Road Cycling Essentials

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If you're watching weight, or exercising to lose weight, you've got to be careful of the usual schoolboy error- carbing up the day before, then doing a 3000 calorie ride and then thinking you've got 3000 extra calories to play with over and above your daily requirement. You've got to account for what you eat beforehand too.

And don't always go by recommended daily requirements either, everyone's metabolism is different. Try and determine your own.
 
I find keeping hydrated far more difficult on long rides; when I cycled to Brighton last month I had 2.5l of water and 1l of lucozade, and I arrived with a massive headache. Admittedly it was a warm, sunny day which didn't help. I had only eaten an energy gel and two cereal bars and wasn't even slightly hungry when I arrived. I think CGrieves is right; you have to fine tune your food intake as you go along, as everybody is different. If you're getting home from a ride and feeling ruined, you probably need to up the calories.
 
janesssssy said:
I dont know wheather my question got lost in this thread, but how much do normal people eat whilst riding. Is there a percentage of Cals you need to consume or just as and when you feel like it?
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I try and eat before I think I'm going to feel hungry if that makes any sense :p I tend to take any combination of flapjack/fig rolls/malt loaf with me and just grab some out of my jersey pockets every 30-40min. Never really thought about how much I eat in terms of kcal, I just make sure it's little and often.

I think in the course of the Norwich 100 I ate 2 bananas, a pack of fig rolls and a cereal bar and felt pretty fresh at the end, depends how hard I'm pushing.
 
Russinating said:
Should I be packing in the carbs with 9 days to go before I go on a 7-day tour? If not when should I start piling it in?
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Nah, everyone is different, but I think that'd be excessive. I seem to remember the ideal method is to cut back on carbs a week before, then begin loading a few days before.

Personally I'd load the day before, then keep eating throughout the holiday- as Phil mentioned above, little and often is the way to go when you're out and about. I find if I start feeling peckish during a long ride, I've left if too late and have to endure a bit of a dip.

Oh, and remember, beer has lots of carbs, and cycling is an excellent hangover remedy :)
 
hi guys

need help picking a bike. i'm thinking of using the cycle to work scheme and was looking at a cube attempt. i will be cycling on road and likely to be less than 50 miles. is there really any point in going up to a carbon frame bike (such as a dolan mythos or orbea onix)

and can anyone explain this 'fair market value' settlement fee for the cycleschemes? who determines this price?
 
Hot tip about presta valves: if you're finding that they're deflating a bit too quickly (e.g. from 110 psi to 65 psi inside a week), make sure:

- That the valve nuts are done up as tight as you can do them with your fingers.
- That you don't overtighten the valve caps.
 
willems said:
and can anyone explain this 'fair market value' settlement fee for the cycleschemes? who determines this price?
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It's determined by HMRC as a percentage of the original purchase price.

Go and try some bikes out. A difference in top tube or head tube of 1cm is the difference between enjoying riding a bike and hating it.
 
willems said:
hi guys

need help picking a bike. i'm thinking of using the cycle to work scheme and was looking at a cube attempt. i will be cycling on road and likely to be less than 50 miles. is there really any point in going up to a carbon frame bike (such as a dolan mythos or orbea onix)

and can anyone explain this 'fair market value' settlement fee for the cycleschemes? who determines this price?
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I have the Onix and it's a lovely bike. Carbon is quite good if you have crap roads in your area, helps soak up some of the impact.

Depends on how 'into' cycling you're going to be. I got the Onix with the sole intention of commuting faster than my MTB but I probably do 200-250 miles a week, plus sportives and considering starting to race next year. I'm glad I paid the extra for the Onix over say the Aqua but as I say, depends on your situation.

I know several people who cycle just as much as me, if not more, who ride the Attempt. It's a nice bike.
 
thanks for the replies

i used to cycle in my teens but then discovered alcohol. getting back in to it again. do you guys have a winter bike so to speak with mudguards?
 
willems said:
thanks for the replies

i used to cycle in my teens but then discovered alcohol. getting back in to it again. do you guys have a winter bike so to speak with mudguards?
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I don't like fitted mudguards, mainly because I don't like the look, but I've got a crud catcher that I clip on the seat post if it's really hammering down. In the age of chunky downtubes I've found that I don't get much spray off the front tyre so I don't bother with anything at the front. I try and keep an eye on the condition of the cables though if they're copping a load of dirty spray.

I do tend to ride my flat-barred road hybrid in the winter though, no real reason other than it's slightly easier to clean.

The nice thing about cycling lots is that you can justify booze- it's all carbs innit?!
 
I've got Crud RoadRacer 2 plastic guards for the summer bike (which I must get round to fitting) and the winter bike has full length aluminium guards (which I must get round to fitting).
 
I have SKS Raceblades on my main bike despite it having braze-ons for full guards. The intention was to remove them when there's no risk of rain, but I've been too lazy to do so. The bike has a rack on it now, so I've removed the back guard as it kept slipping down onto the back wheel and the rack keeps me from getting wet anyway. The front guard has been helpful in preventing filthy spray off the road coating my feet and bottom bracket, but they're not as good as full guards. They're also pretty expensive, too, but if your bike is carbon then you don't have much choice (other than RoadRacers, which won't work on my bike).
 
Vegeta said:
Any recommendations for a Hybrid bike a mudguard?
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I can't tell if you're asking for recommendations for mudguards for a hybrid, or a hybrid with mudguards.

Anyway, a question to those of you who have done 100+ mile rides; how do you avoid bonking after 6 or so hours in the saddle? Is it simply a case of getting the carbs and water in regular intervals after you set off? Is it better to load up with a big meal beforehand? I find that I get stomach pain if I try to eat anything too bulky while cycling, though gels seem to be fine.
 
Saundie said:
Anyway, a question to those of you who have done 100+ mile rides; how do you avoid bonking after 6 or so hours in the saddle? Is it simply a case of getting the carbs and water in regular intervals after you set off? Is it better to load up with a big meal beforehand? I find that I get stomach pain if I try to eat anything too bulky while cycling, though gels seem to be fine.
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For my first impromptu/casual 100 miler I just had a decent breakfast, drank plenty of water throughout and had a fairly calorific lunch stop-off (read cheese burger). My stomach was fine after and gave me the energy I needed for the final 30-40 miles but everyone's different. I don't get on well with gels and chocolate bars as it makes me feel nauseous/bloated.
 
Jonny69 said:
Dunno then. I sort of pictured they had some kind of ski boot style clip over the top that could pop open, but since it's velcro it does seem to make no sense.
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They are reversed like that so that when you jump on and the strap is un-velcro'd so to speak, it doesn't get caught in the chain as you start pedalling.
 
Saundie said:
Anyway, a question to those of you who have done 100+ mile rides; how do you avoid bonking after 6 or so hours in the saddle? Is it simply a case of getting the carbs and water in regular intervals after you set off? Is it better to load up with a big meal beforehand? I find that I get stomach pain if I try to eat anything too bulky while cycling, though gels seem to be fine.
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Jelly Babies ;)
I normally have scrambled eggs or something for breakfast. On the ride I take a bag of JBs, a couple of Gels and some High5 drink in addition to my water. That normally sees me through. If I'm feeling peckish I'll take a pasty with me for mid-ride smashing.
 
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