How to Get Started Cycling—Without Knowing a Thing About Bikes

7 min readIT DOESN’T TAKE a garage full of gear, a steep learning curve, or a total lifestyle overhaul to get started in cycling and reap all the physical and mental benefits you’ve been hearing about.It’s simpler than you think to get yourself set up and tap into everything cycling can bring you, from time with friends to fitness challenges to amazing views and time away from screens.Here’s the thing about cycling: You can make it as easy or as complicated as you want. “Bike people” often loooove complicated. They even obsess over what gear their avatar is riding in on indoor cycling platforms like Zwift.As a coach, I’m all for easy, especially at first. In fact, I’m “bike people” now—and I still believe in easy. All you need is a bike that fits your body and your budget and these basics.First, choose a fun route.If you thought you had to start with bike hardware, let’s put that on pause for a second. First, get psyched about where you’re going.Pick a route that’s about 6 to 12 miles long and where there’s as little traffic (human and vehicular) as possible at the time you’ll be riding. I’m pretty sure the highest heart rate ever recorded in history was the first time I rode a couple of miles to Central Park from midtown NYC…in rush-hour traffic. Give yourself a chance to enjoy the ride with a smart route.If you want to go longer your first time out, you can always loop the route again. (Ride with traffic, not against it.) Bonus points if there are bathrooms somewhere along your course and a coffee shop. Both the Ride with GPS app and Strava have tons of local routes, and show you the elevation involved. Next, FOMO someone into going with you. It’s way more fun—and safer—to be on the road with someone else.Pull your bike out of storage.If it’s been a decade since you’ve been on your bike, take it to a shop to make sure the tires aren’t cracked, the chain isn’t rusty, and that it doesn’t have any of the other sitting-in-storage issues (do this even if it’s only been more than a year since you’ve been on it).If you’ve ridden recently, make sure your tires are pumped up before you go out (what psi you should get them to will be printed on the tire). A couple other things you’ll want: a flat tire repair kit (usually a spare tube and something to inflate it with), water, ID, and something to pay for things with (e.g. money). A helmet goes without saying.No bike? No sweat.While frequent visitors think bike shops smell like new tires and bike grease, many first-timers get the distinct whiff of intimidation. Don’t let that stop you. You don’t have to know a bottom bracket from a crank arm to get a bike that works for you. Here’s what you DO have to know:• What you want to do with the bike. Mostly commute to work and the farmer’s market? Not fall behind on the group rides on the weekend? Do a sprint triathlon? Ride gravel with your family? You don’t have to know all the technical specs of what you might want. You do need to know what kind of experience you want to have on that bike. That also includes…• Who you’ll be riding with. If you want to hang with the peloton that rides 50 or 60 (or 100) speedy miles on the road every weekend, or you want to be competitive in a triathlon, you’re going to want a different bike than you’d get to take out with the friends who ride on unpaved singletrack.• How much you want to spend. There’s no magic number other than the one you come up with. Investing in equipment does help your ride feel easier, but for most people, only to a certain point. A decent frame, decent wheels, and decent components can get you pretty far. Leveling up to the highest-end components is extra, not required. A second-hand bike can sometimes offer you a nicer ride than a super-cheap new bike at the same price. No matter what bike you’re riding, have someone at a shop check that it fits you; it’s uncomfortable and hard on your body if it doesn’t.Save room in your budget for a helmet, padded shorts (worth it!) and, if you’re going that route, bike shoes and clipless pedals. If the saddle that came with your bike is just not comfortable, change it! It’s hard to shop online for these; find a retailer where they will put your bike on a stand and let you test a few different ones.• That you’re in control. If the bike shop salesperson starts throwing around component names and tire sizes and the vertical compliance of carbon tubing and it’s making you feel frustrated, confused, or small, keep the conversation focused—and/or find another shop. You know you and what you want, and you have the power to keep the conversation centered on that. Ideally, buying a bike is just the beginning of your relationship with that shop—you’ll want to go back for fit tweaks, upgrades, maintenance and advice. It’s worth finding a shop you can relate to.Get out and ride.Alison Kreideweis, the founder of the team I coach with—Empire Tri Club—has coached hundreds of first-time (and elite) cyclists. Her thoughts about making cycling a favorite workout: “In the beginning, it’s all about having fun on the bike,” she says. “You can learn to use clipless pedals and track data later. All you need is some basic cycling knowledge to really enjoy riding.”• Practice shifting gears. Coaches love to say “wear out your gears,” meaning don’t just find one you like and leave it there. You’ll save yourself a lot of energy by making it easier to pedal on a climb. That means using the small gear in front, Kreidweis says. “The back gears are for fine-tuning.” Make it easy and think “right is rear,” she says, meaning that your right hand controls those smaller changes. When you’re going downhill or the road is flat, shift into that big gear for the front—bouncing in the saddle with no resistance is uncomfortable and won’t get you where you’re going. It’s just like driving a manual transmission car; you change gears when you’re revving too hard or when you need more power.• Become a BFF with your brakes. “The first thing you need to do is have your eyes on the road ahead of you,” Kreidweis says. “The more advance notice you have for when you might need to brake, the better off you are.” Ideally, brake with both hands at the same time. Braking with your left alone means bringing only the front wheel to a halt…which means that if you’re going at speed, the rest of your body is going to flip over that wheel. Not what you’re going for.When going around tight corners or when going downhill, you might try braking ever so gently while pedaling. Feathering the brakes gives you a little tension to pedal against, which gives you much more control.• Be predictable. Cyclists call it “holding your line,” and its critical to be clear and predictable about where you’re going, Kreideweis says. I add to that “ride under the crazy.” In NYC where I ride, there are people. People on phones. Dogs. Cars. Delivery people riding the wrong way. Potholes. Potholes inside of potholes.I find that the best way to get through all of that is to not engage with it. Yes, be aware of it. Respect it, but don’t let it rattle you. Decide where you’re going and don’t get squirrelly. Lose the mental chatter about “what do they think they’re doing” and skip the stink eye. You can mentally duck under all of that and let it go on while also keeping your own peace. That also lets you react to stuff you need to react to—say, a raccoon coming out of nowhere and running across your path—in a calmer way. Or just find less chaotic places to ride. But chaos has nothing on you if you learn how to be in it.Changing a flat is the ultimate flex.Climbing? Good skill. Fixing a flat? Podium level. The best way to learn to change an innertube or fix a flat on a tubeless tire setup is to actually do it. Have someone show you and then stand there and do it on your own bike. More than once.There’s nothing more confidence-inspiring than knowing you can get yourself out of a jam—except stopping to help someone on the side of the road who’s panicking because they didn’t learn to do it. There’s nothing hard about it. Exception: There are some tires that are just really difficult to get off the wheels no matter how pro you are at cycling. You’ll find out if yours are that way when you practice changing it. You can buy different ones that are more flexible and perform just as well.Go your own paceOnce you get started, it can be fun to challenge yourself and ride with a group. That scene can also be not fun for people who simply want to get outside and pedal around, explore, and get fit. There’s room for everybody out there. Just get out and enjoy it.Helpful Stuff to Get You StartedGiro Cielo Mips HelmetNow 27% OffCredit: RetailerRapha Core Lightweight Cycling JerseyCredit: RetailerRapha Core Cycling Bib ShortsCredit: RetailerGarmin Varia RTL515, Cycling Rearview Radar with Tail LightNow 25% OffSwift Industries Bandito Bicycling Handlebar BagCredit: RetailerFjallraven Hoja Adventure Cycling VestCredit: RetailerMarty Munson, currently the health director of Men's Health, has been a health editor at properties including Marie Claire, Prevention, Shape and RealAge. She's also certified as a swim and triathlon coach.