This article is to provide you with the basic information you need to know, as a beginner. After going through this guide, you can start your cycling routine safely!

Things to note:

1. Basic attire and gears:

Getting a bike:

As a beginner in cycling, the first thing is to decide getting the right type of bicycle. There are 3 main categories of bicycles, namely the Road bike, Hybrid bike and Mountain bike.

-       Road bike is light weighted with narrow tyres, offering great speed. It is suitable for confident riders, perfect for fitness riding, touring on bike, and competitions such as cycling races and triathlon races.

-       Hybrid bike is a combination of lightweight and wider tyres, suitable for beginners enjoying leisure riding on the road. It can be used as normal transportation, fitness riding, touring and competitions for novice.

-       Mountain bike is heavy with the widest tyres, perfect for off-road riding, and trail competitions and fitness.

Next is to ensure the correct size of the bike that fits the individual, as everyone has different human anatomy. The size of the bike affects the comfort and is essential for biking efficiency as well as injuries prevention. This bike fitting service is available in major bike stores and the price ranged from fifty to a couple of hundreds.

Getting a helmet:

A helmet is essential for absorbing the impact during a crush. Although it is not a compulsory rule to wear a helmet on the road currently, it is a good practice to wear it for personal safety. There are also many types of helmet:

-       Road helmet is designed for aerodynamic purpose with a sharper and longer shape. The cost can be quite expensive.

-       Commuter/Sport helmet is more affordable and good for leisure riders. It is designed for inexpensive protection and has a rounder shape.

-       Mountain bike helmet is harder as it provides better protection due to the hazardous terrain of cross-country biking.

There are also different sizes to choose from, and the general rule to a correct sized helmet is that it sits straight and level slightly above the eyebrows. It should not wobble when you shake your head but allow slight movement with the strap tightened.

Clothing to wear:

Cycling in our humid and hot weather requires light and comfortable attire. To ensure comfortable cycling experience, the clothing includes:

-       a light and comfortable top that is not too baggy. At this stage, a bicycle vest is not necessary, unless you want to look like a pro.

-       a pair of tights with padded seat is preferred over a baggy short, as it provides the cushioning effect for the butt due to the constant sitting position.

-       a pair of sport shoes and socks is good enough for a beginner.

Other gears (optional):

-       front and rear lights (preferred all times), for safety and visibility to other road users.

-       Water bottle holder.

-       Speedometer to track the cycling speed.

-       Heart rate monitor for tracking performance’s heart rate.

2. Proper warm up and cool down

Static stretching before exercise is no longer valid based on recent research.  However, there are still coaches and trainers practicing this old school’s method. It is not hard to understand why static stretching is not preferred, if we understand the purpose of warming up. Performing warm up prior to cycling is to prepare the body for the actual action, by bringing up the body’s core temperature as well as all the joints and muscles ready for the activity.

Static stretching is done by holding on to a specific muscle’s stretch, without movement. Hence, it does not create any joints’ movement or increase body temperature, which is critical to prepare the body for the cycle process.

The proper warm up is performed dynamically, involving muscles’ activation and stretching. Some examples of dynamic warm up include swinging the leg front and back, and side-to-side, or twisting the trunk, shoulders rotation, high knees stepping on the spot, or even just relax cycling at very easy pace. There has not been any specific research to support how long a warm up session should last; a generic 10-mins is good from experience.

After cycling, a cool down static stretching session is encouraged. First, it helps the body to cool down for recovery, and the stretching enables the worked muscles to elongate to normal flexibility.

Both dynamic warm up and cool down sessions are crucial for efficient cycling, injuries prevention and recovery.

3. Recommended training programs:

Start slow and easy pace during the start and choose flat terrain. The distance and duration for novices depend largely on the individual’s fitness. For aerobic benefit, perform at least 30-mins or more for 2-3 times a week. At an average speed of 25, an estimated 10km distance can be achieved within 45 mins. It may take a few weeks to a few months (based on individual) to adapt well and ready for higher intensity (faster pace) or longer distance.

Besides performing actual cycling, strength training at the gym is important. Specific strength training helps to strengthen and tone, especially the lower limbs. Some examples of strength training are spinning on the stationary bike, perform squat and many other legs exercises, as well as trunk exercises to strengthen the lower back and core stability. This is crucial for muscles’ power, strength and endurance to sustain the continuous cycling on the road.

4. Cycling ethics:

All sports required ethical execution in order to ensure safety of the individual, as well as others. A lot of elite cyclists may be sharing the same route with beginners, hence learning some of the road ethic is very important. Ethics like keeping to the left lane for slow cyclist, let faster cyclists overtake on the right, turn on bike’s lights, abide to road traffic, lookout for other road users, slow down on turns…etc.

Ultimately, what we want is to have a safe environment to enjoy our sports with other commuters/sportsmen.

5. Places to cycle:

There are currently many places in Singapore for novices, such as the park connectors around the island, East Coast park and West Coast park. More may be on the way!

There will be more to learn about cycling on the road, but as for a beginner, this information should be relevant enough to ensure a pleasure and safe biking!

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