What are some things you had to find out the hard way when you started cycling?
09-22-08, 08:51 AM
#26
Senior Member
Bibs.
To a newbie they look silly (more so than regular cycling shorts, anyway), but they are awesome.
I went two years before my first pair, and after day one wearing them I knew that there was no going back!
To a newbie they look silly (more so than regular cycling shorts, anyway), but they are awesome.
I went two years before my first pair, and after day one wearing them I knew that there was no going back!
09-22-08, 08:53 AM
#27
slow up hills
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Always, always, always figure out why you flatted before you put in another tube and do it again immediately.
09-22-08, 09:10 AM
#28
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Figure out what type of bike suits your riding style, then buy the best bike you can afford. Then, after you post a pic of your ride, stay off BF for a few months so you don't get prematurely bitten by the upgrade bug- just ride the hell outta what you got.
09-22-08, 09:13 AM
#29
elitist jerk
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[QUOTE=Laminarman;7517600]Two things I learned:
The easiest way to get reeeaaaalllllly fast up a hill is to lose a bunch of weight and learn how to really suffer.
fixed.
The easiest way to get reeeaaaalllllly fast up a hill is to lose a bunch of weight and learn how to really suffer.
fixed.
09-22-08, 09:24 AM
#30
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Two things I learned:
The easiest way to get reeeaaaalllllly fast up a hill is to get chased by a snarling, frothing Rottweiller. The other is that your labrador retrievers will lick you to death when you fall on your clipless pedals for the first time in your driveway and you've fallen in such a way that your laying on one arm and the other is tethered by your glove to the brake lever and you're laying there, humiliated like a helpless slug.
The easiest way to get reeeaaaalllllly fast up a hill is to get chased by a snarling, frothing Rottweiller. The other is that your labrador retrievers will lick you to death when you fall on your clipless pedals for the first time in your driveway and you've fallen in such a way that your laying on one arm and the other is tethered by your glove to the brake lever and you're laying there, humiliated like a helpless slug.
09-22-08, 09:25 AM
#31
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You will never find a single thread about any bike related product that does not have a negative post on BF. So never let anyone know what you bought, or your bubble will be burst.
09-22-08, 10:07 AM
#32
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Tyres grip less well on gravelly corners, and gravelly corners can be nearly invisible.
You need to REALLY scrub road rash before you dress it- I had a patch that just wouldn't heal, long after the rest had- turned out there was a piece of dead skin rotting on top of it, that I hadn't removed just gently cleaning it with soap.
Road rash dries up and heals faster the sooner you take the dressings off
Don't try to follow the local riders round the fastest corner in a crit, at the same speed, the first time you ride that circuit. They have been doing it all year, at least, and know EXACTLY where the limit lies..
You need to REALLY scrub road rash before you dress it- I had a patch that just wouldn't heal, long after the rest had- turned out there was a piece of dead skin rotting on top of it, that I hadn't removed just gently cleaning it with soap.
Road rash dries up and heals faster the sooner you take the dressings off
Don't try to follow the local riders round the fastest corner in a crit, at the same speed, the first time you ride that circuit. They have been doing it all year, at least, and know EXACTLY where the limit lies..
09-22-08, 10:11 AM
#33
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....and ALWAYS, ALWAYS ALWAYS bring an extra tube. I usually just bring a patch when going for a short 10-15 mile ride.... until yesterday. I had the tube patched and tire back on and was pumping it up when the stem popped off...... wasn't a good call to the wife........
09-22-08, 10:11 AM
#34
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In a headwind, NEVER lose that wheel. Better to suffer a lot for some minutes than a little less for hours.
Don't get involved in road rage situations/escalations. These only make things worse.
Don't get involved in road rage situations/escalations. These only make things worse.
09-22-08, 10:13 AM
#35
Warning:Mild Peril
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On cold mornings always dress so that you will be warm after a bit of riding, if you're warm when you walk out the door you will be stopping in ten minutes to take a bunch of stuff off.
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Non semper erit aestas.
Non semper erit aestas.
09-22-08, 10:28 AM
#36
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The mind of a 38yr old body can not make it do what it did when 18yrs old
09-22-08, 10:32 AM
#37
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On rainy days, avoid riding over sewer lids.
09-22-08, 10:33 AM
#38
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Chipseal sucks.
Some tires suck hard.
Just because a wheel is true, it doesn't mean it's also round.
Some tires suck hard.
Just because a wheel is true, it doesn't mean it's also round.
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Ten tenths.
Ten tenths.
09-22-08, 11:00 AM
#40
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Just have just as good of chance of falling over going slow as you do going fast. Especially creeping uphill to stop signs clipped in.
09-22-08, 11:00 AM
#41
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IMHO running over over a bunch of acorns is tricky. Worse than ice maybe.
09-22-08, 12:02 PM
#43
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09-22-08, 12:15 PM
#44
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1. You will spend aproximately 50% more on your bike/gear than you plan.
2. Practice emergency stops and maneuvers before venturing into urban traffic.
3. Check tires before every ride.
4. Practice riding straight when struggling, when drinking/eating and when looking around 360 degrees before riding in a large pack.
2. Practice emergency stops and maneuvers before venturing into urban traffic.
3. Check tires before every ride.
4. Practice riding straight when struggling, when drinking/eating and when looking around 360 degrees before riding in a large pack.
09-22-08, 12:36 PM
#47
Embracing my inner Fred
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BF members rarely know the difference between your, you're, and yore, or between it's and its.
09-22-08, 12:42 PM
#48
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09-22-08, 12:56 PM
#50
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