dalts.net Kind Acts of Randomness

Ok, I've been cycling the 12km to work every day for the last 3 months now and I thought I would share some of the things I have learnt over the time.

1. Get a decent bike and look after it. If you're doing any sort of decent distance, a road bike is best, but if you have to use a mountain bike, I can't recommend slick tyres enough. They won't cost you much and it will make life a lot easier for you. With your tyres - make sure you pump them up to the maximum recommended pressure and keep them that way (the rubber leaches air over time). The pressures may seem a bit high (120psi on mine), and you might need to get yourself a good foot or floor pump to achieve this - but don't worry they will easily take it. Doing this will give you a better ride, your tyres will last longer and you'll avoid pinch flats. I've had 2 punctures so far - and both have been from when I hadn't pumped the tyres up enough.

2. Buy a rack and panyer bags. Rucksacks make your back sweaty and disrupt your balance if you have a lot of stuff in them. Riding without carrying anything on you is a much more pleasant experience. If you can't afford the full panyer bags - I just got a bag for the top of the rack which has little flap down parts for the sides if I need to put more stuff in. This is quite adequate for going to work every day.

3. Get clip-less pedals or at the very least toe clips. I thought this was a little too much when I first got my new bike, but once you've tried the clipless pedals and proper shoes there is no turning back. You'll get at least 2 times more efficiency from your pedaling as you are able to apply pressure through the full 360 degrees - it cut my journey time by 5 minutes and I am a lot less tired. Another good tip is to use a lower gear and increase your cadence - it may not seem like it, but you get better efficiency.

4. And finally USE THE ROAD. Don't be scared of the traffic, we are part of the traffic. There's a lot of research to say that the more cyclists that are on the road, the lower the accident rate. As a driver I always thought that cycling on the road was really dangerous, but as you get used to it - it's not bad and I've been quite surprised lately how courteous and responsible drivers have been towards me.

Be proud to be out on your bike and doing your bit to reduce your environmental footprint - it's a great way to get around, and you'll be fitter as a result.