cycling, one ride skill per page
Twenty-four lessons on what a bicycle is and why it is the most efficient machine you will ever push a pedal, the frame's two triangles, wire-spoked wheels, the chain that carries your power, gears and shifting, cadence as spinning versus mashing, hills at a steady effort, both brake levers and the front's real share, cornering by looking through the turn, saddle height, pedals flat and clipless, the predictable line in traffic, lights and weather, hand signals, the helmet question, the flat repair, the sixty-second check, the care rhythm, fit and the aches, drafting and the wheel you follow, the long ride with its food and water, the first commute end to end, and teaching a friend their first ten miles.
One skill, one honest page. That's a lesson.
cycling, one ride skill per page
Twenty-four lessons on what a bicycle is and why it is the most efficient machine you will ever push a pedal, the frame's two triangles, wire-spoked wheels, the chain that carries your power, gears and shifting, cadence as spinning versus mashing, hills at a steady effort, both brake levers and the front's real share, cornering by looking through the turn, saddle height, pedals flat and clipless, the predictable line in traffic, lights and weather, hand signals, the helmet question, the flat repair, the sixty-second check, the care rhythm, fit and the aches, drafting and the wheel you follow, the long ride with its food and water, the first commute end to end, and teaching a friend their first ten miles.
Set in Space Grotesk, Inter and JetBrains Mono (SIL Open Font License).
Every fact in this book is as the primary source states it, fetched and read during this build: the Wikipedia articles Bicycle, Bicycle frame, Bicycle wheel, Bicycle chain, Bicycle gearing, Cadence (cycling), Bicycle performance, Bicycle brake, Bicycle pedal, Flat tire, Bicycle helmet, Utility cycling, Cycling, Cycling infrastructure, Drafting (aerodynamics) and Walk Wheel Cycle Trust, all cached at build time and cited in each lesson's source line; redirects were followed to their articles and no Bike fit article exists. General information about how bicycles and cycling work, not advice. An honest no-demo book: no ride was filmed and no photograph was staged by this machine; every cycling claim is stated as its source states it. Rituals stated as this book's own plan (the lesson order, the practice asks, the sixty-second check order, the cornering drill, the fit-aches mapping, the teaching order for a friend, the drawing convention on these pages) are labeled as this book's plan. No product recommendations. Not affiliated with or endorsed by Wikipedia. No facts from Reddit, forums, vendor blogs or search engines.
Your purchase is for personal use only. You do not have redistribution rights: please do not share, resell, or republish this book or its pages.
© 2026 Steve Hodgkiss. All rights reserved. Personal use only; no redistribution rights.
Edition 1.0 · stevehodgkiss.net
Contents
Per the Wikipedia article Bicycle, a bicycle is a human-powered or motor-assisted, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, with two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other; the bicycle was invented in Europe in the 19th century, and by the early 21st century there were more than 1 billion bicycles; the bicycle is extraordinarily efficient in both biological and mechanical terms, and is the most efficient human-powered means of transportation in terms of energy a person must expend to travel a given distance; from a mechanical viewpoint, up to 99 percent of the energy delivered by the rider into the pedals is transmitted to the wheels; per the same article, a human traveling on a bicycle at low to medium speeds uses only the power required to walk.
What a bicycle is
A bicycle is a human-powered, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle: two wheels on a frame, one behind the other. You are the engine. That is the whole machine.
It was invented in Europe in the 19th century, and by the early 21st century there were more than 1 billion of them.
It is the most efficient human-powered means of transportation: at gentle speeds it needs only the power required to walk, and up to 99 percent of your pedal energy reaches the wheels.
Ride one slow lap this week and say the machine out loud: two wheels, one frame, you the engine.
Per the Wikipedia article Cadence (cycling), cadence is a measure of the rotational speed of the crank, expressed in units of revolutions per minute, in other words the pedalling rate; 60 to 80 r/min is a typical cadence for many recreational and utility cyclists; according to cadence measurement of seven professional cyclists during three-week races, they cycle about 90 r/min during flat and long group stages and about 70 r/min during uphill cycling on high mountain passes; while fast cadence is referred to as spinning, slow cadence is referred to as mashing or grinding; pedalling in higher gears at low cadence increases the force needed for every pedal stroke, resulting in increased muscular demand and greater stress on knees, hips and back, while a high cadence in a low gear reduces the force and shifts more of the workload from the muscles to the cardiovascular system; a cadence of between 80 and 100 rpm is commonly recommended for endurance road cycling; a 2021 systematic review found that untrained cyclists who pedalled at high cadence at high intensity tended to struggle more, and its authors suggested cyclists new to the sport should initially stick to a cadence that feels natural and focus on building fitness and endurance first.
Cadence
Cadence is your pedaling speed, in revolutions per minute. Recreational riders: 60 to 80 rpm. Pros hold about 90 on the flats, 70 on the climbs.
Two feels, two names: spinning, fast and light, and mashing, slow and heavy. Mashing means more force, more stress on knees, hips and back.
Advice names 80 to 100 rpm, but a 2021 review says newcomers should ride what feels natural, fitness first.
Count right-foot down-strokes for fifteen seconds this week, multiply by four: your cadence.
Per the Wikipedia article Bicycle brake, the motion dynamics of a bicycle will cause a transfer of weight to the front wheel during braking, improving the traction on the front wheel; the front brake, introduced by John Kean in 1873, had been generally adopted by 1880 because of its greater stopping power; if the front brake is used too hard, momentum may cause the rider and bike to pitch forward, a type of crash sometimes called an endo; light use of the rear brake causes a light skid as the bicycle approaches the limit where pitchover will occur, a signal to reduce force on the front brake; on slippery surfaces, bumpy surfaces and steep descents it is advisable to slow down and use the rear brake more and the front brake less; the article closes that cyclists young and old should seek training in the effective use of both brakes to stop in the minimum possible stopping distance in an emergency.
Both levers
Braking shifts your weight onto the front wheel, which is why it grips best: the front brake has the greater stopping power, adopted by 1880 for exactly that reason.
Grab it alone, too hard, and momentum can pitch you over the bars, the crash riders call an endo. A light rear skid is the signal to ease the front.
Both levers, always: the source's closing line says to train the effective use of both brakes for the shortest stop. On slippery or steep ground, favor the rear.
Practice ten quiet-road stops this week, both levers together, the front gently stronger.
Per the Wikipedia article Cycling, beyond simply riding, another skill is riding efficiently and safely in traffic, and one popular approach to riding in motor vehicle traffic is vehicular cycling, occupying road space as a car does; per the Wikipedia article Utility cycling, cycle training involves teaching existing or potential cyclists bike handling, various roadcraft skills and educating them on the safe, lawful use of the roads; per the Wikipedia article Cycling infrastructure, on large roundabouts of the design typically used in the UK and Ireland, cyclists have an injury accident rate that is 14 to 16 times that of motorists, and a survey of over 8,000 cyclists found 28 percent avoided roundabouts on their regular journeys if at all possible; the predictable-line wording on these pages is this book's plan.
The predictable line
The named skill is riding safely and efficiently in traffic. The classic approach is vehicular cycling: occupy road space as a car does, visible and lawful.
Training teaches bike handling, roadcraft and lawful use of the roads; confidence is the documented result.
Know the hot spot: big roundabouts injure cyclists at 14 to 16 times the motorist rate, and 28 percent of 8,000 surveyed riders avoid them. The predictable line is this book's plan.
Ride one stretch this week as if you were a car: same lane, same line, no weaving, a look before each move.
Per the Wikipedia article Flat tire, thin-walled tires, especially those used in road racing bicycles, are particularly susceptible to puncture by road debris, such as thorns and small pieces of glass; the equipment needed to repair or replace a bicycle inner tube is comparatively minimal, and frequently carried by cyclists; on the road, the easiest approach to dealing with a flat tire, should a spare inner tube be available, is to replace the tube: the wheel is removed, the tire levered from the rim and inspected for causes of damage; if a nail or thorn is found, it must be removed; then the inner tube is replaced and the wheel inflated; re-inflation can be carried out by a frame mounted pump, mini pump or cartridge inflator, the cartridge generally single use while the pump can inflate many flat tires; the inner tube may be repaired at a later date; without a bowl of water available, the simplest method to locate a small puncture may be to inflate the tube until air can be felt escaping from the puncture; a tough self-adhesive patch known as a boot may be placed inside the tire, and folded paper currency is used as a makeshift boot by cyclists in need of an emergency repair.
The flat repair
The source's honest order: wheel off, tire levered from the rim, inspected; find the thorn or glass and remove it; new tube in; inflate.
A pump inflates many flats, a cartridge is single use. Patch the old tube at home: to find the hole, inflate until you feel the air escape.
The kit is comparatively minimal and carried by cyclists: tube, levers, pump. A boot inside the tire saves a cut casing, and folded paper currency has done that job.
Change one tube at your kitchen table this week, start to finish, so the roadside version is your second time.
Per the Wikipedia article Drafting (aerodynamics), drafting or slipstreaming is an aerodynamic technique where two moving objects align in a close group to exploit the lead object's slipstream and thus reduce the overall effect of drag; in cycling, any time one bicyclist is riding behind another, energy is conserved, especially at higher speeds; when cyclists ride fast they form a paceline, in which each cyclist, except the first, is drafting; the lead position requires the most effort and energy consumption, so drafting can be cooperative, with several competitors taking turns in the lead position; a team of skilled cyclists may form the Belgian tourniquet, where successively each cyclist leads the group; per the Wikipedia article Bicycle performance, the group can maintain a higher speed over extended distance due to various cyclists taking turns at the head of the wind then dropping behind to rest, and a team time trial produces the same effect; per the same article, the fastest bicycle speed in slipstream is 296 km/h, set by Denise Mueller-Korenek in 2018 on the Bonneville Salt Flats, drafting behind a dragster.
The wheel you follow
The law of the group: any time one rider follows another, energy is conserved, more at speed. The shape is the paceline: everyone drafts except the first.
Leading costs the most, so riders take turns at the head of the wind and then drop back to rest. That is how a group holds a higher speed over distance.
The extreme case: 296 km/h in slipstream, Denise Mueller-Korenek, Bonneville, 2018, behind a dragster.
Ride one wheel this week, a bike length back, and feel the air go quiet before you ever take a turn at the front.