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

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Our friends at Louis Garneau have always had a solid glove line up in addition to their performance apparel and gear and this year they have a new model called the Vent Flex.

Before we get started  talking about how awesome the addition of the L/G Vent Flex can be to your ride, let’s briefly discuss the differences between various types of gloves themselves so we’re all on the same page.  Generally you have two types:  half finger and full finger.  Usually a full finger gloved is used by off road cyclists as it gives a more aggressive grip and offers further hand and knuckle protection against tree branches and other obstacles.  Full finger gloves usually have less padding in the palm area because off road cyclists demand a solid grip and ride with hands that are constantly moving and adjusting the weight of the body based on terrain.

Half finger gloves typically suit the more recreational cyclist or those that enjoy road riding  as these cyclists tend to adopt a more static hand posture for  longer periods of time thus increased padding in the palm with a light and breathable back.

When temperatures change, some of the qualities of both gloves can be transferable i.e some off road cyclists prefer half finger gloves in really hot temperatures and road riders will source long finger gloves when riding early or late in the season etc.  Essentially, there aren’t any hard and fast rules for gloves in a general sense. Use what is comfortable and  works for you.

Now with the background complete on to the product!

The L/G Vent Flex, available in men’s or women’s, came to mind when discussing gloves because they have really made a big comfort difference to my ride this season.  My former gloves were a bit worn out and the padding was compressed and worn…great excuse for an upgrade!

Referring to my previous statements, L/G Vent Flex would be classified as mostly a road riding glove.  It’s construction and padding placement leans more towards the rider that is going to be using a drop handlebar style.  That is what they are designed for.  They will, of course, work for other cyclists.

The Vent Flex is a very light weight glove that features 5 mm thick gel foam palm padding and L/G’s “air zone” construction,  meaning the glove is very breathable.  The upper thumb is made of a really nice microfiber cloth for wicking away sweat, bug guts and all that nice stuff from the face.

One clever feature that I like is the rubberized pull tabs on the fingers.  These are designed so that it is a lot easier to get the glove off, rather than pulling them inside out all the time.  The material that the gloves are made of is fully washable too but they should be air dried rather than piling them in a dryer.

So if you’re a roadie and you are  tired of numb hands or you’re a cyclist that just wants a better, super comfortable glove then stop by one of our locations and try a pair of Louis Garneau Vent Flex glove.  Your hands will thank you!

I hate it when my hands ache or go numb.  Over the years, I have talked to many riders who’s  hands and forearms hurt or are numb on rides.  This can be a problem all too familiar to bikers.  Basically this is caused by excessive pressure on sensitive areas of the palms of your hands and incorrect positioning of the hand on the bike’s handlebar.I think that Ergon grips may just be a cyclist’s answer to a comfortable numb free ride.

Ergon grips provide 100% contact of your hand onto the grip using an anatomically shaped grip.  This causes the pressure on your hands to be reduced / removed, preventing your hand from getting sore or numb.  Also, overstraining and aching wrists can be prevented.

Quite simply – If your bike seat hurts, it’s either not yet set up properly or it may be the wrong saddle for you!  If it hurts to ride, you will not ride as much as you otherwise would and you will not enjoy it.  So saddle comfort is really important.

There are a number of details a cyclist needs to consider when selecting their bicycle seat.  Here are the main ones:

1. There are gender specific shapes and widths of seats
2. What is the seat is made out of 
3. What padding the seat supports you with
4.  The positioning of the various padding systems internally within the saddle structure

Then once you have selected the correct seat you need to mount it to your bike in a way that you will benefit most from.  In other words, you need to be comfortable and this is done by having the seat correctly positioned on your bicycle.

1. The (up and down) angle of the seat
2. The fore vs aft position of the seat as it compares to the seat post & pedals
3. Is the seat straight relative to the bicycle frame

This may seem like a lot of things to consider, but if you aren’t comfortable when you sit on your bike seat and start to ride, almost nothing else will matters.

These saddles feature RoyalGel.  RoyalGel has got to be the most comfortable gel ever manufactured.  They put larger concentrations of RoyalGel in the key pressure points where you need it most. 

If that wasn’t enough, the RoyalGel has three way movement.  It will stretch horizontally, vertically and diagonally in three directions.  This reduces pressure points for the rider in the sit bones and soft tissue areas by 80%. 

Now that’s comfort! 

Over both long and short rides Lookin Saddles produce much better comfort than any other saddle in their category. 

One of the most important features of the Lookin design is the cyclists Riding Position.  How you are positioned on the bike seat has a major effect on how the sit bones and soft tissues contact the saddle.  This is what SR focused on with the various saddle designs.  Selle Royal has defined  4 riding positions to better address the rider to saddle relationship.  Sport, Athletic, Moderate and Relaxed.

The Sport Rider (similar to the below picture) usually sits on the seat with a 0 to 15 degree angle of their spine to the seat.  This causes about 40% of their body weight to be placed onto the front of the saddle.  So SR places increase RoyalGel at the front with a modified shape/profile of the actual saddle to maximize comfort.   This style of seat is quite narrow.

The Athletic Rider usually sits on the seat with a 15 to 30 degree angle of their spine to the seat.  The more upright position than the Sport Rider moves the body weight and sit bones farther back.  This saddle has the RoyalGel concentrated further back in the little wider seat.

The Moderate Rider usually sits on the seat with a 30 to 60 degree angle of their spine to the seat.  This rider’s weight and sit bones are further back again than the Athletic Rider, causing the RoyalGel to again be concentrated further back the saddle.  This style of seat is wider again than the Athletic type.

The Relaxed Rider usually is sitting almost straight up at a 90 degree angle.  Sitting on the saddle in this position places 60% plus of the riders weight directly over the back of the saddle.  This version of the seat is widest and has most of the RoyalGel concentrated at the back.

Once you have figured out the most appropriate Rider Position for your riding style you need to select either a Men’s or Ladies style of seat.  Yes there really is a difference and it is important because men and women are really anotomically quite different, especially in the sit areas of our bodies.

Men’s sit bones are generally between 100 and 136mm wide.  Women’s sit bones average in the range of 112 to 148mm.  For this reason SR generally makes their men’s saddles narrower than women’s. 

Its more than just skeletal structure.  In the sit region of the body, a  man’s arteries and nerves average a distance apart of 30 – 35mm.  A ladies arteries and nerves converge into a much narrower and shorter area.  How a cyclist’s soft tissue is impacted in this region will greatly affect that cyclist’s comfort vs pain levels.  Selle Royal has designed anatomical saddles for men that feature a wide pressure relief area on the saddle to accommodate a man’s structure and a narrower more “V” shaped pressure relief area for women.

Sounds a bit complicated.  No worries – We can keep it simple – if you’re a guy get the man’s version.  If you are a lady – get the women’s style.  Don’t worry why – just know that the seat gurus at Selle Royal have studied this a lot and know what they are doing.

So to recap - Pick your riding style, then select the correct gender of seat.  Jump on and ride and gain an amazing riding experience customized to you and how you ride. 

Comfort is a matter of choice!