Bike Locks Buying Guide

The easiest way to judge the security of a lock is to check its Sold Secure Rating. Sold Secure has developed a three tier security grading system. The Gold rated locking devices offer the highest level of security.

1.   D Locks. Regarded as the most durable lock available. If you are using a D Lock to secure your frame, you should use a cable lock in tandem to secure the wheels.

2.   Chain Locks. The locking system can be key based. Sold Secure ratings apply.

3.   Cable Locks, are more flexible than chain locks and tend to come in longer lengths, allowing greater versatility.

4.   Ground Anchors. Recent studies suggest many riders with high value bikes never purchase a lock because they never need to lock a bike when out riding.

5.   Alternative Lock Designs and Styles:

a.   Hiplok. Locks can be big and heavy and often look unaesthetic on a bike. Hiplok have come up with the unique solution of a wearable lock.

b.   Security kits. No lock is 100% secure and if the worst does happen, using a marking kit such as Datatag can help the Police identify your bike should it be recovered.

6 Secure Ways to Improve Your Indoor Cycling

Indoor cycling is an extremely effective way to train but nevertheless most cyclists don’t use this opportunity to achieve great results. Here are 6 quick tips that will make you a happier and better cyclist with indoor cycling training:

1.       No indoor recovery rides. Indoor cycling is a psychological challenge.

2.      Spend less time on indoor cycling. When you reduce training time, you increase your attention to the workout you perform.

3.      Interval training. As a consequence of reduced training time, it makes sense to increase the overall intensity of your indoor cycling. Interval training is often a lot easier to do indoor.

4.      Use an ergo meter bike. In most fitness centres they have ergo meter bikes that can be used for power meter training.

5.      Use a cycling training program. It’s easier and very motivating to use e.g. the 12-Week Winter Training Program.

6.      Turn up the music and have fun! Turn up the music and have fun with your indoor cycling!

Form and Technique

1.       Pedaling:

1. Smooth pedal stroke:

1)        Using a fixed gear bike to improve smoothness in your pedal stroke. Use of a fixed gear bike will focus you on your pedaling technique as well as increasing leg speed and strength. Pedaling continuously will develop a smooth pedal stroke as you spin down hills and increases leg strength as you climb the hills. You might consider using an old road bike, adding a fixed-gear rear wheel from a used bike shop.

2)       One-Leg Pedaling. Unclip one foot from the pedal. Pedal at 90 rpm using your right leg, using an easy gear until you get accustomed to the feeling of one-leg pedaling.

b.      Cadence - If you're relatively new to cycling, you are probably riding at a cadence that is below your optimum. Lance Armstrong has popularized high-cadence pedaling. Try this to see what cadence may be the best target for you.

1)      Locate a protected 2-mile stretch of road.

2)     After you warm up for 15 minutes, ride the route hard in your biggest gear.

3)     Recover for 15 to 20 minutes with easy spinning.

4)     Ride the course again at the same heart rate.

5)     After a day of rest, do the test in reverse - larger rear cog first.

6)     Compare your times. For most riders, the lower gear and higher cadence will produce faster times for less perceived effort.

Here are two drills that may be helpful in increasing your cadence and maintaining the smooth spin of a veteran.

1)      Use a down hill to practice. Hold that cadence and concentrate on a smooth pedal stroke for one minute. Relaxation is the key to pedaling at a high cadence without bouncing.

2)     Use a that tailwind that you have stumbled across. Shift into a moderate gear and gradually increase your cadence until you're at 100-110 rpm. Repeat several times.

2.      Shifting. If you time it right, you won't lose significant speed. Bottom line: Any time you shift either derailleur, be conscious of your pedal pressure.

3.      Paceline Training. Ride up in a paceline. Work on pedaling smoothly and maintaining 12-18 > inches between bikes. Everyone should be pedaling with the same cadence. Low speed ingrains smooth technique. Ride at a moderate pace on a low-traffic road. Put your front wheel about 3 feet behind your guru's rear wheel. Good drafting depends on smooth, even pedaling. You take the lead not by accelerating but by keeping your speed constant as your partner slows. Pedaling will feel a bit harder because you're bucking the wind.

4.      Cornering. Corner after corner, this efficiency really adds up. Shift down before the turn. If the corner is tight, shift into a lower gear before you enter the corner, stop pedaling, and start leaning the bike. Give your tires more grip by standing and putting most of your weight on your outside pedal. Virtually all of your weight should be on it. Push your bike into the turn.

5.      Eye On Your Line. Keep pressure off the inside pedal but keep pressure on the outside pedal. "Turn the opposite way of the turn" but the front tire acts like a gyroscope, so pushing away from the turn causes the bike to lean into the turn!

Buying Your Childs First Bike

A child new to two-wheels will be working hard to develop basic bicycle skills such as balance, starting, stopping, and steering.  Purchasing a 1^st bike that a child can "grow into" is dangerous because your child needs to learn control. 

Depending on their age a 3 yrs + child will probably start on a 12” wheeled bike while an older child might start on a 14” wheel bike with stabilisers. A child's first bicycle will be fitted with front and rear brakes.  Look for a bike with a fixed rear cog so when your child stops pedalling the bike will stop. Look out for adjustable handlebar so you can refine the riding position specifically for your child.

Don’t buy your childs first bike without also buying a helmet to wear when riding. 

Getting Ready for Spring Cycling

Regular checks will help avoid the most common mechanical failures and ensure your safety each time you go out on your bike.

1.   Tyres and wheels - before you get on your bike check your tyres to make sure they are correctly inflated within the tyre manufacturers’ pressure guidelines, normally shown on the tyre sidewall.

2.   Brakes - squeeze your brake levers to make sure that they apply enough pressure to stop your bike and that you don’t have any problems with fraying or stretched cables. Brake blocks must not be touching the tyre as this cause damage and will wear to the tyre.  Adjust the block position to avoid the tyre sidewall, so it runs aligned to the rim braking surface. Spin the wheels and you can check the brakes and wheels run freely without contact when not required.  

3.   Seat post and handlebar stem - check to make sure that your handlebar and saddle are set at the right height and fastened tightly.

4.   Chain and gears - check that your chain turns cleanly through the front and rear sprockets and doesn't rub against the derailleurs.

How To Adjust Your Rear Derailleur in 30 Seconds

  1.   For Road Bikes: Look for the barrel adjuster on the rear derailleur. For Mountain Bikes: Look for the barrel adjuster on the shifter lever.

  2.   Turn the barrel adjuster counter-clockwise to tighten the cable tension.

  3.   Turn the cranks and attempt to shift the gears up and down the cassette.

  4.   Continue making quarter turn adjustments until the gears shift smoothly and quietly. 

That didn’t work?

1.   If your bike refuses to shift into the highest cog regardless of cable tension, your high and low limit screws may be improperly set. Try backing the appropriate one out while turning the pedals and see if the derailleur shifts.

2.   If you recently crashed, look for damage to the derailleur mechanism. If that’s the case, it’s time for a new derailleur.

3.   Look for tight bends in the cable housing leading into the derailleur. If it looks like a very tight loop, you need some slightly longer housing.

Nashbar Garment Bag Pannier Review

Loading the bag is a little tough. The pannier is secured to the bottom of your rack with a stretchy elastic cord and another set of plastic-coated metal hooks.  The hooks get caught on just about everything when you remove the bag. 

There are two more clips that secure the bag even more on the front of the bag and the rear of the bag.  they’re very helpful in securing the bag.

Riding with the bag is usually not bad at all.  It’s well balanced because it covers both sides of the rack.  There’s hard plastic on the insides of the bag. Tire rub is of course rack-dependent. It’s not in focus here, but the bottom hooks on this side have been sharpened by many cycles on loading and unloading the bag. make sure that you place the bag far enough back on the rack so that the clasp doesn’t rub against the back of the rear tire. This also helps prevent your heel from hitting the bag when you pedal.

The two clips prevent the sides of the bag from bouncing around too much if you hit a bump.  The back clip’s gotten a little frayed from rubbing against the rear wheel from times when sloppy in placing the bag onto the rack.

The bag has two reflective strips on the back side..  There’s also reflective piping around the side and top pockets.  

Sometimes unloading the bag is a breeze – you just unhook the bottom hooks and pull straight up.  The fact that this bag is attached to both sides of your rack makes it a little harder remove the bag.  

I’m pretty happy with how the bag carries your clothes.  Typically, I can fit in a shirt, slacks and shoes into the bag. If you’ve got clothes already in your bag, there’s not too much more carrying capacity. 

The bag’s not bad in the rain.  The bag feels kind of cheap. The main problems are the annoyances in loading and unloading the bag and the fact that walking around with the bag is awkward.