Absolutely, clean your bike. A clean bike, especially a freshly cleaned and lubed chain, makes everything better. I don't do it often enough.

Also lower your saddle. 😂 most bike fit problems are from people with the saddle too high. About 90% of the time. Also most people get bikes with too large a frameset size because the standard bike size from manufacturers tend to give people a big that is too big.

There is no spoon. There are no rules. I'm an old guy now but I was a courier in London for a few years in the early 80s, I've ridden track for 42 years and still ride fixed on the road every single day and what I've learned is learning from others is always good but as long as you've thought about it and decided to do what you're doing for a reason that makes sense to you then you're doing it right and everything is as cool as cats. I do highly recommend the zen like calm induced by lubing the links in your chain individually though.

In my experience, I think you're right that many beginners do under-size their first bike(s), but a large percentage of intermediate & experienced riders are on bikes that are too big or poorly fitted.

I ride fixed and an enduro/downhill bike. Brakes are essential for me even when riding fixed. I live in a fairly hilly city and learning when to backpedal and when to actually use my front brakes is a must. Having brakes IMO actually made me faster and more confident in the way I ride. I think the problem is when people ride brakeless for so long they forget how to feather/modulate their brakes in an emergency.

I’ve already had to replace my helmet due to a crash, about a year ago. Only been riding since beginning of Covid pandemic. BTW … helmet saved my from a bad cranial injury and/or a concussion. Good that this tip is #1.

I put a disc brake fork on my fixed gear. 😅 good for emergency stops.

Beginner tip : have a front brake (and learn how to use it) Brakes are only death when you don't understand them. They actually make you faster (and safer) by allowing you to brake later and harder instead of having to back-pedal before every single intersection or mildly sketchy situation. You can choose to ride fast brakeless in a dense urban area but you'll die and/or kill someone within a couple of days. You also won't be covered by your insurance without a brake and will thus have to pay for everything yourself. Think about it. Would you go rock-climbing without a rope ? Would you leave your house without locking the door ? No. Then why ride without a brake ? There is nothing cool or hardcore or proper in

i live on steep streets with 8-10% gradients everywhere. brakes are essential and are not death, at least for me 😅

This is one of Zach's most passionate videos....everything spot on. And finally well explained why Wabi is a good company - they put smaller wheels on small size bike - just like it should be (small bikes don't work really well with 700c wheels) and allow to pre-customize your bike, saving money if you know what you want from your bike.

Yup, front brake does most of the work. I wish more people understood that lol

Perfect timing, just got my bike yesterday. State 4130 baby!!

I think it's better to be just 1 size too small than 1 size too big. You can always add a longer stem length and longer saddle post, but if it's too big, you can't chop up the frame to make it smaller. Bonus for having a 1 size too small of a frame, it will be a little lighter and little stiffer. I know, but their marginal gains, that people pay premium for.

Come visit the Netherlands and we'll show you how it's done

I’m 5’5 and ride a 49cm frame set(retrospective drome v2) and I love my bike fit. Almost everyone say that I need a bigger frame set for my size but I beg to differ. I tell people try different sizes, different components lengths. I got my frame for 10p bucks and didn’t know hoe small it was. But it’s my daily and I love it so much. Thank u Zach for the new information

good tipps. just some few notes: bike fitting the way you explain it can work as much as how much clearance there is for your private area - it depends on the bike. I would argue that most people buy their bike size which is their t shirt size, small, medium, large, etc and most of them are too big nowadays... less of a concern on a mtb than road ...You are a tall lenky guy, that's why it might have been too small. second. brakes are not death. I am sure you did not mean it the way it came across to me...your habits of going breakless led you to not know how to brake correctly. emergency breaking with your front brake also does not throw you over your bike, when you know that you must shift your weight back and it becomes second nature (habits, again). having breaks makes you faster overall, but that's not the appeal of fixie (for me)

Helpful video Zach❤ Love all you're videos !

So let’s say you have the saddle height just right that you can fully straighten your leg. I would lower it a bit so that it will be more comfortable plus you can pull the pedal upward quite easily when it is behind so you’ll be going faster

Damn, no love for Looper? Don't tell me you haven't seen that one. I'm gonna have to check out Premium Rush.

SADDLE HEIGHT: There's a trick to get the correct height in just 1 or 2 adjustments using your body as a guide: First, eyeball your saddle height while standing over the rear wheel, using the height of your waistline as a start. Mount your bike, put your heels on the pedals and directly over the spindle, and slowly ride around like that for a minute. Try to keep your upper body as static as possible while doing so. If you can fully extend your leg (the sweet spot is, when you can switch between slightly bent and locked-out knee going over the deadspot without any problems) at the bottom of each pedal stroke, while pedaling like mentioned, without your hips tilting from left to right like a see-saw, you got the correct height. Basically, the rule of thumb is, if you got knee pain (resulting from unusual strain on the joint through unergonomic load transfer), your saddle's most likely too low, if you got lower back pain (resulting from the see-saw motion of the hips), it's most likely too high. There's a catch tho: Knee pain can also sometimes occur when the saddle's too high (this results from the overextension of the knee), but when, it's almost always in combination with lower back issues. Do a few kilometres of normal riding and adjust accordingly. If adjusted correctly, you should be able to, at least, ride a century w/o any unusual pain besides just being a little sore. This only works for platform pedals and normal shoes! If you ride clipless pedals, get the correct height using the above method, measure* your height from center BB to top of saddle along the seattube, apply to the relevant bike and feel it out from there. Also your cleats should already be positioned correctly for that to work properly. PS: Note that the height changes, when the crank arm length changes! For example, switching from 170mm to 175mm cranks results in a 5mm lower saddle height and vice versa. PPS: Your saddle should be level to the ground +/- 5°, cuz: too much fore tilt = numb hands, too much aft tilt = numb crotch. But that's a whole different story. I probably could write a novel about this, because there are so many variables to consider, but I'll leave it at that now as this is already too much info at once haha. Anyway, hope this helps! #unsolicitedadvice #justmytwocents #eachoneteachone #whatthefckisakilometre *learn to use metric ffs lol. it's just logical. ain't nobody got time to remember how many yards are in a mile.

#12: consider using a blinky rear light even in the daytime -- any warning/notice you can give to those all- too-often distracted drivers is a good idea

Tuck in your shoe laces

Bro. Great stuff! Excellent.

Where was this video 7 years ago when i first started riding fixed haha. Love your videos man I am planning on sending in a bike check soon

I adjusted my saddle not too long ago to a more appropriate height. Completely transformed the riding experience.

Tip 12: get a dad-mirror for your helmet

I hate chain lube and the mess it creates no matter how "dry" manufacturers claim they are. I was one step away from buying a belt driven bike when I stumbled upon paraffin wax and I won't ever use lube again.

Here is a useful advice from a roadie. Ride your bike as much as you can!

Good practical advice 👍🏻

I’m guilty of on purpose getting a frameset smaller than I should because I LOVE long stems lol 😅

Love purple bikes! Great video! Keep them coming😀

Good advices and good tuto for life on how to speak to people

Awesome & Thanks :)

I like how you bring up cleaning. I don't think about it often, but it's such a simple task that really changes my mindset about the quality of my ride. I usually do a basic wipe down, and I know I'm missing some spots since I'm not even doing any kind of washing. The distance/time you give as a gauge for when to clean things up is also helpful. Nice tips; great video--keep it up! Also, your bit about having a communications degree is funny to me. I often think about my English degree in the same light 😂

4:38 love seeing the American river bike trail I keep forgetting you are based in Sacramento we should ride sometime

Great video

All good recs. RE: #1-To each their own and not meant as a criticism of others, but I've seen my share of folk that seem to me to have forgotten about the joy of just riding, many of them buying into so much industry hype about the next best blingy tech etc. I admit that I bought into it for quite awhile, but came to realize that chasing after the next new best thing wasn't for the most part, making my riding experience better or me happier. But it was lightening my wallet :)

I bought a ritchey but I am going to check out wabi. Thanks for the tips.

I really enjoyed the tips, and how well you presented the information. I need that degree rofl! 🤣

LeMond method is a good start for saddle height. It’s very easy to strain the backside of your leg with too high a saddle

Helpful tip: the carbs in beer prevent a bonk

Love the helmet mirror. I really need to pick one of them up one of these days. Got a recommendation?

Bro, the lace button up. This is a massive goth flex. Where do you even buy such a thing? I don't normally watch for fashion but damn, that's a fly shirt, and I wanna buy one now.

You have to make a video about bolt on cogs and whether or not the 6 bolt cogs that go on a disc brake hubs are good. im about to try and setup a gravel bike front wheel as my rear with a cog bolted onto the disc brake mount

I like the color of your bike, the same as my room. Also, good info. , thanks.

As a daily commuter for many years in both subzero and warm weather, on both pawed and dirt roads, please remember to only adjust speed with your front brake, and brake with your back brake. Having your front wheel lock up is a sure way to never biker again. If your back wheel loose tracktion you're much more likely to end on your side. The safer option. This goes especially in cold weather. Telling newcomers otherwise is a bit unresponsible imho.

Well said on helmets.

I’ve bonked on every 50 mile ride I do in the cold. Still I do it again, the grocery store near the trail is just like “did you bonk again?” Also maybe it’s just me but I almost never use my front brake, it’s only my rear brake most of the time so I’ve never gone overboard. Including a huge downhill in San Francisco near the Golden Gate Bridge.

btw...thanks to Zach I've tried mirror like his. On my 100km ride I turned my head back about 300 times less and my neck thanked me.

I'm still using a front brake. i have a bad ankle and can't skid, so i only use backpressure to slow down. i definitely need a brake for fast stops and in case of a drivetrain malfunction. [which happens pretty regularly for me. i'm a big guy, ride in mostly urban environments, and put a lot of stress on my equipment. chains snap, pedal spindles snap, and even sheared the rear axle into two pieces one time. it's not super common, but something goes wrong maybe once or twice a year, and i'd definitely be in over my head without a brake.]

Спасибо Зак! у тебя хорошие видео

The proper way to demonstrate stand over height is to stand over. Put one hand behind you and one in front on the top tube. Pull the top tube up until it hits. Then measure distance from ground to tires.

I just started riding a BMX instead of my road bike. Completely wrong bike for riding, but it's really fun!

honestly, i don't trust anyone who can't give me bike advice without being condescending and rude. Had one of my LBS's tell me my fit was wrong (which was odd to me because my bike fit me like a dream, especially after searching for an affordable 'XXL' build for YEARS), but two mechanics worked on my bike, and one or the other messed with my fit without informing them and i guess they presumed i was riding with the wrong fit, so they readjusted my bike to some preconceived notion of what my fit should be without even bothering to fit me , and after a week my shoulder blades and quads are messed up. Once I realized the issue on my weekend ride, i adjusted my fit and have decided to trust my gut as well the other shop i like more. They are more blunt, and not condescending which is wholly my language.

I almost crashed last weekend at the bottom of a small hill because of using my front break. The road down the hill was brand new smooth asfalt, but there was gravel at the bottom turn. As I was breaking and turning at the same time my front tire lost traction and startet to skid out from under me. Fortunately I let go of the break instantly, probably instinct from years of riding mountain bikes on gravel, and got the bike back under control. Skidding with the back tire is all fun and games, but with the front it's scary. :) Still, I'm keeping the break on as there are too many steep hills where I live.

what kind of camera attachment vest thing was your boy rocking? with the other antenna cameras thing.

5:27 as a shorter person i usually just buy bikes that are meant for teenagers. works pretty well and they are much cheaper too which is nice. :)

Hey Zach, what bike fit calculator do you recommend now? CC got rid of theirs

Fit mudguards! Fit a rear carrier! Oil your chain frequently and keep the tyres well inflated! Forget about a helmet, just be aware of the danger around you. And don't waste money on a flashy carbon bike unless you actually are a properly competitive racer.

When I bonk I get cramps and when I try to refuel, I feel my neck muscle cramp up … it’s important hydration electrolytes and sugar

Wish Wabi were in the UK as well.

Yo Zach you’re a Gánster in this bike game. I sent this video to my sister to motivate her cyclist spirit. Thank you bud hair looking wild!

1:43 what is that mini cycle called? And how do I get one? Please answer. I'm asking for a friend

I always stop using my rear break first

Zach, Terry B and John Hicks are the best bike-youtubers out there! God, I can't thank you enough for the work you put into these videos! PS: I've ridden fixed my whole life and put a front brake on once. Worst decision ever, I instantly ate shit and ruined my fork. Brakes are death, lol.

7:10 absolutely get a gauge. In my environment, however, i see people riding around on their commuter bikes with way too little in their tires. Often the sidewall specifies a lower limit here. For a standard dutch commuter tire, the pressure should usually be 3,5 to 5,5 bar. Any lower and you risk impact punctures from the rim 'biting' the inner tube when you hit a bump/tree root/intentionally go on or off a sidewalk, and the rolling resistance increases by a lot. It's very obvious here, sometimes i'm coasting down a bridge or viaduct while some folks in front of me are actively pedaling downhill to keep their speed. People really are clueless about how much influence it has. Personally i run mine at half a bar under the maximum. On the fairly smooth roads here that's comfortable enough and gives me a good while until i notice 'huh, why do i have to pedal that hard' and pressure's dropped to the lower limit.

zach "buttery smooth" gallardo

Those chrome lugs though ❤

Might i add: "Don't use flashing lights". These trigger target fixation from other road users. Target fixation is an absolute bitch and it'll happen to everyone at some point. If you want to be visible, use normal. As a related light-issue, point your damn 1W LED lights at the road if you're riding where there are street lights and other road users. They are as blinding to other traffic as the high beam of a car, if you point them straight ahead. In Germany, there are strict laws on the beam pattern of bicycle headlights which is a good thing. You set them horizontally and they'll light the road in front of you properly. In the Netherlands and in many other countries, there are no regulations. This does mean that the 'cone' shaped beam that LED lamps often give, needs to actively be pointed down at the road so the cone's top edge hits the road about 25-50 meters in front of you. Mine is mounted slightly loose for in case i ride somewhere where there's no street lighting at all, but i'll still have to tip it down if i meet another road user so i'm not doing the equivalent of being the bad cop in a dark interrogation room shining the desk light right at the suspect. Finally, learn to brake. Practice. Don't assume that you'll be able to use them in an emergency situation just from using them in normal situations everyday. If you're unsure of yourself, mount one of those brake force regulators/modulators that make the front brake less aggressive. It makes it very hard to lock up the front in dry weather. Once experienced enough you can remove it to squeeze out just a bit more brake force out of your brakes.

For me, I don't really care about going as fast or efficiently as possible on my bike. Being comfortable while I ride is way more important to me than getting the theoretical maximum amount of bike movement per calories spent, so I much prefer an upright riding position. My back hurts just looking at sportier bikes where the handlebars are lower than the saddle.

Already experience no.2 cause my phone drop when i was abt to go to the bike shop then i press my front brake to hard and my bike did a 180⁰ turn and wlund my knee

I am actually recovering from an accident on my bike a few months ago when I squeezed my front brake too hard and it flung me over the bars lmao. Fortunately no broken teeth but I couldn't work bc I sprained my back and lost my job.

You should give waxing your chain a try and do a review!

When's your next chicago group ride

I’m kinda worried I got the wrong frame size since I ordered my bike online. I’m 5’10 175lbs, but kinda have a long torso and arms. I got a size Medium because I’m (always) between a Medium and Large. Anyway, it just arrived and seems small, but oh well.

12:00 "i thought i could relly on my front brake" brother you were pedaling straight at a corner

The way I heard to properly size a bike is to sit on the bike with the seat at the correct height for you and put your hands on the top of the drops as you normally would. If you can see the front axle behind the bars, the bike is too big. Also, if you can see the front axle in front of the bars, the bike is too small.

What shirt are you wearing? It looks like it could protect you from the sun while being super ventilated.

So much comment on safety (wear a helmet, tighten straps etc) although, no mention at all, about having brakes to stop your bicycle in an emergency !

0:30 there is a good way to convince kids who think that helmets are "uncool" as well: Every pro cyclist wears one, because it lets you ride harder. You can't win a race if you're dead, so wearing protective gear (and especially a helmet) lets you ride closer to the limits instead of having to hold back.

A helmet is probably the most important thing you should wear when cycling if your bike doesn't have any brakes. Otherwise, BRAKES are the most important thing to have on your bike.

I’m with you on almost all of your advice here. Well told. The exception is about brakes. Brakes are death for track and fixies. But for most types of bikes the better advice is to learn to use them well. Balanced application and feel the edge so you don’t accidentally lock. Front is where the power is but requires caution as you mention. Rears alone wont stop you quickly. But balanced application and weight shift does wonders. Dirt is a great place to learn this.

I used wd 40 for cleaning my bik3. Not using water or soap. Is that crazy or ok?

Watch Breaking Away too. Thats an unsolicited advice.

Brakes are death if you dont know how to use them, its impossible to go over the handlebars if your body is far back enough, 11:55 seems like you didnt brake before the corner, and tried to use the front brake when the bike is supposed to be leaned, using the front brake straightens the bike up, making you go in a straight line, in corners only trail braking (rear) lightly to maintain speed, because you should scrub your speed before, not during.

Brakes are life, actually. If you have problem with your breakes, follow tip #1 and get comfortable with your breakes

wabi with chome lugs😍

In my part of the world, the reason you wear a helmet while biking is so you don't homeless. If you look homeless, the cops and the peckerwoods will target you. That can have some rather negative consequences.

PREACH SISTER PREACH

Please, can someone tells me what is this rectangular thing on the side of his helmet?

Your brake problems seem to stem from you not being totally familiar and comfortable with your brakes.. I dont ride fixed gear, and I basically unconsciously control when and how much I rely on the front vs the rear brake by this point. But you do overshoot the limits when learning though

The only bonking I feel is cramps in my leg and jaw when I begin eating

A horse has a saddle and I am pretty sure it takes all your weight and transfers it to the horse lol. Rodies are so snobby.

What you showed, but did not explain--a level saddle nose!! Goes with saddle height as no1. Another thing for your next list- A loose grip on bars- not a Death Grip.(teeth and tongues are good to keep, sore neck/shoulders suck) Keep up the good work, a degree in Not Being A Dick is a good thing( and that is even a nicer way to say it than Don't be a Schmuck)

The competetivecyclist site with the frame size calculator Zach has linked in bio is not available in the EU which means they mine heavily Your data -- so be aware

Saddle too low hurts knees, too high hurts back.

They make frames small enough for toddlers. Aren’t there teen bikes for small adults?

"Brakes are death" smh man. Fixie purists be darned, always always have a brake. Even if you don't use it 99% of the time. It's the "Oh Sh*t" Lever. No rider can not stop as quickly with backpedaling/skidding as you can with a brake. Learn to mix backpedaling with braking. Then you're invincible. Because no matter how strong of a rider you are, you can't control everything happening around you. Brakes will save your life.

i'm 5'2 ; 1,58cm. my bike frames are absolutely Rare to find here where i live. its hard to me in mtb i need 15''' BIke, and Speed/fixed i need 46cm ;=; why im so smol?

Riding a steel frame is smoother than alloy. My second bike is aluminum, very hard. Both bikes, 27" and c700 are always pumped above maximum for maximum coast. I only ride on asphalt, w little hops to the sidewalk. Both bikes have horn shape handlebars where my hands are parallel w the bike. No big deal bending your elbows for speed. If you can swing bigger wheels, I'm 6 ft, get them. 26" or 24" wheels are rougher to ride. The saddle height thing has more to do with full leg extension on downstroke. (I ache when I see riders on the street seated riding a BMX bike.) I keep comfy saddles with coil springs to SIT on on SLOW rides. Mostly HAVE FUN and watch for increasingly bad drivers. Where I am I can't ride in traffic anymore. You can't entitle yourself out of getting killed on the road. Wear bright colors, lots of lights, loud bells, ANYTHING to be visible to distracted and bad drivers. Keep that helmet on. In a few minutes you even forget it's there. See you out there. Enjoy.