Want to be a better cyclist? Just ride. Every time you turn the pedals, you naturally improve a little. Of course, one well-placed tip, trick, or nugget of wisdom can help you achieve something you might otherwise not learn for years. Drawn from the Bicycling book, 1,100 Best All-Time Tips, here is a generous helping of wisdom from the most skilled and knowledgeable coaches, physiologists, and cyclists in the world. – By Jason Sumner
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NO. 1
To avoid muscle soreness and fatigue, don’t hunch your shoulders. Tilt your head every few minutes to stave off tight neck muscles. Better yet: Stop to admire the scenery.

NO. 2
By sliding rearward or forward on the saddle, you can emphasize different muscle groups. This is useful on a long climb as a way to give various muscles a rest while others take over the work. Moving forward accentuates the quadriceps, while moving back emphasizes the hamstrings and glutes.

NO. 3
If you’re not comfortable taking both hands off the bar, after pulling an arm warmer down with the opposite hand, use your teeth to pull the bundled fabric the rest of the way over your wrist and off.

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NO. 4 Don’t move your upper body too much. Let your back serve as a fulcrum, with your bike swaying from side to side beneath it.

NO. 5 Keep your shoulders behind the front wheel axle. Too much weight forward makes the bike hard to handle and could cause the rear wheel to skip up into the air.

NO. 6 Pull on the bar with a rowing motion to counter the power of your legs. This helps transfer your energy to the pedals rather than into wasted movement.

NO. 7
If you don’t have a chance to slow for an obstacle such as railroad tracks or a pothole, quickly pull upward on the handlebar to lift your front wheel. You may still damage the rear wheel, or it might suffer a pinch flat, but you’ll prevent an impact on the front that could cause a crash.

NO. 8
Beware of creeping forward on the saddle and hunching your back when you’re tired. Shift to a higher gear and stand to pedal periodically to prevent stiffness in your hips and back.

NO. 9
Relax your grip. On smooth, traffic-free pavement, practice draping your hands over the handlebar. This not only will help alleviate muscle tension, but also will reduce the amount of road vibration transmitted to your body.

(Brave the Woods)

NO. 10
Periodically change hand position. Grasp the drops for descents or high-speed riding and the brake-lever hoods for relaxed cruising. On long climbs, hold the top of the bar to sit upright and open your chest for easier breathing. When standing, grasp the hoods lightly and gently rock the bike from side to side in sync with your pedal strokes. But always keep each thumb and a finger closed around the hood or bar to prevent yourself from losing control if you hit an unexpected bump.

NO. 11
Handlebar width should equal shoulder width. A wider bar opens your chest for breathing; a narrower one is generally more aerodynamic. Pick the one that favours your riding style. Position the angle of the bar so the bottom, flat portion is parallel to the ground, or else points just slightly down, toward the rear hub.

(Joe Pugliese)

NO. 12
If you’re leading a paceline up a hill, keep your cadence and pedal pressure constant by shifting to a lower gear.

NO. 13
Keep your arms in line with your body, not splayed elbows out. This is an easy way to make yourself more aerodynamic and go faster with no extra energy.

NO. 14
As your effort becomes harder, increase the force of your breaths rather than the frequency.

NO. 15
When riding in a group, always keep your hands in contact with your brakes, either in the drops or on the hoods. That way, you are always prepared to slow.

NO. 16
Cross railroad tracks near the side of the road. It’s usually smoother there than in the centre.

NO. 17
Don’t stare at the rear wheel you’re following in a paceline. Let your peripheral vision keep tabs while you look a couple of riders ahead to see what they’re doing. Then you’ll be prepared if something happens to make them veer or change speed. A paceline is like a Slinky: Little movements at the front magnify and speed up as they flow to the back of the pack.

NO. 18
Be extra cautious during the first 10 minutes of a storm, when oil and dust float to the pavement’s surface but haven’t yet washed away. However: Painted road lines and steel surfaces (manhole covers, grates, railroad tracks, bridge decks, and expansion joints) get slippery right away and stay treacherous until they completely dry.

(Brave the Woods)

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NO.19 Ride well into the lane when traffic is stop-and-go. You can usually move at least as fast as cars in heavy traffic, and if you hug the curb, you’re less visible and drivers will be tempted to squeeze by you.

NO.20 Stay far enough in the traffic lane to avoid being struck if doors on parked cars suddenly open. You’ll likely hear some honks from motorists who don’t understand why you won’t pull to the right to let them pass—a honk in your ear hurts less than a door in your face.

NO.21 When you stop at a light, move to the centre of your lane. This prevents drivers from edging forward, trapping you between them and the curb. When the light changes, accelerate to your cruising speed before moving left to allow them to pass.

NO.22 When you see cars stopped at cross streets, watch the front wheels for the first hint of forward movement. If you see any, get ready to brake, and yell to get the driver’s attention.

NO.23 On a road with no shoulder, ride in the left wheel track of motor vehicles to ensure you don’t blend into the scenery along the edge of the road. This also gives you a metre or so of space from the edge of the pavement to let you dodge potholes or deal with wind gusts.

NO.24 Scan the rear windows of parked cars for someone who might suddenly pull out into your lane or throw open a door. You can also spot pedestrians about to step out from between cars.

NO.25 When you’re in a bike lane and a car is making a  turn in front of your path, do not swerve out and around. Slow down, stay in the lane, wait for the car to turn, then proceed.

NO.26 Hold a straight line past cars that are intermittently parallel parked—don’t weave in and out of empty spaces. Drivers might not be ready for you to suddenly reemerge into the traffic lane.

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