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Winter (Bike) Refreshments

Fading tan lines[dc]P[/dc]art of the problem with the winter/off season is that most cyclists suffer from withdrawal.  There's a dearth of riding outside in the fresh air, sunshine is distinctly lacking, our well earned tan lines are fading, people are missing their mid-ride social stops with their buddies and miles are generally of the long, steady distance and are performed on a trainer.  While some take to the sofa to put on their winter weight (much like a hibernating bear,) some take to online forums to discuss the latest news and gadgetry and some hit the slopes or the gym to get their endorphin fix, you CAN spend time with your bike and not hate it.  This time spent can be of the intimate type (get your mind out of the gutter) that will let you appreciate your bike more when the time comes to climb back on and shed those accumulated winter pounds.

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Smoothing Your Pedal Stroke

Have you ever watched a pro cycling event like the Tour de France and marveled at how man and machine are almost one being?  Isn't it remarkable how smoothly and efficiently each rider can propel their machine forward at speeds that make us mere mortals raise our eyebrows in amazement?  Have you then compared them to some of the folks on your local group rides and seen the night and day difference?  Maybe you are one of those riders who resembles a semi truck as opposed to a Ferrari, and you want to change that.

Keo Blade pedalsYou're probably worried that "I can't change that, those guys are gifted."  Well, yes, that is true to some extent.  Those guys spend their entire lives training and racing, and the vast majority of them are genetically gifted with high VO2 max and incredible natural ability.  But you can still improve your pedaling technique, which will put you on the path to being more efficient and stronger on the road.  And it won't cost your entire training week to accomplish, either.

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The Joy of Garbage Miles

Garbage milesSince the holidays are here and the season has ended, most of us have put our training season to bed.  We're tired, we're busy with holiday commitments and we're not really interested in fighting freezing temperatures and precipitation to get a ride in.  On the other hand, we're not really interested in setting up the indoor trainer, either.  So we take advantage of the warm days when we can, and we go out and ride, ignoring training, ignoring goals and ignoring all our power, heart rate and speed metrics.  We go out and cruise along, sightseeing, taking advantage of this rare opportunity to put in “garbage miles.”

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Cycling With Headphones?

Since the days have gotten shorter and the weather colder, a lot of people have hung up their pedals for the season.  Riding partners are tending to exterior household illumination, hiding from household guests or simply disinterested in fighting the cold and wind.  Group rides are going into hibernation for the winter, people are sitting inside riding their trainers, and you're left all alone to grind out early winter miles on your own.  But there are alternatives to spending your day alone and miserable on the windswept, barren roads, and the answer is right at your fingertips.

Motivational tools?Tuning in, but not tuning out

Everyone has a mobile music device these days, and with iPods becoming cheaper and more compact, they've become more and more suited to entertaining us while exercising.  A quick look to your nearest copy of iTunes will provide you hours upon hours of company on the roads.  You can build playlists for different kinds of rides, whether you're planning intervals, recovery rides or tempo work, with music to match and encourage you throughout.  Music can keep your mind from focusing on the cold, the wind or the your solitary existence on the road, but before you tune in, you need to think about a few things to keep you from tuning out.

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Shifting Trends

There seems to be a rising trend in shifting performance: more is better.  While it's very true that Jens once said “more is better” he WAS talking about coffee at the time, not cogs or batteries.  But with the leak of Shimano's Dura Ace 9000 spec sheet, we see that the market is once again forcing change upon us, this time in the form of 11 cogs.  Campagnolo has been doing it for quite a few years already, but is there really any benefit other than being able to say “this one goes to 11?”  Judging by information released today about SRAM's 2012 Red group, not everyone is buying into the claim that “more is better.”

Campagnolo 11 speedFact or fiction?

There are plenty of myths surrounding 11 speed drivetrains.  When they first came out, people claimed that you could have lower gears, tighter gears, weaker chains, shorter component lifespan and incompatibility with current systems.  Basically, everything that could be said about a new technology was said.  But in reality, what ended up being true and not true, and is 11 speed really better than 10?

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