What's made your cycling easier?

[TheDoctor]

Lights that work.
Brakes that work, even in the wet.
Morph pumps. They can get you back up to 100 psi in no time flat
Compact chainsets and properly wide ratio cassettes. My compact now has a wider gear range then my old triple used to - 34/32 rather than 30/26.
And, of course, CC.
Without it I'd never have organised a ride for 17 people at the weekend, and I'd never have met some really good people.
Cheers, Shaun

 

[RussellZero]

My new rollers, love them, especially when it's dark, wet and windy outside and I'm doing 40kph in the kitchen with the telly on :-)

 

[derrick]

Lycra.

 

[ColinJ]

I could certainly tell you what made it harder, but then I'd have to shoot myself (or T.H.M.N.E.T. would do it for me) ...

Easier ... er, in 2005 I watched what I was eating/drinking, rode my bike a lot, started to lose weight, kept it going into the winter, continued to ride my bike as much as I could, hit the turbo trainer really hard when the weather was bad, continued riding hard throughout 2006, started doing 200km audax rides in the summer, and by the end of that year I was pretty damn fit, which made my cycling a lot easier! Only it didn't really, because I was riding 200-odd km at 20+ kph instead of 100-odd at 16 kph!

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

(hard work)....and by the end of that year I was pretty damn fit, which made my cycling a lot easier! Only it didn't really, because I was riding 200-odd km at 20+ kph instead of 100-odd at 16 kph!

An alternative approach to all the hard work would be simply to cycle slower (oh, and make sure you've got lots of gears).

 

[ColinJ]

An alternative approach to all the hard work would be simply to cycle slower (oh, and make sure you've got lots of gears).

I've got lots of gears and I've been riding slowly recently! (27 gears on my Basso, often only 8 mph average speed.)

Paradoxically, that hard work made easy cycling possible, whereas my subsequent lack of effort made all my hilly cycling hard, even when I'm taking it easy, since I've not been fit enough to cope with 20+% climbs properly even using tiny gears!

 

[Shut Up Legs]

Ergo shifters, clipless pedals and rim brakes that work OK in the wet.

Also, tyres that seem less inclined to puncture as soon as they smell a thorn.

All that Boris said, plus lots more choice in gear ratios, so we now have a gear for every grade . Before anyone retorts, yes that means more maintenance, but it's worth it for me.

 

[tyred]

Losing about 50lb in excess fat seems to have made a difference.

 

[BSRU]

Replacing Marathon Plus tyres with some proper tyres

 

[Demonclimber]

Padded shorts, clipless pedals, STI, turbo trainer, indoor cycling DVDs, TrainerRoad, cheap flights to sunny countries, return of the pump with the flexible tube, QR, compact chainset, Science.

 

[tadpole]

losing 100lb+
Strava as i have someone to race even if it is only me
wet lube
forums to ask advice on.
Rule#5 in all its many guises.

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

I've got lots of gears and I've been riding slowly recently! (27 gears on my Basso, often only 8 mph average speed.)

Paradoxically, that hard work made easy cycling possible, whereas my subsequent lack of effort made all my hilly cycling hard, even when I'm taking it easy, since I've not been fit enough to cope with 20+% climbs properly even using tiny gears!

I just read the Guardian's running blog and there was something there that seemed to apply just as well to cycling:

''Do you cycle to get fit?''
''No, I get fit to cycle.''

 

[ColinJ]

I just read the Guardian's running blog and there was something there that seemed to apply just as well to cycling:

''Do you cycle to get fit?''
''No, I get fit to cycle.''

I like that.

I had a stupid argument with a non-cycling girlfriend once. She accused me of doing my cycling so that I could get away with eating and drinking more. If I cut down my mileage, I could eat much smaller meals ...

 

[Andrew_Culture]

I just read the Guardian's running blog and there was something there that seemed to apply just as well to cycling:

''Do you cycle to get fit?''
''No, I get fit to cycle.''

I found I started with the first option then continued for the second.

While it's been a slog (to start with) the Single Speed has made my leisure riding a LOT easier!

 

[akb]

Bar Ends for the differing option for hand positions.