Bike retail Archives - Page 3 of 7 -

How to find the right bike saddle for women who cycle

October 18, 2016 Nicola Bike fitting, Bike retail, Women cycling, women specific bike

In my role as a female cycling advocate I’m often asked about how to find the right bike saddle for women. The saddle is the key contact area of the bike. It takes most of your weight and therefore it is crucially important to having a comfortable seat. If you buy a women’s specific bike then chances are it will already be fitted with a women’s specific saddle, but it’s not necessarily the right one for you. My recommendation when you buy a new bike is to try the supplied saddle first, but be prepared to change it, if it proves to

Buying the right bike for a female rider

August 16, 2016 Nicola Bike retail, Women cycling, women specific bike, women's bikes

If you’re ready to step up to the next level in cycling and take up racing, participate in a major event or start a training program then you are going to need the right bike for a female rider. Up until about 10 years ago, female cyclists had to settle for men’s cycling gear, or unisex as it is often called, so that bikes were not quite the right size and the apparel definitely wasn’t. Thankfully during the last decade there has been a number of companies like Trek, Specialized, Cannondale and Giant who have spent plenty of time and

All female cyclists need a bike computer

August 2, 2016 Nicola Bike retail, Women cycling

When I bought my first road bike nearly eight years ago, I rode with a bike computer from day one, so I believe all female cyclists need a bike computer. My first computer was a just a simple one, that told me my basic statistics like speed, average speed, distance traveled, time, maximum speed and more, but it really helped me focus on making improvements. If you’re just riding down to the local shops and back, then a bike computer is probably a bit over the top, but if you’re riding your bike to get fit and want to improve

A guide to buying women’s clip-in cycling shoes

July 5, 2016 Nicola Bike retail, Commuting by bike, Women cycling

I meet a lot of women who are reluctant to try women’s clip-in cycling shoes on their bike. They are nervous about falling off their bike if they forget to unclip, or in some cases believe that clip-in shoes are just for super serious cyclists. But I think they are for anyone who plans to do some significant kilometres on their bike. And there are some good reasons why you might want to become more attached to your pedals. Clipping in can stop your foot slipping off when applying power, help align your foot to ensure maximum efficiency, and potentially

Indoor bike trainer – a great way to beat cold and wet weather

June 14, 2016 Nicola Bike retail, Indoor trainers, Interval training, training, Women cycling

Right now in my home town of Sydney it’s starting to get a little cold in the early mornings, and we’ve also had a fair bit of rain, but all you need is an indoor bike trainer to keep in shape. I also heard an interview with a weather expert a few weeks ago, who said we are probably heading for a La Nina weather pattern which means we’ll be getting plenty of rain in the near future. But I’ll be ready for it, with my indoor trainer. My preference is to ride outdoors and I’m lucky enough to live

Why you should support your local bike shop

May 31, 2016 Nicola Bike retail, Women cycling

Most bike shops in Australia are independent retailers operating as sole traders, and even the ones who are dealers for major brands like Specialized are still one-off local retail outlets. A few chains are starting to emerge like 99Bikes but the market in Australia remains fragmented and ‘local’. These small business operators are realistic enough to understand the online marketplace but there’s a number of reasons why you should continue to support them even if you do some of your purchasing online. Because it might not be there when you need help Put simply, if everyone did all their purchasing

Yes there is such thing as a female bike mechanic

April 19, 2016 Nicola Bike maintenance, Bike retail, Mountain bike riding, Women cycling

I always love hearing about women who are working in male dominated fields so it seemed appropriate to interview a female bike mechanic for a Women Who Cycle blog post. I must confess that I actually work in a bike shop myself but I’m not a bike mechanic (I can hear my bike mechanic colleague Macca sniggering while her reads this!). I do pump up a few tyres and I’m ok at diagnosing basic problems but my mechanic skills are pretty rudimentary. So I had to rely on a Google search to track down Marty Caivano, who works at the

Easy bike maintenance that will save you money

March 22, 2016 Nicola Bike maintenance, Bike retail, Women cycling

Undertaking regular bike maintenance is a topic that applies equally to female and male riders but this post is directed more to women who often think they aren’t very good at things like easy bike maintenance. And that simply isn’t true. You don’t have to be a man to learn some basic (or even more advanced) bike maintenance. Women are just as capable, or perhaps even more, than men at keeping their bikes in good working order. Keeping your bike running well can actually save you money because the parts on your bike will wear better and need replacing less

Female cyclists – Don’t let MAMILs intimidate you

March 15, 2016 Nicola Bike retail, Cycle groups, Cycling Club, Lycra cycle clothing, training, Women cycling

I must confess that this week I’m struggling a bit to write a blog post. I have a great list of potential topics I wrote last week (thanks to an online course I’m currently undertaking) but I’ve just read through it and nothing inspires me. So you’ll have to excuse this week’s rather short and not overly focused offering. One thing I’ve noticed about the many women I speak to about cycling in the bike shop where I work is that many of them feel a bit intimidated by other (particular male) cyclists. They often say ‘oh, I’m not a

Every woman’s guide to riding with clip-in pedals

March 8, 2016 Nicola Bike retail, Bike skills, Indoor trainers, training, Women cycling

I work in a bike shop and I often get asked about clip-in pedals from both men and women. But it seems that the women are a little more nervous about the idea. They fear falling off and injurying themselves, or worse still embarrassing themselves. I’m really lucky that my partner coerced me into riding my road bike with clip-ins from day one and I never looked back. So to make it a bit easier here’s some background information about clip-in pedals and the different types and some tips to get started. I’ll focus mainly on road pedals and cleats