What’s the best clip-less system for road bikes?

Wow, this is definitely a great question for any cyclist to answer. I have been riding for some years now, transferring from MTB to Road Biking. The shift was good and at the time I was really focused on just getting a decent bike that would last and get me out on the road. So I spent more focus on getting a bike, and components that would last me longer than rather spicing up my gear closet. I carried over my Sidi MTB shoes and actually swapped out my MTB Crank Brother cleats onto my new Road Bike. I have been riding this setup for some time now and to be honest I can’t complain. It becomes very convenient when I need to walk some distance due to a bike malfunction, but can be challenging to un-clip.

Now the market today gives a lot of systems for the cycling consumer to choose from, but what have been dominant throughout the cycling community are the SpeedPlay clips. I have only played with them in my local shop, but lots of rumors and comments have stated that this pedal system is a much “forgiven” one, leaning more towards a convenience for the rider. They offer great float is one is looking for this, while maintaining a light, and easy to get in and out of function. If your racing, these pedals work wonders on turns due to a high clearance. The SpeedPlay system is very comfortable for the rider, by offering a low “hot spot” ratio within the knee. Many manufacturers are making cleats very compatible to this system, which becomes another convenience factor for the rider. Having the capability to walk into any local bike shop and find a tool or part for your clip-less system is only a bikers dream.

Another brand that is growing among cyclists is Look. This clip-less pedal system is somewhat comparable to the SpeedPlay setup, by offering great easy in and out functions. This is always an important factor to the daily cyclists because why do you want to be out on your group rides always fighting at each stop light. Trying to get out and back in your cleat constantly can be very irritating and cause you to trail the group. Look has grown just like the SPD within the cycling community, due to its convenient availability at local shops, and reduction of hot spots within the heel.

It really comes down to what works for you. If you like a tighter more locked in ride then look maybe at some Crank Brothers systems or Shimano. Both great brands that offer quality material, but at times can be a little challenging to deal with on a weekend ride with the pals.

Good luck and please let us know what setup you ride…!

EighthInch.com: Newest Fixie Bike Site on the Web

In today’s society we see the population of fixed gear biking spreading all over the World. The sport of cycling was made so popular by Lance Armstrong, that in almost every household today you will come across some sort of bike. Fixie also know as Fixed Gear, is the new revolution to biking. As much of a sport this is, it also has become in a sense a trend, throughout all major cities, as youngsters in their mid 20’s discover new ends to a beginning.

Myself just getting into the sport of fixed gear bikes, is learning a lot. I came across this site called EighthInch.com and thought it would be very nice to share with my cycling community. It has great deals on frame sets, at an affordable price.

Riding Fixie is a statement and shedding your true colors is basically what your bike does for you. It expresses your inner spirit and passion toward life. People go to far extremes building and tuning their fixed gear bikes up, which in a nut shell describe who that person really is. Taste, Color, and Design is how I see the Fixed Gear community growing.

Take a look at EightInch.com and let me know what you think…

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.

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