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Riding tips
While you learn about your new bike and practice your cycling skills, do your first rides in a quiet area
with little or no traffic, such as an empty parking lot. Without traffic or obstacles, you can concentrate on
your cycling skills such as shifting, or entering your pedals. Once you master the basic cycling skills of
shifting, braking, pedal entry, and get used to the handling of your new bike, you can try your favorite
ride.

If you are new to cycling and are interested in increasing your skills as a cyclist, do these early rides
with a more experienced cyclist, watching their technique as you learn your own. In addition, more
experienced cyclists can probably show you good riding routes in your area.

Before heading out for your first ride, read Chapter 1 of this manual. Wear a helmet and be equipped for
basic bike repairs such as repairing a flat tire.

Shifting
Why all those gears?

When driving a car, you change gears to suit your driving speed. Changing gears keeps the car’s engine
running at the optimum speed for power and acceleration. Riding a bike is no different—except your
body is the engine—so as your speed varies on your bicycle, you should maintain a pedaling rate that
allows good power and balance. Some models of Trek bikes have as many as 30 gears, and this wide
ratio gearing allows you to more easily maintain pedaling speed.

So what gear should you use? With time, you will find the pedaling rates most comfortable for you. If
you are striving for peak performance, this will usually be somewhere between 80 and 100 crank
revolutions per minute (RPM) depending on terrain and technique. The optimum pedaling rate varies,
because it takes practice to pedal smoothly at this higher rate, and most people find a lower rpm is more
powerful when going uphill and a higher rpm is faster on the flats.

This faster pedaling technique is called “spinning.” Spinning means that instead of pushing only straight
down on the pedals, you push the pedals in more of a circle. By spinning the pedals, you use more of
your legs’ muscle groups. By using more muscle groups, you depend on each muscle group slightly
less for the total power output. With the muscles working with less effort at the same cycling speed,
each muscle group will fatigue less.

Finding the right gear.

With a derailleur shifting system, you must be pedaling to shift. Not only must you be pedaling, but
shifting works better if you are pedaling fast. To further increase shifting performance, decrease the
pressure on the pedals as you shift. Since pedaling fast and decreasing your pedal pressure are both
difficult on hills—especially at the same time—shifting on hills can be difficult. With experience, you
will shift into the right gear combination before you actually get to the hill. Its better to approach a hill in
a gear that is too low than one that is too high, because with higher pedaling speed (in a lower gear) you
can shift, if desired.

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With practice, gear selection will become more of an impulse or reflex, requiring little thought. When
shifting becomes automatic, dealing with the other concerns of safe cycling (like automobiles, sewer
grates, etc.) will become easier. This means shifting technique affects your safety—another reason why
its a good idea to practice in a quiet area before you head out for your first ride in the ‘real world’.

With your left hand, select one of the two or three chainrings (depending on which model you are
riding). Think of the chainrings in this way: the smallest chainring is for climbing hills, the largest ring
is for downhills, and if your bike has a middle chainring, use it for flat, moderate, or rolling terrain. If
you don't have three chainrings, just stick with whichever chainring you are in until your pedaling rate
dictates that you need to shift.

With your right hand, fine tune the gears within the terrain range you’re riding: flat, uphill, or downhill.
On the rear gears, or cassette, the larger cogs provide easier pedaling, while the smaller ones make for
harder pedaling (or faster riding). Avoid looking at the gears while riding; watch where you are going.

You can use all the gear combinations on the bike, but avoid the “cross-over gears.” These are the gears
at the extremes of the range: the small-to-small gear combination and the big-to-big gear combination. In
either of these combinations, the chain has to make an extreme angle to exit from one extreme and
“cross-over” to the other extreme. While your bike’s gearing system is designed to accommodate this,
cross-over gearing causes noise and accelerates wear of the drivetrain components. If one of the
cross-over combinations suits your speed, you’ll also find a similar gear ratio available on the other
chainring with a different rear cog, or if your bike has three chainrings, try the middle chainring.

With modern indexed shifting systems, a movement of the shifter from one position to the next (or
movement of the shifter to the "shift" position) should promptly move the chain from one gear to the
next. However, bikes equipped with STI road shifters and triple chainrings may shift better, particularly
when shifting from the smallest chainring to the middle, if you "hold” the lever for a moment before
letting go of the shifter.

Braking
As pointed out in the Ride Safely section of Chapter 1, braking should be with both brakes, but avoid
over-use of the front brake which might cause the rear wheel to lift, or the front wheel to slide. This is
especially important when descending a steep hill.

Your front brake provides more stopping power than the rear brake, so learn how to use it well. To keep
the rear wheel from lifting under heavy braking, slide rearward over the seat and stay low over the bike.
This moves your center of gravity back over the rear wheel so it is less likely to lift, an important
technique for an emergency stop.

If you have to perform an emergency stop, you will get the most stopping power when your wheels are
not skidding. Apply the brakes smoothly and evenly while modifying lever pressure to best control your
speed.

Do the majority of braking before a corner or obstacle. If you have slowed sufficiently to approach with
the brakes off and the wheels rolling freely, your bike will be more stable and the tires will provide
better cornering traction.

Descending
The keys to safely and effectively descending a hill are speed control, weight distribution, and steering
control.

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Speed control

Your speed is controlled through experience and good braking, covered earlier.

Weight distribution

Keep your weight correctly in balance between the wheels on a steep downhill by moving your weight
rearward on the bike and as low as possible, just like when braking. Keep your feet on the pedals and
keep the crankarms horizontal and parallel to the ground (unless you are cornering as you descend; see
the next section). Keep your knees and elbows bent to allow your body to absorb some of the bumps
and impacts during the descent. For extra stability, squeeze the seat between your thighs (some folks
even like to squeeze the top tube with their legs). Avoid a “death grip” on your brakes, instead using
them as outlined in the Braking section.

Steering control

When cornering, do the majority of your braking before you make your turn. Hard braking during the
turn can cause your wheels to skid, which could cause you to lose control. Make sure your speed is
reasonable, then ease off the brakes when you’re about halfway through the turn.

To avoid catching the inside pedal (the pedal on the side you are turning towards) on the ground, make
sure that your outside pedal is down and your weight is on the outside pedal. Lean your bike in the
direction of the turn, but slightly angle your upper body in the opposite direction, keeping your body
and head more upright.

Initially, you will be concerned with where your front tire is going. But on rough pavement, or when
there are obstacles like potholes in the road, you will also need to be concerned with the path your rear
wheel is taking (its different than that of the front wheel), especially in tight corners. Steer so that both
wheels follow the best paths.

Climbing
The most important tip for climbing is to find the right gear selection before reaching the hill, as covered
in Shifting. Once you've mastered gear selection, there are some additional techniques to make it easier
to tame that climb.

On steep climbs, move your weight forward on the bike sos that the front wheel does not lift off the
ground or become unstable. Lean forward and bend your elbows to apply more weight to the front
wheel. Move slightly forward on your bicycle seat.

If you apply too much weight to the front wheel, you may not have enough weight on the rear wheel,
making the rear tire lose traction and spin. Practice to find the right weight balance between front and
rear wheels, and be ready change as you go.

When spinning the rear wheel is a problem, avoid “stomping” the pedals; instead try to spin. Make a
conscious effort to pull upwards on the pedals. This requires toe clips, clipless pedals, or some other
form of attachment of your shoe to the pedal. If you choose to stand on the pedals on a climb, it is more
difficult to avoid stomping.

Whether you sit or stand for a climb is a matter of personal preference. In most cases you will be more
efficient when climbing seated, so this is a good technique for longer climbs. Since you can exert more
power when standing, usually you stand for short climbs. Sometimes it helps to mix the two techniques,

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since they use different muscle groups, and changing positions can provide a rest (sort of) for fatigued
muscles.

Things to Look Out for

Obstacles and impacts

Always look well down the road to help you anticipate upcoming obstacles. This distance will vary
according to your speed, but remember that the closer you get to an obstacle, the less time you have to
react to it.

Your body and bike will have a natural tendency to go where you are looking. If you focus on a pothole
or gravel patch, you may go through it, when you really wanted to avoid it. Focus on the part of the road
where you want to go, not on the obstacles.

Use caution when you encounter obstacles in the road, whether its a sewer grate, speed bump, gravel, or
any other hazard. If you are going fast, even a small obstacle can create a significant impact to your
bicycle. Impacts create fatigue stress on your bike, so avoid them. If you are unsure of your ability to
safely ride over an object, it is best to either ride around it or dismount and walk around it.

Extreme riding or stunt riding

Skilled riders can ride over some amazing things: curbs, rocks, logs, and even large jumps or drops.
However, this type of riding is extremely hazardous, and even the slightest mistake can result in severe
injury. You should avoid this type of risk, but if you choose to ignore this advice, at least wear
appropriate safety gear.

Differing durability levels of bikes

Bikes are not designed to withstand every abuse, and some bikes are less durable than others. Although
some bikes, like freeride bikes, are extremely rugged, even freeride bikes are not indestructible. Any
bike can suffer from fatigue stress, or can be abused such that it could break it. Be aware of the Use
Conditions for which your bike is designed, and do not ride in an abusive manner, or above the
conditions for which your bike was designed. If you abuse your bike, it may break unexpectedly
causing you to crash. If you ride hard, even if you don't crash, inspect your bike regularly. If you crash,
don't ride the bike until it has been thoroughly inspected. If you aren't sure of the condition of your bike,
take it to your LeMond dealer for inspection and service.

Riding surface conditions

When riding on wet pavement, road striping, metal grates, or any other slippery surface, control your
speed and use caution. Always expect the unexpected when riding. Always stay in control so that you
are safe, courteous, and a good ambassador for the sport of bicycling.

To Learn More...
There are many excellent sources of information about bike riding. One of the best ways to learn

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technique is to ride with and watch other riders. Many books have been written about bike technique,
where to go, equipment selection, and maintenance. Bicycling is covered by many magazines devoted
specifically to the sport. Videos are available covering educational information and events, especially
covering the exciting sport of bike racing. There are also a number of cycling groups and associations
covering racing, touring, or cycling advocacy. To find any or all of these, check with your LeMond
dealer, or try the public library in your area.

Continue reading: Chapter 2

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