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To an outsider, cycling is a very strange past time, we wear lycra, spend lots of money to save a few grammes, and it often seems we have our own language too. This is a collection of things I have learned that I wish I knew when I first started cycling.
Gear choice:
When I started cycling, I thought that to go fast I needed to spend as much time as possible in the big ring and little sprocket. This doesn't work, and will cause knee pain! If you imagine that your legs are like a cars engine, they have a specific range of rpm at which they work most efficiently and the gears on your bike, like a cars gear box, allow this narrow range to turn the wheels at a much wider range of speeds. A cycle computer with cadence (pedal strokes per minute) is a great way to find out this range, typically between 70-100 rpm but varies from person to person.
Tire Pressure:
Inner tubes aren’t completely airtight, air molecules are much much smaller than the molecules which make up the tyre and tube. Therefore you should check your tires regularly. Most bike shops have a pump which they will happily let you use to ensure your tires are at the correct pressure. But what does correct pressure mean? Tire manufacturers print their maximum and minimum pressures on the side of the tire, these are a useful guideline. Too low or high a pressure will make your bike either feel very squirmy or very uncomfortable and both will increase the risk of punctures. Rolling a tire off the wheel is possible if the tire isn’t inflated enough. Too high, and the tire can’t deform over rough roads, resulting in an uncomfortable ride. >>>