Indoor Training Space

Posted on December 17, 2011 by Ernest

I’ve finally settled into the shorter days and my body has adapted to the colder weather.  Most mornings I’ve found myself downstairs riding the indoor trainer.

Once I created an indoor training space that I could leave setup, the frequency of my indoor training went up tremendously. It made training so much easier, I just get up in the morning, make a water bottle and head downstairs to ride.

Much isn’t really needed to create your space for indoor workouts:

  1. Your bike
  2. Trainer
  3. Metal Rear Skewer for your bike (most trainers come with this)
  4. Riser block for the front wheel
  5. Mat or towel for under your bike
  6. Fan
  7. Towel for you
  8. TV or a music source
  9. Workout videos
  10. Rear Mount Computer
  11. Heart Rate Monitor

It is important to keep indoor workouts fun and easy to make happen. Having a dedicated area with the above items is the first step.

Trainers work best on a solid surface. If the space you have is carpeted consider getting a sheet of plywood and placing your trainer on that. (I’ll cover the different trainer options in another post.)  Next you need a rubber mat for under the bike or a towel. I prefer the mat since it is easy to clean up and will protect your floor from any water from your water bottle or perspiration that might make it to the floor. A towel will accomplish the same thing as a mat but needs frequent cleaning.

The fan is the next important component of your indoor training space. Moving air across you will keep you cooler and more comfortable on the bike. You’ll be surprised how much of a difference it is to not have air moving by you as you ride.

The next component of the space is more of a personal preference. Do you prefer to work out listening to music? Or do you prefer to watch TV or a work out video. I tend to lean toward the TV option. I like to use the commercials as points in the work out for interval or sprints.

The rest of the components are fairly straight forward. So don’t delay, set up your training space today!

Posted in Training Aids/Products | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

What Cycling Accessories Do I Need?

Posted on December 11, 2011 by Ernest

The right accessories are essential to your riding enjoyment. Having the right accessories can make all the difference in your riding enjoyment.  If you read my bike buying rule blog from a few days ago you’ll see the importance I place on the right accessories.

I break Accessories into three categories:

1.)    “The Essentials”

2.)    “You Are Going to Want Them”

3.)     “Nice to Have”

“The Essentials”

These are the accessories that I think everyone who rides needs to have.

1.)    Helmet – Need I say more? It’s a law for children under 16 years old in Maryland.

2.)    Bell or Horn – In Maryland it is a law that you have a bell or horn on your bike. Many will say that your voice counts, but it doesn’t meet the requirement of the law. A bell is such an easy way to let people know you are approaching them.

3.)    Hydration – You need to stay hydrated while you ride. A water bottle and cage is a small investment. Need to carry more water? A hydration pack can allow you to carry up to a hundred ounces of water and provide you with additional carrying capacity for stuff.

4.)    Gloves – I don’t know what you do for a living but I imagine you use your hands on a daily basis. Gloves are a lot easier to replace then to clean your hands of debris from a fall and nurse them back to health. They also make holding the grips a lot more comfortable.

5.)    Floor Pump – Proper tire inflation is one of the keys to avoid flat tires. A floor pump is the best way to inflate your tires. My favorite is the Bontrager Turbo Charger.

6.)    ID – I like RoadID so if the worst occurs people will know who to contact. Another great solution is to take a luggage tag and include your important emergency contact information and medical information on it. Place this in your jersey pocket or in your saddle bag.

Continue reading →

Posted in Product Reviews | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

My Bicycle Buying Rules

Posted on December 9, 2011 by Ernest

With this likely being a big weekend for bicycle purchases I thought I would share my three rules for bicycle purchases.

RULE  1: Purchase a bicycle that is the same style or at least a similar style that your riding partner or buddies will be riding.

This rule is made to keep the fun factor up when you’re riding. It is no fun if you are riding a different style then your friends. You know the friend that has the mountain bike and you have the hybrid bike and they head off the paved trail to explore this dirt path that they saw and you struggle with your hybrid to stay upright as they ride off. This rule levels the playing field for everyone involved. Everyone in the group will have the same advantages and challenges as the other riders in the group. This way a rider won’t be at a mechanical disadvantage from the rest of a group. (Different wheel sizes roll at different speeds, different bicycles are geared differently.) This rule is especially important to follow in relationships.

Rule 1 B: Purchase a bicycle for the majority of your riding. If you are only going to be riding off road 10% of the time, don’t purchase a bicycle that is perfect for the 10% of riding you’ll be doing. Purchase it for the 90% of the riding. If you have some epic trip planned for the 10% of the riding style, rent a bike for that ride.

RULE 2: Always buy a bicycle one step above where you think you want to be.

Bicycles have come a long way since many people have purchased a bike. At Crofton Bike Doctor we are going to do a great job of helping the customer pick out the right bike for their riding and then properly fit them. I can’t tell you how many times I have had people who came back and said “I was only going to ride once or twice a week for 5 miles and now I am riding two to three times a week with at least a ten mile ride.”  For many of these customers they feel they outgrow their bikes sooner than later. Sadly for many customers they have never ridden a properly assembled and properly fit bicycle. When they do a new world is opened to them.

Did you know? The shop you choose to purchase your bike from will have a great influence in how your bike works and fits. Bicycles are not like microwaves that are ready to work out of the box. Bicycles require about forty five to sixty minutes of assembly time. Then you have the additional fitting time.

RULE 3: I rather see you purchase the right accessories with your bike then spend all of your money on the bike and have nothing left for accessories. (This rule sort of contradicts rule 2.)

A bike is going to be a lot more fun to use with the right accessories then without. I always recommend that customers figure out what accessories they will need to purchase and then back that out of the budget with the remainder being spent on the bicycle.

Stay tuned for an upcoming blog on the “Right Accessories”

With these rules and a trip to your local bike shop you’ll be on your way to a great ride on a new bicycle.

Posted in Bike Reviews, My Thoughts | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

DON’T FORGET ABOUT THE CAR RACK

Posted on December 8, 2011 by Ernest

You’ve got your new bike and you’re excited to get out and ride it! So how are you going to get it to all of the amazing places there are to ride? Many people are so excited to be getting their bike they forgot about how they are going to transport it. Many think oh I’ll just carry it in the back of the car. With cars getting smaller the ability to just toss your bike in the back is getting harder.

Transporting your bike in the back of your car presents its own sets of challenges. For one if you have more than one person who you want to bring along to ride with it will be a challenge to get everything in your car. You can damage the interior of your vehicle, ripped fabric or grease on the seats are never fun to fix or clean. Damage can also occur to the bike, bending the rear derailleur or affecting the adjustments of the brakes.

The investment of a good rack will protect your bike, protect your car and make it easier for you to get out and enjoy all of the great places to ride. The price you pay for a quality bicycle rack is a small price when you consider the damage that a poor fitting or the wrong rack for your car could cause.

Continue reading →

Posted in Product Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The ABC’s of Bicycle Maintenance

Posted on November 15, 2011 by Ernest

Yesterday we asked: What are the ABC’s of bicycle maintenance? This question was posted on our Facebook page. The answer is AIR, BRAKES, CHAIN.

The ABC’s are the basic things we recommend that you check prior to every ride. They are also a good starting point for any maintenance review.

Continue reading →

Posted in Nutrition Products, Training Aids/Products | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment