As April is coming to a close during this unprecedented time there is no better time to ensure that both you and your bike is ready for the upcoming riding season. Before heading out for your first 30, 50 or 100km ride it is important to ensure that your bike is up for the challenge. Here are a few essentials to get you on the road this season.
Let’s be honest, if you have been sweating all winter indoors on your trusty steed, chances are the bike will need some love to ensure that you and your bike will be operating at its full potential. Not only will a properly tuned bike perform how it should but it will also give riders the confidence to get out and put some miles in their legs.
New Front Cockpit and Wheels
Another great way to get more out of your bike is to look at upgrading various parts of your bike, one of my personal favourites is upgrading a bar and stem from aluminum parts to carbon. The difference between alloy and carbon can be felt on the road, the firm suppleness of carbon can often make riding over bumpy roads a bit more comfortable and will shed hundreds of grams off your bike. A second comfort upgrade that I am fond of is swapping out stock training wheels for something with a bit more R&D. Wheel upgrades can come in two forms, you can look for a lighter aluminum wheelset with durable and reliable hubs and construction or if you really feel like going really fast there is an endless number of carbon rims to choose from. One major benefit of upgrading to a new wheelset is new tubeless ready technology that is built into many of the latest and greatest wheelsets. This allows riders to easily make the transition to a tubeless setup which is beneficial as it increases puncture resistance and allows riders to run a lower tire pressure than traditional tube type wheelsets. The final aspect of a new wheelset is the rubber you opt for on the wheels. I have always been a fan of running the largest tire possible that can be accommodated in your specific frame. Moving up to a 25mm tire from 23mm is a night and day change in comfort. Going from 25 to 28mm is an even more astronomical comfort difference, if your road frame can handle the larger tire sizes.
Get a good short
I have always been of the belief that your ride will only be as amazing as your butt is comfortable. If you have ever done a long ride in a subpar pair of shorts I am sure you know where I am coming from… Though high end cycling apparel brands can often have intimidating price tags associated with them if you can justify the investment for a pair of quality Assos or Castelli bibs I can guarantee that your next long ride will be much more comfortable.
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