Road Cycling (Bicycling) II

Link to chapter I http://hubpages.com/hub/Road-Cycling

In chapter II we will cover how to start or explore cycling as a beginner and equipment selection. A good starting point will be reviewing what road cycling really is and whether is is for you.

I often get complements for one of my bikes, by the non-cyclist and once the conversation starts, there is absolute amazement and disbelief that one can spend almost $10,000 for a bicycle, something without a motor! You don't need that much, but once the bug bites you will end up spending a bit of Dollar. In my experience, the novice who starts with a supermarket bike for a couple of hundred or so, ends up as a temporary cafe rider. After the first month, it is a few miles now and then, perhaps to Starbucks and after six months it is the end of something which could have been good.

Road cycling is for those who want to achieve a certain level of cardiovascular fitness with at least three hours a week of riding, or beyond. The art of cycling is an ability to pass through the novice stage, which depending on form could be anywhere from two months to a year. The first few rides as a novice is fun, but once the new experience wears off, it is hard work. Novice riding begins with a sore butt, cramps in your feet and perhaps a tumble or two, while trying to get your feet out of the clip-in pedals. Those who do not break through the novice stage, also end something which could have been good. Breaking through the novice stage is very rewarding though, as the rider will end up doing a thirty mile ride effortlessly, climbing hills will no longer be difficult and the outdoors experience is a pleasure. Riding at a relaxed pace, is no longer an effort. The body is amazing as it adapts to exercise. A professional cyclist on average puts in twenty to twenty five thousand miles a year, riding two to six hours a day with a few racing seasons thrown in.

To break through the novice stage, one needs the right equiment, gear and technique, the latter being the most important. If you are not sure if this is for you, a good place to start is a spinning class at a reputable gymnasium. If you pass the spinning challenge, follow through with a reasonable bike off ebay. You can probably get going with a bike and gear for around $1,500. For those who can afford it, a new bike is great motivation to keep the pedals turning.

The first unpleasant novice introduction to cycling is a narrow saddle. And it hurts! The first mistake often made, is to find something wider, or a gel cover, or anything to be more comfortable. You have to just stick it out until the body adapts. Once through the novice stage, you will get quite comfortable on this little piece of butt support and understand how the pro's can sit on it six hours a day. First, let's look at why it has to be narrow and then we can explore how to get used to it.

Cycling has a few secrets, once understood and mastered they make a very big difference to riding ability. We will cover these in detail later, in chapter IV. One of the most difficult techniques is pedaling. Even some professionals never master this technique perfectly and personally when I start suffering in a race, the first reaction is to really concentrate on pedaling technique. To pedal correctly, you need the right seat and the right seat height on a bike. The seat height determines how far your legs extend at the bottom of the pedalling stroke which is very important for achieving effortless riding. The correct bike position, seat height and leg extension will not accommodate a wide seat, as it will interfere with your thighs, during almost full leg extension at the bottom of the stroke and it will further force you into the wrong riding position. For a seat to be comfortable, it needs to be wide enough to cover most of your bottom anatomy, otherwise you will be sitting on part of your bottom muscles only, which will hurt even more. A wide seat is not possible on a bike, so you have to learn to sit and support your weight on the tissue covering your crotch. The crotch tissue develops fast, but initially it can be rather painful.

My suggestion to the novice, is to start cycling by first working on your base form (even the professionals do this, we will cover the detail in later chapters) meaning you will start by spending only a little time on the bike, with most of your time in the gymnasium and doing spinning in the gymnasium. Forming the base properly can take anything from six weeks to a few months depending on initial form. Remember, if you are new at this this little seat is going to hurt you in the beginning, so following the above suggestion, it allows you to ride your bike until your butt gets really uncomfortable and stop. Then, stay of the bike for a week, allowing your tissue to heal and strengthen. You repeat this practice, until your butt has adapted to where it no longer hurts and in all cases you should be comfortable before your base has been properly formed in the gymnasium. Personally, I have been off my bike for a couple of years in the past and when getting back into cycling it takes me three rides (three weeks) after which the pain is gone.

The first component, being the seat is an important selection and high quality really helps with comfort on the long one hundred mile rides. Select carefully depending on your budget, but make sure it is covered with leather and a known brand name. My favorite brand is Selle Italia, other reputable brands include Selle San Marco, Fizik, Specialized and more.

Wheel selection is by far the most important part of a bike. The average in shape person produces around 3 watts per kilogram, or 0.4 horsepower for a 200lb person. Compare this to 200hp from your car engine, or 80hp from your typical Harley Davidson and you will know why every little bit counts in cycling. The wrong wheels will suck a big part of your 0.4 hp away in rolling resistance, as well as kinetic energy, especially when you accelerate. In short, I would much rather save on the bike frame and invest in a good set of wheels.

With wheels there are two choices, being factory built wheels, or hand built wheels. Factory built wheels are expensive, however a good set of factory wheels need little maintenance and last a long time. The alternative, being hand built wheels, need more maintenance, however they are much more affordable and the difference in performance is negligible. Personally, I build my own wheels (hand built) for training and I use factory wheels for racing. Hand built wheels purchased from the dealer need to settle in, after which they need re-truing and tensioning. They need to be monitored, as improper maintenance will result in breaking spokes. The rider is dependant on the skill of the wheel builder and good wheel builders are not to be found everywhere. I might post a hub on building your own wheels one day. The rims shown are clincher rims, they need high quality tires and tubes. Tire pressure should be at least 8Bar or 115psi, otherwise your rolling resistance becomes a factor. To keep rolling resistance to a minimum, these tires are narrow 20mm, or 3/4 inch and if a high pressure is not maintained punctures will result from pinching the tube if the rider hits a bump, or stone in the road.

For factory wheels, amongst many others, Mavic is a favorite and very durable. For hand built wheels, I use Mavic rims, DT Swiss stainless spokes and hubs to match my group set, either Shimano, or Campagnolo. At 180lbs. I prefer 32 spokes for hand built wheels.

For pedals, I prefer and use only Look, however there are many opinions and many brands. The most important thing to know, is that you have to ride with pedals and shoes that clip you into the bike. This is very important, why? Remember, above, we mentioned that for effortless cycling, pedalling technique is the most difficult skill to learn when riding a bike. The secret is that you have to learn to power through the whole stroke evenly, that is pushing down, pulling back, pulling up, over and pushing down again. I always enjoy riding behind a new cyclist, riding with tennis shoes and conventional pedals to observe what the rider is really doing. To keep pedal contact with the foot which has gone past the down stroke, the rider has to maintain a certain pressure between the foot and the pedal. This means that the rider's leg on the up stroke is pushing against the leg working the down stroke. The two legs are actually working against each other and the rider loses up to 40% of his 0.4 hp right there, with no knowledge of what is really taking place.

The important part of choosing a group set, is specifying the correct crank length to fit your dimensions and specifying the correct gear ratios. Personally, I only use Shimano and Campagnolo on my bikes, but again you will find different opinions and other brands are reputable. For the brands I prefer, it is hard to justify the price difference between most expensive models and cheaper models. If you can afford it, buy the best you can, if you need to save, the cheaper range within the same brand will do a good job.

To obtain correct crank length, we need your inseam. This measurement will be used for frame sizing as well. To measure inseam, stand barefoot on the floor with your feet about 8" apart facing, or almost touching a wall, standing straight up. Use a helper to place something thin and square (old vinyl record works perfect) between your legs, placing pressure on your crotch as the bike seat would and hold the square object level with the floor, touching the wall. Now mark the top edge of the record with a pencil on the wall, measure this distance and wala, you have your inseam length.

Crank length 165mm = inseam shorter than 29"

170mm = 29 - 32", 172.5mm = 32 - 34" and 175mm > 34"

You may fudge these numbers a little, if you know your strengths. For a hill climber a longer crank gives a little more leverage or torque, but you loose speed due to pedalling a bigger circe.

Gear ratios are an important consideration, if you are not planning to ride competitively, I would suggest using three chain rings in the front, however, for competition this may be frowned upon. Personally, I find enough ratio with two rings as shown in the group set picture. The picture shows a group set with 11 gears on the back cassette and two front chain rings. This is not really 22 gears rather think of it as 11 gears with a low ratio and a high ratio. For the beginner if you are not a current athlete, I would suggest the following ratio, using the now standard 10 speed cassette

Chain rings 53/39

Casette 12-27 12,13,14,15,16,17,19,21,24,27

Frames can be very affordable, or very, very expensive. It's one of those things where you judge a boy, by the size of his toy. My personal belief is that this is more a fashion thing than anything else, provided you stick with a reputable brand. I have the best and also some old outdated equipment. I find the real difference is the amount of attention it attracts. If you plan to ride competitively, weight is a consideration as well as flexibility, but in the end, it is your legs which count the most. Most of the time I prefer riding my old Vitus frame, as I don't care about scratching it leaning against a wall, or throwing it in the back of my truck. Make sure it is a professional frame though, there is a big difference between the frame on a supermarket bike and a professional bike. Good old frames can be purchased off eBay for very low prices.

To size a frame, I use Greg Le Mond's ratios as follows:

Center to center seat tube, measured from the center of the crank bottom bracket (where the crank bearings fit) to the center of the connection of the top tube. This measurement equals inseam x 0.65.

Center to center top tube = inseam x 0.67.

Start with a saddle height of Inseam x 0.883 measured from the top of the seat, in-line with the seat tube, to the center of the bottom bracket.

The next thing we need is the correct stem length. A rule of thumb is if you ride with your hands on the bottom drops of the bars, and you look at the front wheel axle, the bars should align exactly with the axle in your line of sight.

To determine correct length of stem and frame top tube together, we need torso and arm lengths. The correct formula is: Your total effective reach (i.e. the sum of your top tube length plus your stem length) = (torso + arm)/2 + 4

Trunk measurement:

Sit on a stool with your back straight and your pelvis hard against the wall. Make sure your back is straight and your pelvis is against the wall. Place a level on top of your acromioclavicular joint (bump on top of your shoulder) and the wall. Make a pencil mark on the wall and repeat this measurement on the other side of your body. Measure from the stool seat to the pencil mark. Average the two measurements.

Arm:

Hold a cylindrical object, such as a marker in your hand and extend your arm to the front, parallel to the ground, do not allow your shoulder to come forward. The object in your hand must be perpendicular to your arm. Locate the pivot of your arm to the shoulder point and measure from this point to the center of the object, which should fall in line with your knuckles. Do both arms and average the measurement.

Handlebar width is measured as the the distance between the two pointy things on your shoulders, plus 2cm for a center to center measurement. Bars come in widths of 40, 42, and 44cm.

Chapter II will give you a good idea whether road cycling is for you and how to start looking at equipment. Frame sizing is most important if you are looking at a used bike, the rest can be adapted with ease. In chapter III we will cover gear and then follow with riding tips, skills and training programs in the remaining chapters.

Remember, cyclists do it with cadence!