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Survive long bike road trips

So, you like to ride your bike all the time, going maybe two to five miles a few times a week. Why not go for a longer ride? Here’s how, with a bit of preparation, you can make sure you survive your trip with your sanity intact.

In order to train for a long bike ride, you need a way to keep up with your riding, such as a simple cyclometer. You should be able to find one at a reasonable price. Before your bike ride, map your route with a car, noting landmarks every two and a half and every five miles, then just every five miles for the first twenty-five miles. These landmarks should be places where you can stop for water or a small snack. You should not stop at a landmark for more than ten minutes, nor should you make stops in between your landmarks. Begin with a thorough inspection of your bike, making sure that it is properly adjusted and ready to go. Then put your helmet on and head out to your first two and a half-mile landmark. Once you get there, think about how you are feeling. Are you ready to keep going to the next landmark, or do you need to turn back?

Every five days of your training period, increase your distance. Within a month, you should be able to reach a goal of around fifty miles or so.

If you travel at beginner’s speed, then you will be riding at a speed of somewhere around eight to ten miles per hour. Therefore, a fifty-mile ride should take you about five or six hours to complete.

With every sport, there comes the risk of injury. There are many injuries associated with cycling. Many of these injuries can be easily avoided by following safety precautions and maintaining a constant level of awareness. However, even expert cyclists make mistakes. Common injuries include road rash, bruising, cuts, scrapes, and bug bites. These injuries will heal.

There are some cycling injuries that will not heal by themselves. These injuries can be prevented if proper cycling techniques are employed and the cyclist does not train too hard, too quickly.

Riders with more experience and multi speed bicycles may be to do a fifty-mile ride in under three hours. In fact, some seasoned riders can do a hundred mile ride in just over four hours. However, rides at this great of a distance should not be attempted unless have an interest in becoming a professional cyclist.

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How do bicycles operate?

A bicycle’s performance, in both biological and mechanical terms, is extraordinarily efficient. In terms of the amount of energy a person must expend to travel a given distance, investigators have calculated it to be the most efficient self-powered means of transportation. In terms of the ratio of cargo weight a bicycle can carry to total weight, it is also a most efficient means of cargo transportation.

Mechanical efficiency

From a mechanical viewpoint, up to 99% of the energy delivered by the rider into the pedals is transmitted to the wheels (clean, lubricated new chain at 400W), although the use of gearing mechanisms reduces this by 1-7% (clean, well-lubricated derailleurs), 4-12% (chain with 3-speed hubs), or 10-20% (shaft drive with 3-speed hubs). The higher efficiencies in each range are achieved at higher power levels and in direct drive (hub gears) or with large driven cogs (derailleurs).

Energy efficiency

A human being traveling on a bicycle at 16–24 km/h (10–15 mph), using only the power required to walk, is the most energy-efficient means of human transport generally available. Air drag, which increases with the square of speed, requires increasingly higher power outputs relative to speed, power increasing with the cube of speed as power equals force times velocity. A bicycle in which the rider lies in a supine position is referred to as a recumbent bicycle or, if covered in an aerodynamic fairing to achieve very low air drag, as a streamliner.
On firm, flat ground, a 70 kg (150 lb) person requires about 60 watts to walk at 5 km/h (3.1 mph). That same person on a bicycle, on the same ground, with the same power output, can travel at 15 km/h (9.3 mph) using an ordinary bicycle, so in these conditions the energy expenditure of cycling is one-third of walking.

Typical speeds

In utility cycling there is a large variation; an elderly person on an upright roadster might do less than 10 km/h (6.2 mph) while a fitter or younger person could easily do twice that on the same bicycle. For cyclists in Copenhagen, the average cycling speed is 15.5 km/h (9.6 mph).
On a racing bicycle, a reasonably fit rider can ride at 40 km/h (25 mph) on flat ground for short periods

Reduction of weight and rotating mass

There has been major corporate competition to lower the weight of racing bikes in order to be faster uphill and accelerating. The UCI sets a limit of 6.8 kg on the minimum weight of bicycles to be used in sanctioned races

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Choosing your equipments

Be a smart and well – equipped cycler. Before you purchase a bicycle, think about the type of cycling you plan to do. Pick and choose from the myriad of options to find the combination of features that best suits you and your goals.
You might be tempted to buy everything available for your bicycle. In the beginning, you may not need a bicycle computer, GPS, and heavy winter gear. As your experience and skill level improve, you can add items to your gear collection.

The Bicycle

If you plan on a combination of road and mountain biking, pick a hybrid. Road bikes are for the road and mountain bikes are for off-road use.
The most important part of bicycle shopping is finding the right frame size. A frame that is too small will place unnecessary strain on your joints. A frame that is too large will decrease the level of control you have over your bike. If the frame is not properly fitted to your body, your center of gravity will be greatly compromised.
When choosing your bicycle, pick the best combination of features for the type of cycling you plan to do. For example, don`t put off-road tires on a road bike.

The Shoes

Many road bikes along with mountain bikes include clipless pedals to which special shoes attach, via a cleat, permitting the rider to pull on the pedals as well as push.
The right cycling shoes will support your foot on the pedal. This can reduce cramping and foot fatigue as you ride. The shoe you pick will depend on the type of pedal you plan to use with your bicycle.

The Helmet

Helmets offer essential protection while cycling. Modern designs are sleek and lightweight. There is no longer a question of style when choosing to wear a helmet. Helmets are proven to save lives and prevent life altering injuries from having their full effect. A good helmet will cost you at least US$50 and the best helmets can cost hundreds of dollars.

The Clothes

Dress for the weather. Lightweight, breathable fabrics are excellent for keeping the body cool and dry in warm weather. Moisture-wicking, heat retaining fabrics like fleece are best for winter riding. Gloves, glasses, socks, and extra outer layers are important regardless of season.
In general, fabrics suited for most outdoor sports will be appropriate for cycling. However, avoid loose fitting clothing as these clothes may get caught in your spokes, chain, or handlebars.