Truisms, Part Three

"Never try something new before a big ride or race."


The classic for me is the time a buddy entered a race at a nearby snow ski area that held XC races there in the summer.  He was a really strong rider and regularly kicked butt on anything that went uphill, only topped by the very young and Expert/Pro level racers in our group.

He would have been an amazing SS rider, but no one was doing that then that we knew, back in the 90's.

Race day comes and he is a nervous nellie for some reason and must have felt he needed some kind of 'edge' that morning.  He borrowed a package of sports drink, mixed it up in a bottle, and began the race.  DNF.  Stomach cramps.

Maybe it was mixed too strong, or maybe it just did not agree with him bio-chemistry wise.  Dunno.  But he made that glaring error to try something new and unproven the 'Day Of' a big event.

When I try a new part or product, I always give it a spin around the local hills first before I jump into some epic ride only to find that it...well in the parlance of Texas, that is either "sticks, stinks, or stings".  Seems like most things in the Lone Star State do one or the other (or all three).

That is why I never try something new on a big ride without testing it a bit first and also why I don't ride in Texas.

Truisms, Part Two

Here is one that works so well for me:  "Never change more than one thing at a time".

This applies when you are trying to sort out a bike fit issue or component set-up, etc.  As someone that tries to read the tea leaves of bike performance as a test/reviewer person, I will sometimes need to tweak things here and there to see what is causing an issue.

A typical error would be to raise your handlebar height AND change the saddle height too.  Or slide your saddle back a bit and change to an alt bar with lots of sweep.  Now your back hurts.   Which is the problem? Aaacckkk!  One thing at a time please.

How about a new front tire and a shorter stem?  Now you are finding you are washing out on corners that were not an issue before.  The tire maybe?  Or perhaps the stem has moved your weight too far back now?  See?

Keep it simple and keep it singular.