When you are out riding your bicycle on a trail or across town, it pays to be “smooth”. “Smooth?”, you say. Yes….smooth! If you can’t afford to be buying the latest tough parts, or afford throwing new parts on your bike constantly, this “art of smoothness” will reap you dividends.

Smooth can mean a lot of things, so I’m going to break it down into a couple of critically important areas for easier digestion.

Riding Skills: This is probably the first thing one thinks of when we talk about “smooth” in terms of cycling. Smooth pedaling, smooth handling, and smooth moves can all fit into this category. Here are a few things you should focus on when thinking of riding with smoothness.

Taking the bumps while seated is a recipe for parts failure, not to mention rider discomfort. Learn to anticipate your bikes approach to bumps and raise yourself off the saddle slightly. Keep loose with bent legs and slightly bent arms. Let the bike “float” over the obstacle beneath you by allowing the arms and legs to articulate at the joints when the bike rolls over the bump. This will prevent sudden forces from being exerted on the rear wheel especially, and may save you from crashing some day! This goes for your pavement riding too.

Pedaling smooth is another thing you can do to alleviate problems down the road. A “mashing” style is hard on a bicycle, so learn to “spin” more. One of the things I tell customers in the shop I work at is to concentrate on spinning the cranks at least 60-90 times a minute. (This is known as “cadence” in cycling circles.) A faster spin will help prevent you from trying to push “too hard a gear” which leads to excess stresses being placed on your bicycle and its components. A smooth pedaler will have drive train parts and a bicycle that lasts far longer than an ordinary cyclist will.

Mechanical Skills: Believe it or not, it also pays to be smooth when you are taking care of your bicycle. A heavy hand is not often required to repair and maintain a bicycle. Here are a couple of quick tips that may make your cycling more enjoyable, or even safer.

Learn to use the quick release properly. This is one of the most misunderstood components in cycling. It has been misused, leading to broken parts, crashes, lawsuits, and even death! It’s just totally crazy and unecessary. If you are not sure how to properly use a quick release skewer, then make a bee line to your nearest cycling purveyor and ask how to do it correctly. It will be a lot smoother ride if you do!

Another area that is often bunged up regarding mechanic work on a bicycle is fasteners. I’m talking about axle nuts, Allen head bolts, Phillips head screws, and other fasteners found throughout a bicycle. Rule #1- Do not force anything together! If you can not thread a fastener together easily with your fingers- STOP! There is something wrong. Generally the wrong angle is being attempted to align the part, or perhaps you are trying to install a left hand thread to a right handed one. (There are a couple of instances where this comes into play, most commonly with pedals.) Perhaps the threads are damaged, or the fastener rounded off. Whatever it is, it is best to stop and get it figured out before the damage is irreparable.

Added to this is Rule #2: Always use the correct tool for the job! Using a screw driver to take off a tire? Not smooth! Using a tire lever to remove a tire? Smooth! Using no tools to remove your tire? Now that is Zen smoothness! (Admittedly, that is an advanced skill!) Using tools correct for the job at hand is a great way to save yourself grief and keep parts running smoothly much longer. No tools, or limited tools? Either use a local mechanic or purchase your own tools and learn how to use them correctly. It is a big investment up front, but learning to be your own “wrench” is a skill that will pay for itself rather quickly. Very smooth!

This is certainly not an exhaustive look at cycling smoothness,but it should lead you to some money saving ideas that will enhance your cycling experience. Learn smoothness and you will go a lot further up the trail without trouble!