- [Dan] If you are new to cycling, there are probably a few situations that you
find yourself in that make you feel quite nervous. I mean, for Si and I,
there's only one situation that makes us feel nervous, but thankfully,
Matt's not here today.
- [Simon] But we think there are five skills. If you master them,
and you will because they are quite straightforward, you will be able to ride
with much, much more confidence. So, here they are.
♪ [music] ♪
- First up, it's the emergency stop. This can strike fear into the hearts of many,
as childhood memories of flying over the handlebars come flooding back.
But if needed, here is how to stop quickly.
- Your front brake is your friend. It's the most effective one you have that's
slowing you down. What we've got to do to counter the feeling of going over the
handlebars is to move your weight backwards. And the harder you brake,
the further back your weight needs to be.
All right.
- This is something that is really worth practicing, because it should very quickly
become instinctive. Just repeat it over and over again, from your normal riding
speed, gradually increasing how quickly you come to a stop. And what you should
notice is that if you get your weight far enough back, it's virtually impossible to
go over the bars.
I mean, taking one hand off the bars is essential for a number of cycling skills.
Firstly, and most importantly, for indicating to other traffic when you're
about to make a turn, also for communicating with other cyclists if
you're on a group ride, but thirdly, also, for simple things like taking a drink or
even some food out of your back pocket on a long ride.
- Yeah, and again, all you got to do to get the ease with this is just to practice
it. But at least, unlike with emergency stops, takes much less effort to do so.
What you've got to do is ride around, taking one hand off the bars,
and you'll quickly realize that your bike isn't something to be scared of.
It doesn't need manhandling around, it needs gentle, caressing touches.
Just like that.
♪ [music] ♪
- Riding out of the saddle is a really important skill. Firstly,
it will allow you to transfer more power through the pedal for those short,
steep climbs. Secondly, it would take the weight off your backside and relieve tired
muscles, and thirdly, it will give you the most control over your bike when you're
descending down technical or bumpy terrain.
- Yeah, if you want to get out of saddle when you're not pedaling,
then you'll need to have your pedals level with pretty much all your bodyweight
through your legs. You then need to have your arms and your legs slightly bent,
ready to absorb any shocks coming up from the road and through the bike.
- However, if you are pedaling out the saddle, you'll firstly need to learn to
lean forward slightly so that you don't catch yourself on the saddle.
In terms of positioning your hands, the easiest place is on the brake hood,
if you're on road bikes like we are.
- Yeah, you'll also find that gently swaying the bike from side to side will
really help make the most out of your bodyweight and put power through the
pedals. You'll also probably find that you want to be in one gear harder than you
would do if you're sat on the saddle. It'll make it seem much, much easier.
♪ [music] ♪
- Technically, riding up onto a curb will probably mean that you'll end up
committing some kind of traffic offense, because you're going to end up on the
pavement or sidewalk. However, it's something that we're all going to do at
some point, so it's worth learning how to do it properly so you don't damage your
bike or yourself.
- There are two important things to consider. Firstly, that you're trying to
hit the curb square-on. Coming at it from an angle will make it likely that you'll
crash. If you do come at it head-on, even if you just ride at it,
it is quite likely that you'll still get over it.
- Although you shouldn't do that, because you will still risk damaging your bike.
So instead, as you approach the curb, try to pull up on the front handlebars,
and simultaneously push your weight to the back of the bike. What that should do is
raise your front wheel, which is a cool trick in itself, and it should therefore
easily roll over the obstacle in front of you. And your back wheel should follow
suit, although bear in mind, that this will put quite a lot of pressure on your
tires, so just adjust your speed accordingly so that you don't puncture.
- The last skill that we think you should master is riding very slowly around
corners, because it's when you're going slowly that you're at your least stable,
and so it really taxes your balance.
- Yeah, and if you are using clipless pedals, and you're worried about being
able to get your foot out in time, what you can do is simply unclip,
and that way you'll know that whilst you're riding around, if something goes
wrong you can put your foot down very quickly, at any time.
- Now I find it really helps my balance if I'm sat in the saddle when riding at slow
speed, because now I'm able to make adjustments to the handlebars very easily.
And you should be prepared to make some pretty major adjustments in order to keep
your balance.
- Now, riding well at slow speeds will really help you when it comes to riding
well at much faster speeds. It will do wonders for your bike-handling skills and
crucially, also, for your confidence, so it's really something worth practicing
from time to time.
Five skills, then, that should really help your cycling. The ability to ride up
curbs, riding out of the saddle, emergency stops, riding with one hand and being able
to ride around very tight corners. Master all of those, and you should find there is
very little that can impact your cycling.
- If you want to take your riding to the next level, then, we have a video with
another five skills that are a little bit more advanced. You can get to that just by
clicking up there.
- On the other hand, having ultimate control over your bike whilst being
comfortable requires being in the right position. So you can find out how to set
your saddle height by clicking just down there.
- Before you go to either of those, though, do make sure you subscribe to GCN.
It's completely free, and you will be in the right place for hundreds and thousands
of cycling videos. You'll be pretty good by the end of that lot,
if you watch them all.
- Some are more helpful than others, I would say.
- Yeah, and you'd probably be a bit sick of watching us, I suppose.
But otherwise...
- No.
- Okay, good point. Oh dear, oof. I haven't actually got a spare tube with me.
Does anyone else?