Stop. Right. There. Buying a road bike is a lot like buying a new car. Sure, they all have wheels, but without taking the car out on the road or taking a spin on the bicycle, you’ll have no idea how it’s going to handle.

There’s also the consideration of how you’re going to use the bike. Are you looking for a good all-around bike that you can stick aero bars and deep-dish wheels on to race a time trial with on Saturday, and with a quick pit stop be ready to race the same bike in a criterium on Sunday? Or, are you looking for a bike that’s good for road riding–lots of climbs and descents–and never plan to contest a sprint or a prime?

With that in mind, let’s take a few minutes and take a look at how to pick a road bicycle that delivers the most check marks in both the wants and needs categories without breaking the bank. (We all want carbon frames with Shimano Di2 Dura Ace or Campagnolo Record, but what do we really need?)

Selecting the right bike

How a road bike rides is less about the material its made out of and more about the frame’s design and geometry. I hear your protests right now, “But my carbon frame is far superior to my old aluminum bike! How dare you second guess my need for carbon. I NEED a carbon frame!”

People choose carbon frames because they are light, the frame seems to absorb road shock (it seems less fatiguing on rough surfaces), and let’s face it, resisting good marketing campaigns is difficult. People choose aluminum because it’s stiff. People choose steel because it has both qualities of stiffness and smooth ride.

When you choose a bike, look first at the angles and then at the materials.

• Steeper the head tube angle, more responsive (too twitchy) the bike will handle
• Slack head tube angle, more stable the bike will be (means less snap in a sprint)
• Steep seat tube angle means rider is in front of the bottom bracket (good for TT)
• Slack seat tube angle means rider is behind the bottom bracket (think touring)
• Chainstay length, long stays more stable and short stays more responsive.
• Wheelbase, long base more stable and short base more responsive.

A carbon frame might be lighter than an aluminum frame, but it also might feel like riding a wet noodle while the aluminum bike feels snappy. What kind of riding are you doing? Are you a sprinter who needs a bike with great stiffness that can be thrown around, or are you a featherweight climber who goes for the king of the mountain points?

As if there wasn’t enough to consider, also factor in what kind of body you have/ Are you all torso? Or, do you have really long femurs (that’s me).

My current set-up tries to get the best of all worlds. I’m riding a scandium frame (lighter and stiffer than aluminum, unfortunately more expensive) with a carbon fork with a little more rake on it to make up for my need for more of a slack seat tube (super long femurs), but still wanting a responsive bike…that and I couldn’t afford to run the same set up in full carbon.

A quick look at price points.

The price point of the bike depends on many factors. Carbon frames have different lay-up process that greatly vary their pricing. Aluminum tubing comes in different series, and there are different types of steel tubing that greatly affects the strength-to-weight ratio. Keep in mind that components wear out, but frames last a while. When you’re looking at a road bicycle and trying to decide between a cheaper carbon frame with better components or more expensive frame with lesser components, always choose the better frame. You can replace the parts later.

The accoutrements.
Now that we covered some things to consider when purchasing a road bike or road frame, let’s go after something I think is the most important part of the bike when it comes to comfort: the saddle.

To put it bluntly: if you’re squirming on the saddle, you’re riding the wrong saddle.

Test out different saddles, you might find out what you’ve been missing.

I’ll use my rear end as the example because talking about the nether regions isn’t an easy conversation. Like anyone else, I want a light-weight saddle. I want titanium or carbon rails and a carbon composite saddle shell with a leather covering. Carbon composite because it allows for a little more flex or give in the saddle, and leather because it seems to form over the padding better over time.

Look for a saddle that supports your sit bones.

I ride the WTB Deva saddle on both the road and mountain bikes because of it’s wider, flat sit-bone support area. This saddle’s nose is on the same plane as the sit bone support area, meaning the nose doesn’t dramatically rise. With my sit bones supported, it relieves the pressure from my girl parts. Yes, my parts are still touching the saddle, but all the pressure of my body’s weight are on my sit bones and not on the soft tissue.

Another very important piece on the bike are the handle bars. Again, this is a detail on the bike that I’ve never been able to have dialed just off the showroom floor.

Check out the handle bar width.

My rule of thumb on sizing bar width has always been shoulder width. If I could hold the bars up to my shoulders and comfortably wedge my shoulders into the bars, then that was the right size. You also have to look at the drop distance – given your body’s build do you need a deep drop or a shallow drop? Unlike my legs, my upper body is fairly proportional so I go with a mid-range drop.

Choose the right tops for your hands.

Road bars with flatter tops are better for bigger hands. Small hands with flat tops can fatigue more easily due to the hands being splayed out too far and the strain in the wrong places.

Conclusion
Choosing the equipment for an enjoyable riding experience is a much more deliberate process than seeing an advertisement and deciding you simply must have the number-one selling bicycle on the market. Take the time to research the angles. Everything is available on the manufacturers website. Think about the style of riding you mostly do. And, always, always, always try before you buy.

Interval training with high intensity

Sub-threshold intervals should be an integral part of any training plan with the aim to build aerobic endurance. When you train at an intensity slightly lower than threshold power you are able to work for longer time with minimal anaerobic metabolism. Because these intervals are performed at an intensity safely below threshold power, you can perform impressive amounts of these without overshooting. So sub-threshold intervals improve your aerobic performance and have almost no impact on your anaerobic endurance.

Normally you would use durations of sub-threshold from 10 minutes and up to 45 minutes. Triathletes competing in long distance events (e.g. iron man distance) might choose even longer intervals.

VO2 max intervals and threshold power intervals are the two most time effective ways to increase performance. But there is one major problem: high intensity intervals only work when you finish them. If you do not manage to maintain the correct intensity throughout the interval session, the effectiveness decreases. Thus, you will achieve better training if you choose an intensity with a higher success rate.

It is my experience that the success rate of high intensity intervals is lower than sub-maximum intensity intervals. Still, sub-threshold power intervals do offer significant improvements when made in appropriate doses. Also there is an argument that there is a physiological sweet spot because you can train at quite a high oxygen consumption without going anaerobic. Thus, you will give a great lift to your aerobic system (and almost nothing to your anaerobic performance). And that’s why sub-threshold intervals are an integral part of my training programs: they work so well. Here are three examples of workouts where you use sub-threshold intervals to boost your aerobic performance:

Sub-threshold workout #1

10 min warm-up
3 x (10+5min) sub-threshold / recovery intensity
5 min cool down

Sub-threshold workout #2

10 min warm-up
10 min sub-threshold intensity
20 min endurance
10 min sub-threshold intensity
5 min endurance
5 min cool down

Sub-threshold workout #3

10 min warm-up
5 x (5+4min) sub-threshold / endurance
5 min cool down

If you want to integrate sub-threshold intervals in a structured training program there is a perfect solution waiting for you here: 12-Week Winter Training Program.

I’m just as guilty as anyone when it comes to focusing my attention on things that could possibly help my riding when what I really need to do is look in the mirror. There are three techniques I have used over the years to improve my road cycling, and they all center on the body and how it’s used on the bicycle. No purchase necessary.

Tip #1 Spin to win.

I recently went out on a road ride with a friend. Our fitness levels are similar, but she hadn’t ridden in a while due to pregnancy. I set us up on a moderate pace around 28 km/h. My cadence was was around 95-100 rpm. When we arrived at the first traffic light she indicated that she was having to brake to stay behind me. I turned up the heat for the next three miles to about 33 km/h keeping my cadence at about 95rpm. When she came around to take a pull she mentioned pain in her knees and that she was tired. It took just one glance at her drivetrain to see the problem – she was in the 53×11 with a cadence of about 75.

This is an extreme example, but it highlights one of the most important things to remember when riding: cadence.

Get your cadence up to 100.

• Next find a gear that allows you to comfortably maintain this cadence.
• If your rear end is bouncing on the saddle, shift up one gear.
• If you have trouble maintaining 100 rpm, shift down one gear.

This technique works well in the flats and rolling hills – and yes, it means shifting a lot. (On a side note, keeping your cadence up also is better for overall aerobic fitness. If some weight loss is part of your cycling program, you’ll see greater success by improving your spin). The goal is to be able to keep your cadence up on those longer climbs, and when you are able to, those climbs that once seemed daunting won’t be nearly as tough.

Tip #2 You’re not a ballerina so don’t point your toes. Make circles not squares.

Sometimes when cyclists start to hone in on their spin they have an involuntary tendency to slightly point (or really point) their toes downward. I see this especially in runners who also ride–myself included.

The most efficient way to transfer power from your legs to the cranks is with a flat platform, in other words keep your feet flat. When your feet are level the entire way through the pedal stroke, you optimize power output using both the down force and up force on each stroke.

It’s easy to stomp on the pedals with your heels a little tilted down (especially when your cadence is too low), but where’s all that power you could be getting on the back side of the stroke? Think of your cranks as the faces of two clocks and the crank arms are each a hand on the clock. When your foot arrives just before the “6 o’clock” position, you should be starting to pull on that pedal rather push. It will feel like you are scraping mud off the bottom of your shoe. Scrape that mud all the way until your foot is just before the “12 o’clock” position and then it’s time to push again.

With this technique, you’ll quickly realize any imbalance between the quadriceps (muscles that do the pushing on the pedal stroke) and the biceps femoris and semitendinosus muscles commonly known as the hamstrings (muscles doing the pulling).

Combining a bright cadence with using the entire pedal stroke will help get the most out of your legs.

Tip #3 A strong upper body and core.

After I offered the suggestion on my riding partner’s cadence, she experienced immediate improvement, and she asked how to fix her aching back and numb hands.

The numb hands are an easy fix. Don’t lock your elbows. Many times I see riders on the hoods or on the tops with their elbows locked in a hyper-extended position. Not only does this contribute to numbness, but it also is a very dangerous habit. If you hit a bump in the road and your elbows are locked, I guarantee that your hands will fly off the bars or the hoods (because you have no way to absorb the shock) and you will crash.

Fixing the sore back and strengthening your arms takes a little time in the gym or at home. (A stronger core and upper body will give your more strength so you don’t feel like you have to lock your elbows to hold yourself up on the bike.)

• Strengthen your abdominals — crunches, leg lifts, and my favorite, the Russian twist.
• Strengthen your back — back extensions with resistance as well as planks.
• Strengthen your arms — push ups for the biceps and tricep dips.

One of the ways I used to test my core strength on the bike was get into my riding position with my hands on the hoods, then keeping my body in the same position, I’d move my arms and clasp my hands behind my back and keep riding for as long as possible. Try it out. What ever gets sore first–back or abs–needs more work.

Putting it all together

Back out on the road, my friend and I were able to lay down a quick 60 in two hours with a rest stop. Getting her cadence up, her feet flat, and unlocking her elbows unleashed energy and fitness she didn’t know she had. Even after years of cycling, on days when I’m not feeling so great, I check cadence, consciously analyze a few crank revolutions to make sure I’m pushing just as much as I’m pulling, and quickly take my hands off the bars and check out the core. It’s usually a pedaling issue and I drop my heel a bit and that output wattage I was missing reappears.

Money can buy a great many things that can help your riding, but investing in yourself–specifically your form–will yield the greatest returns and more podium appearances on race day.

The final 10-second countdown always sums up the race for me. It doesn’t matter how long I’ve been retired from professional cycling. When I’m behind that starting line–whether it’s at a local 5KM run or the start of a fun bike race, those last 10 seconds before the starter’s gun shatters the silence are when it all comes together for me.

Before any race day there’s a lot going on both mentally and emotionally that’s far beyond than the normal routine of getting ready for another training ride. I’ve ridden that emotional and mental roller coaster somewhere north of 200 races during the course of my career, and the thought stream that kept me most grounded was constantly reminding myself whose race it was to win.

Mountain bike racing is just as much about being physically prepared as it is to have your brain conditioned and ready on race day. You can do as many VO2 Max intervals as physically possible and ride at your Lactic Acid Threshold all day long, but if the stuff between your ears isn’t also in training for the big day, it will be like showing up to the starting line with a flat tire.

My number one tip for mountain bike race day: Don’t forget to train your brain.

Over the years I’ve been on training rides with people who can absolutely school me. They out pace me on the flats, drop me on the climbs, and are waiting for me at the bottom of a decent sipping on a water bottle and looking bored. Yet, on race day I would easily ace them.

Why? Because along with chasing their rears on our training rides, I also was spending time conditioning my mind.

Training your brain starts with the little things. For example, every time my training schedule included a mock time trial, I’d set the “finish line” as a landmark in a somewhat visible place like the city limits sign coming into a busy town. When I crossed that line, after keeping it in mind while pushing hard for the entire time, I always threw my arms up in the air and smile and would shout like I was finishing a stage in the Tour de France. People would look at me like I was crazy, but I knew I was the winner of the Tuesday night time trial world championships. (That probably sounds silly, but I always felt like I was beaming with joy inside after the effort, and I know for me it’s made the difference between first and second places many times.)

Combining my physical strength with the power of positive self-talk–encouraging myself with each pedal stroke carrying me toward the city limit sign–and then rewarding my efforts by throwing my arms up in the air, created sort of a Pavlovian response of physical exertion needing to result in a triumphant victorious feeling.

I knew of others who were positive when they were training, but then on the race course they’d fall apart. It would start with the negative banter during warm-up before the race. My competitors would say things like, “Awe, I haven’t really been training that much and I’m not ready for this,” or “I hope I don’t get a flat tire again today.” They’d be in the starting area with uncertain looks on their faces and fear in their eyes as they gazed out at all the spectators. Before the gun even went off, those competitors were racing for fourth place.

Long before you pack up your race day bag, put your bike in the car, and drive to the race, you need to telling yourself that this is your race. When you roll up to the starting line, this is your race. It doesn’t belong to the person leading the series or the person who came in ahead of you at the last race. This is your race and you are going to throw your arms up at the end and bask in your victory just like did on your training rides.

My other mental secret weapon for race day: Ride the course in your head.

I know it’s not always possible, but pre-riding the course if possible will always help on race day. This recommendation goes beyond the obvious reasons of knowing the most efficient lines and being prepared for all of the terrain and obstacles. This, again, is all about your head.

Every time I’ve done a race–mountain or road–on the night before between the time my head hit the pillow and I fell asleep, I rode the course again in my head. (I have friends who now use their GoPro cameras and record the course and then watch it like a movie before going to sleep every night.) Sometimes I would lay on my back with my arms stretched out in front of me pretending my hands were on the bars. As I rode the course through my mind, I’d use the brakes, shift, and remember particular rocks and roots and the best lines I took to clear them. This technique gave me confidence on a course even though I hadn’t spent much time actually riding it.

Putting it all together during the 10 second countdown before the start.

Those last ten seconds were always the most peaceful 10 seconds of my entire day. The world seemed to move in slow motion, and the only thing I could hear was my heart beating in my ears.

This is the 10 seconds when your mind flashes forward. As the clock clicks down, you’re seeing yourself with your mind’s eye flying through the sections of trail you know you’re strong on. You’re remembering that one rock or root that you need to clear to clean a section. You’re also seeing your self crossing the finish line with your arms over head and the crowd cheering in the background. The pop of the starter’s pistol is what ends this positive visualization, and it is what starts you on the course to the best race of your life.