The Advice Thread

[SloRacer]

It all boils down to this.

All what you have heard. All what you have tried. All what you have seen.

Tell us WW about it.

Lightweight/Aero/Fit/Nutrition/Comfort/technique/Unwritten Rules/Tech/Anything else that you know works for you, tell us. We will read.


The main aim is to have a thread, where someone just reading from page one to page X might find THAT one tip/advice, which will transform his/her cycling life. If it's not applicable to them, they skip it. But if it's important to them, you might have just helped someone achieve their most comfortable/aero/lightweight goal that would really benefit them.

So go on, write your advice.

Rules:

All advices in bullet form.
1.
2.
3.
etc.

No comments on someone's else's advice, however blasphemous it may be. Please refrain from stupid advice like trying a triathlon or something. (They don't wear socks, Jeez )

Go!

[robeambro]

No comments on someone's else's advice, however blasphemous it may be.

Good luck. You'll need it.

[Calnago]

So you want the Cliff Notes version of the entire forum. Little snippets, without context. Bad advice. Good advice. Who’s to know the difference. I’m with the previous poster on this. Not going to work. But will be interesting to watch.
You must be really new here or just find the forum too overwhelming. If anyone has a question on a specific matter, all they need to do is ask and they will receive all the advice they need, didn’t need, or knew they needed. What could be better than that.

[Js2]

1. Search Function - use it

[rides4beer]

1. Ride your bike, as often as possible

[BagelMaster]

1. Search Function - use it

[SloRacer]

Search function it is then.

[Lewn777]

I've got one (probably not findable on search).
1. If you are a new rider or coming from another kind of riding for heaven's sake keep a note of the distance you have done on your tires and change them every 2000-4000km depending on if they are a (1500-2000) race tire or (3000-4000) for a more endurance tire. If you are coming from road motorcycling, BMX or MTB the tire sometimes don't look squared off if you lean the bike around a lot. Fail to change the tires in time and you'll be in puncture hell. You can extend this to 3000-5000 kms for chains and 10,000kms for cassettes, BB bearings, chainrings and wheel bearings. Road bikes are much more sensitive to part wear than other types of bikes as the bike won't function efficiently which will ruin your enjoyment as road bikes need to be in top condition to perform well, and are not like MTB's where a bit of brake rub from dirty pistons or being lazy about rebleeds doesn't really matter, amd you can hear bad brake pads and see worn tires. A good application on Android (and maybe other platforms) is 'Pro Bike Garage'. I wish I had known all this and hadn't had to learn it the hard way.

To the OP. This thread does have some merit, as you can see in my example people can't really ask what they don't know but need to. To the other posters, you're right, there is a lot asking questions and the search function can cover, but it's not quite everything.

[wheelbuilder]

Most probably know this, but may help some......

1. When participating in a fast group ride and a section is coming up that you fear getting dropped on........give it everything you've got and get to the front before you get to the section. You can now be slower than everyone else and still clear the section in the bunch by getting briefly on the wheel of everyone going around you. Just float back through the group doing this, and you will still be with them when the troublesome segment is over.

[RocketRacing]

Avoid:
- slow bikes
- fast women
- crack

[RocketRacing]

- go commando under your bike shorts. Your junk will thank me. Bike shorts were made that way.
- want a new bike, ask a local enthusiast (or good lbs employee) for advice.
- find a good lbs (ideally with employees enmeshed in the local scene), and support them. Be kind to them, and they will be kind to you. They may even save you money.
- cheap bike clothing is usually crap
- expensive bike clothing is usually not worth the money.
- cotton holds sweat. get proper bike clothing. Once you do, you will never go back.
- some people jump on the newest tech, others stick to the older stuff like a religion. The truth is usually in between.
- cheap bikes are not worth it. Neither are top end bikes. The best are usually in between.
- modern gravel bikes are just 10-20 year old cross country mountain bikes with drop bars and a rigid front fork. Don’t be fooled.
- driver fitness > aero gains > weight loss.
- you can buy seconds on a bike, but to get minutes you need to train.
- if you want to go aero, start with a good position, and lycra. That will cover most of your aero gains.
- fat rider + rim brakes + long steep descent + latex tubes + carbon rims = certain death
- light/durable/cheap pick any two.
- if you want a lighter bike. Start with the rider.
- if you want to be more aero, start with the rider
- black bike clothes will not show chain grease... which will get on everything eventually.
- invest in a good fitting helmet, ideally with mips. You only have one brain
- riding a fat bike on singletrack with studded tires in the snow/ice in the dark with a headlamp is some of the best fun you can have on a bike.
- strava is great for motivation to get faster, but bad for social riding.
- power metres are great for training.
- if you think a 10-15 year old bike is slowing you down... remember that all lance needed to win on that era of bike was sterroids
- want “free” watts? Wash and lube your drivetrain
- higher psi in your tires is not faster. Roller drums are not reality. Those vibrations and bumps you feel are slowing you down. Lower your pressures. Smooth/comfortable is fast.
- drink plently before you ride
- tubular is a dying. Pros and old guys who still swear by campy 9 speed are the only holdouts.
- we know surprisingly little about bike performance
- everyone thinks they know everything about bike performance. Few do.
- just because a pro is using it, it does not mean it is faster. They can be weird, and someone is paying them to use certain gear.
- epo half life is 5hrs, but verify before the big show, because there is varience.

[dim]

for long fast distance ...

eat when you are not hungry, and drink when you are not thirsty ....

if you get hungry or thirsty on a ride, you have left it way too late

[dim]

If you want to run with the wolves ..... you have to learn how to piss on the trot

[RocketRacing]

Hahaha. Now i understand why my buddy had his seatpost stick in his carbon frame... too much endurance racing with the wolves.

- if the spray from the bike ahead of you tastes like urine, close your mouth.

[claus]

I used to do that until I got "yelled at" by the ride leader... who doesn't like that the guy behind me has a hard time to close the gap when I can't hold the wheel anymore -- even though I signal early on (before the gap opens) that he should pass.