Today’s coaches corner is all about gears. Simon Tacx wanted to understand more about the variations in chain rings & gear ratios.
Firstly basic terminology:
Spider: this is the five probes which spread out from the centre of the cranks. Road bikes traditionally have five to spread the load where mountain bikes typically have four due to the smaller circumferences.
Crank length: this is the length of the pedal arm from the centre to the pedal. These came range from 160mm to 175mm. Depending on the length of your length the length of your cranks will vary.
Chain rings: these are the discs which go around the pedals which generates the momentum to cycle. See below for further information. Bigger = harder small = easier
Cranks sizes: 130 or 110. This is the circumference size of the cranks rings. 130 is standard & 110 compact. If you buy 110 chain rings they will not go onto a 130 crankset and visa versa.
Rear cassette: either 10 or 11 cogs on the rear wheel. Smaller = harder, bigger = easier. The opposite to the front chain rings
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Today’s coaches corner is looking at Group Riding.
When riding in a group, there are a number of things you should know, do and avoid in order to ensure that the group is safe, productive & effective. Here’s a basic guide.
Single line or two-a-breast?
A certain times you can look to adopt either riding position in a group. Knowing when & why will aid for a safer and more enjoyable ride.
Mike Essex aka Mr Essex asked the latest coaches corner question. What are the best ways to save time in relation to money
Firstly I am sure you will be able to find somewhere on the vast Internet a number of website that will give you precise time savings per item of kit and provide how much they generally cost per second of time saved. BUT 9/10 these are conducted in wind tunnels and with someone who smash the bike…
Lucy Owen also wanted to know about Bike handling such as cornering & defending. I will do a coaches session in the early season to practically address this area but here are some basic pointers.
Cornering: the secret to cornering comes down to three main areas
Calvin Woods posed today’s coaches corner question. He wanted to know the difference between clincher & tubular wheels.
What are the different types of wheels?
There are four different types of wheel now on the market, they are clinchers (either carbon rim or traditional aluminium), then you have tubular wheels and a more recent addition in the tubeless clincher.
Riding at this time of year can be unpleasant as the low temperature me wind chill can greatly affect your body temperature.
Think layers. Look to have two thin layers under a good wind stopper / winter cycling jacket. Go for a wicking layer to absorb the sweat as although it might be cold, you will still sweet as the body wants to keep you warm. Look to get a thermal layer next – such a Marino wool. This wil help trap the heat and keep you warm.
