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Holiday Gifts For Cyclists

It can be difficult finding holiday gifts for cyclists on your list.  Hunting through the Black Friday deals, searching for the perfect item to put a smile on their face can be fraught with peril when you don't have much of an idea of what this cycling thing is all about.  How can you expect to get the perfect gift when you don't know the difference between a cassette and a headset, but you don't want to lame out and get them a Visa gift card with the directive “go buy what you want?”

That's why I'm here to help you out.

In this holiday gift roundup, I'm including a little of everything from the low cost to the lavish.  There's something for everyone from the beginner to the lifelong rider.  So check through the list and check out the links.  In many cases, you'll find something that you hadn't thought of before, or maybe you'll not only find something for that special cyclist, you'll find something for yourself too.

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Stages Power Meter Review

The Stages Power Meter burst onto the scene in 2013 with the promise of an affordable power meter option attached to the crank arm.  How does it compare?  Is it as good as it claims to be?  Compared to similar offerings of the time the Stages meter was a novel, if not brilliant idea.  It cut the cost in half by placing the measurement device on the left crank arm only.  It was easily transferable between bikes and easy to remove and replace if it needed service.  The super light weight of only 11 grams also made for an attractive marketing point.  So did the user replaceable, easy to source coin cell battery.

Yet not everyone was on board.

From the get-go, many complained about the left sided only power measurement.  It was claimed to be prone to inaccuracies due to the “doubling of the left leg” power calculation.  Many claimed the accelerometer principle wouldn't provide sufficiently accurate cadence to properly report power.

Here we are more than two years later and Stages power meters can be found on every manner of bikes from weekend warrior up through Tour de France winners.

I've got about 2 years on Stages power meters now.  How does it stack up against other power measuring devices I've used like Quarq and Powertap?  You can read my thoughts on the Stages power meter after the jump:

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3 Tips To Gain Fitness On Every Ride

Many cyclists believe that “riding more” is an ideal way to build more fitness.  A large portion of their training is made up of “objective-less” rides in which they don't have any fitness goal other than to ride their bike.  In reality, more focused training will help you see greater fitness gains in a shorter time, but that doesn't mean you have to go all out and follow a strict training plan.

In this short video podcast, I'll give you 3 tips to gain fitness on any ride you go out for.  Whether you want to crush your group ride, start a race or hit that 18MPH average on your local neighborhood loop, these tips will springboard your fitness to the next level, create a functional fitness base you can build on and set you up for future success.

Don't forget to like and share this podcast with your friends to help them get faster too!

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The Truth About Cycling Core Strength (Podcast #65)

Core strength is something that most cyclists know about, but don't tend to train very often.  Even if they do train core strength and stability during the off-season (or the “not so off season” as I call it) they tend to ignore it again once the weather turns nice and on-bike training begins in earnest.

That mistake could not be more damaging to your season long cycling progression.

As you'll learn in this podcast, the core of your body is one of the most important parts of your power production on the bike.  A weak core can lead to a variety of problems from neck and low back pain to loss of power, fatigue on long rides and unrealized power.  So click through and start learning about what your core is, why core strength is so important and how you can build core strength with a free preview download of my upcoming Unbreakable Core Stability training plan.

Don't forget to like and share with your friends and help them build their core fitness and strength too!

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Performance Effects of Caffeine On Your Cycling

Is it possible that the quintessential coffee shop ride has more to do with performance than it does social togetherness?  In some studies, it's been shown that the caffeine in a cup of coffee may be a difference maker in terms of performance while riding a bike.  But some difference of opinion remains when discussing how soon after ingestion do the performance effects of caffeine actually take effect.  When should you drink that espresso?  When should you have that morning cup of coffee when you're going out for a training ride?

In this short Periscope videocast, I'll talk about the performance effects of caffeine on your cycling performance.  I'll also touch on what is the optimal timing is for getting your caffeine fix and what the quickest method of getting your caffeine into your blood is.  I'll also answer a couple of questions from listeners who were online at the time, giving you a couple of other tidbits on coffee and caffeine.

Don't forget to like/share and comment!

 

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