November 15, 2018
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A Round Up of Full Featured Bike Multi Tools
By Jim Langley
I thought it would be fun and informative to virtually round up as many modern multis as I could find online that match my idea of a great tool. If your favorite isn’t listed in the ones shown below, please give it a shout out in the comments and share why you like it so much. To explain how I chose the multi-tools here, I first looked for true all-in-one tools. Like a Swiss Army Knife, these multis form a single unit and most of the tools fold out for use. Sometimes there are removable pieces like tire levers, but for carrying, everything goes back into the tool. Read more.
Anti-Aging: In Your 60s, How Fast Do You Lose Fitness?
by Coach John Hughes
My friend and RBR reader Janet wrote, “One way I monitor my level of cycling fitness is by how hard (or easy) a routine ride is. I was off my bike for only 26 days and I could not believe how hard one of my routine routes was, the climbing in particular. I am so glad I did that ride yesterday. It’s basically looking in the mirror. I will now work on getting my fitness back.
“Is there a well-known relationship between how long it takes to build a level of cycling fitness vs. how long it takes to lose it?” Read more.
Cycling Past 60
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.
Ask The Bike Fit Coach: 4 More Recommended Stretches for Before and After Your Ride
by Rick Schultz
This article is the second of a 4-part series of stretches that every cyclist should do before and after each ride. See Part 1 here. I get asked about recommended stretches all the time, and these stretches will help you with the the psoas (hip flexors), hamstrings, glutes, lower back, calves and quads. Read more.
SVED Optics Rx Sunglasses Review
by John Marsh
I’ve worn cycling sunglasses for all the years I’ve been riding the road. I’m on my 6th or 7th pair, having worn expensive name-brand frames with single-vision Rx inserts, as well as a couple of pair of single-lens Rx cycling sunglasses with progressive lenses so thick on the side that they would make a Coke bottle look skinny. I was happy to hear about SVED Optics, a Temecula, Calif.-based company that’s been in business for nearly 30 years and focuses exclusively on Rx lens inserts for sports sunglasses. Read more.
Using Mountain Bike Shoes on Your Road Bike
by Fred Matheny
Question: I like to use my mountain bike pedals and shoes for road biking, but I get funny looks on group rides. How much performance am I giving up if I use mountain bike shoes and pedals? What shoes do you use?
Coach Fred Replies: I wore Shimano carbon-sole road shoes for years. A while ago, I switched to the new Specialized Body Geometry road shoes designed by Andy Pruitt, a leading bike-fit/injury expert. But on solo training rides, read more.
Bontrager Ballista MIPS Helmet Review
by Sheri Rosenbaum
As a Trek Women’s Advocate, I’m required to take a lot of online Trek University courses. One module was on Bontrager helmets. I was already familiar with the Circuit helmet since I reviewed it for RBR a while back. But I wasn’t familiar with the Ballista aero helmet. After taking the course and watching the video, I thought “aero and cool,” this would be a good product to review for our readers. 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.
Decent Road Bikes for under $1,000
by Stan Purdum
Know anyone looking for a good, cheap road bike? Someone new to road cycling may not be willing to spend thousands of dollars to get a bicycle — and there’s no reason they have to. Almost all the major bicycle brands offer one or more models for less than $1,000. Here’s a roundup of how much new bike you can get for your money, starting at under $500 and up to $950. Read more.
Gore Bike Wear Universal Gore-Tex Sock Review
by Lars Hundley
Not wanting to spend the money on an expensive, dedicated pair of winter cycling shoes or boots, I have tried a lot of different solutions to keep my feet warm. More than one pair of socks. Different types and thicknesses of wool cycling socks. Plastic bags over my feet inside the shoes, and even aluminum foil wrapped over my feet inside my shoes. Some of these attempts helped a little bit, but they were often a pain to use and still not effective enough to keep my feet warm enough to feel comfortable for an entire ride. So when I found some Gore Bike Wear socks on sale at the end of last winter, I picked up a pair to try out. Read more.
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Question of the Week
Would you ride a road bike that costs less than $1,000 new?
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