Really Useful Tips Thread

Woodchip

cyclingmev wrote:

blah...blah...blah
HAVE FUN!!!!!

And there we have, by far and away, the MOST important thing to remember.

Always remember to enjoy yourself otherwise you'll look like those fat joggers you see in town grimacing with every step.

JackCB

cyclingmev wrote:

Carry your mobile phone (family nos prefix with ICE - in case of an emergency), carry a bit of paper with you name, address, DoB, family contact details etc on it

I always think being told this sort of thing must be really off-putting for beginners. I felt the same way after reading about Road IDs[/url. You want to go for a gentle cycle/run and suddenly people are telling you to make sure you have all this information on you, what are you letting yourself in for? Somehow it is worse for the fact that the reason why you're writing it down is left ominously obscure.

Top Tip: before your first ride, contact a solicitor to drawn up a will.


Of course it is sensible advice, even if you aren't that likely to have a horrible accident.

stevenmh

I think reading this thread about Sports Drinks is a very useful tip and pretty interesting imho.

soveda

Pedals/cranks go round not up and down
Hills feel steeper than they look, it's not just you.

moorjohn

1 Call 'goodmorning'/'goodafternoon' before overtaking horse + rider. Some horses are spooked by bikes because they appear without any noise. (So are some horseriders).

2 Cable ties in the toolkit

3 I always seem to get p*nctures when the tires are on the soft side.

volvine

Baby wipes are by far the best thing for cleaning your bike chain,frame the lot comes up a treat.

dennisn

moorjohn wrote:

1 Call 'goodmorning'/'goodafternoon' before overtaking horse + rider. Some horses are spooked by bikes because they appear without any noise. (So are some horseriders).

2 Cable ties in the toolkit

3 I always seem to get p*nctures when the tires are on the soft side.

number 3 is an interesting observation. It would seem to go against the "conventional wisdom" of harder tires being easier to cut and or punture. At least that's how I've always viewed it. But you never know. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm
Or are you talking about the tread compound being soft? As opposed to PSI in the tires.

Jaeger

cyclingmev wrote:

Carry your mobile phone (family nos prefix with ICE - in case of an emergency)

And just hope you don't send the saucy text meant for your gf to the Institution of Civil Engineers....

cyclingmev

...sheesh , i imagine a saucy text would make a civil engineers day...well, thinking about the ones i know! Whereas us mechanical engineers are soooo much more exciting

davelakers

When slogging up a hill and you are on the big rear sprocket and you get out of your seat to pedal, always knock the gear down one. When you sit back down again for a rest, knock it back up and it will feel easier.

Works for me!!

AMcD

pabloweaver wrote:

1. When riding in hot weather, if you don't have a casquette (hat) or sweat band, smear Vaseline above your eyebrows. This will divert the sweat away from your eyes.

Over to you...

What are casquettes? Sounds like just what I need. Can't seem to find them in Wiggle or Edin bike? Are they cycling specific? Also the only headbands I can find are those for cold weather that cover your ears. Can you get nice thin ones for the summer?

pottssteve

This is a casquette:

http://www.prendas.co.uk/details.asp?ID=2070

I find Vaseline better - caps make my head sweat more..

Steve

keef66

It's one of those quaint cycling traditions. Because we Brits don't have words for things like hat and water bottle, we borrow French terms like casquette and bidon. Maintains an air of continental sophistication, and baffles newbies like me.

stevenmh

It's one of those quaint cycling traditions. Because we Brits don't have words for things like hat and water bottle, we borrow French terms like casquette and bidon. Maintains an air of continental sophistication, and baffles newbies like me.

Still, casquette sounds better than what Mavic, a French company, call them:
Underhelmet Cap although at least it describes exactly where it goes.

Woodchip

1) The best thing to make energy drinks in is one of these...
http://www.wheesh.com/product/product2. ... p=0&gclid=

Add water to about 1/2 way, press and hold button, add powder, pour into water bottle, fill water bottle with water to desired level. Perfect mixing everytime.

2) When going out for a training ride DON'T FORGET TO PRESS START ON YOUR GARMIN!!!!! Grrrrr!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

AMcD

.

keef66 wrote:

It's one of those quaint cycling traditions. Because we Brits don't have words for things like hat and water bottle, we borrow French terms like casquette and bidon. Maintains an air of continental sophistication, and baffles newbies like me.

That answers the "what the heck's a bidon?" question...........

Thanks Pottsteve - think I'll try the vaseline and give the lurid casquettes a miss .

mikeyboy12345

Best thing I bought when starting to ride was a tub of Sudocrem! If you find this as embarrassing as I did you can simply say to the checkout girl, "Poor thing gets nappy rash!". She'll think you're a kind, loving Dad (hopefully) & never realise it's you that has the sore backside (unless you ride away on your bike, of course).

redjeepǃ

number 3 is an interesting observation. It would seem to go against the "conventional wisdom" of harder tires being easier to cut and or punture. At least that's how I've always viewed it. But you never know. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm
Or are you talking about the tread compound being soft? As opposed to PSI in the tires.

The higher the PSI the less chance you'll have of getting punctured. It's something to do with the majority of punctures being due to pinch points rather than penetration (oh, er missus), and the harder you have the tyres the less likely you are to get it pinched when you roll over something.

I run at 100psi, I've tried going up to 120 psi, but it started to get a little uncomfortable.

sian_c

moorjohn wrote:

1 Call 'goodmorning'/'goodafternoon' before overtaking horse + rider. Some horses are spooked by bikes because they appear without any noise. (So are some horseriders).
.

Does that really work? I've always wondered what more I could do to stop them getting spooked. Is quite scary for me, never mind the horses!!

keef66

Must do; I was asked by a horsey lady to shout hello to reassure her horse. And she wasn't even on the road but in the adjacent field. I was going uphill at the time, so it's possible the horse thought it was being stalked by some kind of asthmatic tazmanian devil

Jaeger

Carry a small strip of old tyre (gator?!) for on-the-road tyre repairs

love2ride

if you see the quick release of the wheel undone as your going along, don't reach down as your on the bike because if you hit a bump and slip it could get messy :shock: