Road Cycling Tips

The peloton (French word) refers to the large main group in a road bicycle race. Riders in a group often save energy by riding close to (drafting, slipstreaming) other riders. It dramatically reduces drag, with research showing up to 40% reduction when riding in the middle of a well-developed group. If the riders are riding closely [...]

Cadence in the world of cycling refers to the number of revolutions of the crank per minute. A high cadence refers to fast pedalling, while a low cadence refers to slow pedalling. Cyclists typically have a preferred cadence that they are most comfortable with. With the appropriate gear, it is possible to stick to a favorite [...]

Photochromic lenses are lenses that darken on exposure to sunlight (UV radiation). The stronger the sunlight, the darker they become. Once sunlight is no longer present, the lenses will gradually return to their clear state. Photochromic lenses may be made of either glass or plastic. The glass version of this type of lenses was first developed [...]

A bicycle’s saddle can also be called the “seat”, although it is not intended to support the entire weight of the rider like on a motorbike. Saddles can be generally split into two types: tensioned leather and padded plastic. Notable bicycle saddle makers: Selle San Marco Brooks Fizik

Unlike slick tires, knobby tires have a lot of tread pattern, with knobs or bumps of various shapes, designed to dig into soft surfaces for better traction. Knobby tires get better traction on soft surfaces such as mud, gravel, snow, and dirt, compared with smooth treaded tires. Knobby tires perform extremely bad on paved surfaces. The [...]

Slick tires have no or little tread pattern, and they provide the best performance for bicycles which are used on pavement. Slick tires are smooth and silent running, and have excellent traction. They have the lowest rolling resistance of all tire styles. The common misconception is they are slippery, because look slippery. But in practice, [...]

The lower curved parts of a dropbar, the area below the brake levers.

The stationary rubber body of a brake lever, the part that attaches to the handlebars.

The part of a road bicycle’s handlebar that is above the brake levers.

Rolling resistance, sometimes called rolling friction or rolling drag, is the resistance that occurs when a round object such as a bicycle tire rolls on a surface. Factors affecting rolling resistance includes tire pressure, tire diameter, tire material, tire tread and tire width. The higher the tire pressure, the lesser the rolling resistance. The bigger the tire [...]