10 Cycling Mistakes To Avoid

There are a number of common cycling errors that new riders typically make when they start out. Make sure you avoid these cycling mistakes.

Whether you're new to cycling or a dyed-in-the-wool veteran with thousands of kilometers in your legs, we all make mistakes. It’s the way we learn—the ‘experiential learning cycle,’ as it were. So, before you make any more, have a look at these common cycling mistakes. Hopefully, they’ll help you out and may even improve you as a rider.

1. Saddle Height Aside from soft tires, saddle height is one of the main reasons you may be inefficient as a rider. A saddle placed too high or too low means that the power from your legs won’t be delivered properly. To get your saddle height right, follow these steps:

• Ride with your heel on the pedal.
• When your leg is at the very bottom of the pedal stroke, it should be almost straight, but not quite.
• Set your saddle at this height.
• When riding with your foot in the ‘normal’ position (ball of the big toe over the center of the pedal axle), you should achieve an efficient pedaling action at an ideal height.
• Don’t be afraid to adjust a little higher or lower from this point to fine-tune things if needed.
• You should still be able to touch the ground with your toes on either side of the bike while seated in the saddle.

2. Not Fueling for a Ride Correctly For runners, the commonly used phrase ‘hitting the wall’ refers to the point when the body runs out of fuel/energy and grinds to a halt. Cyclists generally refer to this occurrence as the ‘bonk,’ and it is something that has happened to most riders at some point, even the pros. When heading out on a ride, take a bit more food than you actually need and perhaps two bottles, especially if riding in more remote areas where there’s little chance of finding somewhere to get supplies. Plan ahead, as having some food/drink in reserve is better than running the risk of bonking.

3. Braking in Corners This is a very common cycling error, especially among new cyclists. The safest, most efficient technique is to brake before the corner, not actually while you are in the corner. Doing this with your bike banked over at an angle can result in the bike locking up, causing you to lose control and crash.

• To brake safely, do so on the approach to a bend, making sure to brake gently but enough to slow you down to a point where you can safely negotiate the corner.
• Remember to brake earlier in wet conditions, as the stopping distance will be greater, especially for those of you with caliper as opposed to disc brakes.

4. No Spares or Tools When heading off on a ride, you need to ensure that you’ve packed a few essential spares and tools that could get you home should you have a problem. As a guide, always take the following items with you, which can be stashed in a saddlebag under your saddle or distributed in your pockets:

• 2 x inner tubes
• Tire levers
• Patches (instant stick-on type are best)
• Mini pump (or CO2 inflator)
• Multi-tool (ideally with a chain link extractor)

5. Grabbing Hard on the Brakes When you need to slow down, don’t just ‘grab’ the brakes hard. Braking should be done in a controlled manner so that your weight distribution on the bike remains as stable as possible. The dangers of sudden braking include loss of control and stability, which can result in you flying over the handlebars. To ensure safe braking:

• Look well ahead, anticipate, and brake steadily using both front and rear brakes simultaneously, with slightly more emphasis on the front brake.

6. Riding Too Far, Too Hard, Too Soon Know your ability and ride within it. There’s nothing wrong with aiming high, but the key to achieving your ambitions is to build up steadily. Cycling is a hard sport but wonderfully rewarding. Don’t knock your confidence by doing too much too soon, as good consistent steady training is what will bring you progress rather than trying to hammer it from the off.

7. Poor Bike Maintenance This is basic info but important both from a convenience point of view and from a safety perspective. Get into the habit of regularly checking your bike and keeping it maintained, especially if you don’t want the embarrassment of having to be rescued from the roadside. Pay particular attention to the brakes, gears, handlebars, and tires, and regularly clean and lubricate the chain. It makes sense to get your bike serviced at regular intervals, especially if you are unsure or in doubt regarding a more complex part of the bike. The best advice is not to chance it.

8. Unsuitable Clothing This is yet another element of cycling that you need to plan for; otherwise, you could find yourself miserable on a ride or even worse, in extreme difficulty. Make sure you check the weather forecast for the entire duration of your ride. Think about the length of the ride you are planning and see if the weather conditions are likely to be changeable.

• In colder conditions, it’s best to slightly overdress rather than underdress, as you can always take off layers if you are too warm or unzip to let cool air in.
• Conversely, if heading out in just shorts and short sleeves and you encounter a rainstorm, for example, your body temperature can fall rapidly. Always pack a windproof/waterproof layer or gilet that can be stowed in your pocket. This becomes even more important if you are riding in hilly terrain with drastic elevation changes, where you could be very warm on the climb but freezing on the downhill due to wind chill.

9. Not Using Gears Efficiently Gears help improve the efficiency of your power over different terrain, so make sure you use them correctly. The majority of bikes will have upwards of 20 gears, giving a very wide choice of ratios to suit all abilities. It may take a while to discover what gearing works for you, but you shouldn’t be pedaling so furiously that your body starts to rock from side to side while doing 10 mph on a flat stretch of road. At the other end of the spectrum, you shouldn’t be trying to turn over a large gear so that every pedal revolution feels like a weights session and your knees start to hurt.

• As a guide, it is suggested that on the flat, you should aim to maintain a cadence of 70-90 rpm (pedal revolutions per minute). Make sure you shift down to the easier gears for climbs and shift up to the harder gears for the flatter downhill sections of road. This may seem like basic stuff, but believe me, it’s more common than you realize if the number of people I see struggling in the wrong gear is anything to go by.

10. Squeaking Chain Not only can a squeaking chain be infuriating to you and your fellow riders, but it also won’t be doing your bike chain or cassette (cogs on the rear hub) much good either, as the sound is friction wearing out your components. So, apply some light oil or chain lube (there’s a wide variety available for wet and dry riding), wipe off the excess, and away you go! No more squeaks, and your chain (and other components) will be ever grateful and last a lot longer than they otherwise might have.