Poll: Best advice

[ccnyc]

2 pieces of advice:
1. Sit all the way back on the seat when riding uphill (especially steep ones).
2. Get clipless pedals. It really does improve performance. I love mine.

[Ninabike]

Bike fit: Get the best fit you can. Make the bike fit you; not you fit the bike.

[trigurl]

It isn't as much the bike as it is the rider!

[mainerider]

Before my first and daunting long charity ride, my friend passed on this advice: don't eat or drink stuff you aren't used to; keep your shoulders relaxed; use easier gears to spin when your legs are tired; and most of all have fun. Seven years later I still carry a little card with these helpful hints with me on my charity ride.

[SadieKate]

Butt back and speed is your friend

[Trekhawk]

Give cycling a go, you will love it. (My husband)

[abarensfeld7]

Best ever is probably to spin the pedals;

But today I got a really awesome mtb tip. It was rainy and the roots were really treacherous, and my back wheel was sliding all over the place. My buddy had me loosen up the tension on my brake cables so that there was more play in the levers before the brakes engaged (in other words, you have to pull the levers further towards you before the pads grab the rim). Consciously or subconciously, you grab the brake levers when you're in a situation when you want a better grip and by doing this you end up grabbing LOTS of brake and the wheels can lock up. After adjusting my cables in this manner, I noticed that I was able to brake more subtly and effectively and when I grabbed the bar for more stability I only got a little brake instead of a whole handful. After that the roots became a lot less of a problem!

[Blueberry]

1. Sit all the way back on the seat when riding uphill (especially steep ones).

I've taken to doing this recently and it seems to have helped my hill performance significantly (not to mention the fact that my crotch seems to appreciate the change of scenery as I rarely stand ). That and riding more regularly than I had been. Distances still aren't increasing (I'm still blown at the end of the ride), but I'm riding faster and feeling stronger.

[Wendy]

Hold your body up with your core muscles (only they weren't called "core muscles" at the time), and you'll feel an obvious difference in the power going to your pedals.

[bcipam]

I've gotten lots of good advice over the years but most recently... to relax and take a rest while climbing up hills. OK what does that mean? It means use your low gears, start out slowly and comfortably and once you hit a nice cadence, pick it up slowly. Near the top you shuld have enough left to stand and dash (or on a mountain bike, pick up the cadence and push). I used to rush the hills and peter out towards the top. No more!!! I used to avoid hills and now I seek them out. I eat hills for breakfast!

[yellow]

Draw a circle with your toe.

I think about this when I'm in a particularly tough climb or otherwise feeling puny. I think it works because it forces me to really focus on that one image (and motion) and I find that I usually end up going a little faster without extra effort.

[amg]

road: learning about drafting

mtb: stand up and pedal in technical sections

Abarensfield7, if it's really wet and your mtbing on wet roots, letting a little bit of pressure out of your tires will give you more grip. Not enough to pinch flat, just enough to give you a little more tread on the roots.

[JanT]

Mountain Biking: When faced with a difficult part of a trail: Do, or Do Not. In other words, make a decision to ride it fully committed, or get off and walk it. It's when I am hesitant that I am likely to wreck.