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Biking Basics

I’ve been cycling for a while now, but, since this is going to be my first triathlon, we’ll cover some basics.

First and foremost, there are two absolute rules:

• Be Safe: More than most sports cycling is dangerous, especially the road cycling required for triathlon training.  You share the road with motorists, who often don’t pay any attention to cyclists.  Wear your helmet at all times, and keep your bike in good repair and you should be safe.
• Start Slow, Have Fun: Biking uses different muscle groups than you are used to using, and you will need time to adjust to this new stress. Cycling alone or with a group is some of the most fun you can have.  Keeping it simple and starting slow, you will continue to have fun for quite some time.

The Bike:

While there may be a best bike for triathlons, any bike will do for your first one.  That’s right.  The old bike collecting dust in the garage, a borrowed one from a neighbor, any will do.  Take it to your local shop, get it tuned up, checked over, and repaired if needed.  If you must get fancy, there is quite a variety in types of bikes.  Check with your local shop, tell them you are doing a sprint distance triathlon, and get fitted properly for the bike you buy.

Required Accessories:

• Helmet.  This keeps with rule number one above, and outside of a good working bike, and a smart operator, is the most important piece of safety equipment you can have.  Never, NEVER ride without it.
• Tubes and Pump.  In addition you will also want to pickup a frame pump, and several spare tubes.  The frame pump is a smaller pump that attaches directly to the bike frame, to re-inflate while on the go.  Make sure you get a larger one, as the smaller ones will generally take longer to inflate the tires, especially if you have thinner, higher pressure tires.  It also makes sense to keep several spare tubes on hand, and carry at least two in a bike bag, or your jersey.
• Repair Kit.  This will have a patch kit, multi tool, tire leavers, and bag to attach to the saddle.
• Water bottle.  Also essential, you will need to hydrate while riding for any ride longer than a few miles.  Hydrating on the bike will also help keep you from dehydrating later in the race.

Optional Accessories:

• Gloves. Gel padded gloves will help protect your hands and wrists on longer rides, and prevent them from going numb.  Most also provide a cloth along the thumb which is helpful for wiping sweat out of your eyes.
• Computer. This will help keep track of how far you’ve gone, top speed, current speed, and a variety of other metrics depending on the device.  It is a good thing to have to measure your progress, but isn’t needed for your first Tri.
• Aero Bars. These will give you some additional hand positions on longer rides, which like the gloves, will help your hands from going numb.  They also provide you a more aerodynamic position to ride the bike in.  This is great for Tri’s as most do not allow drafting.  These will help a great deal, but are not required if your goal is similar to mine (Finish).
• Pedals / Shoes - There are plenty of different types of pedals, and shoes, and combos of shoes and pedals you can get that will enhance your riding.  The first is toe clips.  These come in several varieties, but the basic concept is, you put your foot into a ‘clip’ that holds your shoe to the pedal, allowing you to pedal on both the push down, and the pull up.  The second is ‘clipless’.  These are a special pedal / cleat combo that must be used with special bike shoes.  These shoes have a stiffer sole which reduces energy loss in the pedal motion, and keep your feet firmly locked to the pedals, allowing you to pedal through the entire circle.  Special Note: Be careful with clipless pedals.  Practice getting into and out of them, as it takes adjustment, and can lead to nasty falls.
• Lights. While riding at night, you need to be seen.  Lights provide this, and help keep you safe from oncoming traffic.

I’ll cover shifting and breaking, and traffic riding with traffic a bit later.

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