What Headphones to Wear when Cycling?…Or if any!

When I go out on a ride I do like to have some short of tune source with me to pass the time by. But, for you rookies out there who are just getting into the sport of cycling I wouldn’t recommend listening to music off the bat. Get your surroundings first and understand the elements of the road, and the atmosphere around you. Cars come screaming over hills, hugging the center line all the time, so please be careful.

What’s great about my whole setup is that I bring my iPhone 3G with me and use it as a source of tunes and emergency, incase I find my way into trouble. Kind of like a get out of jail free card. My headphones that I bring along the rides are these Green Sony ones that wrap around your ear, and have bud to go deep in for sound. They work magical things and at the same time if the volume level is at a median, I can still focus on the sounds around me.

Depending on what kind of listening source you’re going for, many styles ranging from $20 to $100 can work. I used to use my iPhone White ear buds that came with the phone and they also worked very well, but sometimes popped out of my ear once I had some sweat source on my face. Get something that is going to be snug, and where you won’t have to worry about during your ride. Because the last thing I feel like doing while climbing a hill is fix my headphones, F$*@ that!

There are many brands of ear buds, headphones, and mp3 portable speaker devices on the market today, but without given some a try you will never find what fits you. Think about it, everyone’s head and face structure are shaped different. You can read reviews non-stop all day until you’re satisfied, but ultimately “who knows”! Who knows what fits you the best and what makes you happy. So, again this is a bit of personal preference, but I will say that some brand qualities are no doubt better than others.

Spend the money on clothing gear rather than little dinky accessories…that’s my own opinion.

Can riding a stationary bike give the same results as biking outside?

Going for a bike ride outside or in the gym on a stationary bike, both are very similar to in ways, but are they similar in the way you want them to be? When its comes to cycling, or any cardio activity, the whole idea is to get your heart rate up out of the comfort zone, which will then lead to your fat loss. Now you can bike both inside on a stationary bicycle or outside on your Road Bike, and achieve the same heart rate by monitoring it during your workout.

It’s important to realize that these two types of cycling do also vary in ways. For instance, your at you local gym pedaling away and get your heart rate up to 160, then the next day you go outside on your local trails, and hit 160HR again. Yes, you achieved the same HR during both workouts, causing you to get into your fat loss zone (depending on each individuals HR zones), but different factors came into play on each ride. Inside, you faced the air conditioning, which most definitely held back some sweat. While outside you faced wind conditions, and a deferent level of temperature causing you to work harder. Both exercises were successful, but at the same time you might have been working harder being outside.

If I were to choose between the two, I would go outside and enjoy Mother Nature and really take in the beauty of being alive. Breathe in some fresh air, while maintaining a workout that will so benefits in the end. Go for the most natural environment that your body is used to because it will make your body react, in its most natural state.

Best Cycling shorts for long rides…..!

This is a great question when it comes to those days where its time to tackle those long, curvy hills for about 2-3hrs of pure riding power. You need to look at some factors when deciding on this, which include padding, material, temperature, fit, and Brand.

Lycra a great brand making cycling shorts for sometime now, offering a great short or bib that fits like a beauty with a butt-pad. Another brand that has developed a cycling short with comfort and durability is Royal. They have a great line of Road Bike clothing ranging from socks to bibs, do a Google search and you’ll be impressed with their products. You can also go on Performance.com and see what they have to offer too.

Now if you’re a little more anal, like myself, and kind of are hesitant about ordering online because a picture doesn’t do much justice, then drive over to your local cycle shop, or even sports retailer, like Dicks. Both places will carry very similar products, which can give you a better idea on fitting, padding, and material as you can try on multiple styles. Usually what you’ll notice is that the padded shorts are for more comfortable than non-padded, but to each his own. As you go from a low price short to a higher one you will realize that the brands on the upper level of cycling shorts are a lot better in quality and fit, which might be a solution when investing in a $80 pair of shorts.

Here’s the tricky part. Like I said up above its all about personal fit and the way that short feels on your body when you’re in the saddle. Lycra bibs with very limited padding tend to fit and feel a lot better on longer rides, due to lack of bulkiness and crowdedness in the groin area…if you get the picture. You are going to be sitting for 2-3 hours maybe and after constant pedaling for that time many things can start to develop if restriction comes into play, so just plant that into the back of your head when deciding.

What is the best position for my cycling cleats?

How should I fit my cleats on my Road Bike? This is a repeated question among the cyclist community and can ultimately be answered through your own personal experience of riding. Just like running there are people who ride with overpronation and those who are basically a neutral rider, but because of this you must compensate your riding setup. If you find yourself having trouble with your knees and riding is becoming a strain on your body, then I would try and point your cleats towards the outside of your cleat just a bit. This might relieve any pain or burden on those knee caps, which in the long run will keep you out on the bike for a longer time.

Another important tip to use when fitting your cleats on you Road Bike is the placement of the spindle. Most common cyclist place this spindle directly under the balls of your feet, but again depending on your own ride, personal preference comes into play. What most people will do just to get a ballpark of where there proper setup would be is go and get fitted. Your local bike shop should fit you for your own personal ride position on your bike at a low cost. Then once you get a standard position you can tweak it as your begin to ride more and more and feel different stuff. Now what’s really cool about going to the bike shop especially if you pronate or over-pronate, the shop can put an insert/wedge under your cleat to make your ride more personal.

Thirdly, I would recommend this easy and useful tip to find your cleat and riding position. Get on top of a table and sit on the edge having your feet dangle down. What you will notice is that when you legs hang down your feet are not directly resting parallel, and are more likely to face outward. Now, get on your bike and face your cleats a bit slanted to the outside, but remember depending on what goal your trying to achieve you either want to be on the ball of your foot, for comfort, or a bit forward to gain more power.

Good luck and I hope you find that perfect position for your knees to enjoy the ride.

2009 Tour Down Under!

I try and keep myself up to par with all the headline news following the return of cycling legend, Lance Armstrong, but it just gets too over-whelming at times. One of my favorite bike sites that I continue to read everyday is BikeRadar, and yesterday that had a great article on Lance and the rumor of dollars he will be paid for racing in this Tour Down Under, in the upcoming week. Rumor is stating that Lance was offered up front, as a deposit, $500,000.00 and will be receiving the rest after the race for a total of $1Million. This is incredible that on Lance’s first race back he will be in a sense raising close to $1M, for the awareness of cancer, the ultimate reason why he is back on tour.

Stay tuned for more information on the Tour Down Under, as things will take off next Tuesday in Aussie land. Lets see if Lance has lost anything over the past 3 years of rest. To follow more on this story, click this link to be directed to the source of the article on Bike Radar.

The First Bike RV!

On a little website called Fixbert, I came across probably one of the greatest pictures of all time. The concept is just perfect for those bike enthusiast that are indeed trying to go green. You have your living quarters and transportation all in one spot, what more than that. The only flaw that i can take from this picture is that does it detach from the home itself? The only reason I ask this question is because If you worked in the city and this was your means of transportation, I would hate to park this or try to park this vehicle on the street of a busy city……I know, I know this picture is probably just a concept, but just imagine, it could be the start of something new.

Lance training in Hawaii

It must be nice having the ability to go biking in a warmer climate all year round, and not having to deal with Mother Nature’s winter blend. This is a very timeless picture with the word “Aloha” written in the background and I think it sums up Lance Armstrong as an individual and his career.

It plays on a bit of irony being the meaning from Wikipedia states, “The word aloha derives from the Proto-Polynesian root *alofa. It has descendants in other Polynesian languages, such as the Māori word aroha, also meaning “love.” A folk etymology claims that it derives from a compound of the Hawaiian words alo meaning “presence”, “front”, “face”, or “share”; and ha, meaning “breath of life” or “essence of life.” Although alo does indeed mean “presence” etc., the word for breath is spelled with a macron or kāhako over the a (hā) whereas the word aloha does not have a long a.”

Love for the sport is what has truly driven Lance to become the mythological figure that he has molded into, while holding record after record in the cycling world. Lance Armstrong is indeed the face of this sport and has ultimately changed it for the better. A couple months ago he brought himself back into this world of cycling out of desire, love, passion to ultimately express his fight with cancer have that one last “breath of life”

ALOHA!!!

How to Fight the Cold Weather: Think Smart!

Over the weekend I decided to finally grow a set and go outside and explore my surroundings, taking in Mother Nature’s beauty, and take a little run. My bike being in the shop, getting its new iBike computer installed, I had to find another solution to staying active. I have been training inside for the most part when I want to run being that the treadmill is very convenient to do my “intervals” on, but this time I was destined to explore.

Living in Pennsylvania about a half an hour outside of Philadelphia, we do get some cold climate conditions as the winter progresses. Nothing compared to those out in Colorado or New England, but still a bit chilly at times. I made sure that when I went outside on Saturday my skin was almost fully covered from any type of wind that was possible. I put a snow hat on, my tights, some smart wool long sleeves and gloves with a Therma hoody. It’s important to wear some kind of glove when out in cold conditions, being that the temperature of your body escapes through your finger-tips very easily. As, my run come to an end I would have to say that with the morning snow fall, it was one of the most peaceful times that I have ever experienced. I decided for the first time to not take my Nano with me and listen to no music, it was a good choice.

If your looking for some “head-up” winter tips in preparing the stay warm and healthy, take a look at this article from www.commutebybike.com , and dig deeper to find some inside secrets from personal experiences. If, it comes down to trying to decide if you should go outside for a workout, whether it be running, riding, snowboarding, skiing or any other outdoor activity, dress warm and smart and you’ll appreciate your workout much better and not fear those winter advisories.

Looking for that perfect cycling Log…?

The New Year has landed and what better way to kick it off then with a fresh start in your daily riding routine. I know, I know the weather isn’t at its finest in some areas of the world, but for those of you who show no pain in a little winter hazard check out this great “cycling log” that was put together by a user on cyclingforums.com, name GuyGadois. Its a perfect fit for that cycling enthusiast who lives a busy lifestyle and finds trouble seeking time to develop a log for his/her daily rides. For more information click here, and download the free version. If you begin to like this log so much you can even update to the more advanced spreadsheet, at a low cost.

I actually just downloaded this for the first time today since I found it today. It has basically everything you need, plus, in the free version. Whats great is that as you become more familiar with the spreadsheet (excel) you can modify it for you own personal skills and needs. Have a look…its pretty sweet.

Have trouble staying focused on your weekly regimen, fear no longer because this cycling log is the perfect fit for the busiest individual to follow. What more could you ask for than the ability to update your mileage, maintenance visits, individual goals all at your fingertips. See some screenshots at this link and tell me if it doesn’t motivate you!

Riding in a Flood!

After looking at this photo and taking in all the scenery I began to think to myself for a little. This gentlemen must either be commuting home from work or the local school. Why do i say this? Because you have 2 younger kids on bikes as well in the background with their school bags on, and behind them two older individuals that could be some sort of guardian picking them up from school. Now, this man on the bike, marching through the flood waters is either part of the school’s administration or has cut out of work early so he doesn’t miss his wife’s home cooked meal. Dedication, determination, and desire is what this young man portrays and because of that he has earned our “Pic of the Day”.

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