{"id":173083,"date":"2019-04-04T19:32:02","date_gmt":"2019-04-04T19:32:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/?p=173083"},"modified":"2019-04-04T19:32:02","modified_gmt":"2019-04-04T19:32:02","slug":"spring-is-here-time-to-turn-into-a-changeable-cyclist","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/2019\/04\/04\/spring-is-here-time-to-turn-into-a-changeable-cyclist\/","title":{"rendered":"Spring is Here! Time to Turn into a Changeable Cyclist"},"content":{"rendered":"

Buying a kit doesn\u2019t make you a faster cyclist. Put off buying a carbon bottle cage until you reach your target bodyweight. But spending money CAN make you safer \u2013 and more comfortable. And as we lurch into spring, the changing weather invites the discerning cyclist to spend money on a versatile kit.<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Multi-purpose head device<\/strong><\/h2>\n

When the weather at the start of your ride is likely to be different to the weather at the end of your ride \u2013 this piece of kit will make all the difference, no matter what the manufacturers call it. Some brands call this a snood, some a head-warmer but B\u2019Twin call it a \u201cheadband\u201d.<\/p>\n<\/lite-youtube>\n

This video perfectly demonstrates what you want in a piece of versatile clothing \u2013 the ability to quickly switch up how much of your body surface is covered by material. This will regulate your body temperature and vastly improve the quality of your ride. A frosty start? Wear it like a balaclava. Once you\u2019ve warmed up, you can reduce it to a sweatband. Kits don\u2019t come more practical.<\/p>\n

Choose slick tyres<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Bicycle tyres ain\u2019t the same as car tyres. Car tyres are square edged but bike tyres are rounded \u2013 because the speed-to-weight ratio through the tyre contact patch is very different for both modes of transport. Slick tyres on bicycles adapt better to the wet and are less likely to aquaplane. That\u2019s why aircraft have rounded tyres.<\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/BvZJ3jwAh2w\/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet<\/p>\n

Check out this teenage bike gang, snapped on London\u2019s Park Lane on a road closed prior to a protest. Every one of them had slick tyres on MTBs, off-roaders, low riders, and jump-bikes. When I was their age, my friends and I would all have had huge knobbly tyres and wondering why we kept wiping out on skids in the wet.<\/p>\n

Rapha arm warmers<\/strong><\/h2>\n

A company that spends gargantuan amounts on marketing really doesn\u2019t need a recommendation, but as this video from YouTuber, TheDarkinstall demonstrates, some bits of Rapha kit are worth coveting more than others.<\/p>\n<\/lite-youtube>\n

Think about it, you don\u2019t move your arms so, surely, the warmer the better. But what Rapha realised before anyone else, was that re-introducing merino to the arms would form a vital part of temperature regulation. Merino retains heat \u2013 but not moisture \u2013 and the ability to quickly regulate how much of your arms are covered more effectively attenuates your comfort.<\/p>\n

Avoid weather injury<\/strong><\/h2>\n

There is a wealth of academic studies that warn athletes that exercising without warming up properly can lead to injury. I\u2019ll add a disclaimer here that, firstly, an item of clothing on its own doesn\u2019t prevent injury and, secondly, we\u2019re talking about injuries caused by athletic exertion.<\/p>\n<\/lite-youtube>\n

The above video suggests you should take temperature-use guidelines in the spirit they\u2019re intended \u2013 as guidelines. Unless you\u2019re trying to win Paris-Nice, wear warmer clothing. Manufacturers tend to veer their advice towards the more physically able. Remember \u2013 it\u2019s always easier to take off warmer clothing than it is to wish you\u2019d brought warmer clothing for the ride.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Buying a kit doesn\u2019t make you a faster cyclist. Put off buying a carbon bottle cage until you reach your […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":99,"featured_media":173095,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[334],"tags":[593,2848,2876,2875,1421],"global-categories":[],"class_list":["post-173083","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-socialising-and-culture","tag-clothes","tag-cycling-gear","tag-cycling-wear","tag-headband","tag-tyres"],"yoast_head":"\nSpring is Here! Time to Turn into a Changeable Cyclist - \u0160koda We Love Cycling<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Buying a kit doesn\u2019t make you a faster cyclist. Put off buying a carbon bottle cage until you reach your target bodyweight. 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