THE A TO Z OF CYCLING
A
AERO It’s all about aero these days - road, time trial and even gravel bikes, wheels, helmets, GPS computers … even bidons are now designed with aero-optimisation in mind. Aero simply equates to efficiency, and that boils down to the rider going further or faster for less effort. The major bike manufacturers remain on the frontline so far as aero advancements are concerned, with wind tunnel testing and continual refinement being a constant of the industry.
B
BEER… It has been synonymous with cycling forever and we hope it always will be. The end product of the four simple ingedients of grains, hops, yeast and water, beer is as important to biking as snow is to skiing.
Who are we to compete with the ultimate Gods of cycling, the Velominati? Let’s see what they’ve etched into stone when it comes to beer.
‘Rule 47: Drink Tripels, don’t ride triples. Cycling and beer are so intertwined we may never understand the full relationship. Beer is a recovery drink, an elixir for post-ride trash talking and a just plain excellent thing to pour down the neck. We train to drink so don’t fool around. Drink quality beer from real breweries. If it is brewed with rice instead of malted barley or requires a lime, you are off the path. Know your bittering units like you know your gear length. Life is short, don’t waste it on (inferior quality) beer.
C
CLEATS Sure they are the cause of major concern for beginners, but the ‘clipless’ pedal system revolutionised cycling. Prior to 1984 riders predominantly used steel toe clips secured to the pedal platform that held the shoe in place. But French company Look changed that with the introduction of a pedal that could be released via a sideways twisting motion.
French cycling legend Bernard Hinault crashed heavily while testing out the pedal during the 1985 Tour de France. He later said without the pedal the fall would have been a lot worse. “I probably wouldn’t have been able to start the next day,” a bruised and bloodied Hinault said. “It’s the most important technological evolution of the last 30 years.” And yes he won the Tour that year.
D
DRIVETRAINS are at the heart of the bike and these days riders have more options than ever before. Single speed gearing was the norm from around
