Make Maintenance Convenient and Easy

Mountain Bike Tips

 Make Maintenance Convenient and Easy

Wet. That's what a lot of my riding seems to be lately. Winter's last gasp (hopefully) means the tail end of melting snow and but now we're moving into early spring rain. And that translates into lots of crapola on the bike, from salt spray to road grime to just plain old water thrown up by my tires.

You're probably smarter than me and do this sort of thing already, but I've been congratulating myself on the set-up I've created as a result of all this filth on my bike that I carry home every day. What I did was put a plastic milk crate right where I park my bike, and filled it with cleaning supplies. Here's what's in it:

• Rags
• Small bottle of oil
• An old toothbrush
• Tire pump
• Air pressure gauge

That stuff is there and handy for me because right after each ride I take (literally) just a minute or two and carefully wipe down the bike. I do both the frame and the wheels, and then lubricate the chain and other moving parts as needed. The brush is for getting out any tough gunk, and I use the tire pump and gauge to check air pressure before I ride the next time. The key is having your supplies handy, so it's easy to do. I know if I have to go off hunting for stuff, it's probably not going to happen.

Not only does little quick bit of easy maintenance help prolong the life of your bike and its components, but there is something great about riding a clean bike. You tend to feel better about it and take even better care of it.

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How to Ride Over a Log

Mountain bike

How to Ride Over a Log

It’s common to come across fallen trees and other obstacles while mountain biking. Instead of riding around a log the next time you’re out on the trail, try to ride over it! First, look for the smallest part of the log to cross. Many times you’ll come across a log that has a cutout, as shown here. If this is the case, aim your front tire directly at the opening.

 The Approach

As you approach the log, slow your speed. Stand up slightly over your saddle with your knees flexed. Time your pedal stroke so that your dominant foot is forward as you may need to continue pedaling to propel yourself over the obstacle. Your weight should be shifted onto the balls of your feet, and the log should be perpendicular to the frame of your bike. Hitting the log at an angle will cause your tire to skid sideways across the log.

Up and Over

Just before you come into contact with the log, compress your body by bending your arms and pushing down towards your handlebars. Almost instantly, push your body upright and pull up on your handlebars. The rebound from your front shock and tire will help you lift the weight of your bike onto the log. Make sure your feet are flat as you begin to go up and over the log.

 Over and Out

Once your front tire is over the log, shift your weight towards the front of your bike. If you are secured to your pedals with cleats or toe cages, pull your feet up slightly as you pedal. This will lift your rear tire up and over the log. If you are riding with flat pedals, simply continue your pedal stroke to propel your rear tire over the obstacle.

Master It:

• Keep your feet flat and pedals level just before you reach the log.
• Bend your knees to keep your balance and remain agile.
• Don't hit your brakes! It's easier to continue over an obstacle than to stop midway and find footing from a precarious position.
• Keep your momentum. Lean forward once your wheel touches down on the other side of the log to avoid falling over.

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Spinners Are Winners

Spinners are winners?

Well, that is part of it. Yes, its true, spinners are winners. Look at Lance Armstrong, his cadence in the last couple of Tour De France races looked to be over 110 RPM's at times. In the mountain stages, and in the TT's he was not only flying down (and up) the road, but he was flying his pedals around like the wind too.

But is that all you need to win races, a high cadence? Well, yes that is part of it - the easy part of it. The ability to spin smoothly and effectively is key to an efficient pedal stroke, and it does require deliberate training workouts to develop leg speed. Leg speed helps to conserve energy and power for those critical defining racing moments when you need to close a gap, bridge to a break, attack the break and sprint for the win. Developing good leg speed is the easy part however.

Without power, it does not matter how fast you can turn the pedals over. What matters is the capability to spin a gear, big enough gear that will hurtle you down the road, and hurtle you with speed! Leg speed alone however, does not necessarily translate into going fast on the road. Notice the size of the gear(s) Lance is turning over in the TT's. He probably had a 55 or even a 56 large chain ring on, and he was in his 14 or 13, maybe in his 12 at times in the TT at the 2001 Tour De France.

While Lance has incredible leg speed, he has the massive power to turn over a big gear to go with that leg speed. Lance has worked hard on his leg speed, but he has dedicated even more time to developing his power. ESP Cycling is dedicated to maximizing the balance between developing leg speed and combining that leg speed with a power base. Spinners are winners, but only if there is power behind it.

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How To Train With Less Cycling Muscle Soreness

Muscle soreness is an unavoidable side effect of endurance training. The only way to avoid post-exercise muscle soreness completely is to avoid exercise. However, there are several things you can do to minimize muscle soreness caused mainly by damage to muscle proteins without sacrificing fitness. Some obvious ones include warming up and cooling down properly and building up your training workload very gradually.

Less known and less widely practiced are some nutritional means of minimizing post-exercise muscle soreness that are based on cutting-edge sports science research. By consuming the right balance of nutrients before, during, and immediately following workouts, this research shows, you can minimize the amount of muscle protein degradation that is caused by workouts and maximize the rate of post-exercise muscle protein repair and rebuilding. And this will allow you to perform better in your key workouts and bounce back quicker afterward.
 
Start with a Full Tank

Carbohydrate, mainly in the form of muscle glycogen, is the primary fuel for moderate- to high-intensity exercise. But amino acids, supplied in part through the breakdown of muscle proteins, also provide some energy. The longer a workout or competition lasts, the less carbohydrate contributes and the more amino acids contribute to the body’s energy needs. Athletes can minimize the number of muscle proteins that must be broken down to supply energy by beginning their workouts with more glycogen stored in their muscles.
In a university study, subjects performed a prolonged one-leg strength exercise first with a randomly chosen leg and then with the opposite leg. They began the workout with normal glycogen levels in one leg (again randomly chosen) and depleted glycogen levels in the other. The researchers found that muscle protein breakdown was much greater in the glycogen-depleted leg than in the normal leg during the course of the workout.
It is important, then, that athletes top off their muscle glycogen stores before workouts. The best way to do this is to eat a meal comprising mostly low- to moderate-glycemic carbohydrates two to three hours before exercise. In a Penn State University study, one group of athletes ate a rolled oats cereal (moderate-glycemic) while another group ate a puffed rice cereal (high-glycemic) before a stationary cycling test. Both breakfasts contained 75 grams of total carbohydrate. Those who ate the rolled oats cereal were able to cycle significantly longer than those who ate the puffed rice. These results make it clear that athletes should choose their pre-exercise foods carefully.
The pre-workout meal should also contain some protein. New research suggests that providing the body with a dietary source of amino acids (the “building blocks” of proteins) through pre-workout protein consumption can further decrease the body’s reliance on muscle proteins for energy during exercise. It also accelerates post-exercise muscle protein synthesis by increasing the availability of amino acids for this purpose.
 
During Exercise

Consuming a carbohydrate-protein supplement during exercise can further minimize muscle tissue damage and accelerate post-workout protein synthesis. Use of a conventional 6-8% carbohydrate sports drink such as Gatorade slows the depletion of muscle glycogen stores and thereby delays the rise in the use of muscle proteins as an energy source. But newer research has demonstrated that the addition of a small amount of protein to a sports drink spares glycogen even further. It does this by stimulating more insulin, which is the hormone responsible for transporting glucose to the muscles.
In a study, researchers found that the addition of protein to a carbohydrate sports drink in a 4:1 ratio enhanced aerobic endurance performance by 24% more than a conventional carbohydrate sports drink. These data suggest that the addition of protein increased insulin and glucose uptake, thereby providing faster energy to the exercising muscle. The result is increased sparing of muscle glycogen and a significant improvement in endurance.
A sports drink is the best form in which to consume carbohydrate and protein during workouts, not only because these nutrients will be more quickly absorbed in this form but also because a sports drink also provides the water and electrolytes needed to prevent dehydration during exercise. Athletes should consume a few ounces of such a drink every 10 minutes throughout exercise. The precise amount needed depends on factors that include the size of the athlete, the intensity of exercise, and the air temperature.
A study performed at St. Cloud University demonstrated that using a carbohydrate-protein sports drink during a workout can also significantly reduce post-exercise muscle tissue stress. In this study, athletes that used this supplement showed on average a 36% lower level of a physiological marker for muscle tissue stress than controls, suggesting that by providing amino acids in addition to carbohydrate, the sports drink helped maintain cell membrane integrity.

After Exercise

It is not possible to consume enough carbohydrate during moderate- to high-intensity exercise to replace what is burned, nor to completely offset muscle protein degradation. So it is important to consume additional carbohydrate and protein after the workout. This should be done as soon as possible, because the body is able to synthesize glycogen and protein at more than twice the normal rate due to heightened insulin receptivity in the muscle cells following exercise. For this reason, exercise physiologists sometimes refer to the first two hours post-exercise as “the muscle recovery window”.
Carbohydrate-protein sports drinks are again the best immediate post-workout nutrition source because of their rapid absorption and their water and electrolyte content. Using such drinks and/or water and solid foods, athletes should be sure to fully replenish fluid losses (i.e. return to pre-workout bodyweight) and consume 10-20% of their daily carbohydrate and protein intake within the first two hours after completing exercise.
In addition to consuming appropriate amounts of carbohydrate and protein before, during, and immediately after workouts, athletes can reduce muscle damage and soreness by maintaining a diet that is generally high in antioxidants. Oxygen radicals are believed to play a role in the cellular damage that follows the rupture of muscle fibers during exercise. By consuming plenty of antioxidant vitamins and enzymes on a daily basis athletes can limit this damage. Vitamins C and E appear to be the most effective antioxidant defenders against free radical damage to muscle tissues. Citrus fruits, melon, and berries are good sources of vitamin C. Vegetable oils, nuts, dark green vegetables and whole grains are rich in vitamin E.

 
The Bottom Line

While muscle tissue damage and muscle soreness are normal effects of hard training, proper sports nutrition practices can minimize these effects. If you are consistent in these practices you will recover more quickly between workouts and competitions and perform better during them. Not to mention, you won’t wake up in the morning feeling as though you had been caned in your sleep!

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Making Bike Commuting Work for You.

Making Bike Commuting Work for You

Save your money and your condition. Cycling to work is the key. In fact, anyone can do it, "said Steve Cook, director of sending and receiving of Superga Chandler bike shop. It would be really good condition. Be realistic about the bike 30 miles, but if someone can take a leisurely stroll through the 10 walk miles at a steady pace, you can safely bike to work.

Cooke. That many u201CA%, bus and bicycle to withdraw the people some of the coaches and the rest of the bike u201D%

Jones said he hoped that people try to see how easy and fun to drive as possible.

John Cherry, and key sales staff at Flagstaff Absolute% u2019s Circle, said that one of the first things to consider is the length of the route. A short drive through the city, a few couples, backpacks, known manner, the media or by bicycle. For longer trips by bike, you have to make the right tire, tips, Cherry points close to a car or a set of knobbies for off-road shortcuts.

Before installing
He added that the equipment is in good condition, it is necessary for a safe and fun. Take the Long View on the bike. If you do not regularly traveled, the tires are flat. Chain can be oxidized. Fat is stucco. Repaired or leave it and let the local motorcycle professionals, it worked.

% U201CAs bike is in good condition, you can use% u201D says Cooke. % U201CWe necessary safety equipment too, such as clothing for the weather, maybe a helmet and a jacket. % U201D

Suitable equipment includes a helmet of the U-shaped block of the circulating water bottle holder or a unit, a light jacket, rain jacket / something that matters and bring a flashlight approved. When a heavy bike commuter, Cherry also recommended:

* BOB Trailer - Ideal for materials, books in the library, and leads to the laundry. There are models in March, the double suspension.
* Laptop - Jandd makes the case that the pool, an underwater housing hooks.
* Mail Bag - Use to try one of pockets Timbuktu u2019s% color, strong backpack and bicycle, on the cover and the style of the company land.
* Good light bike - not only the right, in some cities feel good light bike or in your head.
* Cycling gloves for hot, warm socks and a wool knit bike.
* Buffer - the rain and mud to prevent fly back.
* Winter tires - argue that if they travel on snow and ice.

Passengers with bikes that offer some tips to facilitate travel contract. If there is no shower at work, babywipes own. Pack zip and odors. Also, your work clothes for long trips, sweating and changes in the office. Choose your clothes wrinkle-free and have enough time to crush a competitor without fear of serious worker.

Cherry also offers a windbreaker or rain, work clothes for short distances. Up to $ 20 jersey plastic surgeon runners and some garbage bags of clothes. Remove to go simple and clean as u2019re% and ready. keeping leg guard channels or the means or the offense may be placed in the extra space.

If you do not your pet on the site, make sure that the heavy packages. Buy a super-block and went to work. According to Cherry, a U-lock is better than cable. We recommend that you remove the front wheel and throw it through the lock and the frame is a strong bike or a pole or tree.

If you need a car, the bike trade in September, offered Cherry moved to% u201CSince to Flagstaff a few years ago I spent 210 zł 170 zł. U2019m%'m in better shape than me 18-35 years. Counter-movement. % U201D.

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