Top Bike resources available online
You are the most important part of your bicycle. Your bike should be sized to fit your body proportions and should match your style of riding, your skill level and where you plan to ride. The equipment you need depends on the type of riding you plan to do, but a safety-rated helmet and a strong lock are essential. Whether your bike is new or old, its gears, chain, brakes and tires must be in good working order. Continues…http://bicycling.511.org/aboutyourbike.htm
Want to find out what’s happening on the Web for bicyclists? Here is our list of sites to check out, with an emphasis on California and regional resources. Clicking on any site will open it in a new browser window. Jump to the area that interests you most:
- Santa Barbara County bicycling
- California bicycling advocacy
- US bicycling advocacy
- International bicycling advocacy
- Bicycling standards & planning
- Sustainable transportation
- Online periodicals about bicycling
- Bicycle commuting
The following presents a few guidelines for safer riding for cyclists and motorists:
- Always wear a helmet.
- Always ride in the same direction as traffic.
- Be predictable and ride in a straight line. Do not weave in and out of parked cars
- If the lane is wide enough to safely share with cars, ride to the right side. Do not try to share the lane if it is too narrow. Do not ride in broken pavement or debris at the side of the street. Take the center of the lane if necessary.
- Ride far enough in the lane around parked cars so that you will not collide with opening car doors.
- When proceeding straight through an intersection with right-turn lanes, move to the lane going straight and allow vehicles to turn right on your right side.
- When making a left turn, move to the left before completing the turn, just like a motor vehicle. If you do not feel safe doing this, ride straight and cross the street you want to turn onto. At the other side of the street, dismount and turn your bike in your desired direction, then proceed when it is safe and legal to do so.
- When riding at night, always wear light colored or reflective clothes, and use both front and taillights, as well as reflectors.
Choosing Bike parts and gear:
Saddles: Is Softer Better
The first impulse a newbie rider who finds a saddle uncomfortable is to replace it with a softer one. Soft seats put the force of the rider’s weight in all the wrong places, rather than the sit-bones. Big springs may look plush, but they don’t work.
Bike Suspension
Suspension has been advancing rapidly mainly because of the spread of mountain biking. Whether it is front or rear, this article describes the advantages of each different type of suspension for your bike.
Sportswear Fabric Types and Attributes
What to wear on a ride? This article describes the differences between several different fabrics. GoreTex, Dacron, Lycra, Polypro: which material will give the best performance in a given condition?
What to Bring on a Ride
A comprehensive list of what to bring on bike rides, remember it’s always the tool you don’t have that your bicycle will need. How much food you will need and how to not get lost, be ready for anything….
Frame Construction
Learn about the different ways bike companies are manufacturing their frames. Strength, weight, durability of each construction technique.
What should your new bike have? Better find out…
Testing Brake Pads
Brake pads can make a significant difference in the stopping power of your bicycle, especially mountain bikes. This test shows which pad performs best in both wet and dry conditions… read on…
Brake Performance
A paper testing the temperature rise and performance on a steep descent from using two rim brakes, only the rear rim brake, and using a coaster brake. Lots of interesting information.
Bicycle Hardware Manufacturers on the Web
Links to scores of web sites of companies that makes bikes and components for both the road and trail. One of the best cycling company hyperlink lists on the World Wide Web.
