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98 posts in Guides
Shoes and cleats: fit first, everything else after
The only part of a bike you wear, and the contact point riders think about least until something hurts. What actually matters in a shoe, the width point nobody mentions, and how to move a cleat without creating a knee problem.
The screen in front of your trainer
Riders spend a fortune on trainers and nothing on what they look at, then wonder why an hour indoors feels longer than three outside. It is an ergonomics problem before it is a hardware one — and sweat is the part that kills laptops.
Looking after a smart trainer
Most of what goes wrong with trainers is not wear — it is sweat, and the drivetrain attached to them. Diagnosing the noise (it is usually not the trainer), what the neighbours actually hear, and a maintenance schedule that takes minutes.
How to wash a bike without wrecking it
There are two or three ways to clean a bike that cause more damage than the dirt would have — and they are the ones that feel most satisfying. Fifteen minutes, in the right order, without contaminating your brakes.
Gearing for climbing: the arithmetic nobody does
The belief that low gears are an admission of weakness has cost riders a great many good days. A table of what your lowest gear actually forces your legs to do at climbing speed — and why a 34×28 on a steep road is a leg press with a view.
Chest strap or wrist: which heart rate reading to trust
For steady riding an optical sensor is fine. For intervals the strap still wins, and the reason is physics rather than brand quality. Where each one fails, the armband middle ground, and the dry-strap fix that stops the 180 bpm nonsense.
What to carry on a 100 km ride, and what to leave behind
A hundred kilometres is the distance where packing starts to matter. The non-negotiables, the it-depends list, the things riders carry for no reason — and the two mistakes that actually ruin days.
Choosing a bike computer: what actually matters
Easy to overspend on capabilities you will never use, equally easy to buy the cheapest and be quietly annoyed for three years. Three tiers described honestly, the five specifications that matter, and the feature set that is mostly marketing.
Chain waxing vs lube: what it's worth, honestly
One camp melts wax in a slow cooker; the other squeezes lube onto a dirty chain and rides. Both are defensible. The watts are smaller than the enthusiasts imply — but the strongest argument for waxing is one they rarely lead with.
A TrainingPeaks alternative that plans the workouts for you
TrainingPeaks is the coach's clipboard — superb if you have a coach or love building your own plan, but on your own it never answers the question you actually have: what should I ride today? An honest comparison with an app that writes the plan, adapts it when life happens, and brings the indoor world with it.
How to export a workout to your Garmin or Zwift (.zwo and .fit explained)
Structured workouts travel as files — .zwo for Zwift, .fit for Garmin and most head units — and once you understand the two formats you can build a session once and ride it anywhere. What each format is, which platforms accept which, and the step-by-step for getting a workout onto every device you own.
A free app for the Zwift Hub and Zwift Ride (yes, without Zwift)
Zwift's own trainers speak the same standard Bluetooth as everyone else's — which means a Zwift Hub or Zwift Ride works perfectly well without a Zwift subscription. How to pair Zwift hardware with a free browser app, what works (ERG, resistance, power), and the honest caveats around buttons and firmware.
A free app for Saris and JetBlack trainers (in your browser)
A Saris H3 or a JetBlack Volt doesn't need a subscription to earn its keep — both brands speak standard Bluetooth FTMS, so a browser tab can control resistance, hold ERG targets and record the ride. Model-by-model support, pairing steps, and the honest caveats for older wheel-on units.
Can you use a spin bike with cycling apps? What works and what doesn't
The gym-style spin bike in your spare room and the cycling apps on your laptop live in different worlds — but there are honest bridges between them. What a dumb spin bike can and can't do, the sensors that unlock app compatibility, which smart bikes broadcast openly, and when a used smart trainer is simply the better buy.
Smart trainer not connecting? Fixing Bluetooth pairing on Mac, Windows and Android
Nine times out of ten a trainer that won't connect is already connected — to an app you forgot was open. A symptom-by-symptom fix-it guide for Bluetooth pairing: not found, won't pair, pairs then drops, power reads zero — with the platform quirks for Mac, Windows and Android that nobody documents.
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