I Love Bicycling

I Love Bicycling is a website that is geared towards cycling for beginners with road cycling tips, training articles, nutrition tips, weight loss, how to’s and bike repair articles.

How To Keep Bugs Out Of Your Eyes While Cycling

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keep bugs out of your eyes while cycling

It’s a balmy summer evening. The sun is just starting to set over your right shoulder while you’re making your way back home for dinner. It has been an awesome day and it was just topped off with a nice evening ride. Then it hits you. Square in the eye. A bug. It hurts and you try and get it out. You maybe did but it feels like it’s still in there. Maybe now down in one of your eye corners waiting to be taken out when you get home with a mirror. There are a few ways to keep bugs out of your eyes while cycling but the trick is to employ one of them before a bug actually hits you in the eye.

Times of Day

Mid-day you probably don’t have to worry too much about bugs. You may get the random insect or bee but you probably already have your sunglasses on since it’s bright out. The mornings however and definitely evenings are the times when you have to watch out. Never leave home without one of the below preventatives otherwise you’ll be squinting your way home.

Ways to Keep Bugs Out of Your Eyes While Cycling

Sunglasses

There are a few different ways to keep bugs out of your eyes while cycling. Chances are good that you will always be riding with sunglasses so this will be a big help especially if you leave on a ride in the afternoon and don’t plan for a buggy return. Make sure you have a pair that covers your eyes enough however so they can’t find their way behind the lenses.

Clear Sunglasses

If the sun’s already starting to set and you’re just heading out for a quick ride, you probably won’t be wearing sunglasses. Clear glasses are your ticket on a ride like this. They will keep bugs out of your eyes while still letting you see normally. A good option is to get a pair of sunglasses with different lenses. Three different ones is fairly standard so look for at least that in your next pair. They’re also a good option in the rain.

Sunglasses in Your Helmet

If you’re out riding before it gets buggy with regular sunglasses and then need to take off your glasses to see as it’s getting dark, you will probably get a bug in your eye. There are two solutions here. The first is to see if your glasses can fit into the front of your helmet but protrude out above your eyes. You will need to tilt your head down but this will act as a shield against them. If your helmet doesn’t allow for your glasses to be inserted into the vents, you can place them on your forehead, slightly above your eyes. It won’t be super effective but it will be better than nothing.

Cycling Cap

If you don’t want to wear glasses the next best option is to wear a cycling cap. You however need to make sure it is pulled down with the brim just above your eyes. You will tilt your head slightly forward but will still be able to see. As with rain, bugs will hit the brim and not go into your eyes.

How To Cycle Better-10 Tips For Improved Riding

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how to cycle

Learning how to cycle better will come with time and trial and error but who wants to go through all of that. These 10 tips will improve your riding whether you just climbed on a bike or have been riding for years. If you’re an expert at them all, then go teach them to someone new to riding. I’m sure you learned some of these things from someone like yourself.

1 – Practice Your Skills:

In an empty parking lot or grassy field set up a course that has you making tight turns as well as turns at speed. In a parking lot, use the lines to set the inside and outside of the turn so if you miss-judge the turn you can simply ride over the lines. Feel your tires grip the ground and how you’re leaning to the inside. Remember to keep your inside pedal up so it doesn’t hit the ground. Also, practice braking. Pick a point, such as a parking line, and approach it with speed and see how quickly you can stop in front of it.

2 – Improve Your Bike Fit

Whether you’re cruising around town or out on a long weekend ride, having a good fit on the bike will make a huge difference in how you ride. You won’t be avoiding a ride on your bike or causing yourself an injury from say, a miss-aligned saddle. Make sure the big things are right such as your saddle and handlebar height along with the little things like how your feet are positioned on the pedals.

3 – Get More Comfortable

Having a sore butt riding is a very common thing when first starting to ride or coming back from some time off even if you have a good fitting saddle. After a few rides however getting your butt gets used to the seat, you should no longer have any discomfort. If you are still, make sure you have the right size saddle for yourself as well as style. Also, make sure your hands and feet are also comfortable while riding. Nothing should be uncomfortable as if it is, riding won’t be as enjoyable.

4 – Ride Up Hills

Many riders avoid hills at all costs. Don’t be one of them. Riding up hills gives you, your legs, as well as cardiovascular system a good stress. It will make you a stronger rider not only on the hills but the flat also. Also, if you’re pressed for time, riding uphill gives you more bang for your buck for a workout.

5 – Upgrade To Clipless Pedals

Riding around town the grocery store or to work a short distance away on platforms pedals won’t give you much of an issue. However, if you’re riding more than this, upgrading to clipless pedals will give you greater efficiency as well as ease of riding along with ensuring that your foot is always properly positioned on the pedal. Hills will also become much easier because you can fully engage the pedal all the way around.

6 – Achieve Your Optimal Cadence

Newer riders often tend to pedal at low cadences. This is inefficient as well as hard on your joints and muscles. Pedal at a higher cadence of around 90 rpms to place less load per pedal stroke on your legs. You will also be able to ride longer with ease.

7 – Shift With Grace

Poor shifting is the result of two things; misaligned components or a rider with a lack of know-how. If it’s the former, you might be able to fix it yourself or if not, take it in to your local bike shop. With the latter, it’s an easy fix, just practice. You will want to shift one gear at a time and when you do shift, take a little bit of pressure off the pedals so the chain moves smoothly. Also shift before you need to. If you’re going into a steep hill, shift before you’re on it otherwise it’s going to be difficult to do so. Also remember not to cross chain; when you’re in a small gear up front and a small gear in the back or a big gear up front and a big gear in the back. Try and keep the chain running in a straight line by using the big gears closet to the rear wheel when in a smaller ring in the front and when going faster and using a larger gear in the front, use the smaller cogs in the back.

8 – Improve Your Level Of Comfort In Traffic

Bike riding often involves riding on roads for many which involves traffic. It can be nervous-some and stressful if you don’t know what to do. Find a friend if you can who is an adept bike rider and learn how to do it properly. Also, always be aware of what’s going on around you and ride like you’re invisible.

9 – Properly Hydrating and Fueling

Cycling takes a lot of energy and if you don’t eat and drink properly before and during a ride you’re going to pay for it. Plan ahead and eat before you’re hungry and drink before your thirsty.

10 – Ride More!

The single best tip to getting better at cycling is simply to ride more. The more you ride the more you will learn and adapt. You will get better at handling your bike, your fitness will improve, hills will become easier, and you’ll simply be more comfortable on the bike.

Knowing How To Cycle Better Will Improve Your Enjoyment On A Bike

If you can improve in these ten areas, your riding will be significantly more enjoyable. You won’t have the pains-in-the-butt (pun intended) hassles that can encompass riding, or at least as many of them. Riding in any regard still has its hurdles but that’s part of the draw.

Cycling Secrets

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cycling secrets - Some cycling secrets including the power of drafting, how to handle winds, and aerodynamic clothing and posture.When you first start out as a biker there are several things you can only gain from experience. There are other things that feel like a well kept secret that once you know, makes riding so much easier on you. Here’s some of the top cycling secrets.

Drafting

There are multiple tactics you have to learn when it comes to group riding but one that may slip through the cracks is where to ride in the group so that you get the most distance for your energy. Slip-streaming or drafting is a common factor to group riding. It reduces the amount of wind resistance you get and can make your ride easier by reducing the amount of power you have to use by up to 30 percent. Furthermore, when someone drafts you, you get a 3 percent advantage as well. However, it’s not polite to continuously ride in someone else’s slipstream. The polite thing to do is rotate positions within the group so that everyone gets the advantage of easier riding.

The Winds

When the group is experiencing a head wind that is when you want to spend your time at the back and leave the strongest rider at the front to set the pace. You’ll have an easier time keeping up because of the drafting (unless you are the strongest rider in which case you should be at the front). However, if the winds change into a tailwind, that is the time to move from the back to the front and take your turn as leader. A cross wind means that your drafting power will look a little differently. This is when you’ll see riders form a diagonal line called an echelon in order to take advantage of the slipstream. This is something you’ll have to practice in order to know which position fits you best.

The Hill

When your group hits a hill you’ll want to move to the front. That way you can set the pace. Usually hills are where everyone slows down and the advantages of drafting are greatly reduced because of the gradient of the road. Everyone is pretty much pedaling under their own power and by being in the front you can determine a pace that fits your own fitness levels the best.

Aerodynamics

There’s a reason bikers wear tight clothes when they ride and it has nothing to do with how good they look in them. It’s about aerodynamics. Tight clothes provide less wind resistance because there’s nothing to flap about in the wind. Loose clothes basically work like the sails on a boat. They catch the wind and they pull you in the direction that wind is going. Often times this is backwards which slows you down dramatically.

Your posture and position on the bike also has aerodynamic consequences. The more body mass the wind is able to hit the more drag you’ll experience, slowing you down. You want as flat a torso as you can manage. To do so, put your hands on the drops of your bike handles and straighten your forearms so that they are parallel to the ground, elbows pointing straight back. Next, lower your head so that it’s in line with your body. This will allow the wind to slip over your back easily instead of the hitting you in the face and breaking up a good slipstream.

This position may not be very comfortable at first so make sure you practice it frequently. Have a riding partner keep an eye on it and let you know when to make adjustments. After all, another person can see your posture lines much better than you can.

Knowing and practicing these little cycling secrets will make you a better cyclist in the long run. You’ll know not only how to manipulate your environment for speed, but you’ll also know how to maximize your efficiency when riding in a group. Just make sure you share that efficiency with the other riders in order to avoid being known as the rude cyclist.

Top 10 Things I Wish I’d Known When I Started Cycling

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top 10 things I wish I knew when I started cyclingThere’s a reason the term “rookie mistakes” exists. Every beginner, regardless of sport, is bound to make a few mistakes at the outset. Experience takes time, but with some preparation, it’s possible to avoid some of the more common mistakes made by cyclists early on. To give you a head start, here’s a list of ten things many bikers wish they’d known before they hit the road. [Read more…]

5 Winning Cyclocross Tips

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5 Tips For a Successful Cyclocross Season

If you were disappointed with how you raced last cyclocross season, had some issues with your cx skills, or simply felt you could have been faster, then these simple (and in many cases obvious) tips can make your next season a winning one.

1. Ride Your Cross Bike  Star Crossed Craig Richey

If you are serious about cyclocross you should not touch your road bike all cyclocross season, and limit your time on a mountain bike. Also mix in cyclocross rides during the spring and summer so you don’t look as shaky as a new born baby deer when you do a cross dismount in August. Most elite cross racers will mix in some cyclocross rides in the off-season, riding the bike more starting in July, and exclusively by September. Most racers will have a set of wheels mounted with road tires for their cross bike for training on the road and group rides. When you spend a lot of time on a bike it starts to feel like an extension of your body and becomes very predictable both on and off road. Predictable equals fast.

2. Do Your Cyclocross Workouts Off-road

When you start doing cross specific workouts and intervals make sure to do them off-road on mini-cross courses. It is easy to get sucked into wanting to do your intervals on the road where you can hit predictable power numbers, but in a cross race you are going to have to put power down on bumpy, slippery, and twisty terrain. Make your cross workouts into real cross workouts and do them off-road

3. Learn Proper Cyclocross Technique

Having proper technique for carrying, dismounting and mounting your bike in all different scenarios not only makes you a faster more efficient rider, but also cuts down on mechanical issues because you are not banging the bike around. Sadly many amateur riders have some holes in their technique and enrolling in a cyclocross skills clinic is the best way to fill those holes.

4. Strengthen Your Core

Cyclocross has a lot of weird unbalanced repetitive motions such as jumping on and off your bike from the same side as well as always carrying your bike on the other side. These repetitive motions can lead to weird and debilitating overuse injuries.

5. Take an Off-season

If you race cross all fall it is easy to jump into training for the upcoming road or mountain bike season after only a few weeks rest. For most people your body and soul need more than a few weeks rest. Take the time to recharge and do some other activities. Here is a list of the most popular off-season activities for cyclists.

 

About the Author: Louisville CX World Championships Craig Richey

Craig Richey is a multiple time Canadian National team member, representing Canada at mountain bike World Cups and cyclocross World Championships. Craig is currently doing an MBA in Boston and recently launched SponsorConnected.com

Cycling and Impotence

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Cycling and Impotence

cycling and impotenceDoes cycling cause impotence and erectile dysfunction? Before you freak out… studies have shown that cycling can decrease impotence as well as increase it depending on a few factors.

Lowest risk for Impotence

If you cycle for less than 3 hours a week it is likely that you are decreasing your chances of impotence much more than you are increasing it.

Moderate Risk for Impotence

Anyone cycling over 3 hours a week should take as many steps as they possibly can (listed below) in order to decrease their risk.

Highest Risk for Impotence

Anyone sitting on their couch instead of cycling because they read this article and were afraid to continue biking. Smokers and obese people are also at a very high risk for erectile disfunction.

Why Can Cycling Increase the Risk of Impotence?

Studies (such as Massachusetts Male Aging Study) show that prolonged pressure on the perineum while cycling can increase the chances of impotence. The prolonged pressure on the perineum can damage nerves and blood vessels responsible for an erection and the damage could become permanent if the nerves and vessels are continually damaged without adequate recovery.

Symptoms of Impotence

There are early warning signs for impotence caused by cycling. Almost all cyclists will have either numbness, pain or tingling before there is a serious case of erectile disfunction. If you are experiencing these symptoms it is time to take an active role in preventative measures. If you are not experiencing any of these symptoms then get back out there and keep cycling.

Factors That Increase the Chance of Impotence Cycling

  • Improper Bike Fit – Want to save $250 on a bike fit only to pay excessive amounts for viagra? Don’t risk it… get a proper bike fit, especially if you are a serious cyclist.
  • Saddle – Some saddles put a lot of pressure on the perineum. Make sure you find the right one. If things go numb… it is past time to find a new saddle.
  • Weight – A heavier cyclist will put more pressure on the perineum than a light cyclist.

Factors That Decrease the Chance of Impotence Cycling

  • Intensity – If you are pedalling hard then more of your body weight is on the pedals and consequently less is on the perineum.
  • Change position – Cycling in the exact same position hour after hour is not good. Change it up. (Mountain biking you automatically do this, road biking sometimes, but if you do a lot of time trials on a TT bike it is very important to keep this factor in mind)
  • Stand up – Stretch out once in a while, allow some blood to flow, stand up and cycle for a change.
  • Proper bike fit – Saddle height, body position, handle bar position and saddle angle all play a major role in impotence while cycling.
  • Less saddle cushion – Too much cushion is actually bad, it can put pressure in the wrong areas.
  • Proper bike shorts – Bike shorts that fit properly with some padding are a good idea.
  • Saddle – There are saddles with a hole/cutout in the perineum area to reduce pressure in the more important areas.

cycling and impotence Moral of the Story

If you don’t have any symptoms of numbness, pain or tingling then stop worrying about the impotence risks. If you are experiencing these symptoms follow the steps listed above. If you choose to stop cycling due to fear of impotence it is likely that you will increase your chances more than decrease them unless you are able to substitute cycling with another activity.

 

Cornering Tips

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Cornering TipsGet FREE SPEED and learn how to corner. Cornering a bike properly can save you massive amounts of energy and time. I have been working on cornering every ride since my last race… where I got destroyed on the downhill. So… what was I doing wrong?

Look Where You Want to Go

Your body likes to follow your eyes, so look where you want to go, not where you don’t. A common mistake is continuing to look at what you are trying to avoid; this generally results in a collision with that same object. Let your peripheral vision do the work, it can see that object and you will not hit it.

Look far in to the corner, not right in front of you. Your hips turn the same direction you are looking and your hips determine where the bike is going to steer. I am guilty of looking directly in front of myself quite frequently, especially when the turns come hard and fast. Depending on your speed and the angle of the corner determines how far in to the corner you look. In sharp corners look as far ahead as possible. Play with it and you will notice significant improvements immediately.

Brake Before the Corner

Cornering TipsI am aggressive when it comes to cornering, too aggressive. I loose valuable speed because I do not brake enough before the turn which results in me having to brake in the turn. Braking in the turn actually makes the bike want to stand up on itself and straighten out, two things you are trying not to do. You end up fighting the bike and shedding more speed than necessary to make the turn safely.

Generally, you only want to be doing one of the following things at any given time: braking, cornering, or pedaling. Combining these things can lead to disaster.

Find the Line

Approach the corner as wide as possible, cut through the apex and finish wide. This is the straightest line through the turn, allowing you to carry more speed and reducing the angle of the turn making it less scary. Many people cut to the apex to early which results in excessive braking near the end of the turn and exiting slowly.

Don’t Pedal in a Corner Pedal out of a Corner

Pedaling in a corner can cause you to strike your inside pedal on the ground and send you flying. If this happens try not to panic and over correct. Over correcting will certainly cause a crash.

Once you have completed the turn and the bike is in a more upright position it is safe to hammer on the pedals again. Hopefully you remembered to shift down to an easier gear before you entered the turn so it is not too difficult to pedal out of it.

How to Steer Your Bike

There are three different ways to steer the bike: Upright steering, leaning and countersteering.

Upright Steering

Upright steering is when you turn your handle bars and keep your body and the bike as upright as possible. This is best reserved for slow speeds and dangerous conditions i.e. wet and slippery conditions. If your tried this at a high speed you would fly off your bike. Been there, done that… don’t recommend it.

Leaning

This is the most common method of steering and involves leaning your bike and body over to make the turn. Lean over more to turn sharper and make sure that you have your outside pedal at the 6 o’clock position pushing your weight through that pedal to keep traction with your tires.

Countersteering

The next level of steering. In order to test it out, go down a straight road, pick up some speed then push your right hand down… what happens? Initially your front wheel turns right, but as the bike starts to lean over you turn left. The sharper the turn and less consistent the turn (more bends) the more important countersteering becomes.

Cornering Tips

Position While Countersteering

Initially, you press with your opposite hand, but as you being to turn you want your inside arm straight and applying a bit of pressure to continue to turn the direction you want to go.

Lean your body over, but then lean your bike over even harder. This is not like leaning technique where the angle of your bike and the angle of your body are the same in relation to the ground. In countersteering you lean the bike over more and your body is more upright in order to keep traction.

Try to keep your weight back and low and remember to push hard on your outside pedal that is located at the 6 o’clock position.

If you learn how to countersteer you will not regret it, it is safer and faster as it allows you to make adjustments through out the turn much quicker.

You Want to Bike Faster? Then Bike Faster!

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Bike FasterWhat??? Obviously… Well… not so obvious to too many.

So many people are so focused on increasing their endurance that they forget to focus on speed. People go out and continuously bike 3-4 mph under their goal race pace. Hell… I was one of those people! I just focused on increasing my distance each week…

When I first started biking I had one speed… Medium fast! I would get on my bike ride 30 miles medium fast. A few days later… 20 miles medium fast. Next ride… guess what medium fast.

I figured if I could do 60 miles at a certain speed that I could kick it up a few mph during a race due to adrenaline and pure will. It was true, I could kick it up a notch… but that was usually just in the first quarter and then it was pure survival mode from there… I usually came across the finish line looking like the grim reaper was drafting behind me and about to overtake me!

I would fall to the ground in agony from the lactic acid build up in my legs… cramping up, dehydrated and feeling awful. I just thought that meant that I left everything out there on race day and was usually quite pleased with myself. Stupid.

What I did not know at the time was that if I had trained a little faster I would have gotten my muscles used to the intensity. Your muscles and body adapt to be able to handle the stresses it is given. The best way to bike faster is to increase your speed and allow your body to adapt!

Once your body adapts to a faster speed it will be able to handle the slower pace at which you biked before much more easily. Once I discovered this all too/not so obvious fact I did speed intervals. Yes intervals! I biked faster than my goal race pace for 20 minute segments, took a bit of a rest and then did it again. It worked!

To Bike Faster You Need to Bike Slower!

Seriously? Yes seriously!

I learned that in order to bike faster you need to bike faster and once I did… gone were the days of medium fast and now I just biked fast fast! I did not learn that in order to bike faster you also need to bike slower. So I spent too much time overtrained and tired, and it actually resulted in me slowing down.Bike Faster!!!

Soo… what’s the deal? Well… You can’t bike fast all of the time, your body just cannot handle the high-intensity training. You have to allow your body to recover and adapt. When you rest and go slower this is when all the physiological changes take place and you actually get faster! All that stress that you cause your body with the high intensity training is wasted if you do not allow your body to recover and adapt. It is actually the single most important thing I have ever learned in cycling! Now it is the single most important thing you have ever learned!

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