Why is it said that cycling is more effective than running?

Cycling and running are both popular aerobic exercises. In fact, compared to running, cycling can achieve better results. Why? Let’s take a look together!

First. Comparison of body changes between running and cycling

1. Number of heartbeats——

Although riding a bicycle is relatively easy, in terms of changes in the number of heartbeats, the heartbeat of a bicycle has a greater change. The greater the change in a heartbeat, the greater the burden on the body, so the greater the amount of exercise. Therefore, the advantage of cycling is that it feels very relaxed, but the amount of physical exercise can be achieved quickly!

2. Calorie consumption——

On the surface, it seems that the calorie consumption of running is more than double that of a bicycle, but because of the different time spent, if the average calorie consumption per minute is used, the calorie consumption of the two is similar. The data of the two are very close, but relatively speaking, cycling is much easier. (Because the speed is faster, it feels windy, the body temperature is easy to drop, and you will not feel tired.)

Second. Important findings of cycling exercise

Experimental results:

1. Running can strengthen the muscles of the calf
2. Cycling can strengthen thigh muscles, psoas muscles (iliopsoas muscles)

The main function of the thigh muscles is to weigh and lift the feet, so they must be exercised well. The unfamiliar psoas muscle (iliopsoas muscle) is also used to support the body, but its importance is not lost to the thigh muscle, because if the psoas muscle is weak, people will not be able to stand for a long time and will be easily ill in bed.

In addition to cycling, the other exercise to exercise the psoas muscles is to climb stairs. However, climbing stairs will allow the knees to bear the weight of the whole body, which is not suitable for the elderly. Therefore, if the elderly want to train the psoas muscles, riding a bicycle is the most suitable.

Third. Use small slopes for muscle training

Muscle strength training in recent studies has found that more than 30% of your own maximum muscle strength must be used to improve muscle strength. Without this level of strength training, the muscles may still weaken. So how do you ride a bicycle to use 30% of your own maximum muscle strength? Experiments have found that 1.25% of the slope can be reached by riding 50 meters.

Fourth, cycling can make blood vessels younger

After exercise, the speed of blood flow increases, and nitric oxide is produced. The function of nitric oxide is to soften the muscles surrounding the blood vessels. The faster the blood flows, the more nitric oxide is produced.

Experiments have found that cycling can speed up the flow of blood ten times. Therefore, friends with vascular diseases, you can consider riding a bicycle to improve blood vessels!

Fifth, expert advice

Running and cycling are both aerobic exercises, which can make blood vessels younger, lose weight and prevent diseases caused by lifestyle habits. However, running does not improve muscle strength.

How long does it take to ride a bicycle to make blood vessels really younger?

Expert advice:

Cyclists under 40 need to ride 180 minutes+ a week; 40-year-old cyclists need to ride 160 points+ a week; 50-year-old cyclists need to ride 150 points+ a week; 60-year-old cyclists need to ride 140 points+ a week.

Why do some bike enthusiasts switch mountain bikes to road bikes?

Why do some bicycle enthusiasts switch mountain bikes to road bikes? I think it may be caused by two factors: changes in personal interests and hobbies and actual cycling.

First, look at the advantages and disadvantages of mountain bikes and road bikes.
Mountain bikes, as the name suggests, are more suitable for cycling on mountainous and rugged roads. The frame of mountain bikes is more rugged, strong, and has better shock absorption performance. Mountain bikes have front fork shock absorbers, and some have rear shock absorbers. Wide cycling comfort is higher, generally wider straight handles are used, and the handling is better, but the resistance is relatively large and the speed is relatively slow when cycling. Road bikes are mainly used for cycling on highways or on relatively flat roads. In order to increase speed and reduce wind resistance, the frame is relatively slender. Generally, there is no shock absorption mechanism. The bending handles are used. When cycling, you need to lean down, the seat is narrow and long, and the cycling comfort is Slightly inferior to mountain bikes, but cycling faster and faster.

Secondly, it depends on factors such as the cycling environment and daily use frequency of mountain bikes and road bikes. Mountain bikes can ride on rugged roads such as mountains or on roads, while road bikes can only ride on roads or flat roads, not off-road. It should be said that the cycling environment of mountain bikes is more extensive.
Daily commuting to and from get off work, regardless of whether the pipeline conditions are unobstructed, the general cycling distance is not too large, and the cycling comfort of mountain bikes is higher. It is also easier to park temporarily. Road bikes are inferior to mountain bikes in many aspects such as comfort and temporary parking.
However, there are not many people who really ride mountain bikes to cross-country cycling, and most places do not have a really suitable cycling environment. If you go to professional venues or “wild” venues to ride, either you need to pay, or there is a great danger. From a safety point of view, the risk of cycling a mountain bike off-road is significantly higher than cycling a road bike. And cycling a mountain bike off-road requires learning more off-road skills and mastering more relevant knowledge. Most people ride on ordinary roads or relatively flat places, and very few people go for real off-road cycling. The shock absorption performance of mountain bikes is almost useless. There are also very few places suitable for cycling in the city. It is not easy to ride where there are many steps.

Third, one of the biggest disadvantages of mountain bikes compared to road bikes is speed. The mountain bike frame is rough and heavy, and the cycling posture is mainly sitting or standing, resulting in greater wind resistance during cycling. The width of the mountain bike tires causes the resistance to increase, and the number of teeth and front and rear gear ratios of the chain wheel is slightly smaller than that of the road bike, leading to cycling There is a big difference in speed.

There is not much difference in speed between mountain bikes and road bikes when cycling in the city. Once cycling on an open road, the speed difference will be very obvious. It is very normal for a road bike to reach a speed of about 30 kilometers per hour. The average speed of a frequent rider can even reach about 40 kilometers or even higher, and the instantaneous speed can even exceed 60 kilometers or even higher. Professional cyclists ride at an average speed of about 40 kilometers per hour. If they ride a TT time bike, they will be faster than ordinary road bikes. The picture below is the TT time bike, because the seat tube angle is slightly larger than that of ordinary road bikes, and the body position and center of gravity are more forward, which is more conducive to the force of the thigh and avoids excessive force of the calf. In addition, the special design of the handle makes cycling speed is faster.

Fourth, many cyclists choose road cycling rather than off-road cycling when cycling outdoors. Because of the obvious speed advantage of road bikes, mountain bikes have obvious disadvantages in speed when cycling on the road. And many people ride with other people, and few like to ride alone like me. When we are together, we can’t keep up with others, so we can only rely on physical strength to make up for the disadvantages of mountain bikes. Over time, many people gave up mountain bikes and chose road bikes.
I rode a road bike with my classmates on a mountain bike. It was nearly 50 kilometers back and forth. When I reached a speed of 30 kilometers per hour, I didn’t feel too tired. My classmates felt a bit difficult to ride a mountain bike.
I think it is the disadvantage of cycling speed that makes many people who ride mountain bikes switch to road bikes. Although the road bike itself has a slight disadvantage in terms of comfort, it can completely make up for this disadvantage by replacing more comfortable seats and cycling clothes. Leaning and cycling while cycling may make people who are just starting to ride feel uncomfortable, but as long as you adapt to a stage and exercise your core strength and other muscles, you can adapt.

The feeling of cycling a road bike is very refreshing. You can feel the wind blowing over your body and the scenery on both sides passing by. Mountain bikes can’t give this feeling.
Under normal circumstances, riders choose mountain bikes and road bikes. I recommend choosing road bikes instead of mountain bikes.
There is now a model that is between mountain bikes and road bikes. It basically uses a reduced version of the mountain bike frame, plus front fork shock absorbers, and some also add rear shock absorbers, plus road bikes or The width of the handlebars of mountain bikes is between that of mountain bikes and road bikes, taking into account the comfort and speed of long-distance cycling. This kind of bicycle is more suitable for cycling, and it is better to choose a pure road bike for people who do not have this need.

Six reasons and solutions for abnormal disc brakes

6 reasons causing hydraulic brakes to rub against the disc:

1. First you have to make sure your wheels are installed in place. For non-bucket axle wheels, first, confirm whether your wheels have been installed in place. Open the quick release, press the frame with your body, and then lock the quick release in place. Incorrect installation will cause the disc to tilt against the disc. For the barrel axle wheelset, before adjusting the position of the brake caliper, the barrel axle rod must be locked to a predetermined torque and then adjusted to prevent the disc position from changing after disassembling the wheelset.
2. Confirm whether there is any play in your wheel axis. Special attention should be paid to the wheelset of the ball structure. Once the bearing has a play, no matter how you adjust the position of the caliper, the disc will always be rubbed. So before adjusting the calipers, move the wheel frame to make sure that there is no play on the left and right sides of the wheel. If the bearing hub has a clearance or shaking, deep maintenance and bearing replacement is required.
3. Confirm whether the disc has large yaw. Although the discs are more or less swaying, if your bike has a disc after being transported or crashed, you’d better check whether the disc is deformed first. If the deformation is not very large, just rub the disc without being stuck, you can use the disc correction wrench to adjust. First, find the position of the deformation, use the correcting wrench to insert it along the disc support rib, and correct it in the opposite direction of the deformation. Note that you can make multiple corrections according to the situation, and avoid doing miracles with great effort.
4. Make sure that the calipers are up so that there is enough gap between the disc and the disc. This situation often occurs in brake systems that use DOT Brake Fluid oil. Because DOT Brake Fluid oil has water absorption, it will cause the gap to become smaller when the oil expands. This situation can be solved by replacing the dot oil with a new one. On the brakes that use mineral oil, it is mostly caused by excessive oil injection or excessive thickness of the disc. Depending on the situation, the piston reset wrench can be used to withstand the brake pad and discharge excess brake fluid from the oil filling port on the brake lever, thereby increasing the gap between the brake pad and the caliper. In addition, on some high-end brakes, you can slightly adjust the piston clearance by adjusting the preload of the brake lever piston.
5. Confirm that the movement of the pistons on both sides of the caliper is synchronized and that there is no immobile or sticky piston on one side.
6. Confirm the cause of the abnormal noise. Not all rubbing discs appear in the left and right positions, they may also appear in the up and down positions. Because the edges of different discs will have different textures, coupled with compatibility problems of different discs and calipers, and the fixing position of the mounting screws or the disc itself, there will be radial jumps and rubbing against the top of the calipers. The solution is simple: add a 1-2mm spacer between the frame mount or adapter and the caliper and fix it with screws again.

Method of adjusting disc brake caliper (oil pressure):

After you eliminate the above six reasons, if you still rub the disc, it will be a good solution. For hydraulic brakes, only the fixed position of the caliper needs to be adjusted. We have mentioned that the fixing screw hole of the caliper is oval and has the ability to adjust left and right. Regardless of the fixing method, including flat-mounted calipers, direct-mounted calipers, the way of installing through the adapter, the adjustment method is the same.

My most common method is to first loosen the two fixing screws so that the caliper can move freely and then tighten the caliper fixing screws while pinching the brake lever. Generally speaking, this method has a half chance of success for calipers with tapered spacers. For ordinary direct-fixed calipers, the general situation at this time is that the disc will be close to the incoming film on one side.

Next, loosen one of the fixing screws and gently loosen the other fixing screw until the caliper can rotate around it. Then adjust the position of the caliper on the side of the loosened screw, adjust it to the center, and then tighten the screw. The same method to adjust the other end. This method is relatively easy to control the adjustment range, and it is not easy to cause the caliper to shift again due to the fixing screw.

It should be noted that if the caliper is not supplied with a tapered washer, do not add it to the caliper. This aspect will cause the caliper to rise, resulting in a reduction in the contact surface and the weakening of the braking force. Another point is that some calipers will aggravate the situation that the disc is not centered.

Method of adjusting disc brake caliper (mechanical):

For mechanical disc brakes, the method is the same as that of hydraulic brakes. The difference is that the pads on both sides of the mechanical brake have a more free adjustment range.

Most of the mechanical brakes are single-piston motions, such as the MD-M300 of Yanhao TEKTRO, the position of the discs can be adjusted on both sides of the brake. The movable side can be adjusted by the tension of the brake cable, and the non-movable side can be adjusted by the fixing screw. I usually make the movable side of the film stick out less, and the inactive side to make the film stick out more. The position of the disc is closer to the movable piston side, and the left and right gap ratios are about 1:2.

If it is a bilateral piston motion mechanical brake, such as trp’s spyre. It can be adjusted according to the same left and right gap.

The angle and spacing of the brake lever

Generally speaking, the angle of the brake lever is the extension line from the arm to the handlebar to the back of the hand under the normal cycling posture, and the first joint of the brake finger is the most suitable place to put the brake lever on the brake lever. Of course, this is just a basic adjustment angle. If some cyclists have other hobbies, then comfort prevails.

Regarding the distance between the brake lever and the finger, it can be adjusted by the fine adjustment screw on the brake lever. For the more high-end brakes, the adjustment knob is directly equipped, and most of the low-end brakes need to be adjusted from the position of the brake lever and the piston link through a 2mm hexagon wrench.

The relative position of the brake lever and the fingers is to maintain the grip posture, and the first joint of the index finger is just right on the turning point of the end of the brake lever. If it is a two-finger or three-finger brake lever, the position of the outermost finger shall prevail.