Mistake No.1, the seat is too low. Mountain bikes are sold with very small frames for the riders who are supposed to use them. This is done deliberately, as the cyclist is supposed to have extra clearance over the top bar in case of a fall while riding on some rugged dirt trail.
Someone who is fairly new to cycling and who rides in town should keep the seat low enough to make the dismount less difficult at intersections. In fact, a town bike should probably be ridden with the seat an inch lower than a country bike, for the same reason.
On the other hand, the power of the pedal stroke is greatest at the end of the stroke when the leg is nearly fully extended, as during a walk, while there is little power at the beginning of the stroke, when the leg is folded. People don’t walk in a frog-like position because folded legs don’t have any power.
Folded legs also rob the cyclist of power through cramping. A comparison can be made to TV “aerobics,” where the idea of the “exercise” is “going for the burn.” Why does this burn occur when exercising for just a few minutes when normally one could continue the same exercise for hours without this problem?
It happens because the muscle is not fully extended each time, or in other words, is deliberately cramped. This cramping produces rapid fatigue and a burning sensation caused by the build up of lactic acid in the blood.
Although the TV exercise gurus consider this desirable, it is actually a deliberate misuse of the muscles and prevents the “exercise” from improving the strength of the limb. To correct this mistake, fully extend the arm, leg, or whatever.
The burn will disappear, and you will actually get a very modest exercise benefit (of course, one would get more exercise benefit from carrying out the trash). In the same way, riding up even a short hill with the legs cramped like that will cause them to tire very quickly because they could not rid themselves of the lactic acid readily in that cramped position, and his speed dropped to a walking pace. When people ride with their legs so badly cramped up, they never develop any power or speed and pretty quickly give up bicycling.
Mistake No. 2, Feet Improperly on Pedals. However, this is a very unnatural position. When we walk, our foot comes down on the heel, and then we lift off on the ball of the foot. We never walk on the arch of the foot. Try walking flat-footed and you’ll quickly see how awkward that is. Instead, the ball of the foot ought to be over the axle of the pedal. In this position, the natural thrust of the foot pushes us forward.
A good accessory for the bike is a toe clip or a clip-on pedal. These ensure that the feet are properly on the pedal, and they increase power, as no energy is lost keeping the feet in contact with the pedal surface. However, it’s easy to buy toe clips that are too large or too small, and clip less pedals can be mounted incorrectly if you mount them yourself. Make sure that the ball of the foot is over the axle of the pedal.
Mistake No. 3: Using the Wrong Gear. Use the right gear for your purposes. To high, or too low, will cause more fatigue and less speed while cycling.
Mistake No. 4: Not stopping for a Stop Sign. The small amount of time and effort involved is certainly worth the reduced risk. Running stop signs and red lights or committing other irregularities at intersections (the most likely place to have an accident) just puts people at risk. Don’t be in such a hurry.
Mistake No. 5: Riding in the Wrong Lane. The problem is that a turning motorist doesn’t see the sidewalk cyclist.
As I said earlier, people learn to ride bicycles when they are children, and then when they get back on the bicycle as adults, they want to follow the same set of rules.
Some are taught to always ride on the sidewalk, and so we see the same person, 40 years later, pedaling down a crowded sidewalk. Some are taught to ride against the traffic, following the pedestrian rule, and so we find some adults firmly and stubbornly on the wrong side, endangering themselves and other cyclists directly and sending the message to motor vehicle operators that bike riders should be ignored.
Mistake No. 6: Not Using Headlights and Taillights at Night It’s even more important to ride with the traffic at night, but have good lights and reflectors when you do so.
Mistake No. 7: Not Listening. Perhaps this is the greatest mistake of all. When bike riders who are making one of the above mistakes — and this is a small minority of the riders — they often become very defensive about it.
