By Jim Langley A couple of weeks ago in this column, RoadBikeRider founder Ed Pavelka explained how easy it was to significantly lower his SRAM eTap gearing. If you missed that, it’s here, After that piece appeared, I thought about Ed’s wireless electric shifting and 22 gears, and it occurred to me that if you were just getting into road riding, you might be mystified … [Read more...] about How to Shift Gears Correctly on a Road Bike
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My Accident Is An Opportunity to Stay Fit
By Coach John Hughes As you know from previous columns I recently fell five feet off a ladder, fracturing my right ankle, which is now in a cast. Like most accidents, this wasn’t equipment malfunction — I just did something stupid. I fell straight down on my right ankle and then backwards onto my hip, pelvis and back. Fortunately, I didn’t hit my head. … [Read more...] about My Accident Is An Opportunity to Stay Fit
Use a Spare Wheel and Beater Tire on the Trainer
By John Marsh, Editor & Publisher I bought a new trainer recently. When making the purchase online, I noticed that – like many others – the company offers a "trainer tire" for sale. (Their bread and butter are "old school" back wheel-on trainers.) I did not buy one of the trainer tires. When setting up the trainerfor the first time, and getting my bike ready for … [Read more...] about Use a Spare Wheel and Beater Tire on the Trainer
Inactivity Increases Risk for Knee Pain
By Gabe Mirkin, M.D. Eighty percent of North Americans have X-ray evidence of osteoarthritis by age 65, and 60 percent have significant joint pain. More than 700,000 people in the United Stateshave their knees replaced each year. It now looks like inflammation, lack of exercise and being overweight are the major causes of knee joint pain. A study following more than … [Read more...] about Inactivity Increases Risk for Knee Pain
The Bicycle is Efficient, Economical and Environmentally Friendly
By John Yoder During a northern Indiana mid-winter cold snap, when the county roads are salted or slick, when my nose drips outrageously just walking 30 feet to the mailbox, when the cold and snow keep my bike hanging on the wall in the garage more than I’d like, and when my motivation for riding the indoor trainer has headed south, I find that I can tolerate the gloominess of … [Read more...] about The Bicycle is Efficient, Economical and Environmentally Friendly