In search of the perfect bike saddle...

Here's a great article from the August 2011 edition of ROAD Magazine:

The Quest for the Perfect Saddle - ROAD Magazine, Aug 2011

Bike Crash, Road Rash, and Abrasion Wound Management

A bike crash as a result of unforeseen events is a fact of cycling (road and mountain).  Even the world’s best pro riders go down (see Jens Voigt) so sooner or later you will find yourself on the ground after having been thrown from your bike like you were riding a wild stallion.  Usually the damage is not so bad but you will almost always have to deal with some level of road rash from the friction of your skin sliding along pavement, crushed stone, or even a mountain bike trail.

Last year I had to deal with two incidents resulting in road rash and it took me a while to piece together the information I needed to properly take care of myself and ensure those who try to help are doing the right thing.  (I had race officials administer some pretty poor first aid when I crashed in a local criterium and in some cases that can be more dangerous than the crash itself.)

Recognizing the 3 degrees of Road Rash

First Degree: 
Reddened surface only, unbroken skin layer

Second Degree: 
Surface of skin is broken but with a good amount of healthy tissue under and surrounding the wound. This will allow the skin cells to regenerate and the wound to eventually heal.

Third Degree: 
Skin is entirely removed and possibly exposing underlying tissue such as bone, underlying fat, tendons, etc... DO NOT attempt to treat yourself if this is the case.  Instead, seek immediate medical attention.

Treatment
Here are my suggestions for a simple, safe, and effective method of treatment for basic First and Second Degree Road Rash:

*CAUTION: ALWAYS seek immediate medical attention for Third degree road rash (deep skin wounds where any underlying structure is exposed) or if ever you are in doubt about any of your wounds or your ability to properly look after them on your own.

Stage 1 - Initial Cleaning (ususally performed at the scene of the accident):

1. Spray or squirt saline solution or clean water all over the wound and pat dry with a gauze (you can rub a little but not vigorously or you may cause more damage)  *Forget hydrogen peroxide, alcohol, and iodine.  Not only do they add unnecessary sting but they can cause cellular damage that delays healing or leaves additional scarring.
2. Remove only the very loose debris such as rocks, glass, wood splinters, etc... Save the rest of the cleaning for the shower or bath as soon as you can get to one. (Sooner is definitely better)
3. Dab on a topical antibiotic cream like Polysporin, Neosporin, or Fucidin and cover with a sterile dressing until you can get home (or to the hospital emergency if required) for further treatment.

Stage 2 - Comprehensive Cleaning (usually at home in the bath or shower):

1. Get in the shower or bath, soak the wounds with warm water (not hot, unnecessary pain), and rub gently with a soft soapy cloth or just your hands.  Repeat this until the wound looks mostly clean and free of debris.
2. Pat dry with a clean towel or gauze
3. (If there is still some small debris that appears stuck like rocks or large grains of sand, and you can get an edge of it, you can try removing these one by one with sterilized tweezers.)
4. Spray or squirt saline solution on wounds again and dab dry, always with sterile pads or gauze.
5. Apply antibiotic cream and cover with sterile bandage. Note: In place of traditional sterile wound dressings, there are some breathable dressings on the market made by 3M, Smith & Nephew, and some others.  Consult your doctor or pharmacist for proper use of these alternative dressings.

*Plan on repeating the stage 2 steps at least twice daily for a few days and then at least once a day for another week or so.  

Important

Keep it clean and always monitor yourself for any signs of infection: 

The wound may be infected if it is red, hot, swollen, unusually painful, smells bad or has pus.

Signs of a systemic infection can be serious and you should seek immediate medical attention if you develop fever, change in appetite, red streaks/lines radiating out in any direction from any wound site, lymph nodes become swollen or tender, and if for any reason you are in doubt or generally do not feel well.

Quick note on sun exposure and scarring:  Keep the wound as clean as possible and always cover the wound, especially when outdoors to prevent exposure to the sun in order to minimize scarring and skin discoloration.

Happy Riding, Stay Upright, and Be Prepared for the inevitable... 

Your crash stories, comments, and questions on this blog are always welcome.

Top 6: Why do Men Shave Their Legs for Cycling?

The question of why men shave their legs for cycling comes up time and time again.  So here are the top 6 reasons why we do it;

1. Wound Management *(fact of cycling: it's not if, but when... your fault, or not... we sometimes go down and a clean wound is a lot easier to care for than a hairy mess)
2. The Culture of Road Racing (show that you have a serious commitment to the sport!)
3. Massage (a leg massage after a hard or long ride is not only for pro racers, it has many benefits for enthusiasts as well and it's far more pleasant for both parties if the legs are clean and not a shag carpet)
4. Sunscreen Application (easier to apply)
5. Speed (while aerodynamic improvement is absolutely a myth, there is a placebo effect: if you feel faster, you ride faster.)
6. Heat Management (sure feels nice to have the wind cooling the skin on hot days)

Please feel free to add any good reasons I missed...

*Additional note for point #1: If you have hairy shoulders and back, you may want to keep those cropped as well because road rash isn't limited to your legs in a fall! Do not shave your arms - sorry but that is just too creepy.

Kids Bikes - Teaching Your Kids to Ride a Bike

I am an avid road and mountain cyclist, have competed at various levels, and have taught my own kids to ride a bike.  In my opinion, teaching kids to ride a bike should always remain a positive experience.  If you enjoy it, chances are they will too.  However, the traditional way of teaching kids to ride has it's challenges: training wheels do not help teach proper balance and instead delay the learning process.  I actually believe training wheels are dangerous because they are wobbly and whenever the sidewalk dips, the whole bike leans sideways and is ready to fall over.   This isn't teaching your child anything good about biking at all.

Balance is everything!  In the last few years, balance bikes or running bikes as they are sometimes referred to, have been growing in popularity because they make perfect sense; children should learn to balance first in a safe and fun way.  Balance bikes allow the childs feet to touch the ground so they can run or push the bike with their feet and then roll.  In between the push off steps with their feet, they are actually balancing on their own and without training wheels.  They get it naturally and fast, the concept works, and is far less dangerous.  Until now, you would have had to purchase a balance bike and then a separate pedal bike.

So, if you've ever had trouble getting your kid to let go of those training wheels or run behind your child hunched over holding the seat and hoping when you let go they don't crash, then you'll appreciate this novel product:  The Hobby Bike

BRILLIANT!  The only bike that converts from a running bike to a pedal bike!

Forget about buying a bike that is too small and removing the pedals... it doesn't work properly and is a waste of money.  This bike uses the tried and true concept of getting children to develop their balance first, then you can convert the bike to a standard pedal bike once they have the balance.  No Training wheels required in the process!

2011 BMC Roadracer SL02 Review

Let me start by saying that at just under $3000.00 CAD, it's gonna be hard to find a better true performance bike for the price than the 2011 BMC Roadracer SL02.

I got to test this bike over a two day period a few weeks back;

• Day 1 ride was a hard hill training session with a few of the hardy club racers from CC Rossi Lachine, conditions were very sketchy - temperature around freezing, wet pavement, and light snow.  
• Day 2 was an early morning flat recovery ride (with a few necessary sprints since I had to return the test bike that day); clear but still cold, dry pavement, and lactic legs.

First impressions of this bike will get most cyclists heart pounding... even before I got onto the bike, the guys were oooing and awing as I pulled the SL02 out of my truck.  It's a great looking bike, and appears much more expensive than it really is - naked carbon black and red frame, streamlined carbon seatpost, white DT Swiss rims with black spokes, and great proportions all around - it looks ready to race and it is.  It is equipped with a full 2011 Shimano 105 groupo (a very solid tried and true performer), DT Swiss 1800 Wheels, Scor MKII saddle (which was surprisingly comfortable), and a unique "angle lock" seatpost clamping system which keeps the seat perfectly aligned, makes seat height adjustments a breeze, and eliminates any chance of over-torquing (translation - cracking!) your carbon seat post.

Ok, so this is the part where I get to tell you how all the parts come together.  In the day 1 sketchy hill climbing session, I got my 54cm rocket all set up and pretty comfortable with only a few quick seat height adjustments and headed down some major slopes to start our hill repeats.  The roads were wet, bumpy, and twisty all the way down.  Usually when I get on a bike that I am not familiar with, I take it easy until I adjust to the particular handling of that bike.  However, the SL02 is very friendly and extremely capable so we got along immediately and I didn't hold back, even on the steep and twisty descents.  The frame felt solid, the steering was responsive but not overly twitchy, the braking was very robust and predictable, and the stock tires (Continental Ultra Race) were incredibly grippy even on the cold wet pavement.  (Yes, I have read some reviews that the Ultra Race punctures easily and I can only suggest this: pump your tires to the correct pressure before every ride [that's EVERY single ride!] and then tell me how often you puncture.)

As for climbing, well let's just say the guys in the club like to dish out some extra pain when they see new shiny bikes so they really gave it to me that day!  However, the bike performed very well.  With a compact crank up front and an 11-28 cassette, there were plenty of good options for me to respond to the changes in grade (ranging from 7% to 13%) and pace up the hills.  On the really steep sections under very hard efforts, I didn't feel any frame flex at all and the bottom bracket felt responsive and didn't make a sound.  I was even inspired to attack out of the saddle on a few steep sections and the bike just wanted to go on every pedal stroke.  I could honestly say that if there is anything this bike really does well, it's climb.  Having a stiff frame and those gear ratios really makes the work feel quite a bit easier and the BMC frame geometry also lends itself well to some hard efforts out of the saddle.  All in all Day 1 on this bike was a pleasure and I would seriously consider this bike as a great weapon for climbing.

Of course, cycling is very much about the engine too (uhh.. that would be me), and this engine needed some rest after a few weeks of power building on hill reps.  I took the SL02 out for an early morning recovery spin with a good friend of mine because my test bike was due back that afternoon.  I wasn't expecting much because a stiff performer like this can be a little harsh on the hind quarters.  However, I lost myself in some good morning conversation and near the end of the ride realized that while it wasn't quite as compliant as some softer, more forgiving frames, it wasn't uncomfortable at all.  Unfortunately, I didn't get to try the bike for a super long ride so I can't say how it will perform in a Century but it was perfectly fine for my flat 60k recovery ride.  I also didn't get to race the bike but I did jump to a few sprints to see how it felt and I suspect it would do very well at the local criteriums indeed.

Pros

Price

Great Climber

Solid and Proven performance drivetrain

Superior Looks

Cons

I would maybe upgrade the wheels (only because I don't know too much about DT Swiss wheels over the long haul)