Road Warrior

A few of my friends and several new acquaintances (many of them fellow designers …awesome!) have told me that they’re either interested in taking up cycling or have recently done so. I remember the trouble and discomfort I endured, for no reason other than my ignorance, when I first began getting serious about cycling. I would save you that discomfort if I can by offering a few helpful tips.

Note that some of these tips are a bit indelicate, referring to the highly necessary but personal issues as they relate to cycling. But that’s cycling. Deal with it.

1) Wear Bike Shorts
They’re not just for sporty good looks; bike shorts are made specifically for keeping you comfortable in the saddle. Aside from having a nice, aerodynamic fit, they have a built-in chamois that pads your backside and helps to distribute weight more evenly on the saddle. You men will have to get past the fact that the fit leaves little to the imagination of onlookers, but that’s life. It doesn’t matter that you’re not training for the Tour de France; if you’re on the bike, wear bike shorts.

2) Don’t wear underwear
Bike shorts are made to be your all-in-one lower garment. Just the shorts, no undies. The seams on your underwear will give you saddle sores. Just, don’t. You might then wonder about the hygiene of going sans underwear, but that’s not an issue for clothing! Instead, see #3…

3) Keep it clean!
You cannot get on your bike if your ass is dirty. Seriously. And I’m not just talking about a good couple of wipes, I’m talking about actual cleanliness. Before any ride, a quick 30 minutes or an epic 6 hours, take a shower to wash your backside. Wash it good. Twice. Seriously, twice. You do not want to spend any amount of time rubbing, grinding, and sweating on a dirty backside. There’s no need for you to deal with the discomfort, pain, and infection that will come from a dirty butt. Keep it clean!

4) Fuel-up properly
Cycling is pretty intense and you burn a lot of calories doing it. In order to feel good in the saddle you’ve got to make sure you’ve got gas in the tank before you start …and keep re-fueling during your ride. Take water or a mix of sports drink and water to replenish what you sweat out. If you’re on the bike for more than an hour it’s also a good idea to take along a snack or two. You’ll have to decide what’s best for you, but I generally bring Fig Newtons and eat one every 30 to 40 minutes. Those calories plus what’s in my water bottle usually keep me from bonking (running out of fuel and crashing). Don’t skip your pre-ride meal. If you ride in the early morning, get up early enough to eat a good breakfast and let it digest before you ride. And make sure you’re well hydrated before you go out, too.

5) Clean your bike
Even a modestly-priced road bike is going to require a serious investment. You’re an idiot to let that investment break down due to carelessness and apathy. Learn how to properly clean your bike and put that knowledge into practice regularly. It’s probably a good idea to give your bike a basic cleaning after each ride, but at the very least, your bike requires a decent cleaning once a week, and a through cleaning job each month. If your drivetrain isn’t shiny, you shouldn’t be riding the bike. Clean the drivetrain with a good degreaser and wash with detergent and water, then dry it down and lightly reapply oil to the chain. Basically, keep the bike looking like new all the time. A thorough cleaning requires some specialized know-how, so buy a book that shows or describes the full process or ask an experienced roadie for instructions.

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There’s plenty more I might share, but this short and sweet list of tips should go a long way toward helping you to stay on the bike and letting you do the rest. Remember though, no matter what you do you’re going to feel discomfort and you’re likely going to suffer a bit (or a lot) while you work toward improvement. This is true of any worthwhile exercise. If you’re like me, you’ll enjoy that suffering a lot more on two wheels and the results will far outweigh the discomfort. Stick with it and keep rolling.