A few years ago, I attended a 2-day Stress Management class required for our corporate executives. Not surprisingly, the topic of alcohol was discussed. The instructor used data from a triathlete to illustrate the results. It demonstrated the negative effect of alcohol on your heart

Keeping your feet warm and dry while riding can be the key to keeping you healthy as well as keeping your body warm. Being closest to the road, your feet are more likely to get wet and, in cold weather, that will lead to cold

First of all, this tip isn’t for you. It is for your friends, family or significant other. This is a public service for those of you that have received cycling gifts in the past that you are too embarrassed to even regift. Therefore please forward

Tomorrow many of us will be eating some type of potato for Thanksgiving, so I thought this would be a good topic for this week. When I met Toms Skujins at the Tour de France a couple years ago, one of the on-running jokes was

I know what you’re thinking, “I’m in great health and don’t have any medical issues, why do I need to wear an ID?” My answer is that there are many risks in cycling and, despite your best efforts, they cannot always be avoided. Unfortunately we

Over the years I’ve progressed from using my iPhone (not good in high humidity) to my Apple Watch (glitches and limited features) to a cycling computer. Here are 7 things that you should look for in a cycling computer. 1. Types of Cycling ComputersBasic These

Fall is a difficult time to dress for cycling. You can start out with temperatures in the 40’s and end up in the 60’s or higher. Although you may feel cold at the beginning, don’t dress for winter riding. You don’t want to overheat and

First of all, you should at least have a saddle bag. I saw a rider the other day who did not even have one. Years ago I rode in the Tour de Cure without a saddle bag. I had a new bike and thought that

One of our teammates brought this issue to my attention.  He experienced a severe “shimmy” while descending the big hill on Route 42.  His bike just started shaking and he couldn’t control it.  Fortunately he was not close to his fellow riders and was able

This was composed several years ago by our Team Captain, Bob Oderkirk. It is meant for those of us who have been here awhile and also for all the great new riders coming out and joining the club for rides et al. When I started

With the days getting shorter, it is even more important to use both a front and back light when riding during the day. Cars can have a difficult time seeing you as you ride in and out of the shadows. Not only should you have

Have you ever had another rider start asking questions about your chain set using lots of numbers and you answer, “hmmm, I think so.” Well, here are what those numbers mean and what they mean to you. A “Compact” chainring is 50/34. This means there

I went to Home Depot to get a replacement toilet flapper, but bought the wrong one. I thought that they were all the same. (Bonus tip: In 2005 some toilets changed to 3”, not 2”) Bicycle parts are not all the same either. There are

People ask when will I run out of cycling tips. The answer is when I stop riding. Bad things tend to happen to me. Sometimes they are my fault and sometimes not. Fortunately you can learn from my mistakes. (Here’s a bonus tip: Don’t fly

What Strategies Should I Look For? Breakaways — Riders are very strategic, and don’t cycle as fast as they can throughout the race. They tend to cycle in a main group called a peloton, and have smaller groups break away to the front at almost

After an almost 2 month delay, the Tour de France will begin this weekend. For those of you haven’t followed it very closely, here is a brief explanation of the jerseys. This year’s race will starts in Nice and end 23 days later in Paris.

Group Ride Etiquette This can be where the newbie rider might get in trouble, but these are the basic things to pay attention to.First things first – if you decide to go on a group ride, show up ready. Be on time. “Clip in time”

For those of you who have or want to ride in groups, here is an article submitted by one of our teammates, Kurt Ehlert. Since it is rather long, I am posting it in two parts. Next week I will post the second half which

I noticed that we had quite a few climbers this past month and what goes up must come down. So here are some tips on how to descend safely. 1. Know your limits – It’s tempting to try to push it a little when your

With many people riding solo this year due to the pandemic, I thought it would be a good time to review the basics. Plan your route – You should determine your rest stop options ahead of time. Once you’ve ridden over two hours, you’re going

With many cyclists going on longer rides this year, hand soreness and/or numbness can be an issue. Here are some tips to help prevent it from occurring. Relax Relax your grip and your shoulders. Bend your elbows and engage your core. Practice taking your hands

Anne suggested this topic and it’s a good one. I know my biggest issue is taking days off. Cycling can be addictive and, from what I see on Strava, many of you may have the same problem. Rest days are just as important as training

One of our teammates, Walt, suggested that we focus on situational awareness this week. You can wear bright colored jerseys, hi-viz socks, and have front and back flashing lights, but sometimes that’s not enough. Here are three tips to help you be safer on the

Thus far this year I’ve offered a variety of suggestions to make your bike lighter and faster. However now it’s time to focus on the elephant in the room – your own body weight. Losing as little as 5 or 10 pounds can make a

Most new bikes today come with aluminum alloy wheels. There’s nothing wrong with aluminum alloy wheels, they are strong and lightweight. However just like with bicycle frames, carbon fiber, although pricey, has some advantages. Carbon is Lighter Entry level carbon wheels are about 10% lighter

I’m sure most of you have your own methods of riding in the hot and humid weather of North Carolina. Here are few that I have learned over the years: The higher the heat and humidity, the lower the oxygen content in the air. So

We’ve had lots of questions about resuming TeamCBC group rides. We know we are now in Phase 2 of re-opening NC. And, we know that riding solo or in small groups doesn’t quite replace the camaraderie of our social rides. After careful consideration and deliberation

There was a time not too long ago when 23mm wide tires were the standard road tire. Many pro racers used 21mm or even narrower, but now most of them ride 25mm. If wider tires were really slower, why would they ride on them? First

We all clean our bikes (well, most of us), but are we doing it often enough and doing it right? If you’re on gravel or trails, you may need to wash it after every ride. However if you’re riding on the road, you should clean

Whether it’s cycling, running or swimming, the one characteristic that is common to most professional athletes is how relaxed and smooth they look. I remember watching Olympic Gold Medalist Cullen Jones at our neighborhood pool years ago. When he dove into the pool the water

As you know, jerseys and shorts can be expensive. Therefore you really don’t want to throw them out if they’ve been torn. If the tear is by a seam you’re probably going to have to sew it (yeah, right) or find someone to sew it

A couple weeks ago I explained, in theory, how a tire with a better rolling resistance can help you ride as much as 1 mph faster. I compared my current tires, Continental Gator Hardshells, rated at 20 watts/each with Continental Grand Prix 5000 tires which

Dear members of TeamCBC, It has been nearly two months since we suspended our organized group rides. Although some communities are beginning to relax their “stay-at-home” orders, there is still a long way to go. As an USA Cycling member organization we will continue to

It may seem obvious, but if your saddle height is wrong, you may develop knee pain. A general rule states that if the pain is in the front of your knee, your saddle is too low. If the pain is towards the back of your

Are the tires that came with your bike the right tires for you? Buying tires for a bike can be more complicated than buying tires for your car. There are dozens of choices, so maybe the best thing to do is ask your favorite bike

The reason you find so many conflicting answers to the question, “What is the ideal cadence?” is because there is no one ideal cadence for everyone, all the time. The best cadence for the moment depends on a number of interacting variables which change not

What cadence do you pedal? I’ve read that 80 rpm’s is ideal, in a lab. However we don’t ride in a lab, we ride outside with all kinds of factors. So I decided to get some real life numbers. Since many of you have cadence

Now that you’ve followed my advice and bought some new pedals on-line from one of our sponsors, how do you change them out? First of all, you’re going to need an 6mm or 8mm hex tool depending on the pedal. This is basically a very

So you just spent thousands of dollars on a new bike and it didn’t even come with pedals, why is that? The answer is that there are many different types of pedals and, to keep the price down, the bike companies leave it up to

This past week someone told me that I should get longer crank-arms. They said that I’m always riding in the higher gears and quickly top out going down hills. Being a mechanical engineer, it made sense to me that a longer crank-arm would produce more

This week we dusted off our old Twitter account, @team_cbc. Please follow us if you’re on Twitter. We will be tweeting and retweeting the latest news and updates in our cycling world. Stay Safe. Rick Bunnell President, TeamCBC

With group riding officially suspended, for the next few weeks I will focus on tips those riding solo can use. So, tire pressure, it’s easy, just fill your tires with 100 psi each and you’re done, right?  Well, not necessarily. There are actually several factors. 

Please consider supporting our sponsors! These are unprecedented times.  Many small businesses have been forced to limit hours and services, or may even be forced to close temporarily.  They are seriously at risk of not surviving this crisis.  Therefore, IF you have to go out

Dear members of TeamCBC In light of the emerging COVID-19 pandemic, TeamCBC is joining other cycling clubs across the Triangle and across the country by SUSPENDING all group rides/events for the next several weeks (until early April). We do this in an effort to protect

Etiquette (noun) – the customary code of polite behavior among members of a particular group. When I earned my MBA degree many years ago, our first class was on etiquette.  We were told that one day, when we were in a professional setting, it would

To TeamCBC Riders: In light of recent developments regarding COVID-19 (aka the coronavirus), TeamCBC has put together the following statement regarding our Group Rides: TeamCBC’s current stance is that our Group Rides will continue during this health advisory period as long as the following precautions

Why would anyone ask this question? It’s settled science, right?  The consensus among cyclists is that disc brakes are clearly better than rim brakes and you just have to run out and buy a new bike with disc brakes.  Of course most of us don’t

As many of you have seen, the median on Brewery Hill has recently been extended to over a mile and the Town of Holly Springs left the uphill side as a single lane. Bob has updated our rides to avoid Brewery Hill, but Woods Creek

Changing a flat tire can be a challenge.  Fortunately, when changing a tire on a group ride, there are usually plenty of fellow cyclists willing to help.  However, there are about 20 steps and, when sweat is pouring down your face and everyone is waiting

It’s time to Kickoff Bike MS 2020 with a Rock and Roll Party! Join us on March 7 as we “spring forward” and kickoff the 2020 Bike MS fundraising season with our very own local rock group: Peak City Band! There will be something for

I don’t have any on-the-road experience with cycling power meters, but I do believe that they can help improve your cycling experience.  In my opinion it is a “nice to have” upgrade, but for some of the more serious riders, maybe it is a “must

1. Pace, don’t race: Don’t go charging up a long hill. Keep a steady pace based on your heart rate or power (if you have a power meter). We’ll cover power meters in a future tip. 2. Steady Cadence: Keep your rpm’s steady. Some people

Thanks to Linda Murray, I am pleased to announce that we now have a new email service and a new website. New Email Along with a new, more flexible, email service, we now have the ability to support multiple email addresses to make it easier for

When going up a big hill, or in a group ride that is going a bit too fast, you need to find the pace where your heart rate is at or below your Lactate Threshold. So what the heck is Lactate Threshold? Does it have

I think most of us have learned from fellow cyclists.  Sometimes it is thoughtful and constructive advice and sometimes you just get yelled at.  Some of it is good information, some of it seems worthless to you and some of it is just plain wrong. 

Welcome to the 20’s!  Here’s what’s new for this year. First of all, here are the brave souls who have agreed to serve as your Board of Directors for 2020. President – Rick Bunnell Vice President – Linda Murray Team Captain – Bob Oderkirk Treasurer –