Life In The Saddle

Tubeless tyres offer a huge number of advantages over their tubed counterparts – including greater grip, puncture resistance, and a lower rolling resistance. To find out more about the benefits of tubeless, have a read of my post ' Going Tubeless on Road Tyres '. However, tubeless tyres can be a right pain... most notably to fit, but also when they do not seal out on the road or trails. After fitting more tubeless tyres than I care to count, and having plenty of dramas of my own, I thought I would share some Top Tips for Tubeless: for mounting, repairing and maintaining the tubeless system. 1. Mounting – Use two wraps of tubeless rim tape Most tubeless conversion kits recommend one compete wrap of the sealing tape (such as Stan's Yellow Tape). I recommend doing two wraps. You will use twice as much tape, and add a tiny amount of weight; but the added friction on the tyre bead and the better coverage of the rim bed makes it far easier to inflate the tyre. It also ...

I do not own a turbo trainer. It is a decision not based on principle, but on a preference—for riding outdoors, even when the weather is abysmal. Turbo trainers have a valuable place in many cyclists' world though; allowing safe and time-efficient training, especially through the winter months. These three turbo workouts will help you to train efficiently and get the most from your time during a turbo trainer workout. 20 Second Power Output Warm up for 20 minutes Select the big chainring at the front and a gear halfway down the block at the rear Ride for 20 seconds at the highest cadence you can maintain Spin easy for three minutes to recover Select one gear harder and try to match the cadence of the first interval for 20 seconds. If you can match the cadence of the first interval, move onto the next hardest gear and try again Make six attempts at matching the cadence, then take a 10-minute easy spin recovery and make another six attempts Speed Cadence Pyramids War...

For road cyclists, road rash is unfortunately something you are likely to suffer at least a few times during your riding career. Icy lanes, bad drivers, greasy roundabouts, and tyre blow-outs; they are just a few of the potential hazards that could leave you with the painful red abrasion to your hips, elbows, and knees. I have had my fair share of road rash. The worst was the 2014 season—plagued by crashes. During that season, I learnt a few tips to help the healing process of tarmac abrasions. 1. Get it Clean. Straight Away Tarmac is not a hygienic or sterile surface and getting bits of grit in your road rash and cuts will prolong the healing process, and potentially lead to infection. It hurts like hell but wash your cut out thoroughly in the shower after the accident, and use antiseptic wipes to really get it clean, before you do anything else. 2. Apply Antiseptic Salve Road rash unfortunately takes a long time to heal and can often leave a scar. The best remedy is to...

Cycling rollers are a superb training tool that will help both beginner and experienced cyclists improve technique and fitness. I reviewed the Tacx Antares Rollers and Feedback Sports Omnium Rollers on Life In The Saddle; in this post I follow up with three simple training sessions that are easy to follow when using cycle rollers. Rollers are particularly useful for working on pedalling technique, cadence training, and active recovery. The low resistance means they allow you to easily spin at a high RPM—working on elements of your cycling technique such as balance and efficiency that can be hard to target out on the road. Recovery Spin Session – 30 minutes This session is designed to be done post-race, or on a rest day. The objective is to get blood flowing to your muscles to flush out lactic acid that has built up during hard efforts. The "intervals" are very low intensity, but are added to bring variety and interest to what could otherwise be a monotonous spin se...

A month or so ago I posted a review of the rather excellent Garmin Edge 510 (Link) , in which I mentioned further posts that I would be writing on the advantages of using GPS devices to improve your training, and in particular using features such as Live Tracking on the Edge 510. This is the first in the series, in which I hope to highlight how training with GPS has advantages ranging from safety, to motivation, and avoiding over-training. I've laid them out in a list, which could be viewed as "pros" for buying a GPS, or good excuses for having spent some cash on one when your wife complains about it... (1)  Data, Data, Data... I've just finished an Economics degree; if there is one thing that they drummed into us more than anything else, it is that DATA IS KEY. Statistics is the basis of almost everything; there is no point in making a point if you can't back it up with data. With bike riding, and in particular training towards certain goals, this is just...

There aren't many things more frustrating or demoralising when you're out on a bike ride, than realising that you have a puncture. That sound, feel and moment of realisation, as your little world deflates. There's only one thing for it, pull up by the side of the road or trail and fix it. But there are so many options when it comes to puncture repair, and it's difficult to know which option is best; below I take a brief look at some of the methods and options you have when the puncture devil strikes... Prevention: Self Sealing Tubes Prevention is often better than cure, that's certainly the case with punctures. There are two primary ways to prevent punctures on bikes: the tyres, and the tubes. Get yourself a good set of tyres on a road bike and you will usually be able to eliminate all but the worst punctures. For some tyre recommendations, check out my reviews page: ( LINK ). However, when you're mountain biking the tyre is rarely enough to prevent th...

There are a lot of different chain lubes out there; wet lube, dry lube, wax... the list goes on. In this post I look at four different lubes from Weldtite that I use on my bikes, and explain when is the best time to use each one, and what the benefits of each are. Firstly though, a little bit of advice on how to apply chain lube... The first step is to make sure your chain is thoroughly dry, and there is no water left on it or inside it. Pro bike mechanics often use their air compressors to dry the chain, but for most of us that is not a luxury we have to hand; a clean rag coated in some water displacer such as TF2 Aerosol Lubricant is just as effective if you wipe the chain over with it. Chain lube should then be applied to the INSIDE of the chain, this way the centrifugal forces of the chain moving round mean the lubricant is moved through the chain to the outside as you pedal (rather than being sprayed off the chain if you put it on the outside). To apply chain lube properl...

You've put a lot of work in preparing for your race; long hours on the bike in the winter weather, tough turbo sessions and a good attempt to iron out your weaknesses in the build up to your first race of the season. There is one ingredient that should never be forgotten though... nutrition. In this post I look at nutrition strategy for the few days leading up to a race and for the race day itself; there is a lot to be gained by getting your nutrition right, and an even greater amount to be lost by not getting it right. The Lead-up to the Event In the week leading up to the race you have likely started to pare back your training a bit as you taper down to the event, and ensure that your body is in its best possible condition; fresh and ready for race day. You should also pay particular attention to your diet in this period; try to avoid foods that might upset your system, and focus on a good balanced diet with plenty of fresh fruit to keep your immune system going str...

A few weeks back I wrote a blog on Saddle Sore Prevention and Cure . It's a problem that many avid cyclists encounter along the road, and chamois cream is one thing that can really ease or even eliminate the discomfort. This cream is custom made by racer John Whittington in Bristol, and I have to say he knows his stuff!  The Bristol BUTT'R is marketed as an antiseptic ointment, with the active ingredient being tea-tree oil; it promises to tackle the greatest concern of saddle sores - infection. Making sure that your nether-regions are free of bacteria is a crucial step in eliminating saddle sores.  The cream certainly has a "buttery" consistence as well; beautifully thick, it stays put on your seat pad and vital chafe regions. This is a problem that I have had with other creams and they consequently lose their effectiveness after a few hours in the saddle. The BUTT'R has stayed firmly where you want it though, and the thick consistency also means t...

Most of us don't have a personal masseuse following us around to get our leg muscles in tip top condition again after a hard ride, or get them ready to race on the morning of the event. However there are some things that we can do as a bit of a substitute to try and ensure those pistons are firing as well as possible on the bike. Of course, the most important thing to get your muscles recovered is proper nutrition. For those that haven't read it before, have a look at my blog post: Nutrition: Eating for Recovery  as a bit of a guide. What else can you do though? Firstly, here are a few tips (and a routine I often follow) to get your muscles recovered after a hard ride: Take a Shower or Bath:  Especially after a long winter ride, warming your body up will help to get the blood flowing around to your extremities, and stop you seizing up. Muscle Rubs:  This is something of a recent revelation for my routine, but I have found it to make a notable difference. I ha...

In 2012, I made the transition from trails to tarmac for racing; signing for the  Wightlink   Race Team. I had a good  2012 Season ; achieving my Second Category licence, with a fair few race wins.  This blog is aimed at people thinking of doing the same; with ideas on how to get onto the circuit, be successful and stay safe. There's no substitute for getting out and riding your bike, but there are ways to make those miles count, and help towards a race win. Training This is where it all begins: right here...right now. If you are looking to start racing in the 2013 season, your training should be starting as soon as possible. At this time of the year, the key is to work on base miles; especially if you are new to cycling. It is important to develop a good aerobic base that you can use during the racing season; the best way to do this is long rides from November to January: 2-3hrs should be your aim if you are a beginner. Focus on steady riding with ...

Monsoon rain in Hanoi (Vietnam) - at least it's not that bad here! From October to April, and in the UK it seems all year round, you are likely to encounter rain on your riding schedule at some point. There are three options when confronted with the wet stuff: 1) Bail (not really an option) 2) Get out the turbo (and get bored) 3) Man-up and go out riding In my book at least, the third option is really the only one of these that appeals, even in a torrential downpour. So here are a few tips and tricks to make those damp rides a bit more manageable and enjoyable. Prepare your bike: MUDGUARDS! Get some! There is frankly no excuse to not have full mudguards on a bike in Autumn /Winter/Spring (when you're not racing). When you are riding on wet roads, about 80% of the drenching is from spray off your front wheel hitting your chest (just where you don't want it to) and spray from your back wheel showering your back and buttocks. If there is one thing...