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Cycling is a great way to stay in shape, no matter if it's on the open road or on a high mountain trail. Thanks to you, cycling is the fastest growing personal hobby in America.
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Ready For A Road Trip? by Chris Rogers Biking is all about hitting the road, enjoying the sites and returning safely home. Whether you are going out for a 15 mile ride or a century ride, there are a few things you need to do to make this all possible.
First, you need to make sure you bring enough water or have a plan to get more if you run out. If you are riding a short distance one or two water bottles should do fine but, if you are riding a moderate or longer distance like a century you will need to have a plan to replenish your water while out and about. If you have a hydration pack that can carry enough water take that, However if all you have is water bottles make sure that your trip will take you someplace where you can refill them. Staying hydrated will be one of the most important things you can do to make your ride not only more enjoyable but safe.
 Second, make sure you bring simple tools to fix common bike issues you will face on the road. Allan wrenches, tire wrenches, extra tubes, tire pump and if you can fit it a fold up tire. These tools can prolong your ride if you hit a bump in the road that would otherwise leave you stranded.
Third, to prevent you from being stranded if you hit a major issue while out on your ride, bring a cell phone with you. Not only can you call for emergency help if you are injured while riding, but you will be able to call for help if there is something you cannot fix on the road. Since you will most likely be quite a distance from familiar surroundings this is something I never leave home without. Special note about cell phones if you do not have one or do not want one because of a contract or cost, you can buy a cheap cell phone from a swap meet or somewhere similar. there is no need to activate it, as even without being active you are still able to use all cell phones on the emergency network, which will allow you to call 911.
Finally, before you even leave your house check your bike over, a lot of problems can be found and stopped before you even leave the house buy checking things over. Check the tire pressure, make sure the chain is lubricated, make sure the brakes are working make sure the wheels are true and make sure everything is tight.
If you follow these simple steps, your ride out on the open road will not only be more enjoyable, but you will make it home safe and sound - that’s a very good thing. Chris Rogers
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September We'll be at Interbike to scout out the latest. | October Better Bike Maintenance. |
Hitting The Road by Chris Rogers 
Ready to hit the open road? Once you have performed a pre-check on your bike, and your equipment you can head out. Or can you? Where are you going to go? How are you going to get there? These are all questions you should ask yourself before you head out.
One of the things I like to do before I go out on a ride is to have a rough idea of where I want to go, and what type of ride I want to have. If you are just looking for a liesurely ride around the town or countryside, you may or may not want to have a plan. In that case you may just want to head out and ride based on how you feel at the moment, which can actually be very rewarding. The nice thing about riding a bike around is you can usually take in and appreciate your surroundings, whereas when you are driving it is usually hard to appreciate the scenery.
If you are looking for a training ride you probably want to know what the route will look like as far as hills and flats and such. By doing a little bit of research on the internet, or even calling your local bike shop, you can get the information for routes, clubs or just hook up with other like minded riders. It is especially important when planning out a route to know exactly what the days training regimen will consistof, as any seasoned cyclist knows just going out and hitting the road is no substitute for a well balanced training schedule.
Sometimes planning will be the most valuable tool to getting the most out of your training ride, for more casual riders it is the thrill of the unknown that makes the ride great. No matter what your goal is have fun when out on the open road and be safe.
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Night Rider by Chris Rogers 
Riding in the night can be one of the most enjoyable experiences you can have as a cyclist but it also can be dangerous. Keeping in mind a few simple rules can make for a nice evening ride and help you return safely home.
The cardinal no-no about night riding is that you should rarely train at this time, you're more likely to be hit by a car while riding at night than at any other time.
Make sure you are extra cautious, since you are much harder to see you need to be more on the lookout now than you are during the day.
Light yourself up like a christmas tree, if you can find christmas lights that are battery powered wear them, if drivers can see you you will be much more likely to make it home in one piece. Make sure that you are riding more residential type streets at this time, they are less busy and have a slower speed limit so you and driver will have more time to react. Wear your helmet, you should always be doing this anyway , but if you are going to ride at night make sure you are extra safe. Obey traffic signs, remember. . . you too are a vehicle and if you obey the signs you will get more respect from drivers who have to look out for you.
Now that we have the safety aspects underlined, lets talk about the up-side of night riding. One of the nice things about riding in the evening is feeling the cool breeze of the night flow across your body. This is especially nice during the Dog Days of Summer when escaping the oppressive heat of the day. In 1992 my brother, Jason and my father and I took two weeks and biked across Canada. The temperatures had been in the 90's for a couple of days and we looked forward to biking through the night. We rested up after supper one evening and struck out into the darkness across the farmlands of Ontario. With our lights turned on we cycled for about two hours under a full moon. Visibility was great. One by one, however, our lights started to fade, the full moon was clouded over and we had to pull over for the night. That's one of my best memories that I carry from my "wonder years" biking across Canada with my brother and father at night. We became equals, we became peers and we still have that close relationtion that was forged out one cool summer night in Canada. We still talk about it to this day.
So as you can see, cycling at night can be quite fun but safety is the key factor. If you take certain precautions to safeguard yourself against the elements of darkness - you'll have some great fun and return safely home to share your experience. See you on the road. Chris
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