13 COMMON CYCLING MISTAKES THAT WE MAKE AS BEGINNERS
13 COMMON CYCLING MISTAKES THAT WE MAKE AS BEGINNERS
Riding a bike is
one of the easiest sports in the world – just hop on, push the pedals and
you’re off! However, even though it looks so easy, many bikers make a lot of
mistakes. You don’t have to be a newbie cyclist to
prove guilty of any of these cycling mistakes. As beginners, all of
us make at least some of these mistakes.
Here
are 13 common cycling mistakes that we make as beginners:
1.
IGNORING
REST
Whether
you are a beginner, amateur or a pro, sleep plays a vital role in performance.
When you’re increasing the training hours, recovery time is vital in being
able to go on performing. Getting proper sleep and rest is the best remedy to
perform better on the bike.
The
biggest mistake people make is not sleeping enough. They sacrifice sleep in
order to do more work by waking up early to jam in a bike session before work.
But your body cannot adapt from training, let alone recover, without adequate
shuteye.
Solution: Ditch
the complicated periodization formulas and let your sleep dictate your training
schedule. When you’re feeling tired or had a late night, cut down on volume and
intensity, but amp up the intervals when you’re feeling rested.
2.
IMPROPER
BIKE ETIQUETTES
Do you know bikers who ride around with their helmet hanging from
the handlebars? That doesn’t make much sense – anyone with a brain protects it.
So, never make the mistake of riding without a helmet, no matter how short the
trip may be.
High quality sunglasses are not just to protect your eyes from UV
rays. They will also keep your eyes from watering, like when you’re on a fast
downhill. Plus, glasses will prevent insects and dust from landing in your
eyes.
Biking
is not about power. You might be able to go fast in a straight line, but if you
can’t tune-up your bike, hop a curb, or rail a turn, you’ll have a hard time
winning the race—or even making it home well.
You
might not even be aware that your bike isn’t being maintained properly,
but chances are if you bought your bike online, or you had to assemble the bike
yourself, the bike isn’t as well-tuned as it could be. Poor bike tuning
can result in back pain, aching knees and saddle sores if ridden too long,
not to mention the fact it’s bad for the bike.
Solution: You
can’t learn this stuff on the Internet. Find a group ride and ask one of the
older, more experienced riders to help you learn the basics: how to fix a flat,
jump a curb, brush shoulders without crashing, and rail a turn. Get a bunch of
your riding buddies together and practice your bike handling by purposefully
rubbing wheels and shoulders while riding at slow speeds on some grass. Just
leave the race wheels at home.
3.
BRAKING
This habit is mostly carried out by the newcomers to cycling, and it’s something every cyclist can remember doing; reaching for the brakes quick and hard. Braking should always be done in a controlled manner, as otherwise you’ll end up taking a little trip over the handle bars. Also, braking too sharply on a descent can cause you to lose control.
Braking in corners
is very common cycling error, especially amongst new cyclists. The
safest, most efficient technique is to brake before the corner, not actually
braking as you are on the corner, as doing this with your bike banked over at
an angle can result in the bike locking up and you losing control and crashing.
Solution: applying light or gradual pressure
on both brakes at the same time is more effective than slamming them on. All of
your braking should be done before you enter corners, and if you arrive at a
corner and realise you’re going too fast, straighten the bike and lightly apply
pressure to the brakes.
The safest, most efficient technique is to brake before the corner, not
actually braking as you are on the corner.
To brake safely you should do it on the approach to a bend, making
sure you brake gently, but enough to slow you to the point where you can safely
negotiate the corner. Remember brake earlier in wet conditions as the stopping
distance will be greater, especially for those of you with caliper as opposed
to disc brakes.
4. WRONG SADDLE HEIGHT
Follow these steps to check whether everything is set correctly:
a)Put
your bike upright.
b) Stand
up straight next to the bike, facing toward the front of the bike.
c) Now
check how high the saddle is. Ideally, it should be at your hip crest. If not,
take a minute to move the saddle into a neutral riding position: the
saddle should be level and pointing toward the front, not tilted up or down.
d) The
position of the saddle should feel comfortable.
Solution: If you want to get the best position
possible, the first call should be a bike fitting from a trained professional. Ask
around, and find a reputable fitter in your area. But opt out of any spin-scan
analysis. A good fitter will also help you swap out the components on your
contact points—hands, feet, bottom—to maximize comfort and performance, so test
out a variety of saddles.
5. WRONG CLOTHES
Part of enjoying a good bike ride is wearing the right
clothes. Well-padded biking pants make sense, but the right bike shirt has a
big advantage, too. The special fibers wick the sweat away from your body. The
experienced – or the well-prepared, can protect themselves from the worst of
the weather.
Speaking to a local shop owner, who runs a bike-fitting service,
he’s able to improve the comfort of a large proportion of beginners he
comes across simply by giving them some simple dressing advice.
Underwear under bib shorts? No. Just no.
Sure, as a new cyclist it can feel weird to pull on a pair of
bib shorts without underwear, but, ultimately, it’s the only way. Bib shorts
are made to be worn without underwear, which can otherwise bunch up and quickly
chafe. And you don’t want to go there.
6.
ZERO-SPEED CRASHES
Using clipless pedals is a landmark for all new
cyclists, but riding with your feet seemingly locked in takes some getting
used to, even if it makes your pedaling more efficient.
And it’s easy to forget you’re still attached to the bike as
you approach traffic lights or a junction, or just simply a stopping point in
your ride.
Cue a sudden panic, an ungainly fall and (well-meaning)
sniggers from any riders who might have spotted you. Don’t worry,
we’ve all been there!
7. NOT TAKING ANY FOOD OR WATER ON A RIDE
You
can be forgiven for assuming, well, you’ll no doubt be stopping at some point
for coffee and cake, but it’s best to be prepared for all scenarios. If you’re
riding for an hour or less, you might not need any fuel, but you’ll
definitely appreciate a drink of water.
If
you’re on the road for longer than an hour, it’s definitely worth taking food,
which you should consume around the 45-minute mark. Forgetting to eat can
cause tiredness, irritability, dizziness and even nausea. Or, worse still, all
of the aforementioned.
You’re
afraid to eat real food because you think bars and gels are formulated for peak
performance. But they aren’t always. Especially in hot conditions, bars, gels,
and many sports drinks can cause severe gastrointestinal distress
Solution: make sure your
water bottle is full and attached to your bike. It doesn’t hurt actually to
take two bottles. Also, play it safe by taking more fuel food than you’ll
actually need. Think; nuts, dried fruit, bananas, and perhaps a gel for that
last climb or the unexpected bonk.
8.
NOT
TIMING YOUR MEALS
Everyone
knows to pound down a recovery drink post-ride, but there’s more to meal timing
than your recovery drink. If you eat a large snack within an hour to an hour
and a half of your ride, you’re going to go hypoglycemic as your insulin levels
spike and blood sugar crashes, says Lim. In other words, you’ll feel like
you’re bonking.
Solution: Plan
your rides to finish with a protein-rich meal (eaten within 20 minutes of
pulling off your shoes), and wait three hours between a large meal and hitting
the bike to avoid bonking.
9. OVER-CONFIDENCE
WHEN CLIMBINg
You’re feeling great, and this climb is ready to be conquered.
“This is steeper than I thought! How far to the
top? Really? But I’ve been climbing for ages? Oh no, it’s getting steeper.
I might have to stop and unclip…”
What’s that noise behind? Ah! It’s your fellow riders coming
past and leaving you trailing in their wake as they roll up at a steady speed.
Why didn’t you think of that?
If you’re going to attack to show off your new-found fitness,
make sure you have a chance of making it stick for more than a few second.
10. TRAINING LIKE A PRO
We all have our own reasons for cycling. Whether it’s to keep fit, to commute, or simply because there is no greater feeling that hitting the open road with your pals on a group ride, try and avoid the overkill. You may you have missed a few days riding, but that doesn’t mean doubling up the missed hours for the ultimate session. You’ll end up damaging your body, and only adding reasons to avoid the bike again for a while.
You need to find a middle ground between too much and too little intensity. If most of your training time is spent cruising, mix it up with a weekly group ride for some high intensity. And add variety into your rides by sprinting for signs or other landmarks. Recovery is the key to adaptation and increased fitness, but the pros are not your best role models.
Solution: Take
recovery days, but realize they don’t have to be on the bike. Spend the day
doing yard work or catching-up with family instead of fretting over your heart
rate.
11. LEAVING THE HOUSE WITHOUT SPARES
When heading off on a ride you need to ensure that you’ve packed a
few essential spares and tools that could get you home
should you have a problem.
If
you’re one of those cyclists who leaves the house without a cycling bag, laden
with the all important spares, you’re on borrowed time until the inevitable
happens, and you’re stuck on the road with no way of getting anywhere.
You don’t need much to get yourself out of
mechanical trouble on the road, but without the bare minimum you’re walking if
some things go wrong. The absolute essentials are a couple of spare tubes, a
pump and tyre levers, all of which will get you out of the most common problem,
a flat tyre. Add a multi-tool and you’ll be able to tighten most things that
might come loose as you ride.
Solution: Spares which we
think you’d be silly to leave without are the following:
- inner tube(s)
- a mini bike pump
- tyre levers
- a mini tool kit
12. NOT USING SUN CREAM
Even if it’s cloudy there can be plenty of ultra-violet getting through to damage your skin. With the breeze on your skin you won’t feel yourself burning until it’s far too late, and it’s easy to be out on the bike for long enough to get very badly burned.
The answer is sun cream with a Sun
Protection Factor of at least 30, and preferably 50. Apply it liberally 20
minutes before a ride to give it time to key to your skin and top it up ever
couple of hours as sweat can wash it off. Make sure you get plenty on areas
that are more exposed than usual, like the back of your neck, the tops of your
knees and so on.
13. POOR BIKE MAINTENANCE
Again, this is basic info but of importance both from a convenience point of view and from a safety perspective. Get into the habit of regularly checking your bike and keeping it maintained, especially if you don’t want the embarrassment of having to be rescued from the roadside. Pay particular attention to the brakes, gears, handlebars and tyres and regularly clean and lubricate the chain. It makes sense to get your bike serviced at regular intervals, especially if you are unsure or in doubt regarding a more complex part of the bike. The best advice is not to chance it.
Most shops offer a free service 30 days
after you buy the bike. This gives the shop a chance to make sure the gears and
brakes are working properly after the cables have had a chance to bed in, and
to check the wheels are true.
A surprising number of people don’t take
their bikes in for this free check, though. That’s a shame because as well as
the useful mechanical check, it's a great chance to chat with your bike shop
folks and get answers to any cycling questions that might be bugging you.
You
might not even be aware that your bike is not being maintained properly, but
chances are if you bought your bike online, or you had to assemble the bike
yourself, the bike isn’t as well-tuned as it could be. Poor bike tuning
can result in back pain, aching knees and saddle sores if ridden too long,
not to mention the fact it’s bad for the bike.
Check
if you are entitled to a free bike maintenance check-up as part of
the warranty when the bike was bought. Alternatively, visit your local
bike shop for a professional tune-up.
Following having your bike professionally
looked at, you can do regular maintenance checks on your bike each month at
home.
CONCLUSION:
For a beginner cyclist, there's a lot to learn before
you get on the bike and head out for a ride. While the act of cycling is
simple, the more distance you try to cover, the more complicated and dangerous your
ride can get. Whether you're unsure of what you should bring on a long
ride or how you should take a corner when heading uphill, we've got you
covered. Follow these 13 tips to avoid common cycling mistakes so you can be
safer.
Which
of these common mistakes did you make as a beginner while cycling?? Did you encounter
any other rookie errors? Tell us about them in the comments.
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