Cool Biking Zone

Cycling Tips To Avoid Cycling Injuries

By: Marius Bezuidenhout

Cycling is one of the best forms of exercise that there is and it is for all ages and abilities as well as being as affordable or expensive as you wish to make it! So whether you’re a keen cyclist or a casual peddler, you can improve your performance, well being and comfort with these tips:

1. Brake correctly by placing your hands at the ends of the levers.
2. On a long downhill, don’t stay on your brakes. This may overheat the tire rims, which could cause a blow out. Rather, tap the brakes from time to time.
3. Don’t pedal in high gear for long spells. This can increase the pressure on your knees and lead to injury.
   
4. Position the handles accurately – about 1, 5 cm lower than the top of the seat.
   
5. Change your hand and body positions frequently to avoid stiffness.
   
6. Keep your arms loose and don’t lock your elbows, they should be bent in order to absorb any bumps, rather than the knock going straight on to the joint.

Cycling is a wonderful activity for fitness and fun, but beginner cyclists need to be aware of ways they can reduce strain and injury on the joints and muscles.

The right gear

Wearing a bicycle helmet is an obvious preventative measure. But many beginning riders aren’t aware of the importance of having a bike that fits you properly. For example, a bike that’s not correctly sized and fitted to the rider can cause knee, back, neck, arm and wrist problems.

A good bike shop will help you to find the correct size of bike and adjust it to fit you properly. Improper riding techniques can also cause cycling injuries. If you ride with too much pedal resistance, you can strain your quadriceps or knee. Too little pedal resistance can cause increased pressure on your back and the base of the pelvic region.

Experienced cyclists pedal at between 90 – 100 pedal revolutions per minute. A reasonable resistance for beginning cyclists is from 60 to 80.

Hydration

Drinking ample amounts of fluids helps prevent muscle cramping. It is recommended that you consume 120 to 240 ml of sports drink every 15 to 20 minutes while cycling.

Saddle sores such as chafing and skin irritation are a likely cycling injury. To help prevent this, you should have a properly fitted saddle and should wear cycling shorts with padding in the bottom to protect skin.

–About–

Marius Bezuidenhout - How to avoid cycling injuries and remain injury free to enjoy cycling!

Source: Cool Biking Zone

Add comment November 27th, 2007

5 Tips to Avoid Cycling Injuries

By: David Tang

Conserving natural resources has become a global goal. People are making lifestyle changes to go “green,” and as such, are taking up cycling as a cleaner, healthier form of transportation. Newer riders are more prone to accidents and injuries, so without further ado, here are some tips to avoid hanging the bike up and going back to driving.

1. Wear The Proper Gear:
Always wear a helmet when biking, no matter if it is road or mountain biking. This is the first step in being a safe rider. If you are interested in becoming a more serious rider, then it’s also important to invest in proper apparel, including bike jerseys and shorts. These are made of fabric that is designed to be breathable and durable under all cycling conditions as well as having padding in all the right places. One exciting new technology is apparel made from Leather with LYCRA®. This revolutionary fabric is designed to provide abrasion protection and yet still maintain the necessary flexibility and compression needed for cycling shorts.

2. Gain Experience:
Most of us took our bumps and bruises learning to ride when we were kids. If you haven’t been on a bike for a while, take some time to reacquaint yourself by riding in a controlled environment before heading out onto the streets. An empty parking lot works perfectly if there are no parks or bicycle paths nearby. First, adjust the seat to proper ride height and make sure the bike has been given a thorough maintenance inspection. Ride around to become comfortable with the feel and balance of the bike. Do not ride in a busy environment until you feel well-balanced and are comfortable with turning and braking sharply. If you are new to biking, get started by getting on the bike and pushing off with one of your feet. Once you have some momentum try placing the “push” foot on the pedal and continuing to pedal. Do this as many times as you need until you feel comfortable putting a foot on a pedal and pushing off that way and going a short distance. As you do this, put the other foot on the other pedal and push it. Go as far as you can. Repeat this, cycling farther and farther each time, while paying attention to your balance. To help you stay balanced, don’t tense up. The looser and more relaxed you are, the easier you’ll be able to get the feel of the bike. The best way to learn how to ride a bike is to practice these fundamental steps over and over.

3. Be Seen:
You can never be too safe in making sure you are seen by other cyclists, drivers and pedestrians. Wearing brightly colored cycling gear on the bike is a vital component in being seen, especially at night or when the weather is bad. Having lights and/or reflectors on the front and back of your bike will increase your visibility to motorist and pedestrians. Avoiding collisions is a key to avoiding injuries.

4. Maintain Bike Maintenance:
A bike is no different from a car: both need regular maintenance. Make sure every part of your bike is working properly before going out on it. Brakes are a vital part of the bike. Test out your brakes every time before going out on the road. Tire pressure and condition can also be critical depending on the road conditions. Consider having a professional adjust your bike to fit you properly. This can lead to a significant decrease in injury.

5. Prepared and Aware:

Be ready for anything when riding your bike and always maintain awareness of your surrounding environment. The use of headphones greatly reduces your ability to know what is going on around you and they typically should not be worn when commuting on your bicycle. Not being able to hear the traffic sounds increases the risk of city riding dramatically. To avoid bicycle accidents, you need to be aware and prepared for all types of uncertainties on the road. Drivers are not expecting to see you riding up alongside them, so they could cut you off before you realize it. If you do decide to ride up beside a vehicle, make sure there is enough space beside the vehicle to turn alongside the vehicle. This makes it slightly safer. Nevertheless, no matter where you are and what level of rider you are, keep your eyes open at all times.

–About–

Domino, Inc. is a revolutionary new professional apparel company that is based in Boulder, Colorado. http://www.ridedomino.com , Domino specializes in perpetuating state of the art fabrics for cyclists. They are dedicated to creating and using advanced fabric technologies that improve performance, functionality, durability and protection during cycling. Domino is the official team supplier to many collegiate cycling teams, such as the Stanford University team.

Source: Cool Biking Zone

Add comment November 27th, 2007