Newsletter Issue No. 868
June 27, 2019
PDF version for Premium Members is here.
14 Ways for Big Riders to Improve
by Coach John Hughes
Despite being a big rider in the peloton, “Miguelón” or “Big Mig,” won the Tour de France from 1991 through 1995, the only five-time winner to achieve those victories consecutively. He won the Giro d’Italia twice, one of seven racers to achieve the Giro-Tour double in the same season. Miguel Induráin was 6 ft. 2 in. tall and his racing weight was 80 kg (176 lb.)
Compared to the peloton he was a big man and you may also be big compared to your buddies. How can you ride well like Big Mig? Read more.
Follow-Up on Wolf Tooth’s Amazing New Tool and Head Badges
by Jim Langley
Thank you for the thoughtful comments and questions about last week’s product review on Wolf Tooth’s revolutionary derailleur hanger alignment tool. In case you’ve been out riding and missed it, here’s a link to catch up: Wolf Tooth Components Pack Hanger Alignment Tool Review.
In my eagerness to get the word out that a better tool is finally available for aligning derailleur hangers on frames, I may not have explained clearly enough why Wolf Tooth’s new tool is better. Read more.
Short Intervals are Best
by Gabe Mirkin, M.D.
Interval training means that you alternate bursts of intense exercise with slow exercise until you feel tired. Short intervals are defined as lasting less than 30 seconds each, while long intervals usually last more than two minutes each. The most efficient, time-saving and health-benefiting way to exercise is to use short intervals (Scan J Med & Sci in Sports, Jan 2014). Read more.
Quick Tip: Hold Your Chain with the Park Tool DH-1 Dummy Hub
by Sheri Rosenbaum
Ever wonder what to do with your chain when you remove the rear wheel to clean your bike? I discovered the Dummy Hub from Park Tool. For only $19.95 MSRP, this little tool slides into the rear drop outs to replace the rear wheel. It works on both open dropouts and thru-axle frames up to 12mm. I have bikes with both types of frames and this one tool works on both. Read more.
Your Best Season Ever
Coach John Hughes, drawing on his 20 years of coaching experience in Your Best Season Ever, explains how to use current training science to plan and reach your goals. Coach John Hughes teaches you how to develop a personalized plan based on your goals, how to train effectively and then how to create your own workouts. Learn how to peak for and ride specific events. He uses several examples from which you can develop your own plan to peak for and ride your personal event. The examples are a challenging club ride, a 100K, a hill climb or time trial and a century. Learn more.
15 Tips for Beginner Road Cyclists
by Jim Langley
Road cycling is one of the most technical sports anyone can try to take up. So, this week, I offer 15 tips that should help bicycling newbies. If you’re an experienced roadie, feel free to skip the tips. But do me a favor and please leave a comment and add good tips that I’ve missed to help our new friends get started right. Read more.
Bee Stings, and How to Deal With Them
by John Marsh
As I chatted with my buddy J.C. on a recent ride, I felt the telltale pinpoint sharp pain on the front of my left ankle. Even though I had not seen it, I knew immediately what had just happened — bee sting. Read more.
Bar Fly 4 Road Max and MTB/CX Mounts Review
by Sheri Rosenbaum
I stopped by the Bar Fly booth at CABDA back in February for a walkthrough of their product line. Two bar mounts stood out as something of interest to RBR readers. They were the Bar Fly 4 Road Max and Bar Fly 4 MTB bar mounts that provide versatility to accommodate all your handlebar accessories. Read more.
Bicycling Hand Position on Climbs While Standing – Tops or Drops?
Question: I’ve always been told to hold the brake hoods during out-of-saddle climbing. They say this makes it easier to breathe. But I see many pros climbing with their hands on the handlebar drops as if they were sprinting. What made the old advice obsolete? Read more.
Dealing with Sciatica Cycling
Question: I am 71 and live in Ashland, Oregon, and am a passionate “roadie.” Have been riding for quite some time and am quite fit. Any thoughts or suggestions you can make about dealing with mild to moderate sciatica? Any resources you might suggest would be appreciated. Thanks! – Peter O. Read more.
Elite Thru Axle Adapter Review
by Rick Schultz, MBA, DBA
This product is for bike fitters, and also for those who have one or more disc brake bikes that they want to use on a standard trainer. Many trainers use the older style chrome quick release for rim brake bikes, but what do you do when you have several bikes with disc brakes and various thru axles that aren’t all the same? Read more.
Sign Me Up
by Scott Martin
What’s a better cycling experience – road race or organized ride? We finally have the answer to this age-old question, thanks to a weekend when I did one of each on subsequent days. You be the judge. Read more.
Question of the Week
Quick release or thru-axle?
More Cycling Stuff to Read
AutoNews: First bikeshare and now pogo stick share?
Bicycling: Are bike shops too elitist?
Bloomberg: Giant moves manufacturing from China to Taiwan.
NPR: Uncovering The Story Of Cyclist Major Taylor, America’s 1st Black Sports Star. (Hat tip to RBR founder Ed Pavelka who shared this.)
End Notes
Thanks for reading another issue. If you enjoy reading the newsletter each week, consider forwarding it to a fellow roadie with a note and suggest that they sign up too. The weekly RBR newsletter is made possible by the support of our awesome premium members and supporting members. This support allows us to turn off the ads on newsletter articles for everyone for the first three days after each newsletter goes out. We appreciate them, and you should too.