Road Cycling Tips - Nobody talks about this. 

Hi there 🖐️Before you add another comment about using a mirror (like the other hundreds of riders) please watch me testing mirrors and a radar. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-tN-bq2RkDtw.htmlsi=ic8FO3bfQm8GhhJ0

I remember dropping my chain to the inside going up a low grade climb in one of my early Cat5 races many years ago, one of the more experienced riders put his hand behind my butt pushing me along and said "pedal slowly and upshift". The guy saved my race and taught me your valuable tip #2.

"Best bike for you is the one you already own". Love that! So true!!!!

Your third chance of getting the chain on without getting your hands dirty - keep a pair of disposable nitrile gloves in the saddle bag.

Learned "turning your head" the hard way. Put new front/back lights on the bike to be able to cycle in the winter (no snow in Houston generally) and kept twisting to see if the rear light was working. Long story short, ran into a curb at speed, body went forward into the handlebar and the gearshift lever punctured my groin through fleece sweatpants. Lot's of blood and a trip to the ER where they determined the lever knicked the artery in my right leg. Funniest part was the instructions from the ER to stop on the way home & pick-up a 10 lb bag of potting soil to use as a compress on the abdomen while the artery healed. Was really drugged and my son told me I loudly kept asking if these were medieval times and were going to send me home with a bottle of leaches as well.

Friends don't let friends buy bikes on credit. Love it! Top advice!

Turning your head really helps us drivers too because we know you are engaged with us. Love tip 3! 😂

Being a year-round cyclist in the Adirondacks, the head-turn is probably the single most important tip to follow when on the road. I know when I'm driving a cyclist with their head on a swivel is much more noticeable than one with their eyes laser-focused ahead. And since it's a form of communication/recognition of surroundings I think it creates some appreciation from all parties involved. Plus, it's just safer!

While in Panama during the early 80's, I cleared my nose, and it hit the ground with a SPLAT. A local rider exclaimed "Cuarto de Libra con queso". (Quarter Pounder With Cheese). Everyone cracked up. I was stationed there for 3 years. Every weekend there usually was a race on the Pacific side on Saturday and the Atlantic on Sunday. The races were "open" shall we say. Riding etiquette can cross language barriers. Glad I came across your channel.

Wow, Tip 1 might be the best safety tip I've heard in a long time. Completely agree!

As an older rider, thought I was the only one who didnt have the right knack for turning to look back while in traffic. Thanks for these tips. PS: per your final comment, I think I'll also keep going on my Marin 18 speed, upright, Lady Fairfax(2018) - so far, so good !

Love your article. I did see that a couple of people did note that you said , " you can't have a mirror on your helmut or your bars". Absolutely , you don't put a mirror on you bars. But, I've ridden over 125,000 miles on roads , and I would never ride without my small mirror attached to my sunglasses. I don't even have to move my head , to be able to see perfectly behind me. Just like driving a car...I spend just as much time looking back , as I do looking forward. Thanks for your tips..... Appreciate it.

The head-turning tip was excellent. The other two I had learned over time. Thank you for sharing. P.s. I love my old bike!

I really enjoy your video style mate. Also the statement 'The best bike is the one you own' is so true. I'm just getting back into cycling after some bad injuries and my bike is a Giant SCR 3.0 from 2005 with a broken front derailleur (i just ride in the center ring - yes its a triple :) ) I look forward to more from you :)

Brilliant, don’t swerve into traffic and don’t spit on people.Thanks a lot there Tips.Shouldn’t be on the road without a rear view mirror!

Great tips. I'll try them next time I'm on the road. A great tip nobody talks about is to signal for the person behind if there is a pot hole, a cone, or any obstacle instead of just avoiding it. When this happens, the cyclist in front is hiding a cone and the one behind cannot see it and may not be able to avoid it. In general, tips like these when people are riding in groups.

1) relax and drop shoulder 2) move opposite hand towards centre of handlebars 3) I'd add stop or slow down on the pedals and practice it somewhere safe. The tendency to swerve could increase in a more tense situation so certainly one to practice straight away and compare turning with and without peddling. I've just started cycling again after a 4 or 5 year break and the difference in confidence and competence over that time is surprising in particular, for me, flexibility when looking back so maybe some kind of stretching is in order too. That chain tip is a useful one too. Thanks for this.

For those who might struggle w/#1 as I do, I'd suggest a garmin varia radar. Been a game changer for me.

Tip 1. Just the other week I was slowly riding on some gravel, heard something coming up from behind, looked round, obviously pulled on handlebars a bit and the front wheel slid out from under me. At least it was the left side so no damage to the bike's derailleur. My ribs are still a bit sore, but not as sore as my pride at making a fool of myself in front of the neighbour's 8 y.o. kid! 😀

Brake levers are for braking, and shifting is done with the levers properly located on the down tube. 30,000+ miles on my 1980 Gios Torino Super Record, from when bicycles looked like bicycles.

The look-behind is a good thing for recreational cyclists to practice before testing it out in traffic.

Some of the best no-BS advice ever! You’re so right about expensive bikes! Here in NYC, as I’m sure I’m other parts of the world too, there’s so much pressure to ride an expensive bike. After playing into that game and spending over 10K on a bike I ask myself “am I really enjoying myself more?”. My honest answer is “no”. As a weekend non-racer the bike only gave me some bragging rights but didn’t make cycling more fun to be honest.

Thanks so much for the "no swerve" advice!! I never thought to bring my shoulder down. Will give it a try on this weekend's ride. Cheerios!

I’ve been riding with bar end mirrors for 25 years. Best investment I’ve ever made. Love your chain tips. Keep on riding!!😊

4 years riding, and im still learning 👍👍

I've actually never heard about the downshift/upshift trick to fix a dropped chain, brilliant!

This was an informative, humorous video even though the chain hack was the only one I hadn't heard of. It's not a trick I could use (long story) so I make use of latex gloves leftover from Covid. I really like the 'sponsored by nobody in the bike industry' statement at the end. 😅 Very clever. 😊

Holding your bike up with your neck to fix the chain- Great tip !!! Taking a hand off the bar to look back? This is what caused me a bad crash. Just before I got my hand back on the bar I hit a bump that bounced me forward and I missed the bar, fell forward over the bars, landed on my back on burning hot asphalt shattering my scapula.

That snot moment got me laughing out loud, mannnn 😂 good one! This is my first video of u, my friend, and I've subscribed simply because of your choice to encourage cyclists to stay away from credit cards for their dream cycles. The best bike for me is the one I own! I love it! Cheers, Sir!

Yes, dropping the traffic-side arm is a really great technique. But the primary safety strategy is to keep a sustained and easy view of following traffic by good use of a high quality rear view mirror.

Love the BOOGER tip ❤😂

I find bar end mirrors much safer than turning around . You always know what’s coming , so much better then the occasional look back. It’s impossible to be turning to look back at every car or truck. But yes sometimes you might have to turn for some reason and you do want to keep your line without swerving for sure.

Although I know this video applies to riding on the roads, I would also add using trail etiquette as well. I’ve seen way too many occasions where riders do not announce when they are passing walkers. This is easy to do but yet so many bikers fail to do it. Recently, I was riding and coming toward me was an elderly couple probably in their mid-80s, out for a leisurely stroll. Behind them also coming towards me, was a biker moving at a pretty good clip. He decided to pass this elderly couple just as I was passing them, meaning he was in between me and the elderly couple. He nearly gave the elderly woman a heart attack as he almost clipped her arm. This kind of stupidity gives all bikers a bad reputation. If I would’ve thought about it sooner, I would have turned around and apologized to the elderly woman on behalf of all bikers.

As a mountain biker [who avoids road riding as much as I can, except to commute to the trails] #1 was really helpful 👍🏻

Absolutely solid advice! I’m an introvert so I prefer to do all my cycling on myself however being able to turn your head without your bike moving is a MUST to learn! Also who cares about brand new 10k+ bikes I tend to look more at the old frames those are what catch my eye! Although a new aero frame with deep wheels does look amazing can’t lie haha! Great video!

Great tips! Btw at 2:35 there's one more option to get the chain back on: pick a stick from your surroundings to help guide the chain.

Great tips, good advice, making people laugh and think...whats not to like?! Love from England bro 🙏

Great vid. Im 75, have been riding the same Schwinn (the best $260 investment I ever made) for the last 8 yrs with over 25K mile recorded. Same chain but a new sealed-bearing sprocket unit. My friend's TREK is half the weight and twice the cost (plus the required maintenance he's experiencing). I ride for the exercise. so I guess the Schwinn's weight isn't a negative.

the number of times my cycling buddies swerve into traffic because they can't keep moving straight while looking around is too many. Plus holding the bike with your neck is a great trick!

As someone who has been riding bikes since I could walk I never thought the head turn was something people needed to learn. I thought it was just second nature. Great tip for teaching my wife, she recently expressed interested in road riding

Great video, love your sense of humour. Thanks for the tips, ride safe 😊

The bike you own is really the best bike. I have a mid-90s part-carbon bike, and I pass and "race" lots of people on the bike trails who have much better bikes, but just aren't as fast or as demented, haha. It's always more about the rider than the bike (btw, it's not about "beating" anyone, it's more about racing against yourself and having fun).

Tip 2 is pretty neat! Will try it at the next opportunity. Chance 3 would be to wax your chain, not perfectly clean to touch but fairly close. Plus I've never had it mark long pants legs & if you have to bring your bike into your home it's not smelly or liable to stain anything nearby.

I'm French woman I'm 72 years old and I've been cycling since I was a child, and not to play racer as I still see it now.for chains I was already doing that when I was 10 years old. I'm surprised to see that bikes don't have rear-view mirrors. because when you turn round the road in front of you may have changed. In car parks I could always spot my bike with its mirrors. Don't forget that your only bodywork is your bones and that all the technology in the world won't protect you from a collision with metal or stone.

I love this. Turning around without swerving has always been difficult for me.I'm going to try your tips

finally, 5 minutes on RU-vid and I don't regret i was here

Super difficult to not swerve when turning your head. This tip is genius!

That’s actually fun, on point, concise and highly beneficial.. what caught my attention to the video is the thumbnail, suggesting the way to turn you head while riding, and the auto demonstration of the video confirmed it.. this is an issue that I’ve seen no one talking about. This is really important and it’s a struggle for those who don’t know how to turn their head back while riding “me included, but not anymore”. And for the best bike for you is the one you already own, that’s the truth! I’d love to watch more of your content🎉

I've always wondered about number 1 and now thanks to you I need wonder no longer! Very helpful indeed!

"Friends don't let friends buy bikes on Credit" what a great T-shirt!

Simple and excellent. Many thanks.

Love that first one especially. Learned some surprisingly useful 'why didn't I think of that' tips from taking a motorcycle safety course recently that applied to (solo) road cycling. My favorite is bobbing slightly to the left and right (with a front light on) as you approach an intersection or driveways/parking lot entrances. Vastly increases your visibility to oncoming left turning cars and cars pulling out in front of you.

Great video! Been riding since the 70's and all of your tips are right on, one thing for sure I have never done was to drop a chain, new tech is not for me, I'm still pushing steel bikes with friction shifting along with tubular tires, one of my best riding rigs was a Steel TRACK bike frame that was Modified to a road bike a screamer it was, I've done many 100 mile plus rides on it with many mountain rides in the mix as well. I'd ride from Down town San Jose over the Santa Cruz mountains to the Santa Cruz and back. One thing I would do when riding when hearing an approaching car coming from the rear, I'd stick my arm out while pointing out a few fingers to let them the motorist know that this is my space, this way I am able to continue with my ride without braking my pace, this also worked out well for me when approaching and navigating my way through high way over passes. Keep on peddling.

Oh, the memories! It was probably cold spring of 1982 in Leningrad. We were training on the road and a guy in front decided to blow his nose. A guy behind him received a big old splat on his shoulder and shouting started. One more thing: if you in the front and you pass gas, there will be very unhappy people in the back. You may even hear from them. Although it may be hard to prove who did it. Happy riding!

Loved the dropped chain tips! Thanks!

Tip #1 - Get a Garmin Varia RTL radar unit. Then you don't need to turn around nearly as often. Just to double check when turning across traffic making a left (in the US) or right (in the UK) turn.

Great advice. I've actually recovered the chain that way several times over the years. Thank you!!!

Fantastic video, great delivery... Brilliant

Thanks for the head turning tips. Have never figured them out. I do rely on my mirrors, but I want to learn how to turn my head without swerving even a little. I will practice tomorrow.

I wax all my chains so I have no fear of dirty hands…. Great video!! 👍🏼👊🏼

I've never thought to lift with my neck from the saddle. Great tip! Btw - the third way to reset a chain without ever getting your hands dirty is to use a waxed chain. Definitely agree buy what you can afford. That said - my priority is cycling. I drive a 2012 pickup and live in a modest dwelling. So I can spend on my passion without any guilt whatsoever. For me, new kit is inspiring and I like to be inspired to ride.

... top tip for not having dirty hands if your chain drops. Wax the chain, don't use liquid lubes. Might not be everybody's cuppa but it surely leaves drivetrain much, much, much cleaner that the best dry lube. So contact with your hands will leave you with no marks or very, very little. Top marks for turning your head/upper body. Such a underrated skill. Cheers! I.

Nice video. Appreciate the straight forward tips and no bs

Riding my '96 Benotto 850 Itslia with rim brakes, downtube mechanial shifters and loving it. Great tips! Stay safe!

the over shoulder look is a good tip, my dad taught me to look back by bending my elbows and looking back under my armpit. 50+ years I never really mastered it.

Such simple effective tips. Thanks

When an automobile overtakes and immediately shows brake lights Watch Out: They are about to do something sketchy.

Easiest way to look behind you without weaving is to use a mirror.

Stumbled on this. Wow. You are charming and educational. Thanks.

Your video is SO refreshing ! Thanks, and keep on rocking.

If you don’t want dirty hands, WAX YOUR CHAIN!!😂

Use a bar end mirror....

Well done! Thank you. The voice of experience and lessons learned.

First two tips are great. Thanks.

terrific tips (especially the first and second)- shocking how prevalent swerving is especially when going at a good clip.

Great tips. I've been riding since the mid-80s and these tips were never given to me but are something I just picked up during training and racing and are second nature to me. But, I've never even thought about it and that you did and made them known and explained why they are needed, is a great benefit to those that weren't aware or for those getting into cycling. Liked and subscribed! My two favorite bikes by the way are a 1990 Zullo with 11-speed Athena and a 1989 Tesch S-22 with 11-speed Record. My newest bike is a 2008 BCM CX01 with 10-speed SRAM (flat bar Double Tap trigger shifters) and my oldest is a 1983 Miyata Pro with 6-speed Dura-Ace AX that I bought new.

wow, such a fresh air kind of stuff there comparing to boring GCN videos! keep it going!

Love the visual demonstrations. Hilarious! Thanks for the good tips.

Thanks for this. We lost a great cyclist on Friday, and this might have helped.

Tip No. 1 wow for someone that gets a stiff neck. Also gonna do the neck movement up/down/left/right a few times before setting off

I really like these tips. Thanks. I'll give the dropping my shoulder and the chain tricks a try.

Really good tips, greatly explained. Great and useful short video. Thanks. 👏

Great tip about looking back! Love it!

Straight up honest advice!!! How refreshing!!!

Love your presentation style. Keep em rolling

If a faster bike will help you stay in your group, I say go for it. It's no fun getting dropped and riding alone or holding up riders who are nice enough to slow to your pace. I also rode with a glasses mirror which was great but had a blind spot. Never did learn to not swerve. Great tips.

These tips are very helpful, thank you.

Thanks for the turning to look tip, it's something I need to practice.

Learned a couple of things here. Especially liked that neck stand idea.

thanx so much for the looking-back tips!!

Thank you for these tips!

Hi Jurgen thanks! And in response here are my top 3.. feel free to make a vid on them: 1. City riding at stops just drop the big ring down 1. Your knees will thank you as you start up and spin. Then just gear up the big ring and your back to where you were before having to stop. 2. On climb, fully sweep levers on both left and right at the same time. You will go from big chainring to small chainring but will be about 1 gear down. This sets you up for further downshifting without having to manage a big ring change on its own. 3. Riverbed riding under bridges, or any short valleys.. push as hard as you can on the down, and you’ll thank yourself as you exit the up at nearly the same speed you started. Have fun out there everyone!!

Such a refreshing video from the world of cycling which nowadays only wants to sell you new unattainable gear. Turning around - when on the road I genuinely sometimes feel I'm the only person doing it in traffic or on a group ride..

Incredibly helpful, thank you.

Thank you for sharing. Very informative.

Instant fan! Liked, Subscribed. Agree 100% with every word. Thank you and safe pedaling!

The info for getting the chain back on was pure gold👍Thank you😊

Appreciate the tips! Another way that I have used to avoid touching the chain, especialy when it is wedged, is to get off the bike and use my foot to manipulate it back onto the gear. That leaves a hand free to work the cranks and help release the wedge aswell! 🚲❤️

I'm a beginning road biker and really appreciated your tips, and your humor!

Excellent, at last someone talking sense about riding and bike acquisition - well done and thanks