Newsletter Issue No. 1009

March 24, 2022

Ride Like a Pro This Spring

By Coach John Hughes

March is our heaviest snow month in Boulder, Colorado, where I live, but spring is finally here and the days are getting up into the 60s! Many pros live here. The top pros are in Europe training or racing, while the domestic pros are getting ready for the domestic season ahead. When I’m riding with my buddy, we play a game “Spot the Pro.” We look for these signs: Read more.


Looking for Ideas to Fix Kenneth’s “Chamois Shift” 

By Jim Langley

An interesting question arrived at RoadBikeRider’s headquarters recently. It was from a roadie named Kenneth who has a problem I haven’t encountered. Here’s the email thread we had, which includes what I thought he should try. Read more.


Garneau’s New Klondike M4 Winter Riding Boots Quick Review

By Sheri Rosenbaum

Tomorrow is the vernal (aka spring) equinox marking the beginning of spring, but outside my window, it’s sleeting. There’s still snow on the ground in the north, and the fat bikers are riding. As I wrap up the last few cold-weather riding gear reviews, I would be remised not to include Garneau’s new Klondike M4 winter boot. Read more.


Craft Cadence Pannier Backpack Convertible Review

By Stan Purdum

I’ve seldom found products that claim to work for two competing functions fully suitable for either one. The Craft Cadence’s Pannier Backpack Convertible, however, which is both a pannier and a backpack, gets high marks for both uses.

Craft Cadence is a UK company that promises delivery of their products within 5-9 working days anywhere in the world. They also give 1% of the order value of each sale to nonprofits that work to “make the world a little better.” Read more.


Spring Training: 10 Weeks to Summer Fitness

Spring Training, by Coach John Hughes, explains all about how to train smart this spring and includes four different focused 10-week programs for riders with different goals: health and fitness riders, recreational riders, fast club riders and endurance riders. Each 10-week program is in two 5-week blocks so that you can tailor a program to your available time.

Learn more.


Quick Tip: Choosing a Sports Drink

You check any cycling site or catalog and find half a dozen brands of sports drink. Same thing when you visit a nearby bike shop or nutrition store. It’s a bewildering assortment that isn’t helped by the various performance claims of the manufacturers. Which drink should you choose? Read more.


Question of the Week

Do you use a dropper post on any bike (including mountain bike)?

Cool Stuff to Read

VeloNews: Dropper post was Matej Mohorič’s secret weapon on winning Poggio descent
Rene Herse: Rene Herse has a new pressure calculator for its tires
Canadian Cycling: How to catch back on in a race if you get dropped
Bicycle Retailer: Here’s how retailers can help the US switch from cars to bikes

End Note

Similar Posts

  • Newsletter Issue No. 874

    August 8, 2019 PDF version for Premium Members is here. I’m 70! Yikes!!! Lessons from my Journey Through Life By Coach John Hughes Chronological aging is unavoidable; however, you can chose how you live the journey. I was born in 1949. Starting when I was 30 each decade I chose a significant cycling event. Read…

  • Newsletter Issue No. 871

    July 18, 2019 PDF version for Premium Members is here. 20 Tips for Your First Century By Coach John Hughes For many cyclists riding a 100K or 100 miles is the classic achievement, something you focus on, train for and worry about for months. Although you’ve trained hard and think you’re ready, you may also…

  • Newsletter Issue No. 877

    August 29, 2019 PDF version for Premium Members is here. Cycling in the Heat 101 By Coach John Hughes The human engine is very inefficient.  Only about 20 – 40% of the calories you burn move you down the road.  The other 60 – 80% generate heat, which must be dissipated. This is why you…

  • Newsletter Issue No. 909 b

    Here’s another in-between issue of the newsletter. The temperatures in Dallas yesterday dropped from the 70s in the afternoon to around 40 degrees this morning with a high in the 50s, so I had to get back out my winter weather gear for this morning’s ride. Hope you’ve got good weather and the ability to…

  • Newsletter Issue No. 1232

    July 9, 2026 Tech Q & A: Bert’s Daughter’s E-bike Chain Drop Problem Jim’s Tech Talk By Jim Langley Unfortunately, last week’s article 7 Basic Chain Drop Solutions for 1X Drivetrains, which provided multiple solutions for fixing bikes with chains that fall off on single-chainring drivetrains, didn’t help a reader named Bert.  Here’s his follow-up…