road bike

5 Ways to Stay Motivated This Winter

/ David / 2 Comments

The roads are covered in salt and snow, the sun seems to drop behind the horizon even faster than the thermometer, and here I am curled up under blankets letting all my summer gains shrink.

Keeping myself motivated during the winter is probably one of the hardest parts of cycling for me. It takes every fibre of my being to put on my kit and get on the trainer. If you struggle with this as much as I do, here are a few of the things that help me.

1. Put Your Kit On

The hardest part of training for me is turning off Netflix and coming out from the blanket cocoon I’ve formed. However, I’ve found that once I suck it up and put my cycling gear on, I’m a lot more motivated to go get on the trainer. Just be careful, long trainer sessions can wear out kit faster than you might think, so maybe don’t wear that favourite jersey you just got for Christmas!

2. Pick the right playlist

Sure, it can’t beat the sun on your face and the wind at your back, but a good playlist can get you in the mood to put the power to your pedals and put the work in. Look for a mix of decent tempo music with parts that get you stoked. For the best results, use music that is heavy on the bass and can be cranked up to 11 (sorry neighbours). Here is one of the playlists that has helped me.

3. Have a goal

The only thing worse than being stuck inside on a trainer is aimlessly spinning away on your trainer with no end goal. Pick a reasonable goal for your winter training. Maybe it’s to increase your FTP by a certain percentage, or you want to be able to destroy your riding buddies in the town sign sprints, or maybe you just want to be able to make it to the coffee shop without feeling like your lungs are going to explode.

As all my professors have drilled into my head, ensure that your goals are SMART goals. Make them Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Timely goals. For example, don’t just say that your goal is simply to have a higher FTP. Instead set a goal of increasing your FTP by 5% by June 1st.

4. Quality Time With Your Bike

Spending some quality time with your bike, but off of it. Maybe you need to replace your chain, put new grip tape on, or want to learn how to properly index your gears. It seems a little convoluted, but spending time with your bike, in general, will remind you why you got into cycling in the first place. Plus, you’ll emerge in the spring with a cleaner, quieter, more efficient bike!

5. Give yourself rewards

Who doesn’t love treating themselves every once and a while? Sometimes a shiny new piece of kit or tech is exactly what you need to get you back on the bike. Have you been eying up a shiny new heart rate monitor? A power meter? A new pair of shorts? Hell, even just a box of your favourite bars or gels could be just the thing you need to regain your motivation.

Finally, don’t be too hard on yourself if the goal that you set for yourself doesn’t come to fruition. It sucks to not achieve a goal that you have set for yourself, but the reality is that it sometimes won’t work out.

I hope these tips might have helped someone else out there who is sick and tired of the cold and snow getting in the way of their riding. Don’t worry, summer will be here soon enough.

Why Cycling?

/ David / 2 Comments

Most people that have had more than a five-minute conversation with me would probably tell you that I’m absolutely obsessed with cycling. Hell, a quick scroll through any of my social media accounts betrays how deep bikes have infiltrated my life. If it has two wheels and is pedal powered, I’m happy.

So, the question is this: “Why Cycling?”  Well, there are two answers. If you don’t  want to read a whole blog post of me ranting and raving about how much cycling has changed my life and how much it means to me, here’s the simple answer: Everyone needs a passion in life, mine just happens to be cycling. Keep reading if you want to know the full cheesy answer.

Focus

Over the last few years, I’ve struggled with varying degrees of anxiety and depression.  The one thing that has helped the most is cycling. Cycling takes the bundle of nerves and energy that I can turn into and gives me something to focus on.

When I’m out on a bike, the only thing left in my head is a sense of calm focus on my pedalling, my breath, and enjoying the sights and sounds of where I may be riding. No matter what is in my head, getting out to ride helps distill it down to the most basic parts. After a ride, I feel much more relaxed and able to face the other aspects of my life. I’m a firm believer in Cycology!

Discovery

One of the best things about cycling is being able to explore new places and discover new things. While I haven’t had the chance to go anywhere out of the ordinary yet, cycling has helped me to discover the hidden little corners of Ontario that normally I would speed past if I were in a car.

Taking time to slow down and observe the world from another perspective is amazing. There is nothing greater than some of the sunsets, sunrises, meadows, and wildlife I’ve been lucky enough to witness.

Community

Last season, I signed up for my local cycling club. I was pretty nervous showing up for my first group ride. Coming from a mountain biking background I was worried about the stereotype that road bikers are elitist and reluctant to put up with newbies.  Instead, I was welcomed by a group of some of the kindest people I’ve ever shared a road with. They were eager to share their passion for cycling with new people and took the time to explain every aspect of the sport at a speed that everyone was comfortable. I went from dreading the first Wednesday night group ride, to counting down the days until the next time I ‘d be in a rotating pace line.

Conclusion

I guess that what I’m trying to say with all this longwinded talk about cycling is; it’s important to find your passion.  Whether it’s cycling, running, sewing, drawing, or anything else, if you can find the thing that gets you out of bed in the morning, everything else will fall into place. I promise.

 

 

Basic Rear Derailleur Knowledge

/ David / 1 Comment

If there is one thing that confused me most about my bikes at first, it was how the rear derailleur works. Let’s shine some light on this mysterious piece of tech, shall we?

What do all these screws do?

On first glance, the derailleur is this mysterious piece of metal with screws sticking out of it all over. For basic maintenance, you really only need to know two of them. Let’s break down what each of them controls!

High Limit Screw

Usually marked with an H, this screw controls how far away from the wheel the derailleur can go. Turning it counter-clockwise pushes the derailleur further out while turning it clockwise allows the derailleur to rest closer to the wheel.

Low Limit Screw

Usually marked with an L, the low limit screw controls how close the derailleur can get to the wheel. If it pulls too close to the wheel, it can pull the chain off the inside. This can lead to a lot of cursing in frustration as you wrestle it out, or worse, broken spokes. Turning it counter-clockwise pushes the derailleur further out while turning it clockwise allows the derailleur to rest closer to the wheel.

Adjusting your cable tension

Seems simple right? Well, it is and it isn’t. There are actually two parts that can adjust your cable tension. The first, most obvious, is used to make large adjustments. To adjust this: shift into your highest gear, loosen the screw that clamps the cable, pull the cable finger tight, and retighten the screw!

The second way is using the barrel adjuster, which will generally be located on your front shifter or directly attached to your derailleur. The barrel adjuster is used to make small adjustments to your cable tension, mainly during indexing, which we will get into next time.

Tune in next time, when we take a closer look at how to use all of this to ensure your shifting remains buttery smooth!