Fitness and Training Advice

Introduction

While cycling requires more gear preparation than walking, running or swimming, it is a great option for everyone and in particular those that suffer with achy knees and hips or lower back pain looking to maintain a healthy lifestyle. It also is an excellent cross training activity offering a cardiovascular workout and strengthening of the lower body muscle groups.

You need to ask yourself lots of questions before deciding what kind of bike to buy.

What kind of cyclist do you want to be – on-road, off-road or both?

Would you consider building up to enter a competitive race or do or do you just want it for recreation or maybe commuting?

Budget is always a big issue - but with all such investments you will get what you pay for so it is worth getting advice from a bike shop; if nothing else than because it is important to be fitted for a new bike by a professional to assure a more comfortable and injury free riding

One easy way to start cycling is to use the bike for short journeys where you would have otherwise taken the car or the bus. How much you ride depends on you, your fitness and your lifestyle. If you've been inactive for a while it is probably worth starting with short distances.

Within a few weeks of cycling your aerobic fitness will have improved and you will be able to ride for miles without feeling anything more than a little puffed out.

Buying a bike

If you are going to use your bike regularly and travel any sort of distance, you need a bike that is comfortable, durable and preferably fun to ride. But what sort of bike would suit you best?

The various styles - from superlight racing bikes to the traditional sit-up-and-beg roadsters, via rugged mountain bikes - give very different riding experiences. The right style for you will depend on the types of journeys you are going to be making on your new bike and the length of time you expect to be in the saddle.

Where to shop

Look for a bike shop staffed by enthusiastic cyclists. Unless you know exactly what you want in terms of bike style and size, you should aim to ride before you buy. A good local bike shop will be able to help you find the right sized (and priced) bike and should let you have a test ride before you buy.

General issues worth considering

In general, the lighter your bike is the better. A lighter bike takes less of your pedal power to lug up hills. This is no trivial matter since as soon as you start cycling; hills sprout up in places you'd swear there were none before. And a lighter bike is easier to carry, an important consideration if you live in a flat or need to take it on the train.

Regrettably, weight and price and are inversely proportional. Spend £79 on a new bike and at the first sight of an incline you can expect to feel like the bike is hitched to a caravan. However a speedy featherweight, carbon-fibre machine may require you to remortgage the house!

Racing bike

Racing bikes are designed for out-and-out speed. They have a stiff, lightweight frame, narrow wheels with high-pressure tyres, and alloy components. Dropped handlebars allow the rider to tuck into a windcheating prone position, while a narrow saddle give the rider's legs plenty of room for pedalling.

The lightness and agility of a racing bike is useful on a fast commute, especially if there is lots of stopping and starting. But the ride is not very comfortable: the narrow wheels and a stiff frame are not good at soaking up the bumps and potholes of town and city streets. Also the head-down position doesn't make it easy to spot hazards in the road ahead.

Pros - light and fast. Ideal if speed is your thing.
Cons - can be expensive. Not the most comfortable type of bike available. Some of them may not be able to take the fittings for mudguards or a luggage carrier/panniers.
Cost – Around £500 will get a good entry level.

Touring bike

Designed for comfortable cycling over long distances and times, tourers sacrifice speed for comfort. Tourers tend to have a longer wheelbase and a more flexible frame than a racing bike. Tourers also have luggage racks and other sensible accessories like mudguards already fitted. These add-ons do add to the weight of the bike and it will be less nippy around town than a racing bike.

A tourer has dropped handlebars, like a racer, but the brake levers are usually positioned so that they can be reached from the top of the bars, allowing you to ride in a more upright position.

This style of bike is perhaps best suited to a relatively long commute, without too much heavy traffic to deal with. It wouldn't suit someone whose journey involves lots of bumping up and down urban curbs.

Pros - comfortable and great for load lugging - your office clothes, shopping or work materials.

Cons - not the most agile type of bike available.

Cost - Around £400 will get a good entry level

Mountain bike

Designed to survive truly wild terrain, a real mountain bike has to be light and tough. True mountain bikes have strongly-constructed wheels that are smaller (26"/600c) than a traditional bike's (28"/700c). This and the smaller stiffer frame make the bike more nimble off-road. Knobbly tyres ensure the bike can cope with mud, while the array of gears (up to 27) and heavy-duty brakes equip the bike for the steepest of ascents and descents. Mountain bikes now routinely come with front or front and rear suspension for improved off-road handling and comfort.

A mountain bike's ability to soak up the lumps and bumps and its agility make it as much at home on busy city streets as on alpine trails. However, this off-road ability doesn't tend to come cheap - a quality mountain bike costs upwards of £400, although there are entry level bikes for around the £230-250 mark.

Beware, however, of the cheap (less than £100) mountain bikes on sale in supermarkets or car accessory shops. These only have a passing resemblance to true mountain bikes and may not be up to the job of off-road cycling. This may not be an issue if you only ever plan use your bike to pop down to the paper shop on a Sunday morning. But regular use, or a venture onto the dirt, will soon reveal that cheapness translates into a bike that is heavy, uncomfortable and liable to turn to rust after a ride in the rain.

Pros - a genuine mountain bike can be an excellent commuter's bike - durable, fantastic brakes, comfortable and fun to ride

Cons - off-road tyres are noisy and inefficient on tarmac - replace them with touring tyres for commuting. Probably the most popular target for bike thieves.

Cost – Pay no less than £250 if you intend to go off-road
 

Hybrid bike

A cross between a mountain bike and a more traditional bike. Not an out and out mud-plugger, but borrowing the off-roader's tough design, big range of gears and powerful brakes, and matching them with the larger, more efficient 700c wheels of a traditional bike. The combination is a useful compromise - a strong bike that can manage the odd ride along a tow path, but with a comfortable, relatively high-up riding position ideal for commuting.

Lightweight aluminium alloy frames, once reserved for lightweight racing bikes, are now common on these bikes. They give a more sporty feel to the bike because of their stiffness, but can also mean a less comfortable ride. Compare an aluminium-framed bike with a steel-framed one to see which you prefer.

Only rarely do the hybrids currently on sale come equipped with all the essentials of a practical city bike - lights, lock, mudguards, carrier or pump. Budget for these when comparing a hybrid - often marketed as fashionable 'urban' bikes - with a more comprehensively equipped traditional type of bike.

Pros - a good all rounder
Cons - Jack of all trades.
Cost – Start from around £300

Bikes for women

Most bike styles come adapted in some way to suit women. This is mostly to do with the smaller frame sizes, or frames without the crossbar of a traditional "diamond" frame. These design features make it easier to stand over the bike when at a standstill. The other main difference is the saddle, which tends to be broader on a woman's bike.

Remember if you buy it cheap on an auction site than you it may not fit you or be up to the job.

What to wear

There is a general adage that you more ridiculous you look and the more laughs you attract than the clothing is probably right for its purpose – you can’t beat a bit of lycra.

Helmet

People do not generally like wearing one (in Australia they are mandatory), but it could save your life. It's very easy to fall onto rocks, tree stumps, and other solid things, be prepared.

Cycling shorts or trousers

Bike saddles have been known to turn many people’s legs to jelly – most look as comfortable as a milk bottle but they serve a purpose and with the right clothing and a bit of use serve their purpose well. A big saddle with heavy padding absorbs a lot of energy that should be destined for the pedals and can do more harm than a narrow one in terms of blisters!

The padding sewn into shorts helps prevent soreness and lets you spend more time on the saddle. They can be worn under a floppy pair of shorts or trousers if you wish.

Wearing underwear under cycling shorts can cause irritation and be quite painful after even medium length rides.

Gloves

These reduce a bit of vibrations and offer some protection from whipping branches or in a fall (you will naturally put you hands down to break your fall so padded gloves will protect your hands). In wet and cold weather gloves keep your hands warm and allow you to maintain a good grip on the handlebars.

Shoes

There is a wide range of shoes on offer for all types of bikes. Some clip into the pedal (sort of like a ski binding which attaches the rider to the bike) and others look like traditional shoes with firm sole. It’s best not to wear trainers as they tend to be too wide for the pedals and tend to slip off the pedals.

Glasses

Not only a style accessory but offer some protection from branches, dirt, mud etc. Cycling glasses tend to be more fitted and have larger lenses than fashion glasses – again for a purpose.

Wet gear

You can leave home in good weather and thanks to our climate it can turn nasty quickly. Options of waterproof jacket, trousers, long sleeve shirt (breathable material) can be folded up and tucked away in either panniers or back pockets.

What to take with you
 

Think of an eventuality and no doubt it will happen so consider how to deal with it and plan in advance.

Punctures

The bane of cycling and a bit like the one about the buses. The easiest options are to take a spare inner tube, a puncture repair kit, tyre levers and a pump. For the lazy and well off you can by small CO2 canisters that have an adaptor for instant inflation of tyres. Practice taking a tyre off and reapplying it in good weather before going for the real thing when you are wet and cold.

Energy

It’s surprising how weather conditions can affect a cyclist’s body. There is a term called hitting the wall or getting the ‘Bonk’ when your blood sugar levels drop. It saps your energy and makes you feel pretty rough. Make sure your take food or an energy drink with you and take something on board at least every half hour.

Chains

In the ideal world you should change a chain every 4-6 months and keep them well maintained. If this is not the case or you are unlucky a rivet extractor is a must on a ride. If your chain were to snap than you just take out a couple of links and carry on riding.

If all else fails…….

Ensure you have some money, a mobile phone and a friend available with a car and who is good at map reading.

Where to go

Everybody in the North West lives close to some beautiful countryside with quiet roads or off road areas.

At first get out a map and plan your route, gauge how far it will be (plan for about 15mph at first) and how long it will take. Stay away from big hills at first, they can be tiring and demoralising. Plan a gentle circuit that may have a café or somewhere to get some refreshments if needed.

Feeling Competitive

The Lancashire Constabulary has a county cycling section that is affiliated to the Road Time Trials Council (RTTC) and British Cycling.

The RTTC oversee time trials and British Cycling oversee Road Racing, Track Racing and Mountain biking.

There are numerous events in the North West of England covering all of the above types of cycling and the purpose of the Cycling Section is to support those that competitively represent the Constabulary in the above disciplines.

From mid April to September there is a weekly road racing event held at the Cottam Sports Arena in Preston on a Thursday evenings. This is a good entry level to competitive racing around a closed 1 mile circuit. Entry is done on the night with separate ability groups starting at various times.

There are various club 10 and 25 mile events during the week that again can be entered on the line.

Swimming and cycling are perhaps the best cross sports that would benefit your overall running performance. See our other training advice articles:-

Running - By our veteran runner - PC Steve Broadbent

Swimming - By our expert swimmer - John Pollard

And finally….

Shaved legs offer no advantage in the speed department. It is a habit performed for health reasons in that following crashes and subsequent grazing, hairs trap dirt and grit causing infections and makes the removal of dressing even more painful!