I’ve been riding for a little over a decade with 60k+ miles and already have the big ticket stuff I want (bikes/wheels/power meter). I’ve recently discovered waxing my chain, headbands to keep sweat off my glasses, and handlebar bell to notify other trail users and they’re all massive improvements. It got me wondering what else might be out there. What do you have for me, Reddit?

Mine is fried chicken. I don’t eat any other time, but for some reason after a big fondo or century, I crave fried chicken like no other. Probably because I eat sugar all ride and want something different.

Do you guys have a food you always eat after a big ride?

I started riding for sport since 1 month and I have been having trouble sleeping for more than 2 weeks. Before that I was riding 10-25 km per day to go to school. I feel that I can only sleep the night of a big ride when I am too tired and even then I might not get a good nights sleep. I have limited caffeine and I am doing nothing different except cycling more these last few weeks. Did anyone experience such a difference?

Just to let you know I have been riding for around 50 km a couple times a week and last week increased the intensity to 100km for once and then around 60 for the last ride (because 100 was too much). But I have been having trouble before 100km as well.

Any tips for insomnia starting afte riding for sports?

Tldr: Please give me tips to ride out of saddle; ride without hands; and any emergency moves - using clipless pedals.

Hi all. I've been putting off learning to ride clipless since a nasty fall on my commuter bike that I used to ride with flat pedals (I took most of the damage; saddle and grips were scratched while aluminium frame and carbon fork survived). The plan was to learn clipless then get a road bike but was then shelved.

I've finally regained the confidence to get back in the saddle and can now clip in and out but would appreciate your tips to safely ride clipless. I would love to be able to check the following skills off my "To Learn" list by year's end:

1. Pedal out of the saddle. At the moment I'm super unstable at this.
2. Ride without hands on grips. Currently, I'm confident riding with my right hand off the grip. Left hand off is a little sketchy but doable. No falls (yet).
3. Any useful emergency moves eg. braking, manoeuvring, awareness.

I don't know if using clipless makes any of those different to flats but I used to hesitate pushing myself to learn these skills and tricks on flats fearing slippage. Being clipped in removes that concern (but introduces new things to be mindful of I guess).

TIA!

Is it just me or has the quality of cycling sunglasses become abysmal?

I’ve gone through 4 new Oakleys (each a different model) and a pair of Roka.

I’m very gentle with my equipment but simply trying to clean the lens results in complete disintegration.

What are durable brands and/or models?

Recently moved to the U.S. and wanted to buy a Triban RC100. It's a very popular model globally, so I'm very surprised that I cannot find it anywhere - no Decathlon stores, no third-party retailers, not even on Facebook Marketplace.

Does anybody have a clue where I can find them? If not, any recommendations for an RC100 equivalent? I've been doing research but I really cannot find anything that's comparable to the Decathlon gravel bike in quality at this price.

I have zero experience or knowledge with bike computers, but I wanted to improve my rides. Currently im doing roughly 35-40km four to five times a week, my main issue is I want a better way to have GPS directions (currently i just pull over and grab my phone from my saddle bag) and have power info to track how im progressing

Currently I just use an apple watch 7 and upload it to strava after.

my bike is a Van Rysel Vélo de route Shimano Claris 2x8v, EDR AF incase that matters. I saw some other people asking if it was Shimano or not?

I dont have a fix budget but I dont want to over spend if a cheaper option is good enough for my case. I ride solo but long term I do plan on trying to find some weekend group type rides

Thanks for the help

One thing I find interesting about indoor cycling is how different the experience can be depending on your setup.

Do you prefer virtual shifting on a dedicated indoor setup, or do you want the same gearing and controls as your outdoor bike?

For those who've tried both, which feels more convenient during workouts and races?

No matter what saddle i try i get a lot of pressure on the front area. I think i need to triatglon saddle, i think i rotate my pelvis a lot.

Anyone gone down that route?

Bike fit is otherwise dialled.

I’m 155cm on a bike with 42cm bars. I am looking to downsize to 36’s (which is what I assume is best?), would anyone be able to outline what it takes to change the bars over, the benefits, and most of all, your guys’ experience with AliExpress bars and which brands to go.

FYI I am on a 2016 52cm crux (I am aware it’s too big but somehow I’ve made it work; the only real pain I’m having is upper back which I assume is from my arms stretching outside the lengths of my shoulders

I need to hear from a voice of reason. 

I have a 2024 Roubaix SL8 Sport and absolutely love it, the coolest bike I’ve ever owned. Lately I’ve been thinking of getting some upgrades for it, namely a set of deep wheels and potentially the Roval Rapide integrated cockpit (I’ve heard this is one of the only compatible cockpits with the Roubaix’s FutureShock). 

Here’s where my lizard brain takes over. After looking at these different components, I see the XLab RS7 that comes with deep wheels, integrated cockpit, power meter, and di2 if I want to splurge just a little more.

Ultimately, I know this still isn’t upgrading my Roubaix but for a similar price I could get a whole new bike with some fancy features. I know I’m dumb, can y'all tell me how dumb I am?

I just watched this video: https://vimeo.com/649589757

At about 1:30 the rider lands backwards and coasts. On any bike I've ever seen, this would force the pedals to rotate backwards. What is happening here?

I am a 19 year old male and I was diagnosed with mono at the end of july. I am a serious category 1 cyclist and was competing in Europe at the time and had to come home. I was so crushed because I had been training and looking forward to racing there this entire year and had to go home after only being there for 2 days. I remained at home for 2 months. I was pretty much bed bound, resting all day. My acute symtoms only lasted about a week. However the fatigue kicked in pretty fast. I did everything your told, ate extremely healthy, rested, slept 8-9 hours every night, and avoided all exercise. At the end of september I had to return to college and its been very hard. I have enough energy to go to class and study but not much more. Every time I try and go socialize, or do any light exercise my fatigue gets way worse the next day. I have been struggling a lot with my mental health because cycling is my passion and what makes me happy, and not being able to do it is making me very depressed. I have serious dreams of being a pro and even had a domestic elite team lined up for this year, which has now all fallen apart because of mono. All of my peers dont understand how bad my fatiuge is and think im being dramatic since its now been 3 months. I go to class each day and spend the rest of the day resting in my apartment. Its very lonely and I truly hate my life right now. I dont look forward to anything anymore and dread waking up each day. Im so scared of never being the same as I was before and don't know when this will end.

edit: Yes I am currently working with a doctor, however I want more advice than just be patient and rest. I am also looking into seeing a sports psychologist.

Will be upgrading from a set of Zipp 303’s. Was this a too good to pass up deal or did I jump the gun?

Hi biking enthusiasts,

A group of friends and I are planning a road cycling trip to Austria's Salzkammergut region in the first week of September 2027. We've done several multi-day cycling trips in Europe, including Provence and Sardinia, and are looking for something with spectacular mountain and lake scenery.

We're considering a 7-night trip with 6 riding days, potentially using Bad Ischl/St. Wolfgang and Mondsee as our two bases.

Our preferences are:

• 40–50 miles per day
• Ideally 2,000–2,700 ft (600–825 m) of climbing per day, with some flexibility
• Paved roads suitable for regular road bikes, no gravel
• Quiet roads or dedicated paved cycling paths wherever possible
• Scenic routes around Wolfgangsee, Hallstatt, Gosau, Attersee, Mondsee, and Fuschlsee

We're comfortable riding on roads with traffic, but would prefer to avoid busy highways and unsafe tunnels.

For anyone who has cycled in this region:

1. Is it realistic to put together five rides of this length while keeping the elevation reasonably manageable?
2. Are the roads around these lakes generally road-bike-friendly, or are there stretches of gravel, heavy traffic, or tunnels we should avoid?
3. Are there particular routes you'd recommend, ideally with GPX files on Ride with GPS, Komoot, or Strava?
4. Is the first week of September generally a good time for road cycling in the region?

Hi there,

I've found a really good deal on a Pinarello.

I want to use it as a road bike, but I have some triathlon races planned over the next few months.

1. How easy would it be to replace the handlebars with something compatible with aerobars?

2. Are there aerobars that exist for the bike already?

Thanks so much for the help!

Hi all, I'm super excited for the race next year. It's my first ever cycle race ans it looks like an epic one to start off!

I'm travelling up from London and I'm a teacher so can't take Friday or Monday off...

The Caledonian sleeper website says they're sold out so I was wondering what are my other options?

Thanks all!

Need to adjust tension on a blvd- xc fuji, one of the brakes is rubbing. Went to do so to find out theres no tension screw. Its cable brakes and idk anything else about how these work. Any guides would be cool i need this thing working to get to my job.

Just curious. Road cyclist here. I've been riding Shimano "Look" pedals for 30+ years. Never had an issue with them. I use the red delta cleats, so I have float. Is there any objective reason to "upgrade" to SPD-SL or any other pedal platform? I'm just a casual rider, approx 50~70 miles a week.

I've been road cycling for many years, but this was a new one. I was in a rural area on a quiet road. There was little to no shoulder. A few cars were around but I was mostly alone. Suddenly a full-sized school bus roared past me and then came to abrupt halt to let kids off. I had to slam on the brakes. I was a foot from his bumper when I stopped. The whole thing felt really rude and weird. Why pass me to stop in front of me? Why not just wait four more seconds for me to pass your drop off spot? Obviously, I give buses a wide berth whenever I am near them, but in this case it felt like I had no choice in the matter.

Hi all, looking into road bikes, I’m a taller guy (6’8”) and I’m wondering what the difference is between 61cm and XL frames?

I realise brands have changed things up to make it slightly more challenging. I was speaking to a gentleman from trek who told me that truck recently changed from cm’s to ‘large and extra large’ etc.

As an example, is 61cm larger than an ‘XL frame’?

Thanks in advance!

Curious what people here actually use. Full disclosure: I'm a cyclist myself, and I ended up building a small Android tracker because none of the apps I tried worked the way I wanted. So I'm asking partly for my own research. I'm not posting a link or selling anything here.

- Which app (or bike computer) do you use to record rides?

- What do you like most about it?

- What annoys you or makes you want to switch?

- If you also walk or take transit to start or end a ride, how do you handle that? One long activity, or separate ones?

Honest answers, including "I don't track at all", are very welcome. Thanks!

For talking sake, I live in a rural Midwest area with a lot of extinct rail lines and we've got a group that's wanting to take a stab at some "rail to trail" infrastructure. There is interest from the state and we'll need to get private investment as well. I'm wondering what sort of challenges you have and anything else that might be a talking point at our meeting next weekend. TIA.

One of the front caster wheels on my KICKR desk v2 is broken - wahoo say they don't sell replacements.

Has anyone had to replace theirs and can recommend what to get?