Sponsored links:
Technique and Tips
Pedal quickly
Cyclists are usually more efficient on both hills and flat terrain when they pedal quickly (at about 80-85 rpm) rather than at slower rates. Higher pedalling speeds are more economical and burn more fat during exercise.
Hill Climbing
Gear shiting: Do not down shift too soon as this will lose you valuable momentum. Conversely, do not shift too late as this also will result in a waste of energy by pushing too large a gear. The ideal with gearing and shifting is to maintain a "comfortable cadence", shifting down when you become uncomfortable and your rate of pedalling drops, but before you bog down.
Stand or sit? A simple rule to follow is - if the hill is long sit, if the hill is short stand. On very long hills you will benefit from using both techniques as this gives you a chance to stretch and rest some muscles.
Balance: Make sure your weight is being used effectively by both wheels; if your rear wheel loses traction, move back to get more weight on the rear wheel, and if your front wheel lifts up or you need steering traction, lean on your arms or slide forward. When climbing out of the saddle, it is easy to lean too far forward and take the weight off the rear wheel just when you want all the power to be transfered to the road, the result is that the rear wheel spins and you waste effort. Bending at your waist when standing can avoid this.
Town or Commuter Cycling.
Don't Ride in the Gutter. Many cyclists ride very close to the kerb, in the hope that they'll be further away from passing cars. Unfortunately this usually has the opposite effect and encourages cars to pass without thinking or moving out. It causes lots of other problems for example: You have little space to steer if you wobble. You seem to be out of the way of cars; You will find all the debris that is likely to give you a puncture; You will have the roughest journey riding over all the potholes, and drain gratings, etc. Try to ride in the tracks where the cars' nearside or left wheels go. You are much more visible here, you can ride on the smooth and clean part of the road, and car drivers need to think before passing you.
Keep you tyres pumped up. Soft tyres make cycling very hard work, and can affect the steering.
Use your gears if you have them. The most efficient way to cycle is to turn the pedals relatively quickly see above but using your gears so that you don't have to push too hard. Try to push the pedals round in circles rather than just up and down - pushing hard downwards when the pedal's already at the bottom doesn't do any good at all.
Look behind when indicating. Looking behind you when indicating to turn right is much more effective than simply indicating. Somehow seeing your face helps car drivers realise you're human and vunerable.
Cyclists are usually more efficient on both hills and flat terrain when they pedal quickly (at about 80-85 rpm) rather than at slower rates. Higher pedalling speeds are more economical and burn more fat during exercise.
Hill Climbing
Gear shiting: Do not down shift too soon as this will lose you valuable momentum. Conversely, do not shift too late as this also will result in a waste of energy by pushing too large a gear. The ideal with gearing and shifting is to maintain a "comfortable cadence", shifting down when you become uncomfortable and your rate of pedalling drops, but before you bog down.
Stand or sit? A simple rule to follow is - if the hill is long sit, if the hill is short stand. On very long hills you will benefit from using both techniques as this gives you a chance to stretch and rest some muscles.
Balance: Make sure your weight is being used effectively by both wheels; if your rear wheel loses traction, move back to get more weight on the rear wheel, and if your front wheel lifts up or you need steering traction, lean on your arms or slide forward. When climbing out of the saddle, it is easy to lean too far forward and take the weight off the rear wheel just when you want all the power to be transfered to the road, the result is that the rear wheel spins and you waste effort. Bending at your waist when standing can avoid this.
Town or Commuter Cycling.
Don't Ride in the Gutter. Many cyclists ride very close to the kerb, in the hope that they'll be further away from passing cars. Unfortunately this usually has the opposite effect and encourages cars to pass without thinking or moving out. It causes lots of other problems for example: You have little space to steer if you wobble. You seem to be out of the way of cars; You will find all the debris that is likely to give you a puncture; You will have the roughest journey riding over all the potholes, and drain gratings, etc. Try to ride in the tracks where the cars' nearside or left wheels go. You are much more visible here, you can ride on the smooth and clean part of the road, and car drivers need to think before passing you.
Keep you tyres pumped up. Soft tyres make cycling very hard work, and can affect the steering.
Use your gears if you have them. The most efficient way to cycle is to turn the pedals relatively quickly see above but using your gears so that you don't have to push too hard. Try to push the pedals round in circles rather than just up and down - pushing hard downwards when the pedal's already at the bottom doesn't do any good at all.
Look behind when indicating. Looking behind you when indicating to turn right is much more effective than simply indicating. Somehow seeing your face helps car drivers realise you're human and vunerable.