Title - Week 4: Bike Safety and Maintenance

By David Lloyd

This is the fourth article in a series to get you and me ready for the Brett/Robinson Alabama Coastal Triathlon on May 3, 2008 at the Gulf State Park Pavilion. How is the swimming going? Is it the most boring 20 minutes of your day? Well keep plugging away at it. Perhaps now would be a good time to count laps as you swim. 

 My wife says all my lists are composed of three items. Here is my list about riding bicycles fast. 

1 - Clean and lubricate the chain.

2 - Inflate tires to proper pressure. 

3 -You don’t need a new bike seat. 

If your chain is rusty, dirty to the touch or makes clicking noises, it needs to be cleaned and oiled. Use diluted liquid dish detergent( aka soap and water) to clean the chain. Or you can buy a citrus degreaser to spray on the chain. Rinse, rub the chain dry with a rag. Oil the chain with light household oil, or go to the store and buy special oil for bike chains. The goal is to reduce friction. 

Inflate the tires to just less than the maximum stated on the sidewall of the tire. This is the number one way to increase speed on the bike. You will ride faster if your tires are full of air. Every weekend I see occasional cyclists and kids out on low tires. It is not dangerous, just hard work. 

All of my friends who have started biking are convinced after their first three bike rides that their seat is wrong for them and their ahem “contact point.” Not true. The muscles in your seat “contact point” are sore from the new activity just like your legs are sore. Give it a couple of weeks before declaring the need for a new saddle. 

Keep this thought in mind as you allocate your time towards race training: on race day, approximately 50% of your race will be spent riding the bike. Therefore, half your training time should be on the bicycle. Your goal is to work up to three weekly bike rides of one hour in length in three weeks. Start out this week with three 30 minute rides. 

Wear your new helmet during training rides. I admit it is not cool looking. You need to get used to wearing a helmet. But did you know that it is the required by law for children under the age of 16 in the state of Alabama? This makes you a good example for our youth.  

To register for the Brett/Robinson Alabama Coastal Triathlon, go to www.team-magic.com. Right now the cost to register is $80 for an individual and $115 for a relay team. You can register online or download a form to complete and mail. Sponsors and volunteers are also needed so please visit www.alabamabeachsports.com

Visit to review earlier training tips.

About the author: A 1982 graduate of the University of South Alabama, David Lloyd is a triathlon veteran of more than 100 the last 18 years. His career highlight so far has been finishing the 2006 Ironman Florida.