There are more than five tips for becoming a better cyclist but once you master these five, you will be good to go. Many people think that cycling is as simple as hopping on the saddle and hitting the pedals hard. Nothing could be further from the truth. Just as you would need to prepare well when driving, so it is with cycling. You have to keep a cool head and all.
Here goes the five tips:
Know How To Build Your Pace
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This is very important especially for beginners. When you know how to build your pace, you cannot burn yourself out. If you are very new, you should start off with the easy roads, the paved roads and so on. Ride for a given time every day. Your body will feel sore in certain places and almost all of your muscles will ache. However, as you get used to the motion, you will start feeling better. Then you can start increasing the distance of your cycling, making it longer and longer. Later on, you can even change the trails and try some hills for more pumping. To build your confidence on the bike, use it as often as possible, cycling to work instead of taking your car and riding in groups whenever you can, or with your family. If you need a multi-purpose bike, you should consider having one of the best hybrid commuter bikes for yourself.
Change Your Positions Constantly
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Keep checking for the best positions for your neck, arms, and legs when cycling. Staying stiffly glued to one position can be tough on your muscles and you can be sure you do not want that to happen. Keep changing your grip positions on the handlebars so that your palms and wrists do not feel cramped up. Because there will bump and rocky sections on the road or trail, relax as much as possible, keeping your hands and elbows loose so that they can absorb these bumps easily.
Know-How To Use The Gear
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Riding in high gear is very tiring all the time and it makes your knees feel as if they want to pop out of your sockets. You need to lower the pressure on the knees by using a lower gear as much as possible. When you ride your bike in the lower gears, what happens is that you pedal more, which is good for your calves, knees, and for your exercise. From experts, we learn that the best place for any cyclist is about 60 to 80 revolutions per minute unless you are racing, in which case you would be on a bicycle made for racing. If you want to cruise in beautiful long beaches on your bike, you may want to have the best beach cruiser bike accessories for a better riding experience.
Know-How You Can Avoid Soreness In Your Muscles
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Coasting after pedaling crazily up a steep hill is very enjoyable, but this is just not right and if you are not careful, it could render you incapable of riding the following day. What happens is that when you are going uphill and pedaling so hard, less oxygen gets to your muscles to burn glucose for energy, thereby leading to the buildup of lactic acid, which is notorious for causing sore muscles. When you are on your bicycle, make sure you pedal continuously so that you can prevent the formation of lactic acid. However, if you feel tired, you can make the pedaling easier on yourself by pedaling slowly and lightly down the slope.
Gear Up For The Ride
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Head trauma is real, and so are other injuries resulting from bike falls. Wrists have been broken, so have fingers, and knees have swollen up many times. However, the reason for all this is that most people do not gear up when going out on their bikes. Get your helmet in order, get the right bike (in matters of size and terrain you will be riding), and unless you are an extreme cyclist, buy a hybrid bike which is much more comfortable.
If you can, get a smart bike helmet, which has been designed to monitor your heart rate, the calories you have burned, records the distance that you have traveled, and so on. All these data will be important when you do decide to do a long-distance cycling tour.
Gloves, sunglasses, and kneepads are some of the other things you need to have. Do carry enough water too. You will need it!
