Pharmr

always bring your cellphone, becuase you can't always count on those 2 tubes.

oujeep1

Learn to grab your water bottle with your left hand-if you are holding your bottle in your right hand and have to brake emergently, you will be using your front brake only and may go flying over the bars. And look where you want to go, your bike will follow. You may cock your middle finger if someone in a car angers you, but never never ever fire it- it can make the situation much much worse.

pcates

i tried that trick with our dollar......didn't seem to work that well........

Lucky07

Remember alot of 'those crazy peds/cagers' see you as one of 'those bikers'. Try to act like a human being out there on the road. Maybe you'll inspire the other humans to treat you like one of their own.

dstrong 

Stretch an elastic hair band (or rubber band) around your handlebar, just behind your brake lever. When you need the bike to stay put, pull your brake lever and stretch the band around it to keep it engaged. Makes a great parking brake when you lean your bike against a wall or pole. I also feel a little bit more secure when I go into a convenience store, thinking (maybe incorrectly), that if someone grabbed my bike and tried to ride away, it would take a few precious moments to figure out why the rear wheel wasn't turning. Time enough for me to come out of the store and beat them with the bottle of gatorade I just bought!

botto 

save money, and space on your bars: if you have a HRM, mount it on your bars like this:

mkadam68

Hey...I might actually try this idea...

botto 

picked it up from a former euro pro, olympic medalist, and world champion. i figured he knew what he was doing.

Dead Extra #2

Put your spare tubes inside of a sock. It will keep the inside of the bag from rubbing holes in them.

Grasschopper

If you are on a group ride you don't have to be faster than the dog...just faster (or more alert) than the slowest rider.

Oh and if you don't run stuff over you will get a LOT less flats.

caloso

Think "light" when riding over a rough patch or railroad tracks. Grip the bars loosely and remember that your bike wants to go straight and stay upright.

Garfield Cat

That setup is ok but I tried another. The wrist strap of the Polar is a kind of a rigid plastic. It wasn't really designed to be pinched as in the photo. Eventually it will crack. So instead I use the foam padding that was left over from the carpet layer. Its light and disposable. Wrap the foam around the handlebar and have the Polar strapped around that. It also acts like a shock absorber. So road vibrations will not travel directly to the Polar unit as in the photo.

Garfield Cat

One other thing about the plastic bags from the supermarket. The lighter bags are in the produce department. These are very thin and therefore good for biking. The plastic at the checkout counter are too thick.

In cool weather I choose not to wear the bike jacket until it gets really cold. So I wear two rash guards (the thing surfers wear). Sandwiched inbetween is this thin plastic from the produce dept. It acts like a wind breaker at the point where I think its best, where the wind hits my chest. Therefore the body heat can still escape from my back and the body allowed to cool off so to speak. The bike jacket doesn't have the same heat escape.

Hambone

1. The medium sized peanut butter jar is perfect for fitting in your water bottle cage. I use one for my wallet/phone/commuting stuff (When I don't need two water bottles.) and leave my saddle bag for my tools and every ride stuff.

2. The end of a Kryptonite Chain can do serious harm to a bike's paint job. Dip the first and last two links it in liquid rubber (get it in the paint section of any hardware store -- made for tool handles and the such.)

3. Pillage and plunder, then burn.

botto 

how's the OCD treating you Mr. Monk?

Mo'Phat

Stolen from Jschen:

If you are going to puke, go to the left side so as not to toss cookies into your drivetrain.

banerjek

Ziploc sandwich bags work better. Lighter, and take up less space.

Scorer75

But you can use the sock to clean up after changing a tire or making any other repair.

If it makes you feel better, I put my tube which is in a sock in a ziploc bag when it rains.

Imachad

Awesome...

blue_nose

Be careful, there are some risks with regular use of Ibuprofen during exercise:

https://www.active.com/story.cfm?story_id=12992

curveship

I prefer: learn to remove and replace a tire with just your thumbs

And this is the one I keep forgetting: get off the net and ride

JayC

Buy a Road ID and actually wear it. Least if I get run down, they can contact my next of kin.

superdex

Wipe your chain off after applying lube. Once it penetrates the links, it's doing its job. Excess lube on the chain serves exactly one purpose: Chainring tattoos.

Phantoj

Well, this is really a tip for true noobs, but here goes:

When climbing a hill seated (assuming you have the sense not to be grinding up in a huge gear), if you start getting tired, you may wish to stand in order to exercise a different set of muscles. When you do this, shift up a gear or two. I know, you're dying already and you don't feel like dialing up the pain. But if you switch to a standed climb at the same cadence as your seated spin, you're going to waste a ton of energy keeping that pedal speed. Try it.

bdcheung

I prefer to climb seated, and if I must stand, it's only for a couple pedal strokes. Quads aren't quite up to snuff for stand-climbing.