Kingsport Bicycle Association FAQs

KBA Frequently Ask Questions (and objections)

Q. Our roads are too dangerous/ busy to ride on!

A. Most KBA rides use low traffic, rural roads. Dangerous? Wrecks can happen anywhere, yet most of our riders have ridden 5-25+ years without ever having made contact with a motor vehicle. Be predictable: One of the keys is to follow the rules of the road that apply to all vehicles. The most common danger to cyclist is from loose animals, not vehicles!

Q. I'm not a Racer. I'll never be able to ride the with a club!

A. The KBA is a social /touring club. Although we have riders of all speeds, we don't ride competitively. You are much more likely to find members casually chatting with each other as we enjoy the ride.

Q. Well then, how fast do you ride?

A. Ride speed varies with terrain, time of year (our conditioning), and weather, but a typical minimum ride pace is between 12-14 mph, with our faster riders sometimes averaging 17-19 mph.

Q. I'd never be able to ride 10, 20, 30 ... miles!

A. First, these aren't walking distances. A bicycle is the most energy efficient machine ever created by man. Our members are just regular people. You'll quickly surprise yourself what kind of distances you will be capable of. Most riders are capable of riding 100 miles in a day within their first year.

Q. When are meetings held?

A. While many clubs have monthly meetings, the KBA does not. Many of us have enough "meetings" at work. The closest thing we normally have to meetings is the socialization around the table on our Saturday AM breakfast rides!
Other than an occasional officer meeting, the KBA does have a club dinner meeting in early March and early November (marking the original beginning and end of the riding season- since then extended to the entire year!).

Q. Where are the Rides?

A. The KBA probably has one of the most varied list of rides of any club you will find anywhere, but you've got to have a Ride Schedule or you can't Play! The schedule's description or this pages description of the ride starts should be sufficient for you to find it on your own, or ask anyone familiar with the area. A list of club officers & phone numbers is on our main page.

Q. When are the Rides?

A. The KBA schedules rides every weekend, year round. Sunday rides are at 2pm, Saturday rides usual begin at 8-11am depending upon the time of year.
During Daylight Savings time the KBA also has evening Tuesday/Thursday rides and a "Time Trial" every other Wednesday at 6pm.
In addition to the above rides, you may find a scheduled ride on many holidays year round. Keep an eye on the schedule for these!

Q. I came out to a ride, and no one was there!

A. No one is required to do any ride. We are not a large club, so it could be you just happened to be unlucky to pick an unusual ride where no one came out; it was raining (or highly likely to); too cold; etc.
If you find obvious bikers vehicles there, remember Club rides LEAVE at the scheduled times, not 5 or 10 minutes after the listed time. Please come dressed and inspect your bike and equipment BEFORE the ride so both it and you will be ready to RIDE at the scheduled time. Please don't be rude and make others wait on you!

Q. How should I dress?

A. Dresses are inefficient on a bicycle, and may blow up in your face blocking your view. This could be very dangerous!

Two must haves are a helmet and gloves. These help protect the two most likely areas of damage should you wreck, especially for a new rider.
Bicyclist should always dress to be specifically visable- your life may depend on it. Wear bright colorful clothing. Loud& rude is good! Buy a colorful bike too. Way too many road cyclist choose clothing that blends in to their surroundings. Then sooner you are seen my other vehicle operators, the safer you will be AND the less likely a motorist will get upset when dealing with a cyclist.
Just about anytime of year, cotton is bad. Bike clothing is designed to be functional in many ways and wick moisture away from body. Bike shoes spread pedal pressure over a larger area, and often also can more efficiently connect a cyclist feet to the pedals.
Many pages could and have be written about any of these items. . . . to be continued.

Q.Yuck! I don't look good in bike shorts!

A. Bike shorts weren't particularly designed to look good on all people. They were designed to make biking more comfortable and efficient. So go ahead and wear them and put some gym shorts on top if you insist (however, this combination just screams newbie! since no seasoned rider would likely wear such a combination.

Q. What kind of bike should I ride?

A. The vast majority of our riders use the classic road bike you see on the Tour de France. We have had riders along riding Mountain Bikes, cross bikes, comfort bikes, tandems, bikes with trailers or tag-a-longs and recumbents too- so you are welcome to ride anything you choose. Most non-cyclists prefer a very upright seating position. This is most comfortable at first, but more fatiguing to the body on long rides. In an upright position, air resistance is greater and more shock is transfered to the spine resulting in a sore back, shoulders or headache. On a classic road bike, more weight and shock is spread out on the arms and hands, reducing this fatigue. You are also most likely to ride at the same pace as our other members with the classic style mentioned above, thus lessening the likelyhood of a collision and making communication & talking easier.

Q. "Racing" Bikes are uncomfortable!

A. ANY bike will be unfomfortable IF it doesn't FIT you. Unless you have a specific physical problem, a good bike shop should be able to find a bike that is the right size for you and adjust the bike to fit you. A GOOD bike shop will refuse to sell you a bike, no matter how much you insist it looks like the perfect bike, right price, etc, IF they know it does NOT FIT YOU.

Q. How many gears should I have on my bike?

A. The number of gears is not as important as the gear range. Look around. We've got hills. Most of our riders have a pretty wide range of gear "ratios". Nobody use ALL those gears or knows the order of all the combinations. You just shift till you find a combination that feels good. Probably over half of our members use bikes with a triple chain ring for extra low gears. It is much cheaper (maybe $20 difference) to buy a bike with a triple if you want it than to try and convert one that came with a double chain ring ($300 minimum).

Q. Is my Big-Mart bike OK to ride with the club?

A. That's a difficult question. Most of us aren't professionals and certainly can get by with many years of enjoyment riding something much less that Lances $10,000+ bike. On the other end, we still have riders with perfectly satisfactory 20+ year old bikes that may have cost $$200 -then. Some of us are currently riding bikes with 35-50,000 miles on them! Really! But there IS a wide spectrum of quality out there, and a poor quality bike will certainly ruin the enjoyment of a ride when it lets you down (not to mention maybe irritating your fellow riders that will stop and try and help you out).
Given that, $1000-$3000 investment in a bike that many of our riders use really ISN'T that bad (especially compared to the money many spend on for other sports)! You certainly can get a quality bike for less, both new or used, that can work satisfactory to hook you on this sport! Be warned however, the problems you WILL have with a cheap/ poor quality bike will be remembered, often CANNOT be fixed, MIGHT be dangerous, and might be sufficient to ruin any chance you will ever want to try riding again, much less turn you into a regular rider. Especially with lower end bikes, the extra money invested is usually well worth it.
To be Continued . . .

Q. How can you stand those tiny seats? They hurt my rear!

A. Good padded bike shorts. Time in the saddle. Calluses. Bag Balm. There are almost as many type saddles out there as there are rears. As you increase saddle time, trying a few different ones might be neccessary before you find a perfect fit.
Saddles: Is Softer Better?

Q. I here you stop and eat a big breakfast. I can't do that!

A. Practice! Eat light or just sit and socialize with the others before the ride continues.
"Ride to eat, eat to live, live to ride"

Q. It's too cold to ride!

A. Many of our riders will ride down to 32 degrees or below. Dressing for cold weather IS somewhat tricky- but can be done! The biggest rule is use multiple light layers and no cotton. The second rule is if you are comfortable starting out, you're overdressed! Sweat is your enemy. Being able to add or remove layers as temperatures change is ideal. Don't forget to have a plan on where to carry unused gear. Some nice to have basic items include armwarmers, tights of various thicknesses, vests, neopreme booties/shoe covers, headband/earcovers, facemask/balcalava, and of course various weight gloves that can allow you to shift & brake safely. A lot just depends upon personal tollerance for cold and what one is ready to endure to get out of the house into some fresh air.

Q. Are Rides canceled because of rain (or rain chance)?

A. NO. Now if it is actually raining at ride time where the ride starts, it is doubtful you will find anyone else there. But if it isn't obvious that heavy rains are going to set in for the period, some of us may start, and get through a ride, dry, even with a high percentage chance of rain for the region. Many of us closely watch the local radar and weather graph linked off the KBA main page to gestimate the chance of enough rain to spoil a ride or make it dangerous. Sometimes a little sprinkle, or even a moderate shower, especially during warmer weather, doesn't stop many of us from getting in a great ride. During colder weather, showers might actually be dangerous, so use your best judgement. Flurries can actually be fun to ride in if they are not sticking to the road and making it dangerous for skinny tires.

Q. Where do I get bike gear and parts?

A. An invaluable source is your local bike shop. A list is located elsewhere on this site.
There are also many online sources listed at Commercial Links. A few of the most popular catalog / online stores are:
Bike Nashbar
Colorado Cyclist Upscale
Performance
Terry Bicycles Women's gear
You may wish to request a free catalog from one or more to browse/ learn about whats available.

Q. Another Question?

A. Another Answer.

Great Articles & References on these subjects and more! Bike Web Site: Repair, Maintenance, And Much More! Bike Expert: Papers, Articles & References! Sheldon Brown: a MUST visit site! Tips for Pain-Free Cycling

Last update October 24, 2012