Cycling made easy - tips for the new
cyclist.
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Cycling may seem like a really involved
activity with all the gear you need and the
skin tight outfits; but the truth is that
cycling is an easy activity to embrace and
it has far reaching benefits.
What
I can tell you is that because my goal is to
get you on a bicycle, not sell you bicycles
or cycling gear - I'll tell you the truth
about what you need and what is hype (and
with hype usually come a big price tag).
The most
important thing you can do for your own
health and well being is to decide to
embrace some form of daily (or every other
day if you cannot find the time) aerobic
activity such as cycling, swimming, hiking,
jogging, aerobics, etc... The goal is
to get your heart revved up for a minimum of
10 minutes and ideally for 20 (if daily) or
40 if every other day.
This is an
investment in your own future that you
simply cannot put a value on. The
simple fact is that without some form of
daily exercise you are accepting a future
with a much higher risk of several deadly
diseases.
But enough of the
doom and gloom stuff - let's talk about what
you really need to know about cycling! |
- What
Type of Bicycle Should You Get?
- There are numerous types and styles of
bicycles and picking the right one
depends on what type of riding you want
to do and what types of riding can be
done where you live (or where you plan
on riding).
- There
Are No Rules! - You can ride a
beach cruiser bike on the road and a
road bike in the dirt (cyclocross bikes
are road bikes with off road tires that
allow you to go fast on dirt paths) -
mountain bikes can be ridden in the
city. And fitness/urban bikes are
designed to ride anywhere. Find a
bicycle style that you are comfortable
on. Most likely it can easily be
adapted to fit your riding environment.
- Do I
Need All That Lycra/Spandex Clothing?
- No. Actually you can ride in any
comfortable clothes. I strongly
recommend that you look into a pair of
cycling padded shorts. These come in
many forms - for instance I have cycling
shorts that look like regular cargo
shorts. They're cut slightly different
than standard shorts to allow for better
movement. You wear a pair of cycling
underwear (with the pad built into them)
under this type of
shorts. As for shirts - a cycling
shirt offers a few benefits such as
aerodynamics (which truly is silly if
you're not competing and need all the
speed advantages you can get.
Other benefits include easy access rear
pockets and most have some form of light
reflection tech built into them so they
are easy to see for drivers. But
you can ride in jeans and a t-shirt if
you want. I see it done every day
on the bike paths I ride.
- Do I
Need Those Fancy Shoe - Pedal Clip
Thingys? - No. Clipless
Pedal Systems were designed for
professional cyclists. They do
offer some performance benefits and for
me personally I find they make intense
cycling more safe because your feet
won't slip off the pedals when you are
really pedaling hard. But the
other side of this argument is that if
you are not used to them you can easily
fall over when you come to a stop
because you "stall" and can't get your
feet free quick enough. Again -
you can opt for them but they are not at
all necessary.
- Why Do
I Need A Bicycle - What's Wrong With A
Indoor Cycle? Nothing is wrong
with indoor stationary cycles.
Actually most professional cyclists have
one or have indoor trainers that they
can ride their outdoor bikes on for bad
weather days. If you live in a
place that has cold winters with icy
roads an indoor trainer is a must.
What I will say is that while indoor
trainers are great for convenience and
safety, they are not as efficient a
workout as outdoor cycling. When
you ride outdoors you have to use your
entire body to balance and control the
bike. You work muscle groups that
you will not engage on a stationary
cycle.
- I
Feel Bad When I Ride Because Other
Cyclists Pass Me - Cycling as a
sport is a very competitive venture.
But cycling for health and fitness
should not be. Don't put pressure
on yourself and certainly
NEVER let someone else
take your enjoyment or sense of
accomplishment away. We are all
different with different abilities and
conditioning and strengths. The
ONLY person
who matters when you are riding for your
health is YOU.
Who cares what anyone else thinks or how
fast they are or how long the ride?
Your fitness goals and accomplishments
should only be about you and your health
needs. If I see you on any of the
bike paths I ride I'm going to greet you
with a smile and a friendly wave.
Cycling is a unifying force and as I see
it; we are all kindred spirits.
Truthfully I find that I am inspired and
I have enormous respect for many of the
cyclists I come across on my daily
rides. They are sometimes elderly
- or they are obese - and they are
struggling. I want to give them
encouragement and support because they
are doing something that is healthy and
they should be proud. It takes
courage to put yourself in uncomfortable
situations. There is only one
attitude a true lover of cycling adopts;
we support our fellow cyclists and we
offer encouragement and embrace
everyone.
- When
Will I See Some Results? - It
depends on what sort of results you are
expecting and how much work you are
putting in. The simple truth about
weight loss and fitness is it a matter
of elementary math. If you burn
more calories than you consume you will
start burning into your fat stores and
over time you will lose weight. I
promise you that if weight loss is your
goal then cycling is the RIGHT activity
for you. Ride a bicycle for 20-30
minutes every day and watch what happens
to your waist size in 90 days. Of
course no fitness routine is complete
without making sure you have healthy
diet habits. Everything in
moderation is a good rule if you don't
want to count calories or be limited to
specific foods.
- Do I
Need To Diet If I Start Cycling?
- That's up to you. Studies have
shown that diet AND exercise are key in
reducing your risk for CAD. I can say
that even before I had my heart attack I
had greatly modified my diet to better
meet my cycling needs. My general
rules for food consumption are: Limited
Dairy - Nothing Fried - No Red Meat
(Beef, Pork, Dark Meat - I mostly eat
fish and limited poultry) - No Soft
Drinks Ever (Full of sugar and caffeine)
- No Alcohol (that is a personal choice
but it's really not healthy and offers
zero nutritional benefit) - No added
salt (No MSG) - and nothing solid after
7pm (no late night runs to the kitchen
for a snack). Other than that I
eat what I want when I want.
Everything in moderation; following
these rules and cycling daily I have
maintained my ideal weight, BMI, and
body fat for over 15 years.
- I Have
A Bad Back and Cycling Hurts! -
I hear you! I too suffer from
chronic back pain due to a collapsed
disc. I find that cycling actually
helps me stay loose and keeps my back
from hurting. Depending on where
in your back your pain is a standard
bicycle may not be ideal for you.
That's where this cool bicycle design
called a recumbent bicycle
may be just the thing for
you! This bicycle design allows
you to lay in a relaxed position with
your legs in front of you instead of
below you. I see more and more of
these bikes on the paths each year.
They are growing in popularity in the
area where I live. And I have to
admit they look like a lot of fun to
ride! Look at the photo below -
doesn't that look like a great time on 3
wheels (they come in two wheel
configurations as well).
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