Videos

Funny Videos

The Adventure Dispatch-Trailer; A Documentary Series Of Riding For Adventure

March 31, 2016 by Adam Farabaugh

The cool thing with cycling is that it can be whatever you make of it. A way to stay in shape, a way to get to work, your competitive outlet, or the adventure aspect it can bring of seeing the world. This documentary series, The Adventure Dispatch, from Specialized shows the different ways four unique individuals get out there and use cycling to experience the outdoors and all that it has to offer. Let us know what your most recent bike exploration trip was or what upcoming one you have planned in the comments below.

Disc Brake Road Bikes – Old-ish Tech Brings Unlikely Change In The Pro Road Peloton

March 26, 2016 by Adam Farabaugh

Professional road cycling is always on a tight rope of preserving tradition while pushing technology and innovation for improved performance. The general premise of the bicycle remains the same even at the upper echelon of the sport; a two triangle design with tubing, two wheels of equal size, chain and gears not all that different than nearly 100 years ago, and handlebars with brakes. Each one of those parts however has been optimized within the limits of the sports governing body (the UCI) to perform to its highest degree while being the lightest weight possible. Disc brake road bikes are now beginning to make their appearance in the pro road peloton.

Disc brakes have been around for a while largely on mountain bikes and have only recently begun to make their presence on road bikes. The reason for this was that they could not be raced at any level because they weren’t approved by the sports governing body. The basic reason for this was safety. In crashes involving many riders at high speeds, hot, thin rotors can slice through skin like butter. In addition, added weight, the need for a specific frame and wheels, and stopping power different from that of a normal rim brake kept teams from even wanting to pursue having disc brakes.

The bike industry is pushed by companies sponsoring pro teams to ride their latest equipment to show consumers the product and that if it’s good enough to be ridden by the sports top pros, it’s good enough for them to buy. Without pro road teams riding disc brakes on their bikes, disc brake road bikes would never be sought after enough by the general public for companies to make large investments into producing new frames, wheels, and components. It’s only a matter of time now before all of the sports top teams are riding disc brake road bikes and the average road bike you see out on the road has disc brakes. This video from InCycle of the Roompot-Oranje Pro Cycling Team from The Netherlands talks of the change and why they made it. Look for them in the Spring Classics this Spring where the wet, cold conditions on the cobbled roads of Northern Europe will surely give them the advantage in braking.

How The First Spring Classic of the Year Was Won

March 21, 2016 by Adam Farabaugh

Milan San Remo is the first major classic of the spring which was held this past weekend in Italy. It is a whooping 291 kilometers long (180 miles) and finishes with a short, hard climb followed by a fast tricky descent into the coastal Mediterranean city of San Remo. This great video, “How the Race Was Won: 2016 Milan-San Remo” from Cosmo Catalano and cyclocosm.com, gives the ins and out to just what went down within the race and how French sprinter Arnaud Demare was able to win the first Spring Classic of the year. Watching videos like these are a great way to up your tactical knowledge in cycling whether you are racing or just watching. Enjoy!

How the Race Was Won: 2016 Milan-San Remo from cyclingtips on Vimeo.

A 200 Mile Gravel Road Ride – The Dirty Kanza

March 15, 2016 by Adam Farabaugh

Check out the Dirty Kanza 200 this June. It is a 200 mile gravel road ride in the Flint Hills of east central Kansas. This awesome video from Salsa Cycles shows that it’s more than just a ride. It’s definitely something worth checking out and doing.

Cyclists Chased By Ostrich

March 7, 2016 by Adam Farabaugh

When was the last time you were chased by something on a ride? I bet it wasn’t an ostrich! That will make you ride faster. Share what the last thing was that you were chased by and how it went down in the comments below. We’d like to hear.

How Cycling Became Ingrained In The Culture Of Holland

March 3, 2016 by Adam Farabaugh

Holland hasn’t always been the country it is today with separate bike paths and lanes in cities throughout. It was what a lot of cities around the world are like today; streets and infrastructure designed around the automobile with high incidents of traffic accidents and fatalities. The people of Holland wanted a different direction which forced the government to make vast changes in the 1970’s. Today, Holland is a place where the majority of transport is done via the bicycle. Everyone is not a cyclist but rather are just people who are going to or from work, school, the grocery store, picking up their kids.

British Cycling produced this fantastic video going into a bit more detail. A lot of cities around the world are beginning to adopt the same approach Holland took some 40 years ago. It won’t happen over night but it starts with everyday people, not just cyclists, wanting change to ease traffic congestion, which is an issue practically everywhere that has any sort of population, lower pollution levels, lower accident rates, lower taxes, and a better overall way of life. Enjoy this video and pass the thought along about changing the way your city looks at transportation.

A Study on The Impact of Emotion in Sport

February 29, 2016 by Adam Farabaugh

Dr. Chris Wagstaff of the University of Portsmouth in the UK published interesting research in the Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology concluding that athletes suppressing their emotions generated less power in a controlled test on a bike, had a lower heart rate, and afterwards, thought they had worked much harder than they actually did. Dr. Chris Wagstaff gives a brief rundown of his research in the video below. Also TeamLocals.co.uk spoke with Dr. Chris Wagstaff and gives a more detailed explanation of his research. Hopefully you can use it to apply to your riding.

Alpine Gravity’s Megavalanche Mega Carnage Downhilll Race Video

February 25, 2016 by Adam Farabaugh

Ive never had so many laughs being involved in so much carnage and crashing. Looking back at the footage I laugh my head off, SOOO funny. Got crashed into from behind or shunted from the side several times, the first one resulting in my bike stopping way up on the steep glacier and having to play frogger trying to dodge flying bikes and bodies while climbing back up the steep glacier back to get it (watch the footage, its hilarious). I then got right off the brakes and over took most of the riders that passed me while going back for the bike, just to get hit twice again lower down (the glacier is so steep I couldn’t stop sliding!!!), with the second impact busting my derailer, shifter and all the body armour on my right hand side, so my mega race was pretty much over from then, as I was stuck in the hardest gear for all the pedalling and climbing. My quickest time in practice was 52 minutes which would have got me in the top 100, but that’s racing. Result aside, Mega was one of the best experiences ive ever had on a bike, and some of the most inspiring trails I have EVER seen. Already planning for next year, as ive got a ton of new riding buddies from all around the world, and cant wait to come back. Alot more vids to come…

Posted by Alpine Gravity

5 Things to Know When Riding Abroad

February 21, 2016 by Adam Farabaugh

Traveling abroad to ride requires more preparation and execution of your common sense. We’ve talked about this here on I Love Bicycling before in this article which gives a full overview of riding abroad. Being in a new land you will probably be giggity with excitement and fail to think of the common things you would at home such as where you’re going and the weather. Being prepared will save you a lot of time and hassle. You should make sure you think about and execute these things while riding abroad.

Video – Bike Parking in Holland: A Solution To So Many Issues

February 14, 2016 by Adam Farabaugh

How much bike parking does your downtown area, workplace, or train station have? You may be surprised at just how much cycling is ingrained in different cultures around the world. You’ll get a sense of it in this video in Holland where cycling is just an everyday part of life. Imagine if some places around the world had even half this ideal. In some areas it’s a chicken and the eggs type of a problem as there aren’t as many cyclists because there is no real infrastructure for it which results in few cyclists while city planners don’t want to build and invest in it because they don’t think there are enough cyclists who would use it. The motto of “Build it and they will come.” applies but needs to be utilized in conjunction with expanding cycling programs and creating awareness that cycling for everyday commuting is a viable and reasonable option.