Newsletter Issue No. 843

January 3, 2019

PDF version for Premium Members is here.


7 Keys to Effective Goal Setting

By Coach John Hughes

“If you don’t know where you are going, you’ll end up someplace else.” Yogi Berra.

We often set goals for the year ahead at New Year’s. However, only about 10% of the people who make New Year’s resolutions actually keep them! Here are seven tips on how to get to where you want to go instead of ending up somewhere else. Read more.


Q & A: Can a SRAM PowerLock Chain Link be Reused?

By Jim Langley

Before getting to the technical Q & A, I goofed last week and didn’t show you Bruce Ross’s favorite bike bling saddle. It’s this tri-color masterpiece by Busyman Bicycles. Nice, huh?

Now, to get on with the show, an important question (read to the end to find out why it’s important) came in from retired RoadBikeRider founder and Team RAAM record holder, Ed Pavelka. Since he handed over the RBR reins almost exactly eight years ago, Ed, now 72, moved south and still rides lots, averaging 12,000 miles a year. “It’s more fun during Florida’s winters than in its long hot summers,” he notes.

Ed’s Important Question: Ed wrote, “I have a question that you may have already covered for RBR or perhaps somewhere on your website. It’s about SRAM PowerLinks.” Read more.


Start 2019 Out the Right Way With Help from Coach Hughes

The 71-page two-part bundle Your Best Season Ever will help you set and achieve your goals in 2019:

Your Best Season Ever, Part 1: How to plan and get the most out of your training explains how to set appropriate goals for you. I then show you how to assess your individual strengths and weakness and set appropriate personal objectives. You then use this information to build a plan including personal training volumes for different seasons and months. Based on this plan I explain how to create your personal workouts.

Learn more.


Bontrager inForm BioDynamic Insoles Review

By Sheri Rosenbaum

I have flat feet and wear custom orthotics and transfer them from shoe to shoe, including cycling shoes. It’s a pain. Then in 2017, Bontrager came out with cycling-specific inform BioDynamic Insoles. I bought my first pair weeks after they hit the stores and have bought additional pairs since. Yep, I’m lazy. It’s easier to have multiple pairs, than to move them from one cycling shoe to the next. Read more.


Did You Miss Any of These Top 5 Most Popular Newsletter Articles in 2018?

Everything You Think You Know About Bike Tire Pressure is Probably Wrong

How to Fix a Flat Tire the Fast Way

RBR Reader Picks: Most Comfortable Bike Saddles

The Safe Way to Park a Bike Against a Pole

Heat Tolerance and Aging


Complete List of Sports Energy Drink Brands for Endurance Sports

If you spend a lot of hours on the bike, you might be looking for new sports energy drink ideas to consume on longer events so that you can stay hydrated and fueled. Some athletes swear by a single brand and stick with it or make their own mixes, while others are still searching for the right energy drink that provides enough calories and electrolytes and doesn’t cause gastrointestinal distress. We’ve compiled this list of energy drink brands so you can find the best energy drink to bring along on your next long ride, run or other endurance event. Did we miss any of your favorites? Read more.


Question of the Week

Do you have any specific cycling goals that you hope to accomplish in 2019?

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