Prepare for your ride with Freewheel
Prepare for your ride with Freewheel
Five top tips for making sure you’re ready for your next big ride
If you fail to prepare, then you should prepare to fail. Okay, that might be a bit extreme in the context of bike riding but the principle does ring true. If you have a big ride or event coming up then the best thing you can do to have a fun and stress-free experience is make sure you have everything you need. There will always be things that happen that are out of your control but if you follow our five tips below, you’ll have the best chance of navigating any mishaps on the day.
Tip One: Dress for the occasion
You never know what the weather will throw at you on a long ride so consider a gilet or packable water-resistant jacket. Arm and knee warmers are also a great way to stay warm but easily packable should things heat up.
Tip Two: Fuel your ride
Make sure you go in with a nutrition plan to avoid the dreaded ‘bonk’. Depending on the length of your ride make sure you have enough gels or bars to get to the end should you need but also consider Beta Fuel in one of your bottles and ensure you’ve had a good meal the morning of and night before the ride.
Tip Three: Check your tyres
According to Vittoria, the average lifespan of a bicycle tyre is around 3,000 to 4,000km but that does vary greatly depending on where you ride. There are signs of replacement that matter much more than the number of miles you ride such as no available tread, wear and tear, rubber cracks, sidewall cuts and low performance. So be sure to regularly check your tyres and consider a new set if they are looking a bit tired (pun intended).
Tip Four: Always check your bike pre-ride
One thing that can spoil a ride very quickly is a bike that's not working properly. It only takes a few minutes to check whether your bike is ready for a ride, so here are a few things to think about that'll make sure you have a ride you'll remember for all the right reasons, not a day to forget.
https://www.freewheel.co.uk/blog/post/essential-pre-ride-maintenance-tips
Tip Five: Pack your riding essentials
Riding bikes is great, but every now and then something unfortunate will go wrong and require some kind of on-the-fly repair. Protect yourself and your ride by ensuring you have some of the essentials like spare tubes, a mini pump,. chain quick link and a multi-tool. Check out our blog for more tips.
