Newsletter Issue No. 827

September 13, 2018

PDF version for Premium Members is here.


Ask the Coach: Should I Ride More Miles? Part 2

By Coach John Hughes

Last week I described the case of my client Walt. Walt is an experienced ultra athlete and is training for a 500-mile race in October, longer than he’s ever ridden. Although you probably aren’t a long-distance rider you can learn from Walt’s experience. Read more.


Beginner’s Guide to Clipless Pedals, Part 1

By Jim Langley

Pickleball, Spartan Racing, Ping-Pong – regardless of what new sport you’re trying to get up to speed on, it can be difficult to find enough helpful information for beginners. So, every now and then I like to put my rookie glasses on and look at some aspect of what people just getting into road cycling deal with. This week’s Tech Talk and next’s will cover road bike pedals, which to a lot of new bike shoppers are one of the first mysteries of road bicycles. Read more.


Oakley ARO 3 Helmet Review

By John Marsh

Long known primarily for its ground-breaking sunglasses, Oakley introduced its first helmet line to the world at last year’s Interbike. The ARO line includes three different models, dubbed the 3, 5 and 7. Right out of the gate Oakley has managed to produce helmets that tick off just about every possible well-thought-out feature imaginable in a helmet, and at price points that slot in well below many other major helmet makers for higher end helmets. Read more.


Learn More From Coach Hughes

This bundle will keep you riding strong by helping you learn to prevent or handle common ailments that can otherwise cause you to drop out on an important ride. Avoid the dreaded DNF (did not finish).

Learn the different causes of saddle sores, numb hands and hot foot, what to do to prevent these and how to treat each if necessary. Find out how to avoid cramps, and what to eat on a ride to stay fueled. And you’ll also learn the mental skills to deal with problems when they do occur.

Learn more.


Bontrager Flare RT Rear Bike Light Review

By Sheri Rosenbaum

I’ve been using Bontrager’s Flare R since it launched about 3 years ago and purchased the Flare RT back in May. Recently, Bontrager came out with a new and improved version of this rear light and they included it in my swag bag at the Trek Women’s Advocate summit. So I was able to compare 3 generations of the light. Read more.


2019 LIMAR Superlight+ Road Cycling Helmet Celeste

By Rick Schultz
Unpacking the helmet from the box, the first thing I noticed was the bug net which protected all of the front facing vents. I’ve noticed that several other manufacturers including Rudy Projects, BRIKO and CASCO, are also making helmets with bug nets. This is a fantastic idea and I don’t know why more manufacturers haven’t picked up on this yet? Read more.


Question of the Week

Lots of interest last week in the top safety-rated helmets article, which leads to this week’s question. What’s most important to you when you choose a bicycle helmet?

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One Comment

  1. I recently bought a new helmet partly due to all of the information about the new helmets and the new helmet designs. Now that I have my new helmet I am questioning if I should be attaching anything to my helmet. Specifically a head light. Helmet mounted cameras would also be a concern.. Would anything attached to the helmet degrade it’s safety?
    For the past couple of years I have been using a camping type light designed to be worn on the head held on by a strap. I put the strap around my helmet with the light in front which works pretty well giving good light aimed where I am looking. I have been riding with just a bar mounted light but I miss having my other light so I have tried putting the light on my head as designed but I am not sure if I want such a thing in the middle of my forehead in the event of a crash.

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