Newsletter Issue No. 1114
March 28, 2024
5 Mechanical Solutions For Heels That Hit The Crankarms
Jim’s Tech Talk
By Jim Langley
Last week’s RBR featured a question from a roadie named Jeremy P. who wanted solutions for a heel hitting his crankarm. This is a fairly common problem. So I wanted to offer five possible mechanical ways to deal with it. And if I knew more about the issue I could maybe offer a couple of others. But these four often solve the problem in my experience fitting riders. Read more.
Bed Rotting Is Bad ‘Cycology’
By Kevin Kolodziejski
Here’s a surefire way to make your head ache as if you’re in the midst of a pulsating migraine that’s triggered a good deal of nausea and a little bit of vomiting. Write anything or attempt to write anything that’s complete, comprehensive, exhaustive. Read more.
Lumos Ultra Fly Pro Helmet – Quick Review
By Sheri Rosenbaum
In early March, Lumos launched the Ultra Fly Pro road helmet, available with and without MIPS. Bilal, Head of Product at Lumos, explains, “We’ve taken our proven active safety technology from the commuter segment and adapted it to meet the specific needs and performance criteria of road cyclists.” Read more.
SPY+ Czar Sunglasses Review
By Rick Schultz
I’m a little partial to SPY+ (now a Bolle brand) for several reasons. (1) I previously owned a pair of high-end Oakley polarized cycling glasses and before the year was up, the outer layer of the lenses started peeling away. I took a trip to Oakley US Headquarters (only 20 miles away) to return/exchange them under warranty. Well, as the saying goes, a warranty is only good until the product breaks. Oakley denied the warranty, never stating why – well… Read more.
ButtonHole Chamois Cream – Quick Review
By Sheri Rosenbaum
I usually avoid reviewing chamois cream because it is much like reviewing saddles ― it’s very personal. Like saddles, one brand might work great for one person but not so well for another. While roaming the aisle at CABDA in February, I came across some bike industry friends, Leah Sanda and Rob Curtis, working at the ButtonHole booth. I’ve known them for several years through their custom wheel-building company, Psimet. However, I didn’t realize Psimet is the parent company of ButtonHole. Read more.
Why is my bike saddle so uncomfortable?
QUESTION: Why is my bike saddle so uncomfortable? I bought a new bike almost a year ago, and the saddle is so uncomfortable that I can barely stand to ride it. I’m about ready to give up on cycling. Any advice? —R.C.
RBR’S STAN PURDUM REPLIES: New bikes have to come with a saddle, but because of the uniqueness of each person’s sit-down area, no generic saddle works for everyone. However, there are at least three things you can do to improve bike saddle comfort. Read more.
Eating Carbohydrates Before Lifting Weights Can Help You Lift Heavier Weights
By Gabe Mirkin, M.D.
It is well known that taking carbohydrates before and during endurance exercise helps to increase both speed and endurance. It is not as well known that taking carbohydrates before and during resistance training for strength can increase intensity and duration of workouts. A review of 21 randomized controlled studies that included 226 young adults (ages 20-30, 95 percent men and five percent women) found that taking carbohydrates before or during lifting weights increased training volume, and caused higher peak blood lactic acid and sugar levels (Sports Med, Nov 2022;52(11):2691-2712). These are indirect measures of the intensity of workouts. Read more.
Question of the Week
Do you ride a specific saddle you bought separately, or just what came on your bike?
Other Cool Things to Read
Canadian Cycling: B.C. cyclist in critical condition after contracting flesh-eating disease from saddle sore
Mirror.co.uk: Cyclists fought cougar with ‘bare hands’ for almost an hour to save friend
Cycling Weekly: ‘Cycling saved my life – and I’m fitter at 55 than I was at 25’
WRBC: British runner becomes first woman to finish grueling Barkley Marathons race
GCN: How to repair a punctured TPU inner tube
Most Clicked Last Week
End Notes
