Clever and useful tips!

bluedoggy

Was wondering about really clever tips when riding/commuting? For example - carry surgical gloves so to keep hands clean when changing chain or puncture or stuffing your wheel with grass/wheat to get you home after a puncture?(my dad did this as a teenager!) Have you got any clever or useful tips?

hipshot

A naan bread over your saddle will improve comfort and when you return home, hey presto! A warm snack.

hipshot

Buy a car. You'll get there quicker and won't be tired when you arrive.

(I'll get my coat)

andyrr

A big cut or hole in your tyre can be fixed at the roadside with a bit of crisp bag or, even better, a piece from one of these Capri Sun foil packs. Occasionally if I see a discared one of these I'll pick it up and rip a section off to carry beside my tubes and levers. They're flexible, resistant enough to abrasion but thin so are perfect as a tyre 'boot'. I've used strips from a crisp bag for the same but once the once and I was only about 5 miles from home - the Capri Sun foil did me for ages before I actually changed the tyre.

alihisgreat

Get a proper bike fit.

slowsider

Fixie riders,
buy a bike with brakes and gears to help you stop and start at traffic lights.

TakeTurns

Don't attempt to brush up on your trackstand skills at a traffic light.

desweller

An explosively deployed parachute will slow you down on those tricky slippy descents without having to worry about locking up your wheels.

bluedoggy

Keep em comming! Love these tips. Seriously.:)...... The Grass tip is actually .......true.

meursault

Don't waste money on expensive binoculars. Move closer to the object you wish to view.

stokey1964

Dont eat yellow snow!

desweller

Remember: No means No.

alihisgreat

DesWeller wrote:

Remember: No means No.

except when it means yes.

seanorawe

Don't do what i did at the weekend.

Cycling down towpath, girl with an absolutely amazing body comes jogging past with a pair of those tight 3/4 length jogging pants on. I turn around to get a good look at her derriere. looked back to see where I was going, rode straight in to a massive swampy puddle at the side of the road.

zx6man

+1 for surgical gloves and baby wipes to remove chain crap off everywhere else.

bluedoggy

+1 Wet wipe's! Never thought of that! That will solve the problem of the chain coming off and oil all over my jacket.

sadlybiggins

+1 to the wipes. I always have a pack of travel wipes in the saddle bag. They're small so don't take up much room and work well in getting oil/dirt off if you've had a mechanical or puncture.

hipshot

Serious ones..

Draw a marker/tippex around your cleats: it's easier to reposition when cleaning or replacing them. Good idea to mark your seatpost, seat angle, shifter positions etc too.

Back tyres wear out faster than front tyres. When the rear wears out put a new tyre on the front and and put the old one on the back. That way you've always got a fresh front tyre - much safer.

If you flat the rear tyre, shift the gears into small/small before you stop - easier to get the wheel off.

fsd61b

hipshot wrote:

A naan bread over your saddle will improve comfort and when you return home, hey presto! A warm snack.

Genius!!!! .... and tasty

diy

Tell the wife that carbon fibre goes brittle if left in the cold, which is why your bike has to be kept in the dining room rather than the garage.

essjaydee

Don't try and turn your rear light on when riding :!:
I tried couple of days ago and managed to wipe out by sliding along a kerb onto wet grass.
Very embarrassing :oops:

Carry a spare link.

southdownswolf

diy wrote:

Tell the wife that carbon fibre goes brittle if left in the cold, which is why your bike has to be kept in the dining room rather than the garage.

Now that I have 2 bikes in what used to be the dining room, it is now the bike workshop :twisted:

not sure how long it will stay that way though :?

migrantwing

seanorawe wrote:

Don't do what i did at the weekend.

Cycling down towpath, girl with an absolutely amazing body comes jogging past with a pair of those tight 3/4 length jogging pants on. I turn around to get a good look at her derriere. looked back to see where I was going, rode straight in to a massive swampy puddle at the side of the road.

Going again today?

dmclite-3.0

Re-use old Bic razors as vegetable peelers.

Tyre boots can also be made from old fizzy pop bottles, just sand the edge down.
Use vittoria tyres.
I use a tri specific top tube bag rather than a saddle bag as it stays drier and everything is more accessible when on the move. commute only.
File off your lawyer lugs on your forks.

bluedoggy

Clean bibs, just incase of an accident. Surely nothing worse than shitty bibs after been knocked over by a car or bus?

Joeblack

diy wrote:

Tell the wife that carbon fibre goes brittle if left in the cold, which is why your bike has to be kept in the dining room rather than the garage.

I knew I wasn't the only one!!!!!

g00se

Wife price = 0.5 x retail price.

nolight

Get a foldable bike so you can fold up the bike and go commuting, and when done commuting, believe it or not, unfold the bike and ride home.

charlie_potatoes

Mediocre cyclist?

Take 4 water bottles with you on all rides (3 empty). Put two in your rear pockets.
That way when your local cycling club peloton steams past you they won't sneer as they will think that you are a seasoned randonneur that's 200kms into an epic ride

meursault

Bluedoggy wrote:

Clean bibs, just incase of an accident. Surely nothing worse than sh!tty bibs after been knocked over by a car or bus?

Loving the artwork. Curious to know why I couldn't see any cycling themed work. Is cycling a pleasure to do away from from work/art?

slowondefy2

If you want to go faster, pedal harder.