Injuries suck.

No really, being a cyclist is awesome until you get injured well, I guess the same would hold true for any sport.  But the down time is the killer!

Around the beginning of June I tore some pretty key ligaments in my wrist while on a pretty wicked (up until the time of injury) mountain bike ride.  Doc said no more mountain biking for awhile but he DIDN’T say I couldn’t ride my road bike .  I’m lucky enough to own a few bikes, my Argon 18 Radon being one of them.  So my season thus far has been a lot more as a roadie than anything else.  I have also had to keep the typing to a minimum and wear a robo cop/spiderman hybrid looking brace thus not a ton going on in my blog world.

Good news:  I seem to be back in great health, ventured down to Woodstock last weekend to hit some trails and all systems seemed go.

So during the many Km’s i racked up so far this summer during my road rides, one thing became inherently clear to me.  Referencing my previous post regarding bike comfort while riding road, specifically picking up a decent pair of gloves, one thing occcured to me that i hadn’t mentioned in previous posts.

As much as gloves will certainly add to ride comfort, let’s not forget bar wrap.

For those new riders that may not be aware, bar wrap or bar tape is the material (usually cork or synthetic base) that your curved handler bar is wrapped in for both grip and comfort.

For a lot of us, replacing your bar tape is usually one of the last things you would think of on a bike unless it is visably worn through or ripped or, coming unwound.  However replacing your bar wrap from older stuff or the stock tape that came on a new bike can make a huge comfort difference.

Aside from providing a grip area on your bars, your bar wrap will actually aid in dampening the vibration that works it’s way through the bike and into your hands.  vibration in the bike happens on any bike, be it carbon or aluminum, the better materials of course like carbon and titanium drastically reduce and dampen vibration but it is still present on our sometimes not so great Ontario roads.

Of course with a wrist injury, this became very important to me.  Well not giving up cycling totally, i wanted to recover as quickly as possible so that i could once again enjoy the dirt side of the sport.  I decided to upgrade my bar wrap from the rather lackluster stuff that came with the bike.

Most basic bar wraps consist of a cork or minimalist synthetic base but, as an upgrade you can get gel wrap or even add thin gel pads underneath your wrap.  Now i know the weight weenies out there will be complaining that this does add a little bit of weight to the bike, which is true but, this upgrade would not be for the cyclist that races but rather for the “century” rider, those of us that want to just get on the bike and eat some Km’s.

I decided to try the Fizik Bar Gel Kit which is a kit consisting of a softer almost leather feel tape and some smaller gel inserts that can be custom cut and placed under the wrap.  Their was no noticeable thickness difference of the wrap with the gel inserts and comfort was dramatically increased,  although i have no medical evidence that this increased my recovery time from injury, it certainlywas a lot better on the wrist from the previous stock wrap – this i am sure of.

So if you have some good gloves but are still maybe wondering what else you can try ? maybe it’s time to look at this simple low cost upgrade to your bike – could be the difference between happy ride or…not so much

P

A very common question I get asked at the shop is “What can I do to alleviate wrist pain or numb hands when riding?”  Although the answer is sometimes not simple and could be a host of issues with both bike set up, type of rider and size of bike, something that will never hinder your comfort is a good set of cycling gloves. Read More …

Hey all,

So my new Argon 18 is steering me in the wrong direction.  It’s making road riding fun again.  After several posts of how I prefer the trails to the open roads, now I find myself on  road rides of increasing frequency and having second thoughts about my cycling direction in life. Read More …

Alright, ever wondered how the customer service machine that is Braun’s…is BICYCLES gets their vigor ? I mean, after 85 years in this industry even WE can get bogged down from time to time… Read More …

Alright, so it seems now, we are firmly seated in the nice weather.  Other than some weird “Canada” days, it’s getting hot out.  As the temperature and humidity rise, staying properly hydrated becomes more and more important.

Now, it should be obviously noted, that hydration is always important, whatever the temperature or ride.  The difference is the rate at which you perspire in the summer which equates to faster fluid loss Read More …

Finally got out on my first mountain bike ride of the year on Tuesday.  Ok ok, before I’m beaten to death with a blunt object, please remember that I DID get a new road bike this past winter…and the “Look Cool Factor” is still running high

However, sheepishly, I still havn’t been able to turn a road ride into as much fun Read More …

Usually, one of the last things on a cyclist mind is food.  No really!  As you’re prepping for that big Sun. ride, making sure the bike is working silky smooth, tools, bottles, camlebak, spare tubes and the list goes on.  By the time you get out the door what you have eaten prior to or, what you’re going to consume during your ride may be an after thought. Read More …

Most of us are familiar with the bell brand name.  Be it motocross, race cars or of course bicycles, Bell has been making protection for your melon since 1954.

For 2010 Bell has a lot of cool new helmet designs, but one that stood out right away for me, was the Bell Sequence. Read More …

Well,

Been cruising the Argon18 for quite awhile now.  Here in central Ontario, Canada the trails are gonna be wet for a little bit yet, so being a road bike, it fits well.  The theme is to get out early in the morning Read More …

Hello internet

Well, I must admit, I am a little bummed now that the Olympics are done.  Two weeks of high’s and low’s and the adrenaline rush associated with Olympic glory brought the icing on the cake: the Men’s Hockey final which, which seemed to unite a nation. Read More …