I feel like I know my body pretty well, and my diet and routine are disturbingly the same each and every day….so when my performance on the bike changes, it makes me start to wonder what’s going on.

For the past couple weeks I’ve felt off, and I’m not biking up to what my usual standards generally are.  Not like it’s a drastic difference, but enough to  have me wondering.

When I first started feeling it, I thought I was coming down with something.  But it’s over two weeks later and my body still feels the same.  So what do you do when this happens?  Well, if you’re like me, you analyze and assess things hoping to find what’s causing it.

If you’re ever experiencing this yourself, here’s a list of what I went through in case you’d like to try it out.  Oh, and If any of you have other ideas, please share them with us as well.

Assessing the Struggle

Diet – This is probably one of the biggest things to consider.  Proper fuel is necessary in order to achieve performance on the bike (or anything else).  Even a change in diet is enough to set you off until things adjust.

Weather – Increased temperature can heat you up and make things feel harder when out on the bike.  Even worse is increased humidity…or a combination of both.  Sometime the temperature might be the same, but the added humidity makes things feel increasingly tough.

Stress – Our bodies weren’t meant to be stressed, and if you’re like me….a bike ride is a perfect cure.  But if you are stressed, it can take a toll on your bike performance.

Equipment - How many times have you been out riding, find yourself struggling and then look back to make sure your back brake isn’t rubbing on the rim?  Yeah, I’ve had rides like that where I felt something must be dragging me down….and then realize that it’s not an equipment issue.

But it could be.  Make sure your bike is tuned up and humming properly or it could be a cause of decreased performance.

Metabolic Cycle – I’ve never really looked into this very far, but I’m a firm believer that each of our bodies goes through up and down cycles.  A slight decrease in performance could simply happen because you’re fluctuating on a low cycle.

Burn Out – This is a big one.  Sometimes if you train and train and train, your body gets burnt out….and if it persists, you can even start seeing negative progression or illness.  There are many ways to avoid this, but adding recovery rides to your routine and taking structured time off the bike can help.  Avoid over-training and burn out…it will help keep you feeling good on the bike.

Sleep – Are you getting enough sleep?  Well if you’re a Parent like I am….you know what lack of sleep is all about.  I honestly can’t remember the last time I had a solid 8 hours of continuous sleep.  Your body may not need as much sleep as you think it does, but getting enough is still very important.

Wind – I already mentioned weather, but wanted to put wind in another category.  It has always been my nemesis, and it’s often been the culprit for some hard pushing out on the bike.  A strong wind can cut down your typical average speed by a couple miles per hour or more.

Okay, so after my self-analysis, I determined that my slight lack of performance was due to burn out and weather.

I really can’t remember the last time I took a week off from riding.  Yes, one of the hardships of living on a tropical island.  I’ve felt for a few weeks now that my body needed some time off, but I’ve been pushing it because with Mocha Spoke opening soon I knew my days would start getting very full.  I figured I’d rather wait to take time off until I was insanely busy.

The temperatures haven’t really increased, but I realized that the humidity has.  It’s definitely one of the causes for what’s been going on.  I’m actually feeling better now, but will be taking some days off from riding very soon.

How about you?  What do you do if you’re ever feeling like it’s a struggle out there on the road?

You’re out riding, and you see a guy (or girl) on a pimped out $6,000 road bike….what’s the first thing that goes through your head?  Probably a few different things (and feel free to let me know what those things are with a comment below), but one possible thought is “man, this person must be a really good cyclist to have a bike like that”.

Possibly….but it could also just mean that he or she has a lot of money available to sink into a bike.

Okay, so lets flip it and put a really good cyclist on a cheap no-name road bike….what happens?  A lot of discomfort, perhaps….but I’m thinking that they’re still going to kick my butt as long as it’s in good working condition.

There is no doubt that buying a good quality bike is worth the money and will alleviate a lifetime of unnecessary repairs and grief.  But once you buy a good quality bike, what is the increased performance/amount spent graph look like?

I debate this question quite often.  Maybe I use it as a way to justify the thought of me walking into a bike shop and dropping a few thousand on a bike, so that I can upgrade to a new one.  Maybe it really would help with my performance.  It’s a tough call.  I’d be very interested in hearing your thoughts on this one.

What I do know, is that Canadians are buying less bikes, but ones of better quality.  Momentum Magazine has listed that:

Companies that supply bicycles to independent Canadian bike shops have reported an increase in overall sales for 2009, but a decrease in the number of bikes sold. Combined with a 23 per cent spike in the average price of bikes that were sold to retailers, the Bicycle Trade Association of Canada (BTAC) says this indicates a trend towards consumers buying higher quality bikes in the independent bike shop sector.

It looks like Canadians have got the first part right, and realize that it makes good sense to buy quality…..now where are the studies showing me performance vs price?

Okay, Alleycat Racers, it’s your turn to voice your opinion.  Please leave a comment with your name and race number…but before you click the ‘Yehuda Moon’ image to go to the next checkpoint, let us know what you think. Does a more expensive bike make a better cyclist?

All about the Alleycat

Bike Repair for iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad is a reference guide to help you fix 34 bike problems.  Riders identify the problem area(s) on their bikes, pick the appropriate bike part, chose the problem and follow the step by step solution to fix or adjust the problem area.  Most of the solutions have high quality photos with instructions and part identifications to help you repair your bike quickly and easily.  The problems section covers: wheel, rear derailleur, front derailleur, chain, handlebar/headset, crankset/pedals, brakes, disk brake, shifter, suspension and others.  Bike Repair also has a list of bike parts and it notes maintenance for each part (just in case you haven’t experienced a problem in a specific area, yet).  The only thing missing is a preseason/pre-ride tune-up checklist to help you have a better ride.

The best things about Bike Repair are that you don’t need to be connected to the internet to get solutions to problems (information and solutions are stored on your device) and the solutions presented contain a few simple phrases and tasks that make it easy to fix your problem.  Bike Repair is just like carrying your bike manual to help diagnose problems that can and do occur.  Available in the iTunes App store for $1.99.

As you know, I’m in the process of getting myself professionally fit on my road bike via a virtual fit with Victor from Bicycle Lab.  I am having Victor guest post today to share his wisdom on setting yourself up properly on your bike.  The results of my fit will be posted soon.

7 Tips to Make You More Comfortable (and Faster)

By Victor Jimenez (the Bicycle Lab)

Though there is no substitute for seeing an experienced bicycle fitter. There are a lot of simple things you can do on your own.

Adjust Your Seat Height

A properly adjusted seat height is the most important aspect of bicycle fit. A rough starting point is with your foot at the bottom of the pedal stroke you should have around a 30 degree bend in your knee.  This will give you a pretty close approximation of your saddle height from the bottom bracket to the top of the saddle.

Adjust the Cleats on Your Shoes

While you can play with this on your own. I strongly encourage you to have the cleat position professionally evaluated. If set up incorrectly you will be waisting power and in some cases cause muscle strain and injury. But if you choose to adjust on your own. The basic idea is to set the rotation of the cleat so that the center lines up with your natural gait.  The fore and aft adjustment is dependant on your style of riding, body asymmetries, among other variables.

Raise Your Handlebars

Yep you read correct.  A higher bar height will open up your torso to hip angle and help with saddle comfort. Lower-back, hamstring, and hip flexibility are key to this positioning in this area. Improve your flexibility and improve your position. Raising your bars is also a good thing to do when you are not riding as much. Your flexibility will change as your fitness changes.

Level Your Saddle

Your saddle should generally be level or the nose pointed slightly up. If the saddle is uncomfortable in this position there may be something else in your position that needs to be adjusted.

Level Your Bars

The drops of your handlebars should be roughly level or slightly up. This helps keep all the hand positions open.

Tilt Your Aerobars Up Slightly

By tilting your aerobars (if you use aerobars) up slightly most people will find a more relaxed position for their upper body. Aerobar set up is a complex issue, because of differences in design and use.  For more information on Aerobar set up, please contact me.

Put Insoles in Your Shoes

Most cycling shoes have no arch support at all. There are many off the shelf brands to choose from or even better get a custom made pair that is molded to your feet.

Victor Jimenez is a bicycle fitting specialist and the owner of Bicycle Lab. Bicycle Lab specializes in one-on-one bicycle fitting and building high end custom road and triathlon bicycles. Classes and clinics on cycling skills and techniques are also offered to individuals, teams and coaches. Bicycle Lab is based in Carrboro, North Carolina. Victor can be reached at victor@bicycle lab or  Go to http://bicyclelab.com and sign up for the cycling tips newsletter.

When I upgraded to my new Trek Madone last April, one of the things I was hoping to get out of it was a spectacular fit that provided me with hour upon hour of comfort to go along with increased performance from the bike.  It’s been a great road bike, and really can’t complain too much about the fit and comfort….but then again, it’s in my nature not to settle.  I have this strange little personality trait where I just have to keep striving to make something better.

So here I am.  One year of riding on my Madone.  Comfortable.  At one with my bike.  Why would I ever think of changing things?  Like they say, if it ain’t broke…why go and fix it.

To be honest, if I would have known of a professional bike fitter when I bought the bike last year, I would have hit them up for a fit.  But, to my knowledge there was no such professional around these parts.  So I had the bike shop give me their fit and was sent off happy enough with my new ride and the way it fit.

Then I met a guy on Twitter.  His Twitter ID was @BicycleLab and he oozed great cycling wisdom from many of his Tweets.  I told him that I wished there was someone doing what he does over here, and he came back to me with some fantastic news.  He told me that if I had a camera, video camera, and tripod he would be able to give me a virtual fit.  Upon learning more….and given the fact that I already considered this guy a cycling guru, I decided to enlist his services.

Victor Jimenez from the Bicycle Lab has over 20 years of experience in custom fitting bikes to their owners.  He started off with a high end retail bicycle shop, and taught clinics on bicycle fit, repair, frame selection, and riding skills to enthusiasts.  Today, Victor focuses on helping cyclists obtain the most out of their sport and is passionately committed to helping the bicycle become more utilitarian here in North America, and worldwide.  Basically, he just truly wants to help people.  Once you meet him, there is no denying that truth.  Bicycle Lab is a small business that offers one-on-one bicycle fitting and mechanical services. They also design and build custom road and triathlon bikes under their own Karma Cycleworks brand.

Okay, so back to the fit.  They say that change is one of the hardest things for us as human beings to adjust to.  That it is the cause of great stress in our lives.  But to get the most out of life, we have to try new things and experience various circumstances and situations.  Yet, so many stay contained within their comfort zones.  Fearing the unknown.  Fearing to make a change.  These same feelings likely play a part in our relationship with our bikes as well.  “I’m comfortable on my bike…why would I want to mess with it?”

I know that my body type is far different than any other guy out there riding a 53” Madone, so why haven’t I tweaked it to mold to my body?  I haven’t been convinced that I have the utter most ideal fit on my bike…and I’m not going to let these questions linger any longer.

I want to see what will happen.  I want to know I am set up perfectly on my bike.  That the fit cannot get any better. The time has come and I’m ready to put it all in the hands of the Bicycle Lab.

Stay tuned…..