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Guides, honest comparisons and the training science behind free coaching and a real route for every ride.
98 posts in Guides
Indoor vs outdoor training: when the trainer wins, and when to get out on the road
The trainer is efficient and precise; the road builds skills and joy. Neither is 'better' — here's an honest head-to-head so you know which to pick on any given day.
How much should you actually train? Finding your sustainable weekly hours
More isn't always better — consistent is. Here's how to find the weekly training load you can actually repeat, week after week, without burning out or falling off.
Aero upgrades ranked by watts per euro
Most of your drag is you, not your bike — which reorders the shopping list completely. Position, clothing, helmet, wheels, frame, ranked by what each actually returns at 35 km/h, and where the curve flattens out.
Tyre width and rolling resistance: why 28 mm beat 23 mm
The narrow-is-faster rule was true on a steel drum and wrong on a road. What actually changes when a tyre gets wider, where impedance losses take over from rolling resistance, and the width at which aerodynamics finally starts charging you.
Bike helmets: what the safety ratings actually test
Passing a standard means passing one specific test: a vertical drop onto a flat anvil. What EN 1078 and CPSC do not measure, which independent ratings do, and why fit matters more than anything printed on the box.
Bike fit basics: saddle height, setback and reach explained
Three measurements do most of the work, and the research on saddle height is better than you'd expect. What each adjustment changes, how small a change should be, and when to stop guessing and see a fitter.
Tubeless tyres: setup, sealant and roadside repair
Sealant closes a 3 mm hole in seconds and does nothing at all for a 6 mm one. How the system actually works, the setup sequence that avoids a kitchen covered in latex, and knowing the moment to give up and fit a tube.
Why your hands go numb on the bike (and how to fix it)
Numb fingers are nerve compression, and which fingers go numb tells you which nerve. What causes it, what to change on the bike, and the symptoms that mean stop riding and see a doctor.
Knee pain from cycling: the most common causes and fixes
Where it hurts narrows the cause considerably: front, back and outside of the knee point at different things. What each pattern typically implicates in fit or training load — and what needs a professional.
Lower back pain on the bike: what's actually causing it
Usually a position your hips and hamstrings can't hold, rather than a back problem. How reach and drop interact with mobility, what core endurance research supports, and how to tell position pain from something else.
Power meter vs smart trainer: which should you buy first?
They measure in different places, and neither is wrong. What independent validation studies show about accuracy, why your two numbers disagree, and which one earns its money first for the riding you actually do.
How to calibrate your power meter (and how often)
A zero offset is not a calibration, and temperature moves your numbers more than most riders realise. What each procedure does, how often to do it, and how to tell a drifting meter from genuinely lost fitness.
Tyre pressure for cyclists: the numbers that actually make you faster
Harder is faster right up until it isn't — and the point where it stops is lower than the number printed on your sidewall. Rolling resistance, impedance and how to find your own breakpoint.
A bike maintenance schedule you'll actually keep
Not the aspirational list nobody follows — the realistic one, sorted by how often each job genuinely needs doing. Chain wear measured properly, the cost argument for replacing early, and the three jobs worth paying a shop for.
Cycling in cold weather: how to dress for 0 °C to 15 °C
Riding makes its own wind, which is why the forecast temperature isn't the one you're dressing for. A layering table by temperature, why extremities are the real problem, and the signs you've got it badly wrong.
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