Bike skills Archives -

Do you want to improve your road bike descending skills? Your answer should be ‘yes’

October 31, 2019 Nicola Bike skills, Descending, Women cycling

I’m riding in the annual Gong Ride on Sunday so it’s timely for me to brush up on my road bike descending skills because there’s a couple of big descents in the ride. When I first started riding a road bike, 11 years ago, I thought you just jumped on and away you went, but it didn’t take me long to realise that there were more skills involved than I had first thought, and for me one of the hardest to master has been to descend safely on a road bike. Here are a few tips to hone your own

Cycling does get easier. Greg Lemond was wrong

October 24, 2019 Nicola Bike skills, Heart health, Women cycling, Women's health

US cyclist Greg LeMond famously said, “It never gets easier; you just go faster” but I’d like to challenge that assertion, because in my opinion, over a number of years cycling does get easier. I used to think that this was a phenomenon called muscle memory but I’ve been doing a little research which suggests there’s more to it than just muscle memory. I recall when I was about two years into road cycling an older gentleman on a club ride said to me that he thought it took three years of riding to really get comfortable and confident on

HOw you stay upright on a bicycle

October 12, 2019 Nicola Bike skills, Magic, Women cycling

I confess that I don’t have much of a ‘science brain’ so the wonderful world of physics has never been a strong point of mine but given my passion for cycling, I’ve always been a bit curious about how you stay upright on a bicycle. In the past I’ve often explained to riders who are nervous about going around corners faster they feel is possible is that there are centrifugal forces that will stop you from toppling over. In doing a little research this is certainly one of the factors but there is actually quite a bit more to it.

Every woman’s guide to perfecting an uphill start on a road bike

June 13, 2019 Nicola Bike skills, Women cycling

One of the skills I’ve never fully mastered is the uphill start on a road bike. I get it right some of the time, but I find when I have other riders who aren’t so skilful around me, I tend to stuff it up. I was on an organised ride on the weekend and we had to stop a couple of times at traffic lights on an uphill slope. This meant that when the light went green we all had to start riding on an incline and most people in the group handled it poorly, including me. So here’s a

You really should try riding in a bunch – you might even like it

May 3, 2019 Nicola Bike skills, Cycle groups, Women cycling

I must admit that when I first started riding I found the idea of riding in a bunch to be particularly intimidating. Over time my confidence increased on the bike and I took the plunge and joined a local bunch ride. It was then that I learnt the great benefits of riding in a bunch, like drafting, safety in numbers and the social aspects. So here’s a few tips from me on riding in a bunch: Communicate One of the great benefits of riding in a group is that you’ve got a collective of people all with two eyes keeping

there’s far more to pedal technique on a road bike than you’d think

March 12, 2019 Nicola Bike skills, Pedal stroke, Women cycling

When I first took up road cycling a bit over 10 years ago I thought that there wasn’t a great deal to learn about pedal technique on a road bike, but I was wrong. There are plenty of skills to learn and central amongst them is the art of pedalling. I’m no authority on this subject so I’ve borrowed some expert words that appear below. The key principle behind the technique is to pedal in nice smooth circles. Sounds easy, but there’s a little more to it. This article was originally published on the now defunct women’s cycling website Women’s

Great to hear about starting a business based on cycling

December 11, 2018 Nicola Bike maintenance, Bike skills, Women cycling

I always like to hear about entrepreneurs starting a business based on cycling so I was pleased to hear from Lee Hardy in the UK who has started a business called The Complete Cyclist. Lee’s main focus is on working with communities in particular cycling and triathlon clubs delivering tailored Technical Training Courses nationwide. But I also like his focus on what he called the three main pillars for creating a complete cyclist: The Bike – riding skills, technical knowledge and ability to maintain and repair The Body – our diet and nutrition, strength and conditioning and physical preparation The Mind– the

Skills: you need to master changing gears on your road bike

November 21, 2018 Nicola Bike maintenance, Bike retail, Bike skills, Women cycling, women's bikes

For me a really fundamental part of riding is to master changing gears on your road bike. It took me a few years to really feel comfortable with all those gears on my bike, but over time I learnt about them and it really transformed my riding. And I, like so many other new riders used to ride in a ‘big’ gear when I first started riding a road bike. It seems that when we start out we expect it to be hard to turn over the pedals so we tend to use a gear that challenges our legs. What

Improve your skills and learn to how to descend safely on a road bike

August 7, 2018 Nicola Bike skills, Women cycling

When I first started riding a road bike, nearly ten years ago, I thought you just jumped on and away you went, but it didn’t take me long to realise that there was more skills involved than I had first thought, and for me one of the hardest to master has been to descend safely on a road bike. And there’s definitely still room for improvement – part of lifelong learning program! Here’s a few tips to hone your own skills: Familiarise The first step is to familiarise yourself with the condition of the road surface by riding up the

Ride your mechanical horse on Melbourne Cup Day

November 7, 2017 Nicola Bike skills, Women cycling

I often call my bike a mechanical horse because riding a bike reminds me of riding a horse, except I feel much more in control. I also think there are parallels between the devotion many cyclists pay to their favourite pastime, and the passion that others display for their equine companions. I do confess that I’m rather scared of riding a horse. I feel totally out of control and at the whim of a very powerful creature. I feel that it is fitting to write about the ‘mechanical horse’ on Melbourne Cup Day. For those who dwell overseas the Melbourne