Random Assorted Cycling Tips
 

So I was thinking that forums offer a wide assorted of members with a wide assortment of interests and knowledge.
I think we all have personal 'tips' which help us in our cycling. Some others might also know them, but many others will learn them for the first time.

SO What Tip do you have, which helps, makes better, adds to your Cycling ??? Please post any number of your own tips !

here's a couple I find really help me...
#1 - Reduce and Eliminate Saddle sores, Boils, Ingrown hair infections where your body contacts the saddle !
Of course this assumes doing the sensible things, like good hygiene, good care of your kit.
Use a little OTC (over-the-counter) Antibiotic Ointment in your 'bottom' area every 3 or 4 days of riding.
A small tube of antibiotic ointment from your drugstore or even the local 99 cents store works a charm and last a long time.
After a shower or bath, apply a small dab of ointment to the area between your leg divide and privates - and the area where your skin/sitzbones meets the saddle.
In the 30 + years I used this idea, I've not ever had even a small ingrown hair infection! Works great!

#2 - Double layer wrap for your handlebars using old inner tube and bar wrap top layer.
I have large/long hands and the normal bar size always feels 'small' to me, I also like just a bit of 'cush' for those longer rides/times on bike.
I don;t like 'squish' foam, but do like a grippy bar tape like cork.
so, I found I can use an old inner tube (700c x 20-28 size for me) , valve cut off and tube split cleanly down the middle, as an underlay for bar tape.
I always wrap from bar end up to the stem, which better keeps the tape from gaping. My 1st layer of inner tube is laid down, using a little tension on the tube and butting next to each layer - not overlapping - this keeps the inner tube wrap from 'gaping'/separating.
Then I do the 2nd layer, finish wrap normally with whatever the bar tape will be. Really Great! just enough diameter increase to really make the bar easier to grip. Not squishy, nice and firm, yet soft and cush enough to make a difference on longer ride times... Doesn't look weird... looks normal.
I do recommend getting a finish bar tape of 80+ inches length for bar 42 & wider. Even with only one layer , shorter lengths can be challenging, depending on the bar tape width...

Ride On
Yuri

Keep a foil pouch of mosquito repellent with your tire repair kit.

This was learned the hard way.

Good tips. I may try the antibiotic ointment. Maybe Neosporin ? It is a triple antibiotic ontment.

Another thing to do is to be religous about a shower and washing the riding shorts after "each'" ride to keep jock itch away.

Women, please take note of the above. You don’t want this.

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https://c.tenor.com/WRLwPeLBY_wAAAAM/kristen-wiig.gif
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Good point rsbob. Jock itch happens to both men and women, though it is more common in men. The official name is tinea cruris and can occur when moisture or sweat becomes trapped in skin folds allowing fungus to grow. Jock itch in women may not be not as prevalent as in men but it is not an exclusive malady just for men.

Unclip early.

If you are 50+ don't pass on an opportunity to pee.

Great tips.

:roflmao:
so true

For mouth breathers: close your mouth when riding through a cloud of gnats.

Cross - train by doing different physical activities and supplement your cycling with some form of strength training ...Doing this will make you a stronger cyclist and develop a better overall fitness.

Ride some SS.

Ride out of the saddle often.

Think of cadence as a spectrum, not a number.

Ride light.

Bend your elbows.

Ride where you shouldn’t, sometimes.

Otto

have a rain or wet bike with full fenders. If it rains for several days, you can still get out

Reminds me (as did the recent yellowjacket sting..)
September thru Oct and Mid March thru Mid May are really active months (out here in Ca) for the bigger stinging insects.
Good time to keep the mouth relatively closed and more down than forward...
I get stung yearly... sometimes 2x... always head or neck... stings are never bees, always yellowjackets... just had my sting for the year on Labor Day ride
result was a swollen face with eyes almost swollen shut for 2 days... :eek: I react badly... always take an antihistamine promptly...
always ready to tear helmet off to remove bug and stinger... :(

Was stung on the lower gums once on a ride by a bee.
Had that Bubba from Forrest Gump look going for me.

That happened the other day. My friend and I were doing a 30 miler. We were passing a city park and SHE said "do you need it?" and I did not. Well, five miles later I did. Fairly open area but the trail was under a huge power line corridor. I found a tower I liked but my friend was not amused! Of course, guys are slightly better equipped at making due. She had to wait till the next official bathroom!

Stick to and develop a constantly evolving...

"Pre-Flight Check List"

I know what ya mean. Sometimes it can be a real emergency...

I don't know how much juice power lines carry in the PNW, but around Central Texas ya stay away from them towers for sure. On a hot day in July you can hear them surging from a 50 meters off. Ridding under them will reverse magnetic compasses and often blank out digital watches. Even the deer will stop grazing under them when the towers start humming. Of course now days I don't really have time to find a tower or pole to make my deposit... Ha

Those single-serving packets of Chamois Butter are handy for all kinds of pop-up chaffing incidents, and a small schmear also lubricates a squeaky cleat in a pinch. It tastes nothing like butter, btw.

I am still chuckling! :lol:

Yes to all of the above, though I ride exclusively SS.

Wear sunscreen. If I could offer you one tip for the future sunscreen would be it.

Do not trust drivers. Ever.
I read comments on the police/emergency reports of collisions and wrecks in my area. It's a good reminder of how many psychopaths are behind the wheel who regard cyclists and pedestrians as less than human, little more than speed bumps. Whenever the injured person is inside a car, the comments are full of thoughts and prayers. When the victim is a pedestrian or cyclist, the comments are full of blame gamers who figure anyone who's out in public and not in a rolling cage deserves whatever happens to them.

Niceholes can be worse than overtly hostile drivers. Niceholes will try to be nice and wave you ahead... while the impatient psychopath behind the nicehole swerves around into the shoulder or bike lane, floors it and clobbers you. When a nicehole insists on waving me ahead and I can see there's a potential for conflict with another vehicle, I'll put both feet down, pretend to check my phone, get off the bike, whatever it takes to make it clear that I'm not taking the bait.

Eye contact means nothing. If anything I assume that when the driver makes eye contact he/she is trying to get better aim to hit me.

Do not assume they will stop at intersections, stop signs or red lights, or yield anywhere, anytime. Sure, most will. It's the exceptions who will kill you. I see it every damn ride, walk and run. Twice within two minutes just on my block during Saturday's run.

Keep your ID, phone and essential keys on your person. Always.
If you're hit by a negligent driver or otherwise crash badly enough to need medical assistance, you may be separated from your bike, especially if you're unconscious. Don't keep your ID, phone or keys on the bike.

If your jersey pocket doesn't have a zipper, button, etc., to retain a slippery phone, tuck a bandana around the phone to retain it. Or a grippy rubber band, etc.

Carry at least a minimalist first aid kit.
Doesn't need to be much. I keep a single serve Mylar packet of electrolyte powder, an antihistamine, a couple of Excedrin and an asthma pill (ephedrine with guaifenesin) in my saddle bags. Takes up less room than a CO2 cartridge. Even my smallest bag will hold these few items. And I've needed them a few times, mostly to give to other people suffering from heat exhaustion and dehydration, wasp stings (Benadryl/diphenhydramine is good for emergencies, but not for routine sinus allergies), asthma attacks, etc. I usually keep a waterproof plastic tube with more stuff in my jersey pocket, but the emergency backup stuff goes in the saddle bag. Replace this stuff occasionally, at least once a year. It'll age quickly in a seat bag.

Carry pepper spray for dogs.
And use it. You'll be doing the dog a favor. It's less likely to chase bikes, pedestrians, etc., after getting a snoutful of hot sauce. The gel is safest and least likely to blow back into your face. Forget the water -- dogs just think it's playing. Don't use homemade stuff like wasp spray or squirt bottles filled with whatever you found in your kitchen. A dog owner who's stupid enough to let their dogs roam around harassing people is probably mean enough to sue you for trying to defend yourself. A lawyer could have fun embellishing the effects of homebrewed sprays. Use a good commercially made pepper spray. Sabre is easy to find, affordable and effective. I've used it once on a charging dog and it worked immediately just as claimed.

Close the door when you leave home.
Were you raised by wolves or what?

Don't be the third cyclist playing a Bluetooth boombox at full volume in a group ride.
And your playlist is terrible anyway.

They are only a problem to people who think they are saying it's safe to go. They are only yielding.

You must determine whether it's safe for you to go (like always).

Nothing in this kit is going to help with this.

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