33 ways to make your bike ride better

33 The following tips are taken from the tips of cycling in the book ‘1,100 Best All-Time’ (1,100 most useful tips of all time); The shares have been curated from experts, athletes, and physiologists with knowledge and experience in the bicycle industry.

ARTICLE 1: To avoid muscle aches and fatigue, don’t bend your shoulders. Tilt your head to the sides from time to time to prevent your neck muscles from stiffening in just one direction. Better: Stop the car from time to time and look back and forth to enjoy the scenery.

ARTICLE 2: Moving your butt back or in front of the saddle can impact many different muscle groups, and is beneficial for long-distance mountain biking, as it will allow the muscles to alternate rest during when other muscles work. The forward movement affects the anterior thigh muscle, and the backward affects the hamstrings (behind the thigh muscles) and the glute.

ARTICLE 3: Don’t move your upper body too much. Let your back be your support; and sway the bike to the side and bottom of your body.

ARTICLE 4: Keep your shoulders behind the front wheel. Don’t lean over and put too much emphasis on the front wheels; This will make it difficult to control the steering wheel and make the rear wheels easier to deflect.

ARTICLE 5: If you are unable to slow down to avoid obstacles ahead such as rails or potholes, quickly raise the handlebars to turn on the front wheels. The rear wheel of your bicycle may still be damaged, or more likely, a flat tire. A collision on the front wheel carries a greater risk of an accident, so the rear wheel deflection is better anyway.

ARTICLE 6: Slide forward and bend when you feel tired. Switching to a small (heavier) backpack and resting on the pedal for a while will help you avoid stiff hips and back.

THE 7TH RULE: On flat roads or low-traffic sidewalks, let your hands relax on the steering wheel. This will help reduce the pressure on your muscles as well as reduce the vibration that travels from the road surface to your entire body.

ARTICLE 8: Handlebar length should be proportional to shoulder width. A wide enough handlebar will help your chest breathe; Narrow steering wheel tends to be aerodynamic to help you go faster. Choose the one that suits your preferences and your favorite cycling style.

ARTICLE 9: If you hear a strange sound coming out of one pedal cycle, it is more likely the sound is coming from the pedal than from the chain. In this case, for conventional pedals, you need to put some lubricating oil in the shaft tube between the pedal body. For clipless pedals (pedal use cans), you need to clean all the contact area of ​​the cleat pad (both on the shoe & on the pedal); Then, spray silicone spray on these spots, wipe off the outside residue & make sure the can / cleat bolts are tightened carefully.

ARTICLE 10: If a slug sounds, it means you need to add lubricating oil to it.

ARTICLE 11: If the slug makes an abnormal sound, one of the snails may be pressed too tightly. You can check it by turning the pedal by hand, while also paying attention to the section of the steering gear (pulley) on the axle. The stiffened chain link will bounce through the pulleys. Once you realize this link, you hold at both ends of the chain, hold & shake it horizontally to loosen it. Then add oil.

ARTICLE 12: When the occasional click that you can hear when climbing a hill or sprinting due to scraping 2 spokes, place 1 drop of oil on each intersection between the two spokes.

ARTICLE 13: However, do not trust your ears too much. You can be sure that a sound is coming from the pedal, but in fact, it can come from your saddle groove. Let’s check out all the cases.

ARTICLE 14: When you are stressed and find it difficult for your body to keep up with speed, try the following breathing methods: Instead of actively inhaling and passively exhaling (as usual procedure); do the opposite, proactively push the air out, and let natural air in. Bonus: Activating your lungs to do this will help you cycle in a low sitting position while keeping your back straight.

ARTICLE 15: When going downhill, ride your bike steadily to keep the vehicle steady rather than off the slope.

ARTICLE 16: Whenever you change your position from standing to sitting, allow the vehicle to move a few inches forward (1 ″ = 2.54cm) before you sit in the saddle.

ARTICLE 17: Whenever stopping, put your left foot down first. This helps you avoid grease on your car disc giving you a tattoo on your right calf.

ARTICLE 18: Normally, squeezing the front brake will cause the vehicle to stop more quickly than the rear brake. However, when traveling on a flat road, especially on a slippery road, squeezing the front brake will easily cause the wheel to slip and lead to an accident. Best of all, the strong squeeze of the rear brake will make it easier for you to control the vehicle, and avoid slippery hazards.

ARTICLE 19: Always ride in a bent elbow position, with arms and shoulders relaxed. The correct posture will not strain muscles, helping your arm absorb the vibrations instead of having to transmit the whole body.

ARTICLE 20: Going against the wind definitely slows your speed; But don’t let that ruin your day. Just a small thing, slow down, adjust the gear lighter, and ride comfortably.

ARTICLE 21: Occasionally raise one hand and gently shake it. This relaxes your elbows and shoulders and stimulates blood flow to your hands to help prevent numbness in your hands.

ARTICLE 22: To avoid muscle fatigue when cycling continuously, release one of your legs from time to time – simply relax and keep your legs straight, with no pressure on them.

ARTICLE 23: If you are injured, find a place to clean and disinfect the wound right away. It is less painful to clean the wound within the first 30 minutes of the accident, as the nerves are still paralyzed after the injury.

ARTICLE 24: Don’t spend an entire day resting after a week of stress cycling. The best way to recover is to still ride, but only step on simple blocks for 30 to 60 minutes.

ARTICLE 25: Increase the life of the tires by switching between the front and rear tires. The rear wheel usually moves twice as much as the front wheel, so replace the front cover every 500 miles (~ 804km) and this will increase the life of the tires.

ARTICLE 26: If you have knee pain, please Adjust saddle lifting 2mm increments until you no longer feel pain. If you have back pain, lower the seat.

ARTICLE 27: If you have numbness in your hands, you are putting too much weight on your hands. Raise the handlebars or lower the neck (or do both). You can check the saddle – see if the seat angle is facing down, as a downward angle will cause you to slide forward.

ARTICLE 28: Make sure your saddle is properly leveled and not steep. If the steering wheel is low, your pelvis may slide forward; therefore, adjust the handlebars higher by wiping the gasket on the steering wheel. Besides, check the seat by choosing a variety of different sizes, hardness and shapes.

ARTICLE 29: How far can you join an event? Most cyclists can go 3 times or 3 times longer than their trip average.

ARTICLE 30: Don’t relax before important cycling events. If you want to take a break, give yourself a breather 2 days before the event, then do a few short rides to make sure you and the bike are warm up and ready.

ARTICLE 31: After any adjustments to the saddle height, steering length, neck, or the replacement of the steering wedge, you may feel uncomfortable for a short time. Do not worry! You will get used to it after a short bike ride.

ARTICLE 32: When you have to climb a slope and feel your body bobbing and about to jump out of the saddle several times, switch to a heavier pad. On the contrary, if you feel the car is swaying back and forth, it’s easier to switch to the rack. This will help you maintain a balance between the power transmitted and the pedal speed.

ARTICLE 33: Two simple (but often overlooked) ways to increase efficiency while cycling: Pump the wheels before each ride and ensure the slug is always properly lubricated.

Hopefully the above methods are useful suggestions for you to practice and participate in big races or tournaments. If you still feel not really confident in yourself, please refer to these technical advice on bicycles to get better preparation and training.

Author: Jason Sumner
Translation by: Bike Shop Ride Plus