10 Tips I Wish I knew When I started Cycling

in today's video 10 tips that i wish i knew when  i started cycling tip number one wear whatever   the hell you want but shorts with a pad sewn in  is way more comfortable than normal shorts and   a padded saddle most cycling shorts that you'll  see for sale are bib shorts so they've got straps   that go over your shoulders these stop them from  sliding down and they're a lot more comfortable   than they look consider giving them a try eat  sweets during your ride these are fizzy fish okay   it doesn't have to be sweets but consider eating  something during your ride it doesn't have to be   while you're riding although that is a useful  skill to learn but stopping by the side of the   road and taking some time to get some fuel in is  really important because riding a bike can be very   low intensity the sessions can end up quite long  compared to other forms of exercise anchors you   can cover such distances it's very easy to ride  quite far away from home and then have to come all   the way back so always having food in your pocket  and regularly eating small bits will probably stop   you from experiencing one of the worst things that  can happen on a bike ride bonking runners call it   hitting the wall not a nice experience and to be  honest it's something most of us have done let me   know in the comment section if you've experienced  the bonk and uh what it feels like personally i   find sweets really easy to eat because they're  small and you can just have a couple when you're   riding along other good alternatives are bananas  or jam sandwiches or even chocolate bars anything   you're gonna crave while you're out on a ride is  good if you're gonna be getting clipped in shoes   for the first time then get mountain bike once  when i first started i bought road shoes which   look like this they're harder to walk around in  as you can imagine looking at that cleat system   whereas mountain bike you've actually got  some grip on the bottom of your shoe they   were just kind of unnecessary yes there's a bigger  contact patch so where you clip into the pedal   is a little bit more secure the whole system pedal  and shoe included is lighter but it's not that   much difference and these you can walk around them  it's easier to clip in and out if you're first   starting out and modern mountain bike shoes look  like road shoes anyway the cleats on mountain bike   shoes are also made of metal they tend to last  much longer they're also cheaper to replace if   you're looking to buy some my recommendation would  be shimano spd or something similar i would also   say if you're new to it look at your set of pedals  and see if there's an adjustment screw if you undo   that screw as much as possible that will make the  pedal easier to clip in and get out of as well   it may save you the embarrassment of getting stuck  in your pedals when you're first starting out   most people when they start out riding bikes will  be using butyl inner tubes this is what they look   like inside their tires if you get a puncher it's  because this has a hole in now let's get real   ain't nobody got time to fix these by the side  of the road you can buy patches with a little   tube of glue the ones that work better than the  pre-glued ones and you can find the puncture on   the tube and stick a patch on it to fix it doing  this by the side of the road can be problematic it   interrupts your ride it can be cold you could be  on a main road with loads of cars coming past you   and if you're riding with other people they've  got to wait for you to do it the alternative   is to just take a spare tube with you always take  one even if you're tubeless just take one anyway   that's how big a 700c road tube is and that's  how big a gravel slash commuter tube is they're   not that big they will both fit in a pocket  or small saddle bag so that is another one of   my tips that i wish i knew don't waste your time  patching things by the side of the road layering   clothing is the best way to do things when you  go out cycling the range of temperatures you   can experience is vast often down to the varying  speeds that you're doing on a bike you can go from   riding up a hill at five miles an hour overheating  to descending at 40 miles an hour down a mountain   in the space of like five minutes when i first  started riding i bought a nice thick winter   jacket because it was winter at the time and soon  realised that it was a bit too much when i went on   a hilly ride that meant when i did go for a hilly  ride i was stuck in this jacket that was just   too hot and then you end up sweating inside and  then getting cold as soon as you're on the flat or   a descent afterwards instead of that i would have  been better off wearing a thinner layer and then a   jelly over the top so you can unzip different bits  of kit and regulate your temperature as you go now   cycling kit is a pretty big topic and i think i'm  going to do a separate video with my friends from   atticus going through all the different options  but have a look at shoelace basically just a   sleeveless vest with a zip in it and i think  it's one of the most versatile pieces of kit   you can get learn to measure your rides in time  rather than distance we've all done it convinced   ourselves 50k is a short ride and then got home  four hours later having climbed a thousand meters   and desperate for food average speed and distance  are not the most relevant metrics when it comes   to measuring performance or to plan your rides by  i think of rides based on hours in the saddle and   eventually started using heart rate data and power  to measure performance there are so many different   variables to take into account like elevation wind  terrain is it off-road or on-road all of these   things can have drastic effects on your speed so  try not to worry about your average speed so much   and definitely don't compare it to people's rides  on other days it's just not comparable clean your   drivetrain after every ride i was always lazy  about this when i first started out when you   get back from a ride the last thing you want to  do is start cleaning your bike and that ended up   costing me lots of money when your drivetrain  is covered in crap and you keep riding it it   wears out all the parts at an accelerated rate as  a perfect example i've had this mountain bike for   three months and ridden in the mud every single  ride because that's what happens with mountain   biking and the whole drivetrain is dead i've gotta  replace the whole thing and it's costing me lots   of money regular road or commuter riding is not  as extreme as that and a little bit of maintenance   wiping down your chain and cassette after  riding which takes two minutes will stop   that kind of thing happening and save you a lot  of money something as simple as warm soapy water   washing up liquid is a degreaser it will work  perfectly fine you might just have to scrub a bit   you can get something a little bit more aggressive  like gt85 this is what loads of mechanics use in   the workshop sometimes i'll use muck off as well  once you've cleaned all of this make sure you add   some chain lube back on a little bit of effort  after every ride will save you loads of money   in the long run if you're going to be riding two  days in a row then you want to get calories in   straight away as soon as you get home within 15  minutes of finishing your ride putting calories   in will make you recover better i never realized  the full benefits of this but it really does make   a huge difference it's usually a case of just  tweaking your routine when you come back from   riding a little bit like the bike cleaning thing  it's just forming a habit if you're just starting   out it doesn't need to be anything fancy look for  carbohydrates as they seem to do the most good it   doesn't have to be a fancy protein shake or a  recovery drink just some regular food can make   a huge difference there are no real secrets and it  might sound a bit cliche but sleep and nutrition   are the two biggest things that you need to focus  on when it comes to recovering properly by eating   food quickly you're going to be refueling  your body replenishing those glycogen stores   replenishing electrolytes which you lose through  sweating promoting muscle repair and bolstering   your immune system so you're less likely to get  sick if you're refueling properly and fueling   on your ride as well cycling can be a stressful  activity already why make it harder for yourself   if you can just tweak a few of your  habits and get into a good routine   riding behind someone can be 30 less effort than  riding next to them drafting or riding behind   someone is one of the main tactics involved  in bike racing and for good reason you save   a huge amount of energy even more so when you're  in a group of cyclists so that's why you'll see   people riding very closely together when they're  out on longer rides to put it into perspective if   you work with power in cycling you're doing 300  watts to stay on someone's wheel you might have   to be doing up to 400 watts to ride next to them  300 watts is way more sustainable for most people   than 400. if you're riding with a few people  consider alternating who's riding on the front   to spread the effort if you're new to it ride as  close as you're comfortable to the person in front   ease yourself into it there's no pressure at  all lastly the single most important thing that   i wish i knew when i was starting out there are  no rules ride wearing whatever clothes you want   whatever bike you want at any pace that you want  to ride it the way you set up your bike or the way   you ride it is nobody else's business just do what  you want to do and that's the end of my 10 tips   please leave a like and a comment down below it  really really helps and subscribe to this channel   if you want to see more thank you so  much for watching and see you soon

Channel: Cade Media

Views: 1,575,086

Keywords: cycling, bike, cyclist, fixie, bicycle, road, francis, cade, tips, beginner, new, commuting, riding, do's, don'ts, mistakes

Id: Hy-UOlnQKrE

Length: 8min 2sec (482 seconds)

Published: Sun Apr 11 2021