switch on that mountain and faced down some demons that were holding him back. We all the know the story that unfolds afterward.

I think we all have, or need, a Beech Mountain.

Whether it’s life, weight loss plans, or cycling goals each of us has either had, are experiencing, or will experience a Beech Mountain.

Why We Need A Beech Mountain

A Beech Mountain is nothing more than symbolism for an event in our lives in which our actions will define us. Perhaps it was an ascent or group ride that we struggled with. The loss of a relative or close friend due to illness. Or the loss of a job.

How we react to those situations will shape our lives.

We need a Beech Mountain because it rips off the scabs in our life and exposes the bleeding sores that reside at our core. It can put our faults on center stage and test our morals, ethics, and values. It shows us what we’re capable of and what we’re willing to do in order to achieve what’s right in our lives whether it’s family, career, or health. A Beech Mountain reveals the man or woman we truly are.

Cycling Is My Answer

I can remember three distinct Beech Mountains in my life. The loss of a 16-year military career in 2006, the loss of my job in October 2008, followed by the loss of my dad in November 2008. For the most part I think I’ve reacted to those situations well but know I have a long, long way to go in one particular area in order to summit my Beech Mountains.

I’ve ridden a bicycle ever since I was a little kid. I took many years to off due to the military but returned to it again in 2008 because I needed help. It was going to be my tool to overcome significant health issues I have. It works but there are days when I feel like I need a reminder of why I’m cycling. A workout or ride that will re-awaken the drive and determination to ride hard, watch what I eat, and train. Train like there’s no tomorrow. To follow through with plans that have only made it as far as a thought but need to come to fruition in order to achieve success.

I need a ride. A reminder. I think we all do from time to time.

Are You On Beech Mountain?

I invite you to share your thoughts or experiences below. What was it that got you over the summit or reminded you why you’re doing it?

Feature image courtesy of Frenchy.

Yesterday on my post about Three Things You Don’t Need to Start Cycling I promised to follow it up today with a list of things I think you DO need to start cycling. Everybody knows you need a bicycle but beyond that what takes priority? Equipment, skills, mindset, an understanding spouse? Probably a little bit of everything.

What you DO need

1. A bicycle. Whether it’s borrowed, used, or new you need a bike. Does it have to be a fancy, smancy road bike? No. Many of the readers of this blog started on something much simpler than what they ride now. I did as well when I re-started my riding in April 2008. I still had my old Cannondale but was skeptical about riding it because of my weight. I went out and purchased a Schwinn Trailways at a local Target because it came with a 700c deep-v wheelset. It actually road pretty good but was heavy (which was a great workout). I road it for several months and eventually moved back to my road bike. I still have that Schwinn in the garage in Florida and it will probably make a good commuter. I could see it filling another purpose as well. If I knew someone who was thinking of taking up the sport of cycling, I wouldn’t mind letting them borrow it to see if cycling was a sport they really liked before dropping a ton of cash on it.
2. Cycling shorts or bibs. These don’t have to be expensive if you shop around and catch some sales. Could you get away with riding in some regular shorts? Yes but only if you don’t plan on putting in very many miles. If you ride a lot, you’ll appreciate the comfort, and protection, that padded cycling shorts give you (taking it easy at first so your sit bones become adjusted helps too). A cycling specific jersey isn’t absolutely necessary but can be handy because of the rear pockets and zippered front. I have a couple of non-jersey shirts I wear sometimes that are the athletic type workout shirts. They work pretty good but don’t have the pockets. Using a seat bag can make up for not having pockets.
3. Chamois cream. I was going to list this with the shorts/bibs recommendation above but think it’s important enough to list by itself. This is a cream that’s applied to your nether regions to prevent chaffing and discomfort. Some of the popular brands are Chamois Butt’r (Butter), DZ Nuts (which I think is hilarious…and now has a version for women), and Assos Chamois Cream (I hear this is good). Some that you don’t hear about often are Noxema Beauty Cream, Udderly Smooth, and Bag Balm (which is made for cows believe it or not!). I’ve always used Chamois Butt’r but plan on experimenting a little this year.
4. A helmet. I’m not going to go into the debate of should you wear a helmet or not. My stance is that you should wear one. If you’re involved in an accident and want to protect your melon wear a helmet. Some places have laws requiring you to wear one so check with your local authorities.
5. Gear and knowledge to change a flat. You’re going to get a flat. Period. It may not happen on your first ride, or even your tenth, but it’s going to happen. When it does you need to be prepared. Some bike shops sell a seat bag that has everything you need to fix a flat (tube, CO2, patch, tire irons, etc.) which is great but buying that seat bag doesn’t get you the knowledge. To learn the basics watch this video over at Bicycle Tutor. Nothing’s as good as hands-on experience though. I recommend you take a wheel off your bike (the back since it’s harder due to the chain), deflate your tire, and practice changing tubes. If you can, have a knowledgeable friend there to help your first time. You don’t want your first time changing a flat to be out on the road miles from home.
6. Basic cycling skills and knowledge. If you don’t know the basic skills then you’re not only a danger to yourself but to others as well. Some of the basic things you need know include: how to signal, how to ride in traffic, how to pass other cyclists and pedestrians, and local cycling laws. I also think it’s important that you know how to handle your bicycle before getting out on the road or near others. Things like emergency stopping, riding with a partner, and evasive steering. Some of this stuff requires time on the bike but learning on your first group ride or on a busy street isn’t the right place.
7. A Desire. Thanks to DW Blount Don who sent me this via email. I couldn’t agree more. Everything we do you need some level of desire to accomplish it and cycling is no different. For some of us the desire comes easy because we love the sport of cycling. For others it’s harder because they’ve turned to cycling for other reasons (to lose weight, it’s low impact, etc.). Whatever reason you have for cycling you have to have the desire to do it. To get out there and ride when you don’t feel like it or when the weather’s lousy. Formulating some goals and/or following a plan will certainly help with desire.

What you didn’t see on the list

This was a hard article to write because the list above could certainly be longer and there’s a lot of opinions on it. I didn’t mention things like lights, a floor pump, shoes, and the list goes on. In fact, I bet everyone of my readers has a different view on what’s need. A lot of the other things we could list would certainly depend on the individual rider and conditions they ride in. I think the seven things listed above are the absolute basics though if you want to start safely. The list could be as short as just needing a bicycle but I don’t think that’s either smart or safe.

What would you add to the list?

Like I said, I know you have opinions on this and I want to hear them. Put yours in the comments and/or tell me why I’m wrong about the things I’ve listed.

Feature image courtesy of gluemoon.

When starting out in the sport of cycling, it’s very easy to get overwhelmed by everything involved. The types of bicycles (their respective sizes, components, price points, materials), the myriad of clothing choices, training recommendations, and the list goes on, and on, and on. It doesn’t have to be that hard.

When first starting out, I think folks may jump a little overboard as far as buying equipment before they fully understand what they’re getting themselves into. I think this is why we see so many bicycles on Craigslist due to new cyclists quitting. Or they don’t even start because they’re too overwhelmed about perceived ‘requirements’.

What you DON’T need

If you’re new to the sport of cycling, I wanted to provide you a list of items that I think you DON’T need when you first start out. They are:

1. An expensive bicycle. Some would disagree with me on this and we could get into a long discussion regarding the ability to upgrade later, comfort, and quality. Maybe we’ll talk about that someday. But I believe that if you’re just starting out, you don’t need to drop $2500, or even $1500, on the latest bicycle (Bicycling Mag says $1500 is the minimum a new rider should spend – March 2010, page 48). I think my first road bicycle, which I bought brand new, cost me $500 back in 1996. I rode it off and on for 15 years until some problems with it last year forced me to retire it. I looked at some brand new bikes as a replacement but would have had to spend at least $1200 to get exactly what I wanted. I know that isn’t much on the bicycle price meter but when you’re on a budget that’s a lot of money. I found a great deal and pulled the trigger on a used bicycle last month for $500.
2. Expensive cycling clothes. This is another touchy subject amongst cyclists. I’m all about saving money so, yes, I have issues with spending $300+ on cycling bibs (or even a $100). Just like everything else, cycling clothing has price points and the quality you get certainly affects the price. I’ve heard that those $300+ bibs are unbelievably comfortable but I just can’t do that. Would I review them if they were sent to me? Absolutely but there’s no way I’d buy them myself. I don’t think I’ve ever paid more than $50 for a set. There are places out there where you can find cheaper cycling clothes. Look for the sales too. I never buy clothes, of any kind, unless they’re on sale. Also, if you’re new to cycling and overweight like me, you’ll find that as the price in clothing goes up, you’re less likely to find anything that fits. I’ll have some posts in the future that discuss places to find cycling clothing that’s inexpensive and fits both Clydes and Athenas.
3. Fancy electronics. These days you can buy computers for your bicycle (called cyclocomputers) that not only record your distance, speed, and time but they’ll also store all that information for download later, display your route via GPS on a color screen, show how many feet you’ve climbed, the current temperature, what your heart rate is, and make you a nice steaming cup of coffee. Ok, I was kidding about the coffee but I think you get my point. If you’re just starting out, you don’t need all that extra stuff. I’ve survived on a simple cyclocomputer that has speed, average speed, ride distance, ride time, and an odometer for years. It’s not as fancy some of the nice stuff but it’s basic and gets the job done. Don’t get me wrong, do I want a nice computer that offers downloading and heart rate? Sure, but that’s because I think that will be my next big step in my cycling training and not because it’s required.

What do you think?

Ok readers, there’s three things. I know many of you have opinions on this subject so I’d welcome them in the comments below. Think back to when you started cycling and apply what you know now. Some of you may disagree with me and that’s OK. Let me know why below.

Tomorrow’s post is going to be on ‘Things you need to start cycling’. If you have recommendations for that list, send them to me at bryan[at]bikingtolive.com.

Feature image courtesy of daniele_satori.