Monday, October 28, 2013

Top Rules of Cycling #11-20

Follow Any of These Rules To See Improvement in Your Ride!

Stay On The Lookout For the Rest of The Rules!



11. Train Your Weaknesses

Even though this may seem vague and obvious, this is much more about identifying your weaknesses and THEN training them. Professional endurance racer Mark Weir makes his living blasting through corners, but that wasn't always the case. "I was a semi-pro downhiller racing in Park City, Utah, and there was a corner that I thought just sucked," he recalls. "I told Jan Karpiel, one of my sponsors, about it, and he said: 'The corner doesn't suck, you suck at that corner.' I realized then that training my weaknesses is far more important than sticking with my strengths.


 
12. Check Your Tire Pressure Before Each Ride

13. Learn to Bunny Hop on Your Road Bike

Doing an unclipped hop shows you how changes in body position affect your bike's behavior — knowledge that will boost your confidence on steep downhills, rough roads, and in corners.

A. Replace your clipless pedals with platforms and your cycling shoes with soft-soled sneakers.

B. Ride across a flat, grassy field at slightly faster than walking speed, standing on your pedals, cranks level with the ground, elbows and knees slightly bent.

C. Push down on the handlebar while bending your knees even farther so you are crouched over the saddle. Then immediately pull up and back on your bar as you shift your weight back to get the front tire up.

D. With the front tire off the ground, shift your weight forward as you push the handlebar ahead and hop up with your legs to lift the rear wheel.

14. Fitness Takes Time

No crash diet or hell week of training will magically propel you into top form. "You've got to work toward it all season long," says Pierre Rolland, the best young rider of the 2011 Tour de France.

15. If something is painful like your knee, back, or wrists, you should consider getting a professional fitting. 

Many websites and blogs offer instructions to "do-it-yourself," however — it's a much better idea to let a professional fine tune your bike to your anatomy.

16. Wash Your Bike

Especially after a wet or muddy ride. Mist it with a garden hose or soak it using a bucket of soapy water. Wipe it down and rinse, then dry it with a clean rag or towel. Don't forget to lube your chain.


17. Buy a Torque Wrench and Learn How to Use It

This is mandatory for carbon parts, but will also extend the life of all stems, handlebars, bottom brackets, seatpost clamps, and suspension pivots



18. Speaking of Your Chain

A well-maintained and lubricated chain could last 3,000 road miles ore more, but check it every 500. Here's how: Take a ruler and place the 0 at the rivet of one link. If the ruler's 12 inch mark aligns closely with another rivet, you're in good shape. If it's more that 1/16th of an inch away, replace the chain.
 

19. Respect Your Front Brake

Applying 60 percent front brake will bring you to a smooth, controlled stop. But on steep descents or during rapid decelerations, you'll want to rely even more heavily on the front.

Be sure to shift your weight behind your saddle to prevent yourself from sailing over the handlebar

20. Stick With Your Group

Whether you're embarking on a 500-mile charity ride or racing Paris-Nice, there's safety in numbers. Teammates and friends can pull if you're feeling tired, share their food, or help fix a mechanical issue. "I've seen this so many times," says Chris Horner. "A guy is leading the race and is really strong and so he goes into a breakaway. But what happens if he crashes or flats? He is all alone. Stay with your group as long as possible.

Stay tuned for more GREAT tips, video reviews and much much more!

Gotta Ride Bikes is located at
20475 Hwy 46 West #210 in Bulverde , TX 78070
 (830) 438-1229
www.gottaridebikes.com

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

First Ten Rules of Cycling (of 50 from Bicycling.com)

Tips To Make You A Better Cyclist

(bicycling.com)

1. Layer Like A Wedding Cake

With winter months approaching, it's a great idea to pack yourself with layers to make it easy to regulate your temperature. Booties, vests and skullcaps, as well as arm, knee, and leg warmers can all be stashed in pockets as the day warms up.

2. Keep Your Head Up

Looking far down the road or trail will help when you see approaching traffic, spot the best line through corners, or recognize when someone's making a break.

 



3. Carry a Frame Pump. And a Spare Tube. And a Multi-tool with a chain breaker.

Basically, be prepared. You never know what you might face out there.

4. Listen to Your Bike

"A click or pop or scraping noise doesn't heal itself," says Calvin Jones, director of education at Park Tool. Pay attention to the sounds emanating from your ride and you'll know when it's time for some TLC.

Noise: Rattling over bumps
Common Culprit: Loose bottle-cage bolts or quick-release skewers
Solution: Tighten them

Noise: Thunk/shudder during braking or over bumps
Common Culprit: Loose headset
Solution: Adjust headset to remove excess play

Noise: Squeaking while pedaling
Common Culprit: Dry chain
Solution: Lube

Noise: Pop, followed by a skipping chain
Common Culprit: Frozen chain link; worn cassette and chain
Solution: Find and free frozen link... or replace chain, chainrings, and cassette.

Noise: Grinding noise during braking
Common Culprit: Grit in brake pads
Solution: Sand pads lightly to remove grit and grime

Noise: Clicks, squeals, or whines
Common Culprit: Could be any number of problems-from a loose stem to worn bottom-bracket bearings
Solution: Head in to Gotta Ride Bikes so we can fix it for you!

See our related post 22 Common  Cycling Issues and Their Solutions here!



5. Have a Plan

Improvement does not come accidentally. If you want to take your riding to the next level, you need to craft a strategy and set incremental goals to reach it. "Better yet, hire a coach to guide your way," suggests three-time Leadville 100 champion Rebecca Rusch.

 
6. Embrace the Rain

Unless you live in the desert, soggy rides are a part of life. Just dress appropriately: Layers and a rain jacket are optional during the summer, but become essential when temperatures begin to drop.

7. Keep a Spare Kit in Your Car

You never know when you'll have the chance to sneak in a ride. Borrowing or renting a bike is easy, but it's harder to find a spare helmet, shoes, and chamois. Keeping a kit in your car all but ensures you'll never miss an impromptu ride. Scour bike swaps for secondhand shoes, pedals, and other items, but buy a new helmet.

8. It's Okay to Stop

Don't be afraid to pull over for a good swimming hole, hot spring, ice-cream stand, cafe, bakery, or dive bar. In fact, some of the best rides are planned around these diversions.

 

9. Keep Your Perspective

Like most young professional riders, Ted King is learning how to balance the demands of training and family obligations with the extensive travel and training his job requires. Here's what he's learned so far.

When training: set a goal for every ride- even if the goal is recovery
When racing: ride smart, don't chop corners, and remember that the local shop ride is not the World Championships
On the road: think like a motorist. Maybe there's a reason the guy in the pickup truck is pissed at you.
 

 
10. Refuel Right

The key recovery window is the 30 minutes following a ride; that's when your body needs protein to repair muscles and help reload its energy stores, so make sure to get at least 20 to 25 grams. Stacy Sims, a nutritionist at Stanford University, recommends six to eight ounces of nonfat Greek yogurt with walnuts or berries. Or try this protein rich smoothie: Before working out, put 1.5 scoops whey protein powder, 1/2 cup frozen strawberries or blueberries, 1/2 frozen banana, 2 tablespoons nonfat Greek yogurt, 2 tablespoons flaxseed meal, and 1 cup vanilla almond milk into a blender (but don't blend it yet). Store in the refrigerator. Whirl and drink when you return.

Gotta Ride Bikes is located at
20475 Hwy 46 West #210 in Bulverde , TX 78070
 (830) 438-1229

Thursday, October 10, 2013

How to Get an Aero Road Bike Without Selling Your House

The 2014 Kestrel Talon Shimano 105 Sprint Delivers A Sweet Package At A Great Price


Kestrel has released their 2014 Talon Tri bike, and it truly is a beauty. It's versatile geometry features three degrees of adjustment on the seat tube angle EMS Pro seatpost. The frame and fork are a delicious blend of 800K high modulus carbon fiber and 700K intermediate-modulus carbon fiber; creating a bike that is both stiff and lightweight.

The Aerodynamic tubing used on this bike has been developed in the A2 Wind Tunnel for extraordinary speed. The bike looks and feels polished, and rides true.

The Shifting, handled by a mostly Shimano 105 drivetrain, is smooth and dependable, not to mention easy to clean. A great investment for the road cyclist that wants to break into the triathlon scene.



Come To One Of Two Great Gotta Ride Bikes Locations:

We'd love to help you pick out your next bike and help you fill your every cycling need.

Friday, October 4, 2013

10 Symptoms of Cycling Addiction

Are You an Addict?

If one or all of these apply to you, you could be!

1. You spend more on your bike than your car

2. Only the bottom 2/3 of your legs are tan

  3. Your surgeon tells you that you need a heart valve replacement; you ask if you can choose between Presta and Schrader
 
4. You have more pictures of your bike than yourself
 

5. (Guys) You actually shave your legs to gain a bit more speed. Let's not elaborate on this one.  

6. When you are forced to drive, you drive with the windows open or the AC on to simulate riding your bike.  

7. There are more jerseys in your closet than dress shirts.

  8. Biker chick means black spandex, not leather, and a Scott Contessa Women's Road Bike, not a Harley.

  9. Protein bars start to taste better than Snickers or Twix  

10. You find out early on a first date that she doesn't ride a bike; and immediately try to find ways to end the date early. 

 We hope you enjoyed our list, feel free to comment and add more ways to know if you are a cycling addict!