I live on a hill.  Which is great for the view but not so great for riding in the colder months.  Why is that?  Well it’s straight out the driveway and down a pretty steep hill…no warming up and immediate cold air flow.  Here’s a little list of things you can do to keep warm on a bike so that any drop in temperature doesn’t keep you off your bike. headband or beanie to keep you ears & head warm under your helmet full finger gloves neck warmer, scarf stay dry by managing rain, waterproof or water resistant jacket stay dry by managing sweat, wicking fabrics or opening zips windproof jacket or vest to protect your upper body/chest area wear full length tights or tapered trousers merino/thermal base layers.  Merino will always be warmer (see below for more on merino) merino socks, sometimes 2 pairs The challenges you will face are about keeping dry, protecting yourself from cold wind drafts and making sure your extremities are getting the insulation they need (hands, feet, ears).  The trick is doing all this to maintain a warm body temperature without overheating or trapping sweat. Some days you might need all of these things and wonder if it’s worth the effort?? Most times you will arrive at your destination with a smile and happily beating heart because riding just does that, it makes us feel better. A Special Mention of Merino Wool We are so lucky in NZ to have access to so many wonderful merino wool products.  So what is all the hype about merino…why is it so good? Merino wool helps to regulate body temperture.  So along with it’s ability to retain heat and keep you warm, it also works to draw away excess heat.  This property of the fibres means you will not overheat when exercising for long periods of time.  It also means that merino is a great choice for base layers (next to the skin). A remarkable thing about merino wool fibres is that they perform these heat retaining and wicking properties even when wet.  This makes merino a great choice for exercise gear or when wet weather is a possibility. The wicking, breatheable and anti bacterial properties of merino will also keep your skin dry.  This makes merino a great choice for exercise gear as it will not smell. It is also lightweight and machine washable.  Generally merino can be machine washed in a cool (30 degrees) to cold water gentle cycle.  Check the care label on individual garments and follow the recommendations. Don’t forget the kids… Check out the Egg Multi-Sport helmets which are a great option for toddlers sitting on the bike as the full coverage keeps their head and ears really well insulated. Our goWarm Bike Headbands made from two layers, one supplex and one merino, come in a range of 4 sizes so are ideal for under the kids helmets…    

We talk quite a bit about points of contact with the bike…There are 3 of them and the relationship between you & the bike at these points determines part of your comfort on the bike.   Your hands are protected by womens bike gloves and contact your handlebar grips.  Your butt is protected by womens padded bike pants and contact a womens specific bike saddle.  Lastly your feet are protected by shoes/socks and contact your pedals. Let’s take a closer look at the protection of your hands achieved by wearing a pair of womens bike gloves that fit well and don’t interfere with your grip. Different types of protection abrasion/impact from falling vibration/shock absorption pressure on your palms warmth ABRASION/IMPACT PROTECTION No one wants to fall off but when you do having a pair of bike gloves on your hands will save you a lot of damage.  Gravel, grit, tearing from whatever surface you land on can be avoided with a pair of gloves.  Padding will help to absorp some of the impact as your hands try to break your fall.  Lets hope that your gloves won’t be put to the test in this way too often! VIBRATION/SHOCK ABSORPTION This is one of the most important aspects of wearing bike gloves.  Over multiple days or even on just a long day ride your body will be dealing with the effect of energy being transferred from the wheels.  Bumpy, uneven surfaces mean you will be dealing with a lot of vibrations and impacts.  The pads in the palm of your gloves absorb some of this energy.  Which is really important over time to protect your nerves. PRESSURE ON YOUR PALMS Comfort is a huge thing as you spend more time on the bike.  Most cyclists will grip the handlebars with an extended wrist.  Combining this stretch of nerves with compression can cause problems if you spend a lot of time on your bike – big day rides, multi-day rides.  Gloves provide you with an element of cushioning which relieves pressure through your palms.  This can protect some important nerves (ulnar, median) from compression type injury. Fig. 1 Source: Physiopedia – Cylists Palsy Damage to the ulnar nerve through compression and vibration can cause “handlebar palsy” in cyclists.  This is a weakening & clumsiness of the hands and thumb.  This damage can occur for any type of cyclist not just road cyclists in dropbars as shown above.  It is strongly related to time – long distance, multi day riding. BODY POSITION Don’t rely totally on ‘protecting’ your hands with gloves.  Think about your grip on the handlebar which should be light and relaxed.  Maintaining an ‘A’ position will help (see photo below). Good core control means you can maintain your low back and mid back position without using your arms to prop you.  You should be able to let go of the handlebars at any time and maintain this shape (see photo below).  When you spend a lot of time on your

Doesn’t matter where you are going, or how long you are riding for you will generally need to carry something with you on the bike. 1.If you are commuting;  it could be the gear you need for your workday,  a bike lock, maybe a tool kit and your shopping purchases. 2. If you are recreational riding, a tool kit, water for hydration, and maybe additional riding clothes and a first aid kit. 3.If you are bike packing or bike touring you will need to carry a whole lot more gear. Whatever the gear, or the amount – YOU have a number of different options on how you can choose to carry your gear. An option is – you the rider carrying the gear. If you choose to go biking with a backpack consider the following 2 points; What gear do you want to take on your back when you ride your bike How much gear can you comfortably take on your back (in your backpack) when you ride your bike. This story considers -How much gear can you comfortably take on your back when you ride your bike. Carrying gear on your back increases the chances of having back discomfort when you ride. To reduce this risk you you need to make sure you able to keep your ‘A’ riding position throughout the whole duration of the ride. The  ‘A’ position keeps your body parts in a good and comfortable position minimising the risk of pain or damage. If you are not familiar with the ‘A’ riding position, then read Tip 1 of our Chi Riding  series now and see our short VIDEO When you bike with a backpack on your back – the weight encourages your back to fall into the rounded back riding position. Your core and back muscles need to be active to overcome the forces of the backpack and hold the ‘A’ riding position. See Tip 2. Chi Riding – Core Muscles. for more information The following are the key factors that will effect your ability to keep the ‘A’ position and stop you being pulled or falling into the rounded riding position. How much weight you are carrying. The more weight you carry, the greater the forces pulling you into rounded riding position therefore the harder your muscles need to work to keep you in the ‘A’ position How the weight is packed or being carried.  If a load is moveable or further away from the spine then it has more leverage to pull you out of your ‘A” position. Thus the harder your muscles  need to work.  A load that is closer to the spine puts less load and leverage on the muscles that maintain the ‘A’ position. Also if your load is high on your back you are more likely to be pulled into the rounded back position than if it is low on your back. How long are you going to carry the load. You need to keep the ‘A’ position throughout

goRide has introduced a concept into the biking community called Chi Riding. We want you as a rider to get the most out of your biking and we believe the way to do this is Chi Riding. What is Chi Riding? Have you heard of Chi Running? It is a running technique that emanates from the principles of pilates, yoga, and tai chi. We have piggybacked on that concept and have introduced Chi Riding – a type of riding that emanates from some of those same principles of being relaxed, having less tension and stress when you ride, efficiency, ease, engaging your core (giving you control from your mid region) and all your senses. All things that will make time on your bike more enjoyable, easier, will give you less discomfort and will have positive effects and influences on other aspects of your life. Chi Riding forms the platform to allow you to improve your riding and challenge yourself whether you are a beginner or an experienced rider. The first step in Chi Riding is getting you to ride in a position that allows you to carry less stress and tension in your body and your mind. A position that gives your riding ease and efficiency. It puts your body, and it’s joints and muscles in an optimal position so they can work well and reduce the risk of any discomfort. This position is what we have called the ‘A’ Riding position. Watch the film and check out the correct riding position for biking so when you goRide you can go Chi Riding. Find out more about Chi Riding in these stories. Chi Riding – Tip 1– Riding Position. Chi Riding – Tip 2- Core Control Chi Riding – Tip 3 – Engaging the senses Chi Riding- Tip 4 – Breathing Chi Riding – Tip 5 – Pedaling Chi Riding – Tip 6 – Be Well using Chi Riding goRide hopes that our stories and resources will help make your riding – Chi Riding. Chi Riding gives you the greatest benefits from riding and those benefits go beyond the bike to everyday life and activities. Let’s spread the Chi Riding concept in the riding community.   Save Save Save Save

When we make the effort and take the time to go for a ride at a fun destination, like Hamner Forest Park with kids, we want it to be an enjoyable experience. To have a ‘great day’ on the bike with kids there are simple things to think about, plan and do. In this story I am going to introduce you to the idea of spending a ‘great day’ mountain biking with kids.  In this particular case at the Hamner Forest Park, Hamner Springs, South Island , New Zealand. Hamner Forest Park for Mountain Biking – Where is it? The main entry into the Hamner Forest Park is located 1km from the town of Hamner Springs on Jollies Pass Road. There is parking options at the forest entrance though with its close location to town and the village many choose to ride along Jollies Pass road to the Forest Park. There are a couple of small tracks the run along the road side so the 1 km  journey to the Park is a combination of off road and on road. If you need to hire bikes they are available at Hamner Springs Adventure Centre The ride needs to be doable for you and any riders (kids) you are biking with. The length of this ride is entirely at your discretion you have a few kilometers  of, easy, intermediate, advanced and expert grade single track trails to choose from. With a larger proportion of the tracks being easy or intermediate it makes the Hamner Forest Park a great playground for families with kids of all ages. If they can ride a bike there is something here for them. The Park is located on both sides of Jollies pass Road. If heading out of town the tracks on the right are relatively flat and where you will find the easy graded trails and the tracks on the left other than the ones close to the entrance are primarily intermediate and advanced trails. EASY SUGGESTED ROUTES From the forest entrance, on the right there is the 6.5km Easy Rider loop best ridden anticlockwise. This is a relatively flat ride,with some small pitches, trees and tree roots to negotiate. The ‘Easy Rider’ is  a perfect introduction to off road riding. You can vary the distance if 6.5km is too long. Ride a certain distance (maybe to the pump track) turn around and ride back or create a shorter loop with Alligator Alley. If they are have not mountain biked before they may not be able to negotiate everything on the track.. let them know it is OK to walk a section that is all part of the fun of mountain biking … is it doable? If they enjoyed the easy rider and were comfortable with the skills needed to do the trail you could try Camp and Base Camp (this is a new track and currently not shown on the Mountain Bike Map at time of writing) located on the left and both graded easy…is it doable?

When we make the effort and take the time to go for a ride with kids, we want it to be an enjoyable experience. To have a ‘great day’ on the bike with kids there are simple things to think about, plan and do.  In this story I am going to introduce you to the idea of spending a ‘great day’ mountain biking The Homestead Run – on the St James Cycle Trail with kids.  A trail easily accessed from the popular holiday destination of Hamner Springs in the South Island of New Zealand. The Homestead Run –  Where is it? The start and finish is located  approximately 12km from Hamner Springs. You need to drive via Jacks Pass and Tophouse Road to the St James Homestead where off road parking is available. This road is primarily a gravel backcountry road, and is suitable for most cars. The St James Homestead is the finish of the St James Cycle Trail. If you need to hire bikes they are available at Hamner Springs Adventure Centre The ride needs to be doable for you and any riders (kids) you are biking with. The length of The Homestead Run is 15km and is graded easy by St James Cycle Trail. The Homestead Run is a cycle loop (starting and finishing at the St James Homestead) and is a combination of single track and 4WD tracks. The terrain is some gravel and rock but is generally well compacted. Section One:  Involves a 7km ride on single trail up the beautiful Peters Valley to Peters Pass. This is a very gradual sustained climb up the valley. The trail is not technical so the riders need to be capable of a gentle gradual sustained climb for 7km. The views and country side are rewarding as you ride up to the pass…so at least for the adults it doesn’t feel like 7km. Section Two: Involves a 4.2 km ride on 4WD track and some single track towards Tophouse Road. At the end of the single track up Peters Valley you come to a T intersection. Turning left will take you further into the the St James Cycle Trail heading towards Scotties Hut but The Homestead Run Loop has you turning right and riding towards the adjacent valley – Top House Road and the Clarence River (note the turning right for The Homestead Run  is not signposted).  Having reached the high point of Peters Pass this section is mainly downhill on compacted gravel and rocky road. After initially biking along the 4WD track you come to a section of single trail which is marked with St James Cycle Trail poles and runs adjacent to Tophouse Road. Section Three: Involves the final 3km ride along Tophouse Road. This is a back country 4WD road that connects St Arnaud (Lake Rotoiti) through the Rainbow Station to Hamner Springs. You can therefore encounter 4WD vehicles and dust. This back country road through the Rainbow is well used by bikers so the vehicles are warned

Are you thinking about going on a multi day bike adventure? You need a first aid & emergency kit for bike touring but you’re not quite sure what to put in it?  Well keep reading… With the development of so many off road trails it has become quite easy to be “remote” on your bike fairly quickly.  When you choose to go places on your bike that help can’t get to quickly there has to be some self responsibility.  A simple part of that is your first aid management. Get Ready – Women Learning What to Do What’s in a First Aid & Emergency Kit for bike touring?  To follow is a list of what is important to take with you when you or your family go riding for 2 or more days.  How much or how big your kit gets depends on whether your bike trail takes you through urban areas (access to medical help or a pharmary) like on the WestCoast Wilderness Trail.  Compare that to riding The Heaphy or Old Ghost Road. For information on a basic day or overnight kit for biking read this story.  It’s a good idea to start with a compact bike specific kit then add to it what you think would be helpful – depending on the size of your group.  Otherwise you could take 2 compact kits. triangular & crepe bandages blister plaster sterile adhesive & non-adhesive dressings sterile wound dressing sterile skin closures scissors cleansing wipes eye wash/wound irrigation strapping tape survival blanket (one for each person in group) pocket knife CPR shield splinter probe safety pins, cotton buds anti-flam cream chamois cream pain killers insect repellant (optional) whistle, cell phone &/or responder beaken if backcountry touring with no cell phone coverage Include any personnel medication Where should I carry it? Think easy, quick access so don’t pack it at the bottom of a bag.  A first aid & emergency kit would be best in a handlebar bag/frame bag/seat bag.  Positioned near the top. Not sure what kind of bike specific first aid kit would be right for YOU?  Take a look at our Bike First Aid Supplies Buying Guide for more help. So someones had a fall….What now? You will need to find and access the injury.  Have they lost consciousness at all?  How serious is the damage… don’t move anyone until you are sure that no neck or back damage has occured.  Get them comfortable, give them time, sort out any basic first aid that you can.  Now you need to make a plan If they can carry on riding:    Be patient, they may lose confidence, let them take their time. Turning back/fastest way out:   This means they will be uncomfortable, may need regular stops, keep accessing for shock, give food & water regularly Can’t move:   Get them as comfortable and as warm as possible.  Use emergency blankets.  Decisions will need to be made about alerting help – cellphone call to friends/family, calling emergency services, setting off a responder beaken which will summon a helicoptor.   Signs of Hypothermia If you are bike touring

If you have a bike/bikes in your garage that get used, having a first aid kit designed to deal with bike related injuries is practical.  Don’t you think?  So do you have one?  A first aid kit for bike injuries doesn’t have to be huge just easy to access and ready when you most need it.  This means that 10 times out of 10 it should be with you on your big day rides or family rides. Every family has a story of the “best” one.  The accident that left everyone cringing or the near miss where you are sighing with relief.  We have a few in our family but the most memorial are the combination of a pre-schooler & a speed bump resulting in a badly split upper lip and a lot of blood a pre-teen not making the top of a rise, tipping backwards off the track into a fallen tree and fortunately impaling her t-shirt (not her body) on a broken branch WHEN should you take a bike first aid kit?  Well the choice is yours. It may depend on the type of riding you or your family enjoy to do the most and the level that you push yourselves to.  If I’m going anywhere with the kids that I consider slightly remote (in kid distances) I will carry a small first aid kit with me.  This includes into any mountain bike parks.  Small kits are so light and worth having immediately when kids need them.  It’s a magic water kind of trick where a plaster or a sterile wipe can make a world of difference. For myself, anything that takes me over an hour “out” on an off road/mountain bike track.  Especially if vehicle access is difficult. HOW should I carry a bike first aid kit? Here are some ideas for small, compact, day or simple overnight kits; in a packback/hydration bag in a seat bag that goes under a seat handlebar bags are ideal as they give quick access frame bags that attach inside the triangles your frame makes in the car at the end of the track.  There is obvious risk with this choice but it does mean your kit can be bigger than what you would comfortably carry.  We recommend carrying a small kit and keeping extra’s in the car especially if your family/riding group is bigger than 2-3 people   Broken bones and concussion can happen with bike accidents.  If you have any concerns take them to your doctor or accident clinic immediately. Warning signs of concussion include headaches, tiredness, memory loss, confusion, drowsiness, nausea, vomiting, blurred vision, sensitivity to light or noise. At home waiting… At an absolute minimum have some kind of biking first aid kit ready to deal with injuries as the cyclists in your family arrive home.  Ideally what you would have at home waiting is a refill kit so that if you do need to use some products in your mobile kit you have spares to fill up the gaps.  This avoids those situations where you grab for the kit to find everything you want gone!! My last piece of advice involves knowledge