20 Common Misconceptions of Heavy cyclists

In the wonderful world of cycling, there are a lot of known facts but also a lot of unknown facts which are also known as myths. Here are a few misconceptions that you may or may not already know:

During the warm-up, the warm part is the most important.
Although its name of warm-up, a warm-up exercise does not mean to really increase or decrease the temperature. In fact, you should not blow on your hands before you start riding on a colder morning

Intend not to perspire.
It is usually believed that lighter or heavier cyclists need an intense workout to help them perspire. The fact is that the fitter you are, the more your body will sweat.

Tougher is better.
One researched done by a University has shown the result of if using tougher wheel can make any difference in cycling when eight cyclists ride at the top speed on a four percent inclination for 5 times with using different tyre pressures. The research has proven that the tyre pressure is too small to be identified.

dehydration lowers cycling performance.
There are no studies proving directly about the dehydration related to the poor performance. But hydration can keep your body cool.

When having an injured hip, leg or foot, use a wedge necessarily.
The problem may be on your pelvis rather than the parts of the bodies.

Lactic acid is the real pain.
This kind of pain is the feeling due to your stimulating muscles.

when you eat, you cheat
It is simple to understand that when you do exercise, you will certainly burn the eating.



A hair-free leg can move freely in the air.
No study proves this.

Having body fats is bad.
As we all know, too much fat on the body is not healthy. However, fats play the role of preserve our energy and mend tissues.

riding a bike for traveling is the most dangerous
Speaking according to the statistic, the death rates of motorcycle and walking are higher than cycling.

It is better to bike without a helmet.
The significance of helmet cannot be underestimated. Wearing a helmet can decrease your injuring rate greatly.

Cyclists always beat the red light.
In fact, bikers pay more attention to the traffic regulation rather than to be reckless, for the sake of safety.

Cyclists should ride on the right side of the road.
When cyclists close to the right side, they are at the risk of the parked car which may open their door suddenly.

It is a trouble to have a basket or knapsack when cycling.
Cyclists have to use the bike light in the case of riding during night time to see the roadway clearly.
An ideal outfit is a must for cycling.
Cyclists need room to cycle.
Cycling can be time-consuming.
Roads are devised for cars.
Cyclists cannot have a nice bike if that bike is less than a gazillion of dollars.


After recognizing the common thoughts above, if you are a heavy rider especially, you should know how to ride confidently. You may hesitate for many reasons for not to ride a bike but if you would not be able to build and boost the confidence, sadly, you will never enjoy success in cycling. So in order to help you out, here are some tips on how to ride a bike with confidence for you.

1. You must be aware of the law basically when you want to go out and ride a bike. You need to be familiar with your local laws about cycling. Many people do not notice the importance but many places over the United States think the bike as a kind of vehicle. When you know the law, you are able to be confident since you know the fact that you have right to use the streets and hi-ways as others driving a car or a motorcycle. This also shows that you need to follow the regulation just as a car is required to observe. But, you must also be punished if you commit. Additionally, you need to know the local laws about how drivers of motor vehicles should handle cyclists on the road. This includes the suitable space between bicycles and motored vehicles.

You should master the skill to stop properly and quickly. If you stop your bike too abruptly and press too hard on your front brake, you would certainly go over your handlebars. This is definitely a nightmare. There is a smart skill to avoid that. You can just simply put your weight back over your rear tyre when you press on your brake. Thus, you balance your weight and keep your wheels on the ground for a smooth and safe stop. Try this skill on a quiet street and have more practice if needed. If you know more and try in the proper way to stop without getting injured, you will be more confident to hit the road.


Ride at the space that you are comfortable with. You have to know that no one really pressures you to ride fast as possible like other bicyclists or maneuver. Perhaps you are the only one who pressures you to do. Just take it easy. You will gain more confidence if you ride at a speed and the direction you can control.
Better to you practice how to avoid falls. Practice handling the fact when you feel you are about to lose your balance, you have to put your other foot on the ground as fast as you can which is one of the most effective ways to avoid falling on the ground and getting injured. Be alert and mindful at all the time. You must be more nimble to avoid falling. Once you feel you are going to lose your balance, think and react fast and appropriately. You may also hit the brake keeping in mind as the tip two mentioned above.
Get a suitable bike for you. The ordinary bicycles are not so specially designed for heavy riders. The best solution is to get acustom-built bicyclewhen you find it almost hard to get a bike at stores or malls that suits you best. In this way, you will be gain more confidence because the bike fits you perfectly for your specific needs. Get a bike that gives you the feeling of comfort and ease with the wider and well-padded seats, wider and lower pedals. And most of all, you should choose a sturdy bike equipped beefier tires, stronger frame and rims. When you are aware that your bike can carry your weight, you can ignore your fear of breaking the bike and be laughed at by others. Thus, you will surely have more confidence in cycling.
Hope this article can help you a lot.