When I first started cycling, all I wanted to do was to reduce my weight and improve my fitness. I wanted to have a way of burning calories without hurting my knees. So I tried cycling and it seems like an enjoyable sport with minimal impact on the knees.
However, it didn't take long before I got hooked on cycling! In fact, I loved it so much that I started to go out almost everyday for at least an hour or so just to cycle. After about 6 months, the cheap mountain bike that I had didn't seem challenging enough. So I upgraded to a road bike. I found that I enjoyed riding the roadie even more! The bike was able to go faster, and the ride was certainly more fun and enjoyable.
When I got my first road bike, it didn't really cross my mind to join an event with it. But then the opportunity came up and I joined a local community ride. Nothing competitive. It's just a fun ride. I did 40km with my road bike and road at an average speed of 32 kph.
The next event I joined was slightly more competitive. It's a duathlon that was participated by mostly fitness buffs. The event was a real eye opener.
On the day itself, there were all types of bikes being used in the event. Most were triathlon bikes. I have read that tri-bikes provide the most speed with the least effort. In other words, in an endurance event, it offers a competitive advantage as it is the most energy efficient. Energy can be saved for the run that is to take place after the bike ride.
I was riding a low end aluminum road bike without clip pedals, and I noticed that these high end bikes were simply flying past me! The riders looked so at ease while riding their bikes and overtook me as if I was standing still.
After the event, I went back to do some research and discovered that there is a huge difference between low end road bikes and higher end bikes. The fastest bikes you can do for are triathlon bikes that are made completely from carbon. These are aerodynamic machines that are engineered to perfection for speed. They are also the lightest road bikes you can find. Also, carbon has a unique characteristic - it's stiffness offers tremendous power transfer capabilities. No wonder these guys seem to power away without much effort!
Find out how a carbon road bike frame or high quality road bike groupsets can help you achieve faster timings.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Darren_W_Chow
No comments:
Post a Comment