How Biking Changed My Routine

Getting Into Cycling: What I Wish I’d Known

Cycling advice for beginners has gotten complicated with all the gear recommendations and training philosophies flying around. As someone who started cycling three years ago to get in shape, I learned everything there is to know about what actually matters after making every beginner mistake possible.

Here’s what would have saved me time, money, and frustration.

Start With Any Bike

Probably should have led with this section, honestly. You don’t need a $3,000 road bike to start cycling. Whatever bike you have – the hybrid in your garage, the old mountain bike collecting dust – ride that first. Learn whether you enjoy it before investing.

Upgrading makes sense once you know what kind of riding you want to do. Spending big upfront often means buying the wrong bike for how you’ll actually ride.

Get the Saddle Right

Your butt will hurt. Everyone’s does at first. But there’s a difference between adaptation pain (goes away in 2-3 weeks) and wrong-saddle pain (doesn’t go away).

Padded shorts help more than padded saddles. The padding should be in your shorts, not on the bike. Seems backwards but it works.

Saddle fit is personal. Width matters – your sit bones need support. If discomfort persists after a month, try a different saddle before blaming cycling.

Learn Basic Maintenance

Flat tires happen. Learn to fix them at home, not stranded ten miles out. Practice the process until you can do it without instructions.

Beyond that: keep the chain lubed, check tire pressure before rides, learn your gears. YouTube has tutorials for everything. Most bike maintenance is simpler than it looks.

Hydration and Nutrition

For rides under an hour, water is enough. Longer than that, you need electrolytes and calories.

The bonk – that sudden energy crash when you’ve depleted glycogen – is real and awful. Eat before you’re hungry. A few bites every 30-45 minutes on long rides prevents the crash.

Water bottles on the bike beat backpacks. You’ll drink more when it’s convenient.

Safety Essentials

Helmet. Always. No debate. Even on short rides. Head injuries are permanent.

Lights if there’s any chance of low light – dawn, dusk, overcast days, tree-covered routes. Blinking lights get drivers’ attention.

Assume drivers don’t see you. Position yourself to be visible. Make eye contact at intersections. Don’t trust turn signals.

Building Fitness

Consistency beats intensity. Three easy rides per week builds more fitness than one brutal ride followed by a week of recovery.

Go slow enough to hold a conversation. That’s zone 2, the aerobic base that underlies all cycling fitness. It should feel too easy at first. That’s correct.

Progress is slow, then sudden. You might not notice improvement week to week, then realize a hill that destroyed you last month now feels manageable.

Group Rides

Intimidating at first but worth trying. Riding with others is more fun than solo, and the draft makes you faster with less effort.

Find a “no-drop” ride – one that doesn’t leave slower riders behind. Most bike shops know local group rides at various levels. Start with the easy ones.

Learn group etiquette: hold your line, signal hazards, don’t overlap wheels, communicate. Watch others first.

Weather Realities

Dress for 20 degrees warmer than the actual temperature. You generate a lot of heat while riding. Starting cold is normal.

Wind is often worse than cold or rain. Check wind direction when planning routes – start into the wind, return with tailwind.

Rain happens. You won’t melt. Wet brakes work poorly though – give yourself extra stopping distance.

The Upgrade Path

When you’re ready to upgrade: fit is first priority, components second. A well-fitting mid-range bike beats an ill-fitting expensive one.

Best upgrades for the money: quality tires, comfortable saddle, proper fit. The bike you have, optimized, goes a long way.

Why People Stick With It

That’s what makes getting into cycling endearing to us riders who’ve been through the beginner phase. Physical fitness is the obvious reason. Mental clarity is the hidden one. Something about turning pedals clears the head in ways other exercise doesn’t.

The freedom of movement under your own power. The places you can reach. The people you meet through riding. It adds up to more than exercise.

Give it time. The first month can be discouraging – everything hurts, you’re slow, it feels hard. Push through that. It gets better.