BetterBike

Every cycling coach, friend, and YouTube personality has told you the same thing at some point: “Get your weight back on the descent.” Slide off the saddle, hover behind the seat, stretch your arms out, and let the bike run underneath you. It feels logical. It feels safe. And after years of hearing it, most … Read more

No, you do not need a special bike for bikepacking. The bike sitting in your garage right now will likely work just fine for your first trip. After years of testing setups ranging from vintage steel mountain bikes to modern gravel rigs, our team has learned one consistent truth: the best bikepacking bike is the … Read more

Going over the bars is the crash every cyclist secretly dreads, and I have been there myself. Years ago I grabbed a fistful of front brake on a wet descent, slid forward on the saddle, and learned the hard way why proper technique matters. This guide on how to brake going downhill without flipping over … Read more

I still remember my first bikepacking trip. I packed everything I owned into a borrowed seat pack, picked a route I found online, and headed out without checking water sources. Six hours later I was dehydrated, lost, and honestly questioning every decision that led me to that dirt road in 90-degree heat. That experience taught … Read more

I still remember the first time a steep hill beat me. I was on a road bike, two blocks from home, and I had run out of gears. My cadence collapsed, my rear wheel started sliding, and I tipped over sideways with cars rolling past. That was the day I started learning how to climb … Read more

If your arms are sore after a ride and you keep getting thrown forward over the bars, you are not alone. The most common question I get from newer mountain bikers is some version of how to ride over roots and rocks without getting bucked off. The good news: getting bucked is almost always a … Read more

Picture this: you are 40 miles into a backcountry ride, the nearest bike shop is two towns over, and your drivetrain suddenly goes silent. Knowing how to handle a mechanical problem far from any bike shop is the difference between a story you laugh about later and a long, frustrating walk home. I have been … Read more

I’ve been the rider standing at the side of a remote road holding a deflated tire and a multitool that did not fit the bolt I needed. That moment, somewhere outside a town in the Colorado Rockies, taught me the hard way that packing a long ride breakdown kit is not optional. After a long … Read more

To ride into a strong headwind without getting exhausted, you need to do five things: get low in the drops to shrink your frontal area, spin at a high cadence of 85 to 95 rpm in an easier gear, ride to a steady power output instead of chasing speed, draft behind another rider when possible, … Read more

I still remember the first time I bonked. I was 45 miles into a planned 70-mile ride, halfway up a long false flat, when it felt like someone had quietly reached inside my chest and pulled the plug. One minute I was cruising at 17 mph; the next my legs were wading through wet concrete, … Read more