ROAD BIKING 101: A BEGINNER’S GUIDE

Why should you become a bicycle rider?

Cycling is fun and one of the best ways to improve your overall health. I challenge you to find another low-impact cardio option that can get you from A to B and increases your metabolism, builds muscle, burns fat, and aid in weight loss. It is a vehicle for adventure that matches each rider’s speed, adrenaline, and scenic preferences. It’s a sport that can be enjoyed for a lifetime.

Is there a better way to start road biking?

1. Have a professional fit for your bike. This will help to ensure you are in a good riding position and less likely to get hurt.
2. Don’t try to ride too fast. Ride 30-60 minutes for 30-60 minutes, three to four times weekly. Pay attention to your breathing, and maintain a steady pace for two to six weeks, depending on your fitness level. Gradually increase effort and duration.
3. Get involved in a group ride or group cycling. These groups can provide a great social outlet and a rich learning ground to help you master the traditions and skills of the sport. Ask friends and local bike shops about places to join for short rides (15-30km).

What is the average time it takes to become a great rider?

The endurance sport of cycling is similar to marathon running. An athlete may need up to three years to build a base of fitness and experience to ride at an elite level. There are many ways to speed up these three years. While an athlete’s training history can influence how long it takes, proper training, aerobic training, and well-developed techniques are key factors in how long it takes to become a great rider.

• Be patient
• Be consistent
• Set attainable goals
• Plan a strategy to achieve your goals in each season.

The top things you should look out for when buying your first road bike:

It can be overwhelming and confusing to buy your first road bike. There are many brands, types, components, and overall materials available. These are some factors to keep in mind to narrow down your choices.

1. Decide how much you want to spend. Entry-level road bikes start at $800 and go up to $3,000. You should budget for essential accessories like clothing, shoes, helmets, and pedals.
2. Think about the Components. A “group set” refers to the brakes and the gears. There are many group set manufacturers. The most popular are Campagnolo and SRAM. Group sets are available in three tiers, regardless of brand: top-tier, mid-range, and entry-level. You can expect to spend more as the components are lighter and offer more functionality. When deciding which group set you want, consider the gear ratio. A cassette with a gear ratio of 11 to 32 is ideal for beginners. This gear ratio will give you 32 cogs to help you climb hills or ride faster. Next, consider the chain set. There are many sizes of chainrings. Beginners will benefit from smaller sets, such as a 50-34. The brakes are last but not least. There are two types of brakes available: disc and rim. Disk brakes are more expensive than rim brakes but provide more consistent and powerful braking, especially in wet and hilly conditions. However, rim brakes have been around for 100 years and are slightly heavier.
3. Frame Material. A bike’s frame material has a significant impact on its ride quality. Aluminum, steel, and carbon fiber are the most popular bike frame materials. While carbon fiber frames are lighter and more comfortable than steel or aluminum, they can also be expensive. You can also find aluminum frames with carbon fiber forks if your budget is insufficient. This reduces weight, stiffens the fork, and reduces vibrations through the handlebars.
4. Tire Clearance. More clearance between the tire & the frame means more options for the type of tire that you can use on your bike. If you plan to ride gravel, tire clearance is particularly important.
5. Wheels. Wheels are the most common component that cyclists choose to upgrade. More advanced cyclists, they will swap standard wheels for lighter, stiffer, and more aerodynamic options. To ensure affordability, entry-level bikes are often equipped with basic wheels to increase wheel performance. You should look for wheels that have a high number of spokes. This will make the wheel more durable and stronger. It is important to have a wide rim. It is best to have rims that can hold wider tires (25-28 millimeters). Larger tires offer more comfort and grip.
6. Saddle. Bicycle saddles can be worn with padded shorts. It’s not unusual for them to feel uncomfortable and hard without shorts. A custom-fitted saddle can be purchased at your local bike shop from $80-175.
7. Pedals. Most road bikes come without pedals. Clipless pedals and shoes are best if you plan to ride longer distances. You can pull up and push down with every pedal stroke, making you a more efficient rider.

What should every cyclist have?

It doesn’t take much to get out of trouble on the roads. You will need an extra tube, hand pump, and tire levers. Road biking is an easy sport that requires little effort. They are also smooth and efficient, so you can cycle for long distances and periods. A peanut butter sandwich or a handful of candy can help you get through the day.

How can you become a better cyclist?

To become a better cyclist, you must be comfortable with being uncomfortable. While it’s easy to focus on the pleasant, easy, or enjoyable aspects of cycling, your workouts must be intentional and occasionally a bit unpleasant if you want to improve your performance and be more efficient.

A plateau can be caused by staying in your comfort zone. You can maintain your fitness by doing the same thing every week, but you will lose your ability to cycle well. Your body will respond to overload and resistance and develop stronger when you ride outside of your comfort zone. You’ll soon notice results if you increase the intensity and type of your rides.

HOW DIFFICULT IS IT TOO HARD? AND HOW YOU CAN QUALIFY YOUR IMPROVEMENTS OVER TIME.

These questions can be answered by adding a power meter to your bike. Power meters give you a quantitative assessment of how intense your workouts were. A power meter provides real-time data you can display on your head unit or bike computer instead of basing your rides on perceived exertion or other qualitative factors. This feedback is useful in guiding you to reduce, hold your line, or increase the workload.

Data from your rides can be used to create training protocols and individual power zones. To create personalized watt ranges or zones, power zone training is based on a rider’s functional hurdle power (FTP). Each zone has a unique effect on the body, and riders can use it to target different exercise intensities .

Power can be a powerful tool to set goals and measure progress over time. The watts aren’t lying. A beginner rider will start with 120 watts an hour but gradually increases their wattage to 150. This is a sign that they are getting stronger and enhancing their fitness.

What are the most common mistakes made by new cyclists?

1. Bad saddle height. You’ll be less efficient, and your ride will be more difficult on your body. You can strain your ligaments, tendons, and muscles if your saddle is too high. When determining the saddle height, the rule of thumb is that your knee should not be straight at the bottom of the stroke. This can be avoided by having your saddle fitted by a professional before hitting the road.
2. Wearing the wrong clothing. Jeans are made with seams that are not right where they should be. 100% cotton shirts can become heavy and cold when they get wet. The investment in tech fibers, riding gear, and cycling gear is worth it.
3. Attacking Hills. False Peaks are a real thing. Nothing is worse than climbing up a hill only to discover that you have more hills than you expected. You can conquer hills by pacing. You can conquer hills by taking a slow, steady spin and breathing. Power meters and heartrate monitors can be great tools to protect your efforts on longer rides.

Tips for beginning cyclists:

1. Wear padded cycling shorts
2. Remember to bend your elbows when you ride. This will benefit your body, your endurance, and your bike handling.
3. Get rid of the death grip. You should be able to wiggle your fingers at all times. This helps to maintain healthy blood flow and allows the body to respond more effectively to bumps in its path.
4. To make clipless pedals easier to clip in and remove, loosen the screws. But you want your foot to stay in the pedal’s grooves during regular pedal strokes. However, you want to be able to unclip the pedal quickly and efficiently. This will prevent you from getting your foot stuck in the pedals and potentially falling over. This is nothing to worry about, as we have all been there. Clipping in your first few rides can seem daunting. To make it easier, clip in one foot at a start. This will allow you to quickly put one foot down if needed. You will quickly gain confidence!
5. Learn how you can fix a flat. You can watch a YouTube video or go to a local bike shop to learn how to do it.
6. You might consider buying spd clipless shoes and pedals. They are more suitable for mountain biking and offer better grip/tread. The spd cleat, made from metal rather than the combination of metal and plastic of SPD-SL cleats, makes them more durable.
7. Layer your clothes. This allows you to regulate your body temperature while on the move.
8. Use power data to determine performance, not distance.
9. Draft. Riding alongside someone takes 30% less effort than riding behind them. To even out the effort, alternate the forerunner.
10. After every ride, clean your drivetrain. This is a very simple task. You can prolong the life of your drivetrain by wiping down your cassette and chain with a little chain lube. This will also save you money over time.
11. Have fun on your bike.