leob1

This.

Korina

In the distant past, when Seth's Bike Hacks (now Berm Peak) YT channel was still new, he began a series of noob mountain bike lessons, and the one that really stuck is, 'Pick your line and ride confidently.' Applicable to our occasionally chunky streets as well.

Bmach

Best was “embrace the pain”.

bwilli88 

Wear dark shorts with light and bright shirts. Dark shorts to hide any grease hand prints, bright shirts to be seen.
If something is making a noise it should not be, stop and fix it.
line up the tire label with the valve stem.
Just ride! You do not need fancy stuff.

ItalDisco

Mainly for commuting: Build a good relationship with riding. The shortest, most convenient, and easiest ride isn't necessarily the most enjoyable.

2manybikes

If you have someone telling you that you don't need more bikes, get rid of them (the person). You don't need that king of negativity in your life.

Eds0123

for commuting: Learn the bus routes, and carry bus fare, you might need it some day, better than calling wife or uber or a friend for an emergency ride,

WelcomeSir

Another taken from motorcycle advice

"Dress for the slide, not just the ride"

Mainly applies to helmets and gloves because I'm not wearing full leathers during physical activity, but I do like the idea of keeping my hands and head intact

rsbob 

Always wear some type of eye protection - against bugs - dirt - and in my wife and my case on our tandem - flying vanilla milkshakes courtesy of a local low life.

AlgarveCycling

It's a common theme from some that heavy bikes = greater workouts or that it's the rider not the bike etc.

Not entirely true...

Watts are watts. Whether you ride a heavy bike or a light bike, 300w is 300w and the difference will be how fast and enjoyable that 300w will be, not the intensity of the workout - that will remain the same.

Sure, a lighter bike will be 'easier' to climb with. No doubt. For example, Rider A on the light bike may only need 280w vs rider B on the heavy bike using 300w to achieve the same time on the same gradient - assuming all else is equal, such as w/kg etc. Hence why we train with power meters today; we can see our target, we can ensure we maintain the watts required for the workout goals - regardless of bike weight etc. So the heavy bike theory is incorrect, it doesn't make a workout harder if the rider on the lighter bike matches the same physical effort. They will just go faster.

It's the rider...yes, this is mostly true. However, there comes a time when an athlete cannot lose any more weight beneficially and is in peak condition. What then? Well, at that point, it is over to the bike! A bike more suited to a particular course; weight, aero etc will provide gains over another athlete with a bike not as efficient or fast. Therefore, the bike will make a difference in terms of increasing speed.
Marginal gains are important for many athletes where they are needed to remain competitive with others who are also in good shape and have them. It becomes a bit of an arms race at the top; chasing every watt of advantage.

Anyway, to quote Eddy Merckx: "Ride as much or as little, or as long or as short as you feel. But ride".

t2p

some of the best advice I received

stay hydrated - drink a lot of water

act like you are invisible - be prepared the motorist will not see you or your sight will not register with them (important when passing by / going through an intersection)

only go as fast as you are willing to fall

low gearing is important if your rides will involve a lot of climbing

and most important: enjoy

if your riding is mostly limited to a bunch of frantic riders doing 30 mile rides in 20-25 mph pace lines - everyone gets beat up - you return to your car and then head home to lick your wounds and feel like ***** - you might be missing out on the best parts of biking

Ronwalker

The more you ride - the more you love cycling.

downtube42

Overheard tip while eavesdropping PBP grizzled veterans in Paris: if you want to finish fast, be brutally selfish. Make temporary alliances on the road, and abandon them if they slow you down. Make another alliance up the road. Never ever wait for anyone at a control. The same holds true if you're on the slow end of things barely making time cutoffs.

Only if you're in the middle and don't care about finish time can you afford anything else - and even that can get you in trouble.

tcs

"Steer into the lean." This would have been in the early summer of 1962, as the training wheels came off.

rsbob 

Don’t eat or slurp anything sticky while riding unless you have water nearby to wash your digits (unless you are skilled and don’t make a mess).

rsbob 

Never pass a bakery or coffee shop without sampling the baked goods. Ride to eat.

livedarklions

It's also complete nonsense for a really obvious reason--you can always add weight to a lighter bike. But really the main thing is going faster just shifts the primary resistance load from gravity to aero.

The heavy bike leads to greater workout fallacy stems from the mistaken analogy to weightlifting. Unless you're riding uphill all day, such a small proportion of our effort is actually overcoming the inertia of the bicycle's weight that marginal differences in bike weight make virtually no noticeable difference in the effort we're putting out. And we also likely adapt the gearing to the weight of the vehicle to further ameliorate any resistance from weight--people on heavier bikes are just going to ride in a lower gear than the riders on lighter bikes, all other things being equal. Weightlifting doesn't involve aerodynamics or gearing, all that can be varied is the amount of weight and number of repetitions.

Just to be clear, I'm completely agreeing with you, just extending the logic.

gif4445

If your cycling includes some cold weather rides, keep a list of what you are comfortable wearing at 5 to10° intervals. Amend as you see fit when additional clothing options present themselves. The list will take the emotion out of choosing your cycling wardrobe. What I and many people have obviously discovered is the tendency to overdress at the start of a ride, only to stop a few miles in and shed some clothing. Before starting a ride, I get the temp reading and forecast, adjust for wind when applicable, check my list and dress accordingly.

Trakhak

Read this on Bikeforums over 10 years ago, and it's great advice:

When you see that a squrrel in or near the road sees you coming, ride straight toward the squirrel. Moving in a straight line toward them is what they expect predators to do, and they'll run away from you. But steer away from them, and their response will be unpredictable, often dangerously so.

indyfabz

Don’t drink vodka you found in a dumpster.

terrymorse 

I just remembered this one:
This one tip goes a long way towards preventing pain and numbness.

livedarklions

Related--I've found that making a very loud "gobble, gobble" type noise will turn back a wild turkey, otherwise they seem to just obstinately stay directly in your path.

I have a lot more close calls with chipmunks than I do squirrels. I think they're wired to avoid being swept up by raptor birds, so it's impossible to know how they're actually perceiving us.

Fredo76

A pound off the wheels is worth ten off the frame.

terrymorse 

A clever quip, but it's not true.