Guides
Cycling Guides With Real Numbers
What you need to know to set up, choose, train on and look after your bike. Straight answers, worked examples with numbers and a calculator ready to run with your own data.
Start here
The three guides that help most if you are new here.
Bike setupBike Tire Pressure: How Much PSI to Run for Your Weight and Bike
A 165 lb (75 kg) rider on 28 mm road tires with tubes needs about 55 psi front and 65 psi rear; on 40 mm gravel tires, about 31 and 37 psi. More weight needs more pressure; wider tires and rougher ground need less.
Choosing a bikeWhat Size Bike Do I Need? How to Find Your Size and Measure Your Inseam
At 5 ft 9 in (175 cm) you're a size M on road, gravel, mountain and city bikes. To fine-tune, measure your inseam: multiplied by 0.665, it gives the classic road frame size in centimeters (a 32 in, or 81.3 cm, inseam × 0.665 = 54.1).
Gearing and drivetrainBike Gear Ratios Explained: Chainring, Cog, Wheel and Cadence
A gear tells you how far the bike travels per pedal stroke. A 50x17 with 28 mm tires is 78.3 gear inches, or 6.25 m per pedal stroke, and at 90 rpm you're doing 21 mph (33.7 km/h).
Bike setup
Tire pressure, saddle height, tires and the tweaks you feel from the first mile.
Bike Tire Pressure: How Much PSI to Run for Your Weight and Bike
A 165 lb (75 kg) rider on 28 mm road tires with tubes needs about 55 psi front and 65 psi rear; on 40 mm gravel tires, about 31 and 37 psi. More weight needs more pressure; wider tires and rougher ground need less.
How to Adjust Bike Seat Height: Symptoms, Steps and Fine-Tuning
If your hips rock or the back of your knee hurts, the saddle is too high; if the front of the knee hurts, it's too low. Start from the calculator's number, check that your knee bends 25-35° at the bottom of the stroke and adjust 2 mm at a time.
Tubeless Bike Tires: Pros and Cons, Step-by-Step Setup and How Much Sealant to Use
Tubeless swaps the inner tube for liquid sealant: it plugs small punctures and lets you run about 4% less pressure than a butyl tube. Road and gravel tires take 50-60 ml (about 2 oz) of sealant per wheel, which needs topping up every 2-7 months.
How to Install Bike Cleats and Start Riding Clipless Without Falling
Position the cleat with its center under the ball of your foot (the head of the first metatarsal), angled to match your natural foot angle, and start with the spring tension at minimum and a cleat with float: yellow 6° for Shimano SPD-SL or red 9° for Look Keo.
Bike Fit at Home: How to Dial In Your Riding Position Step by Step
Work in this order: cleats, saddle height (knee bent 25-35° at the bottom of the stroke), saddle setback and, last, the handlebar. Change one thing at a time, 2 to 3 mm, and ride two or three times before touching the next.
Choosing a bike
Bike types, sizing, budgets and what to check before you buy.
What Size Bike Do I Need? How to Find Your Size and Measure Your Inseam
At 5 ft 9 in (175 cm) you're a size M on road, gravel, mountain and city bikes. To fine-tune, measure your inseam: multiplied by 0.665, it gives the classic road frame size in centimeters (a 32 in, or 81.3 cm, inseam × 0.665 = 54.1).
Types of Bikes: What Each One Is For and Which to Choose
If you ride on pavement, get a road bike; if you mix pavement and dirt roads, gravel; for trails, a mountain bike; for getting around town, a city bike, hybrid or e-bike. Pick for the riding you do 80% of the time.
Gravel vs Road Bike: Real Differences and Which One Fits You
At 200 W on flat pavement, a gravel bike is 0.3 to 1.5 mph (0.5 to 2.5 km/h) slower than a road bike, mostly because you sit more upright. In exchange, its 40-50 mm tires open up dirt roads.
Carbon vs. Aluminum Bike: The Real Differences and Which One Is Right for You
A carbon frame weighs about 0.9 lb (400 g) less than its aluminum equivalent, but the complete bike can weigh almost the same: in a test by Tour magazine, 17.2 lb vs. 17.6 lb (7.8 vs. 8.0 kg). At entry-level prices, aluminum usually gets you better components for the same money.
How to buy a used bike without getting burned
Run the serial number through Bike Index and 529 Garage, ask for the original receipt, and check the frame, chain, wheels, fork and brakes before you pay. As a price guide, e-bike reseller Upway says e-bikes lose 30-50% of their value in the first year and 10-20% a year after that.
Gearing and drivetrain
Chainrings, cassettes, 1x or 2x and how to pick gears for your rides.
Bike Gear Ratios Explained: Chainring, Cog, Wheel and Cadence
A gear tells you how far the bike travels per pedal stroke. A 50x17 with 28 mm tires is 78.3 gear inches, or 6.25 m per pedal stroke, and at 90 rpm you're doing 21 mph (33.7 km/h).
1x vs 2x Drivetrain: Gear Range, Jumps and Weight Compared
With the same low gear (25 gear inches), a 48/31 double with an 11-34 cassette jumps 10.8% on average between gears and a 40-tooth 1x with a 10-44, 14.5%. The 2x is finer; the 1x is simpler.
What Gear Ratio You Need for Climbing, Based on Your Weight and Watts
A 165 lb rider on a 19 lb bike at 200 W climbs an 8% grade at 6.2 mph: in a 34x28 that's 64 rpm and in a 34x34, 78 rpm. To stay at 75 rpm or above you need about 27.6 gear inches (2.2 m of development).
How to Adjust a Rear Derailleur: Limit Screws, Cable Tension and Hanger
First make sure the hanger is straight; then set the high limit (H), the cable tension with the barrel adjuster, the low limit (L) and the B-tension gap. If the derailleur skips or rattles, it is almost always the cable or the hanger.
How to Change a Bike Cassette: Tools, Lockring Torque and Freehub Bodies
You need a 12-spline lockring tool, a chain whip and a big wrench. Tighten the lockring to 30-50 N·m on Shimano cassettes and about 40 N·m on SRAM. Before you buy, check your wheel's freehub body: HG, XD, XDR and Micro Spline are not interchangeable.
Training and power
FTP, zones, watts per kilo and how to prepare for a big climb.
What Is FTP in Cycling and How to Do an FTP Test Step by Step
FTP is the power you can sustain for about an hour. You estimate it with a 20-minute test (95% of your average) or a ramp test (75% of your best minute), and it anchors all of your training.
Cycling Training Zones by Power and Heart Rate
Training zones split your effort into ranges based on your FTP or your threshold heart rate. With a 220 W FTP, zone 2 runs from 123 to 165 W; with a threshold heart rate of 160 bpm, from 130 to 142 bpm.
How to Prepare for Your First Big Mountain Climb on a Bike
A 6.2-mile (10 km) climb at 6% takes a little under an hour at 160 W for a 165 lb (75 kg) rider. The keys: show up with 6-8 weeks of base, start slow, run low gearing and eat before you get hungry.
Cycling Nutrition: How Many Carbs, How Much Water and How Much Sodium on the Bike
On rides of 1 to 2.5 hours, take in 30 to 60 g of carbs per hour; on rides over 2.5 hours, up to 90 g/h with glucose-fructose mixes. Drink enough to lose no more than 2% of your body weight, and replace sodium if you sweat a lot.
How to Climb Faster on a Bike: Watts per Kilo, Weight, Intervals and Technique
On a climb, your power-to-weight ratio is what counts. On the Alto del Naranco (4.2 miles at 6.2%), a 165 lb (75 kg) rider at 200 W takes 33 min 20 s; 15 W more brings that down to 31 min 13 s, and 7 lb less, to 32 min 15 s. Adding watts pays off more than losing weight.
E-bikes
Range, batteries, motors and what the law says about e-bikes.
What Drains an E-Bike Battery: Assist Mode, Hills, Cold and Wind
Assist mode drains the battery more than anything: with 500 Wh on rolling terrain you go from 86 miles in eco to 38 miles in turbo. Wind, climbing and cold come next; weight and tires matter much less.
How to Choose an Electric Bike: Motor, Battery and Type
Pick the type of bike for your rides first, then the motor (a mid-drive with a torque sensor if there are hills; 40-60 Nm for the city, 85 Nm or more for mountain) and last the battery: 400-500 Wh for the city, 625-750 Wh for long rides.
E-Bike Battery Care: How to Charge and Store It So It Lasts Longer
Charge between 32 and 104 °F (0-40 °C), don't fill it to 100% unless you need to (80% is enough), store it at 30-60% between 50 and 68 °F (10-20 °C) when you're not riding, and keep it out of the sun, the heat and full drain-downs.
Mid-Drive vs Hub Motor: Real Differences and Who Each One Is For
Choose a mid-drive motor for long climbs, mountain biking or hauling cargo: the gears multiply its torque and the weight sits in the middle. A hub motor works for flat city riding, weighs less in its lightest versions and barely wears the drivetrain.
Class 3 e-bikes: what they are, where you can ride and when they stop being bikes
A class 3 e-bike is a pedal-assist e-bike whose motor helps up to 28 mph (45 km/h), the US equivalent of a European speed pedelec. In most states it is still a bicycle (no license, plate or insurance), but the model law most states follow sets a minimum age of 16, requires a helmet and a speedometer, and lets local agencies ban class 3 bikes from bike paths.
Maintenance
Chain, brakes, wheels and when to check each part.
When to Replace Your Bike Chain and How to Measure Chain Wear
Replace it when it has elongated 0.5% (11-13 speed) or 0.75% (5-10 speed). Over 24 links, that's 306.3 mm vs. 304.8 mm (12 in) for a new chain: a millimeter and a half decides whether you save your cassette.
Bike Maintenance Schedule by Miles: What to Check and When
Tire pressure and brakes before every ride; a clean, lubed chain every week; chain and brake pad wear every 300 miles (500 km); bolts and cables every 600 miles (1,000 km); and a full tune-up once a year or every 100 hours of suspension use.
How to Clean and Lube a Bike Chain Step by Step
Clean it before you lube it, put one drop on each roller, wait and wipe off the excess. Lube when the chain gets noisy or looks dry, and always after a wet ride. Grit mixed with oil is what wears a chain out.
How to Fix a Flat Bike Tire: New Tube, Patch or Tubeless Plug
On the road, the fastest and safest fix is to swap in a new tube and patch the punctured one at home. With tubeless, if the sealant won't seal, insert a plug and leave about 1/4 in (6 mm) sticking out; if the cut is big, put in a tube.
Bike Disc Brakes: Types, Pads, Rubbing and Bedding In
Replace pads when 0.5 mm of material is left (Shimano) or when pad and backing plate together measure 3 mm (SRAM). If the rotor rubs, loosen the caliper, squeeze the lever and retighten the bolts. After new pads or rotors, do about 20 bed-in stops.
Touring and travel
Bike touring, bikepacking, gran fondos and taking your bike by car, train or plane.
Bikepacking: How to Load Your Bike, How Much Weight to Carry and What to Pack
Bikepacking means traveling with bags strapped directly to the bike, no racks: a seat pack (11-16.5 L), a handlebar bag (9-15 L) and a frame bag (4-6 L). That's 30-40 liters and, across the three big bags, about 24 lb (11 kg) max: just enough to sleep out with a light kit.
Bike Touring With Panniers: Racks, Weight Distribution, Gearing and Daily Mileage
To tour with panniers you need a rear rack (good ones carry 55-90 lb, or 25-40 kg), two panniers of about 20 L and, if you carry more than 33 lb (15 kg), two more up front on a low-rider rack. With 44 lb (20 kg) of gear, a 43-mile day with 3,280 ft of climbing is about 4.5-5 hours of riding.
How to fly with a bike: airline fees, limits and packing
On the big US airlines a properly packed bike flies as a regular checked bag: you pay the standard bag fee, Alaska and Southwest waive the oversize fee, and overweight fees kick in above 50 lb (70 lb on Alaska). Remove the pedals, turn the bars, deflate the tires, and leave the e-bike battery at home: anything over 160 Wh can't go in passenger baggage.
Taking your bike on the train: Amtrak, Caltrain, Metra, Metro-North and the MBTA
On Amtrak, a full-size bike rolls on to a rack in Coach on select trains if you reserve a bike spot (the fee varies by route), or travels boxed as checked baggage for $10. Folding bikes ride free in place of a bag. On commuter rail, Caltrain and Metra take bikes free on every train, while Metro-North and the MBTA block bikes at rush hour.
Car bike racks: hitch, roof or trunk, and the plate and light laws
A hitch rack is the easiest to load and the only kind rated for heavy e-bikes (up to 60-80 lb per bike on Thule's e-bike models); a roof rack keeps the trunk free but costs more fuel and tops out around 40-44 lb per bike; a trunk rack is the cheapest but often hides the plate. In most states the plate must stay visible: if the bikes block it, you risk a ticket.
Save your bike once, use it everywhere
In My Bike you enter your measurements, wheels and drivetrain. From there we give you your tire pressure, saddle height, gearing and chain length, plus a shop sheet you can print.