I’ve found through the course of my life that many of the old maxims are usually complete rubbish, cliques repeated without thought or analysis that when put under a spotlight turn out to be complete rubbish. Take for example the maxim that wisdom comes with age. Now this maybe true for many of us but for a large part of the population it clearly isn’t true.
I’ve known guys who were retiring who were as ignorant now as they were forty years ago. The intervening years haven’t shed any enlightenment on their existence. The same is true about cycling or any activity. I know a guy who has been cycling for nearly thirty years and he must be the worse cyclist in the country.
His problem is an aversion to changing gears, he just won’t do it. He stays in the top gear all the time, this makes him a hazard to himself and others when he is starting from stationary at a junction or traffic lights as he wobbles until he can get the traction on his bike to match his gear.
Now this particular guy is not very bright but after so long in the saddle you’d think he’d catch onto the basics.
What am I rambling on about? Just that bike skills are really important to safe cycling. It’s so obvious and so fundamental that it goes unsaid. After thirty years of cycling I consider myself to be pretty clued up but I’m sure I’ve got some bad habits and I’m always ready to learn new things.
I’ve been thinking about this lately and decided to put myself through a riding course to get an assessment of my bike skills, I’ve just got to find the right course and I’m going to enrol to see if they are of any value. I’ll keep you posted. Meanwhile let’s look at some basic bike skills that will keep you safe on the road.
Starting from stationary
What you’re looking to do here is start from stationary without weaving all over the road. Ideally you want to keep to a straight line. When you’re in closely packed traffic at some traffic lights as soon as the lights go green the cars will move off, the last thing you want to do is start wobbling at start off, especially if the road is narrow.
To start off in a straight line is simply a matter of common sense and body coordination. First make sure you are in a low gear. Don’t try to start off in a high gear or you’re guaranteed an initial wobble. As you approach the lights as they are changing to red get the gears down low for an easy start.
Position the peddle you are going to use to start off with slightly forward of the top position and place your foot on it. To move off safely push off with your other foot and at the same time push down on the peddle, as the bike moves forward use the pushing motion on the peddle to raise yourself up and put the other foot onto the opposite peddle, if you’re using clips clip in. Then begin peddling. And that’s it; you’re away without any wobbling.
Now there’s no set gear to start off in, it’s really down to your own experience and your bike. If you try to start off in too high a gear you may get the wobble and it will same like ages before you get your other foot into a peddle. If you start off in too low a gear you may not have time to get your other foot in the peddle. You need to practice and familiarize yourself with your bike.
It’s a basic skill but we all need to remind ourselves of the basics now and then and if it’s so obvious why do I see many cyclists wobbling like they’re on a tight rope when setting off?
