Newsletter Issue No. 835
November 8, 2018
PDF version for Premium Members is here.
A Clean Bike Makes a Happy Bike
by Jim Langley
I fully know and appreciate the advantages of a clean bicycle. Riding a spanking-clean bicycle actually makes me happier. But my Litespeed is the workhorse that I log all my training on. When a race or event comes along, I ride another bike that stays in near-perfect condition. Having two bikes like this has made me lazy with my Litespeed. Read more.
Cycling in your 60s: Activities in the Fall
by Coach John Hughes
Here in Colorado changing from daylight savings to standard time means it’s time toput the snow tires on the car, start chopping wood, dig out my thermal tights and wool jersey, and put on wider bike tires with good tread. It’s also time to change my activities. How should your activities change this fall? Read more.
Cycling Past 60: Recreation and Health
Your body isn’t a harmonious whole, but is composed of different parts, each of which ages somewhat separately: the cardiopulmonary system; muscles; the skeletal system. And, as you age into your 60s and beyond, flexibility and balance increasingly are at risk of deterioration.
Cycling only stresses and keeps relatively young the cardiopulmonary system. If all you do is ride, you lose muscle mass, bone density, flexibility and balance in activities of daily living. Coach Hughes describes how your whole body ages and gives you six different health maintenance objectives for different components of your physiology, including comprehensive fitness programs that address these objectives. Learn more.
Should I Powder a Tube?
by Fred Matheny
Question: What’s the scoop on using talcum powder when installing a new tube? Is it necessary?
Coach Fred Matheny Replies: Powder applied to a tube or the inside of a tire makes a slippery interface. They won’t stick to each other. This makes it easier to mount and seat the tire, with less chance of the tube catching under the edge. Read more.
Road Biking for Beginners
by Stan Purdum
Most of our newsletter subscribers are experienced roadies who have been riding for years, and often for decades. The newsletter usually reflects this, with topics that are suited to cyclists who know their way around a bike. So why include a guide for beginners? It’s because we thought newsletter readers would be a great audience to beta test this comprehensive guide for new riders that Stan has written. Did we leave any important subjects out? Do you disagree with anything in the guide? Let us know in the comments. And if you like it just the way it is, we also encourage you to share it with any new riders that might benefit from it. Read more.
Ask The Bike Fit Coach: Best Stretches Prior and Post Ride, Part 1
by Rick Schultz, MBA, DBA
I get asked all the time about the best stretches and exercises to do before and after a bike ride. I discussed this with my daughter, who is an accomplished cyclist with a doctorate in physical therapy. Together, we came up with a set of stretches that will help warm up the psoas (hip flexors), hamstrings, glutes, lower back, calves and quads. Please keep in mind though — when your muscles are cold, don’t over-do the stretching. It’s often better to do an active warm up such as walking or jogging around the block first. Read more.
Want to learn more and be able to ride better, and more comfortably? Check out our comprehensive book, Stretching & Core Strengthening for the Cyclist. It’s a 57-page eBook, with with nearly 50 different stretching and core exercises (including variations) that is just $14.95.
Amy Schultz has a Doctorate in Physical Therapy, is an accomplished cyclist and has done extensive research on athletes and injury prevention. Amy demonstrates the proper form for all the stretching and core exercises in the eBook. Most of the exercises are easy to do, with more difficult ones labeled. All are clearly illustrated, with actual photos demonstrating the proper technique.
12 Speed SRAM Red eTap Coming Soon?
by Lars Hundley
Looks like SRAM is going in a different direction with 12 speed than Campagnolo. Where Campy aimed for and achieved a cluster of gears with few gaps in between to allow riders exactly the right gear choice in the back, SRAM appears to be expanding the ability to use a smaller minimum cassette cog over to their road groups, as they have already done with their single chainring mountain bike and gravel groups.
The new eTap prototype spotted recently on a Katusha-Alpecin pro team bike at a Japanese criterium not only had 12 gears in back, but was also using the XD style of hub that allows a smaller 10 tooth cog instead of 11 with a standard road cassette. Read more.
You Can’t Be Too Fit
by Gabe Mirkin, MD
Dramatic results in a new study from the Cleveland Clinic show that:
• You can’t be too fit: Elite athletes who do tremendous amounts of exercise have a much lower risk of dying than non-exercisers.
• Exercise is healthful: Not exercising is worse for your health than smoking, diabetes or heart disease.
The vigorous exercisers had nearly a 500 percent reduced risk of death during the study period, compared to the non-exercisers. Read more.
Question of the Week
Do you have a routine of stretching or core strengthening exercises to compliment your cycling training?