ToP 10

I have not had any epic cycling tales to tell as of late as the bulk of my weeks training usually kicks off late yesterday evening or today. SO, yesterday evening I was entertaining company thus the reason there is no epic story.

BUT, I have to give something. Something to my 30 Loyal readers (that's right the number has grown).
So today I give you the Top ten physical, mechanical and skills related upgrades you can make to make yourself more comfortable and faster on the bike.
10. Strengthen your core. I do Yoga to strengthen my core, but do what works for you. A strong Core will keep you on your bike longer, make you faster and will lessen your pain on those long days.

9. Stay off the brakes. For real, did you know that the brakes just slow you down? Sounds crazy, but it does, stay off of them. Also with the Brakes, stay off the back brakes. If your rear tire is your power then avoid slowing down that wheel as much as possible and use more front break anytime you can.

8. Get a good saddle and grips and some fat tires. That's right, find a saddle that is comfy. One that fits your ass sit bones well. ASS size and sit bone size are completely different. For example, I am told I have a fine ghetto booty, but my sit bones are pretty small in comparison, ya digg? I like ERgon Grips, Love em. But they may not work for you, and I even use Moustache bars on one of my MTB's, so find what works, experiment. I prefer to use tires that are 2.0 or above on my Mountain bike tires, combined with a good tubeless set up you can get some added comfort from your tire pressure.

7. Stop being so GONZO. I learned this word recently. When I hear the word I think of impromptu adult films, but after acting gonzo on a recent ride, it means stop taking every ride as a hammer fest. Recovery is more important than you can imagine. I only started getting faster when I started resting more.

6. Ride a Single Speed: Seriously folks, how do you expect to master 27 gears if you cannot be the Master of one gear. Philosophically speaking it makes sense to figure out how to get the most out of a simple one geared machine and then work off that knowledge to become better when using a bike with more gears, I think some are up to 30 now.

5.Ride Twisty rooty trails with lots of turns and twist: For real, ride the nastiest crappiest rootiest twistiest trails you can find, and then learn to ride them fast. If you can master a tight twisty trail you can really do worlds of good for your skills overall; learn to carve the corners no matter how wide open or how tight.

4. Use the BIG RING, early and OFTEN. That big ring on that double or triple you got can really help you put some power down, use it, get strong enough to use it, push it when possible, you will be surprised how much faster you can go.

3. GET a LIGHTER WHEELSET. It may take 500 to 800 dollars out of ya, but in the end, it will lighten your bike and thus give you a better power to weight ratio, thus making you faster.

2. LOSE SOME WEIGHT. I have said it time and time again, but losing weight and being lean is good for your overall health and composition. AS well, eating a diet high in processed foods, sugars and grains is slow kill to your physiology, check this site out.

1. GET A BIKE FIT. Call Matt Goforth and make an appointment. I have done only wobble naught so I trust only wobble naught. It was a pretty penny, but it was the prettiest penny I ever spent, and the only regret I have is that I didn't do it sooner.

So there you have it folks, the 10 things that I recommend you can do to get faster and more comfortable on your bike.

I know, not a great post, but it should satisfy your appetite just a Lil.

take care,

Laters,

The NaKeD InDiaN