Claim Your Lane! Part I

I am constantly asked why I ride on the road. My smart alec acknowledge is normally something like "Because it is there," and there is something to this. We have a huge network of roads and precious few trails and bike lanes. The clear explication to me is to outline out the best way to use what we have, because I want to ride now, not wait until the government gives us other infrastructure.

With this said, I see a lot of cyclists on the roads who could do a better job of riding safely and who could have a much better time as well. I also talk to many habitancy who state their biggest fear is traffic and the possibility of getting hit from behind. I continue to lobby for cycling advocacy and tell any person who will listen (and some that won't!) that cycling is a lot safer than we think, but we need to genuinely look at the situation to demystify things.

Fixedgear Bike

I liken cycling to flying in airplanes for a concentrate of reasons. First, both are quite safe if done properly. Second, when bad things happen, they are genuinely bad. All of us know man or know of man who has been hit by a car. We may know man who has been in a plane crash. I don't want to lessen the tragedy of these events but do want to put them in perspective. There is risk in anyone we do, even doing nothing! A sedentary lifestyle whereby the heaviest thing we lift is the tv remote is genuinely not risk free and the riding of a bike, a running lifestyle, or even driving in a car is not risk free either.

Claim Your Lane! Part I

That said, I want to get to the heart of the issue. We can minimize risk on the bike and accept the risk that while living life to the fullest; we can still have bad things happen to good people. I ask habitancy to Claim Your Lane! How do you do this?

The first thing I like to tell habitancy is to think about themselves as a vehicle, not man exterior on a bike in their underwear. We all see the looks of amazement from sedentary habitancy in cars as we are out sweating our way to health. We have also been in cars looking at other riders from the car and have a perspective of how we perceive them if we are in a hurry, cranky, not paying attention, etc.

Here are some things to think about.

- A vehicle can control on the road. If a bike is a vehicle, it can be ridden on the road. Simple.
- The road is not the shoulder. No kidding. A car can't drive on the shoulder, we can, but we don't have to! If the shoulder is full of glass and trash, the road is wide enough to cope riding on it, guess what? I ride on the road.
- Vehicles need to obey the law. This is a biggie. There are ways to elaborate the law to keep you out of trouble and I will go into that later, but for now, just consider, if we get to ride on the road, we have to obey the law.
- There are good places and bad places to ride on the same road. To me, a good place is one where I have maneuvering room to the right, where I can be seen from behind, and one that is free of glass and obstructions.
- You need to be as far to the right (or left, more on that later) as "practicable." What's practicable? Well, for me it is defined in the bullet point above. I like to ride in the path of the right hand tires of cars on a road. This is about 2-3 feet from the side of the road. I will elaborate more about this in hereafter segments.

You need to pay attention! I have had so many habitancy tell me they don't want to ride on the road because they have to pay attention. I strongly recommend that they think paying attentiveness while driving their cars. If you are watching ahead and to the sides, while listening behind, you will avoid the highest percentages of problems.

Claim Your Lane! Part I

Know Your Bike - Road Bikes

The Road bike is probably the most popular type of bicycle. The term can refer to bicycles specifically made to run on paved roads, as opposed to mountain bikes which have the specifications such as full suspensions to take on the demands of off road biking. Road bicycles include racing and commuter bikes which citizen use as an alternative to motorized vehicles. The dominant characteristic among road bikes are their lightweight frames which helps in boosting speed.

A less base variant of the road motorcycle is the fixed gear motorcycle or ordinarily known in the Us as fixie bikes or simply fixies. Over the years, fixie bikes have developed a cult following among motorcycle enthusiasts in different parts of the world. Fixies have their sprockets directly screwed onto a fixed hub thus can not freewheel. Since the pedals turn in the same direction as that of the rear wheel, resisting the pedals' request for retrial allows the cyclist to stop the motorcycle without the use of brakes. If you want to try out fixed gear, extra precaution is needed on your first rides since there is a big discrepancy in the middle of riding a fixie and riding a conventional road bike.

Fixedgear Bike

A road bike consists of a number of components, each of which has its important role in motorcycle dynamics. Some of the basic components include the pedals which powers the motorcycle by transferring vigor to the rear wheel, the chain and chainwheel, the frame which holds the different parts together, the saddle which supports the body of the cyclist, the handlebars which is equivalent to the steering wheel of a car, the tires, and the brakes which allows the cyclist to stop the movement of the bicycle.

Know Your Bike - Road Bikes

Road bikes have been regarded to as the perfect alternative to motorized road vehicles. Unlike cars, road bicycles do not emit pollutants which contribute to global warming and are also major causes of respiratory diseases. Pedaling also works out important muscles in the legs and in other parts of the body and is proven to be a good form of cardio exercise.

Know Your Bike - Road Bikes

dependable Berkey Water Filter Products

My house has been loyal and satisfied customers of Berkey water filters since 2006. Their products are fabulous and we've enjoyed drinking pure, clean water every day. Just knowing that we don't have to worry about ingesting harmful contaminants from tap or bottled water is a relief.

Since I have personal caress with some Berkey products, I'd like to share my thoughts with you. I understand that a testimony from man who uses the goods often is valuable?

Fixedgear Bike

The first Berkey purchase we made was the stainless steel tour Berkey. Standing 20 inches tall, it has a 2.1 gallon water warehouse capacity. We couldn't believe how pure and delicious the water tasted. At that point, we knew we could never go back to the other filter we were using.

dependable Berkey Water Filter Products

Not only did it supply tasty water, the theory was also exciting and dependable. All of our company was exciting about our tall, stainless steel system. We proudly shared our filtered water to get their opinion.

We upgraded to the Berkey Light water filter when we started having children. This theory is designed for outdoor use, but we have it in our kitchen. It meets our family's needs and the water is equally delicious. Although this theory has the selection of purchasing Led lights, we select not to get them.

We've also enjoyed using the Sport Berkey movable bottle. This bottle is suitable for hikes, exercising or even just times when we needed water while driving. The filter is just as reliable as the larger systems and the great thing is that it can be taken anywhere!

All of our experiences with Berkey have been great and we've never been disappointed. Berkey water filters are elegant, powerful and reliable products. We're clear that if you use a Berkey you'll feel the same way. After all, it's always a good feeling knowing you're doing something healthy for you and your loved ones.

dependable Berkey Water Filter Products

How to Sell Bicycles to Cyclists at a Bike Shop

For those who work in a bike shop they know that they often wear many hats. They reply questions, justify products, do a little maintenance, ride a lot and do some selling. Selling is probably the most leading part of their job description, because if the bike shop does not sell enough goods it will not be able to keep the lights on or pay the rent.

Generally bike shops pay their help not so much and yet they do often offer added commissions for sales of bikes to insure that more bikes get sold. This normally works quite well for the bike shop and it is a win-win situation.

Fixedgear Bike

So how do you sell bicycles at a bike shop anyway? Well, you consequent some uncomplicated rules of the road. You most importantly listen, as many riders, even novices like to tell you all about their adventures, athletic prowess and future vision of them blazing the trail on a lightweight mountain bike or a fast road bike. Then you need to understand that about one-third of that is wishful mental and embellished glory days.

How to Sell Bicycles to Cyclists at a Bike Shop

You then justify to the person, how this bike solves their needs to go for it and also is comfortable for a good solid ride or just sporting colse to town, which most likely is what they will really do. Make sure the bike fits these preferences and they whole they have to spend and naturally ask for the order. Next! think this in 2006.

How to Sell Bicycles to Cyclists at a Bike Shop

Safe Urban Bike Riding - 7 Tips to Keep You Safe

Urban bike riding can seem intimidating for the new cyclist. With the roads becoming more and more grid-locked, and more new drivers taking to the road than at any time in history, city cycling is becoming more hazardous. Many citizen would love to take up cycling but are put off by their fear of the traffic in their city. There's no denying that the roads are busier than ever and it can be intimidating for new cyclists, but if you ensue a few basic protection rules you should have nothing to worry about. Here's seven rules to keep you safe.

1 Make sure your bike is in good working order. This comes down to basic maintenance but is often overlooked by many people. If you have had your bike stored away for a while, don't just jump on it and go cycling. Check it over. Make sure the brakes are working fine, check that the chain is lively and smoothly and that there are no signs of rust. The gears should be lively admittedly and smoothly. It's distracting if you are on the road and you are having to mess colse to trying to turn gears. While you are concentrating on the gears you are not concentrating on the road. Any defect in your bike, any way itsybitsy can become a risk on the road. This is just a case of preventive maintenance and checking your bike regularly. Preventive maintenance is crucial to safe urban bike riding.

Fixedgear Bike

2 A lot of bike accidents occur at night or in the early morning because the driver did not see the cyclist. This is distinct and cheap to remedy. Make sure you are seen. Fit abundance of reflectors to your bike as well as lights. Use good ability lights not cheap ones which begin to go dim after a few uses. I can never understand citizen who pay a lot of money for a good bike then put cheap lights on it. Lighting is crucial to your protection so get the best. Place reflectors in the middle of the spokes so you are illustrated from the side.

Safe Urban Bike Riding - 7 Tips to Keep You Safe

3 Wear a helmet. There's two sides to this argument. Some citizen say they are not needful and won't prevent injury, the other side say they are essential. I'm with the needful side. Broken bones can be fixed a fractured skull is regularly fatal. Why take the chance? You can get great styled helmets now at a cheap price and the days when citizen stared at a cyclists with a helmet are long gone. You may feel self aware when you first go out with your new helmet on. But believe me, no one is going to look twice at a cyclist wearing a helmet these days. So wear one.

4 Wear high visibility clothing specifically designed for cycling. These will regularly have reflectors built into them. Most drivers will have no issue seeing you but make yourself extra illustrated for the inattentive drivers out there. You also need to be seen if you are at the side of the road repairing a puncture. As a cyclist you have a accountability to make sure you are seen.

5 ensue the traffic rules. I see cyclists weaving in and out of traffic lanes trying to get a few extra yards. They are not only annoying motorists but putting themselves in unnecessary danger. Stay at the side of the road unless you are making a turn. Use bike lanes if they are any. There is a tactic I've read about used in some places where cyclists will cycle in the oncoming traffic lane. The conference being that it prevents you from getting hit from behind and you can see the oncoming traffic. The conference is logical, the tactic suicidal. Don't do it. This is akin to playing Russian roulette, sooner or later you will lose. ensue the rules.

6 I know this may sound like a 1960s communal information film but use hand signals, and I don't mean the two fingered one. Use hand signals to let drivers know your intentions, this avoids any blurring and will give the driver abundance of warning about what you intend to do so he can make adjustments accordingly. I'm a motorist as well as a cyclist and sometimes I have cyclists in front of me who will suddenly turn without warning. I'm always extra alert colse to cyclists so I am rarely taken by surprise, but some drivers may not be so alert. Let them know what you intend to do.

7 Carry a tool kit. Make sure you don't leave the house without some basic tools to get you going if something falls off or breaks. One of the many inventions in tool kits over the last thirty years has been micro tools that fold into a neat itsybitsy square. There's loads of designs about and you should have one. I carry mine in a small under the saddle bag, along with a puncture kit and a spare inner tube.

As a cyclists, you're responsible for ensuring you take the needful steps to ensure your own safety. The seven steps just mentioned are basic but needful to your safety.Taking them will go a long way to ensuring you have an enjoyable time on your bike and stay safe in heavy traffic areas.

Safe Urban Bike Riding - 7 Tips to Keep You Safe

Identifying The Types of Road Bikes

Out of all bikes in the urban area, a road bike is possibly the best option. Urban paved roads offer the perfect friction needed for riding and the lean structure of the bike helps beat traffic too.

The two best qualities of road bikes are - they are in fact lean, and the frame is very light. Both these traits are ideal for a fast journey through a localized distance. Generally there are two kinds of road bikes - the racing bike, which has the curved handle that resembles a ram's horns and the commuter bike, which has that extra box carrier behind the seat.

Fixedgear Bike

There's also a third kind which is very separate from the other two in the sense that it does not have gears. It cannot freewheel and can travel at one speed level only. Hence it is called a fixed wheel or fixed gear bike, or as it is lovingly called in the States - a fixie.

Identifying The Types of Road Bikes

The principle behind the fixie is that the rear wheel has a fixed hub which is fixed to a screw in the pedal hinge, production the pedal and the wheels rotate at sync. This also means that any time the pedal stops turning, the wheel stops too, and vice versa.

Riding a fixie can be a tricky deal for population who are used to freewheeling, so it is advised to get used it before hitting the road, to prevent some nasty accident.

The main parts of a road bike are its frame on which the whole body is shaped, its pedals, chains, chain-wheel, the saddle and the seat. The road bike also needs to to have perfect brakes which is not compulsory for a fixie.

In this increasingly polluted urban atmosphere, a road bike is not only a good selection but also an ethical one.

From a cardio point of view too, nothing beats getting your work out done while on the go.

Identifying The Types of Road Bikes

Does a Yellow Cycling Shirt all the time Make You a Winner?

If you are a fan of road cycle racing you will already know that you need to watch the colors of the riders' cycling shirts very intimately to find out who the race leaders are. Even if you just watch cycling on the television occasionally, you will probably know as a matter of general knowledge that in the Tour de France, the rider with the yellow jersey is the one who is in the lead.

However, the one wearing the yellow cycling shirt is not all the time the person to look out for across all stages of the race. Some stages of the Tour de France involve gruelling mountain ascents, and the leader in these types of race section has a jersey of his own. The mountain stage leader is often referred to as the King of the Mountains, and wears a white jersey with red polka dots. It is potential that the mountain experts are not great at sprint racing and other sections of the total Tour, so despite being leaders in the tough hillside climbs, they ordinarily will not threaten to overtake the yellow jersey holder.

Fixedgear Bike

Many stages of the French Tour - and of other major cycle races - are designed for sprinting, and the first riders to faultless these sprints are awarded points, agreeing to their position in that section. Getting points is the goal in personal and team time trials, but these points are also awarded for the first riders past the finishing line in all other stages. The mountain stages award less points, as the climbing specialists often win these. The riders' points are added up, and the rider with the top tally wears the green jersey.

Does a Yellow Cycling Shirt all the time Make You a Winner?

So it is not as uncomplicated as holding your eyes peeled for the yellow jersey when you watch televised cycling. There are some other colors available in the Tour de France, together with the white jersey which is for the young riders - currently for competitors under 26 years old. It is important to remember that these cycling shirt classifications only apply to the Tour de France, and the photograph becomes slightly confusing if you start watching a race and do not realise it is one of the other main Tours.

There are three major races, together called The Grand Tours, which comprise the Tour de France, the Vuelta a Espana and the Giro d'Italia. The Spanish Vuelta awards similar jerseys to the French Tour; the gold jersey for the total leader and green jersey for the points leader. However, the King of the Mountains in Spain wears red rather than polka dots.

In the Italian Giro, the cycling shirts law is entirely different, with the total race leader taking the pink jersey, while the points leader wears red and King of the Mountains has the green, confusingly opposite to the awards in the Vuelta!

Does a yellow cycling shirt all the time make you a winner then? Perhaps. It depends which race you are watching, but hopefully you will now be armed with the underground information you need, to understand whose progress you should be concentrating on next time you sit down to an evening of cycling on Tv.

Does a Yellow Cycling Shirt all the time Make You a Winner?