How to Make the Most of Your Tucson Bicycling Trip

By The Husband and Wife Law Team on July 21, 2014

Let’s face it: the next time you go on a Tucson bicycling trip, you’re going to recognize more and more just how slow you really are. Even the guys who win the Tour De France each year have a maximum output, and you’d be embarrassed to find out the equivalent of your own output in horsepower. The truth is that no cyclist is incredibly fast, and when you’re headed up and down hills, you really learn the meaning of what it means to have to power yourself. That’s why bicycles are designed to make the most of our weaknesses and to make it easier to keep moving even when the going gets tough. When you’re headed out on your next ride through Tucson, here are some tips that can help you make the most of riding situations like the ones below.

• Heading down a steep, rocky descent and right back in to a slippery-smooth ascent. Being on the hard-geared side of your bicycle can make all the difference when you’re making your descent, but if you stay in this place too long you’ll get stuck before you’re able to transition over to make the climb that’s coming. A climb requires a low gear that helps you get a grip on reality: the big, slippery slope in front of you.
• Taking a really long climb that gradually gets steeper as you go. For most cyclists this type of ride is the norm and you may be so used to it that you don’t even notice anymore. But for those who are new or who haven’t ridden outside of the city before, understanding how to shift can make a world of difference. Starting with your comfort zone and feeling out the difference between the low gears and the hard gears will help you find the best grip and speed combined so that you can comfortably make an ascent or descent that you otherwise could not have negotiated.
• Racing your friends. When racing your friends, you should shift into higher gears much sooner than necessary and quietly so you don’t give away your tactic. That way you have the element of surprise and won’t have to fight the chain.

Enjoying your ride is not always about the scenery. Remember to stay up to date on the best ways to use your gears to make for a more pleasant ride, every time.