Grizzly Wears Boxer Shorts have been developed to reduce friction and give maximum comfort. They truly are the best boxer shorts for cycling. When used as a layer between your shorts/padding and skin they are so comfortable and smooth you will forget you’re even wearing them !
Zero Friction by Nature
Firstly, because Grizzly Wears Boxers are made from super smooth bamboo, they naturally reduce chafing. This incredible fabric is softer than silk whilst remaining incredibly strong. Bamboo is a fantastic natural fabric with many inherent qualities that make it perfect for this application.
Importantly, bamboo is breathable but a great thermal regulator. It stays warm when the weather is cold and cools when the weather is hot. This makes our boxers fantastic for all seasons. As there is current ongoing arguments about how much of the antibacterial qualities of the plant remain when it is turned into a fabric we would not claim any antibacterial properties. However the fibres do not retain odour like polyester can. This makes bamboo products easy to wash at low temperatures. They also resist picking up odours and are ideal for longer adventures where you may not get chance to change every day.
Lastly, bamboo fabric resists stretching. I’m sure you have got to the end of the day, taken off your boxers and found the fabric has stretched to a larger size. Bamboo retains its shape and support all day long.
Grizzly Wears Bamboo Boxer Shorts
Premium quality bamboo boxer shorts. End of Line Stock ReleasePricing (per pair): 1 £7.50 : 3+ £6.50 : 5+ £5.75 : 10+ £5
£15.00Original price was: £15.00.£7.50Current price is: £7.50.
Engineered to Perfection
In addition to the fantastic features of bamboo, these boxer shorts have flat seams everywhere. Having flat seams removes usual points which can cause areas of discomfort, especially when you are working hard and sweating. Furthermore, by carefully placing seams in the right locations we have removed the risk of the legs riding up and causing issues. The last thing you want to happen when you start riding is to find your underwear is uncomfortable shortly into a ride. This can definitely make a good ride less enjoyable. And I’m sure you’ll know once the issues start they only get worse !
Ultimate Quality
Every pair of Grizzly Wears is made to the highest standards. When designing these boxers, every aspect was considered for all day comfort and no expense spared. The craftsmanship really is top level and they are built to last. Choose a pair of these boxers if you want guaranteed comfort. You don’t have to wear them exclusively for cycling. Capable of performing well for every activity and daily life these can be your new default boxers to use all the time. Once you grab a pair of Grizzlies, you’ll never want to go back !
Grab a pair of the Best Boxer Shorts for Cycling
Visit my shop and pick up a pair of the best boxers now. You can also drop by and feel them for yourself at the National Cycling Show.
Also check out my T-Shirts, there are cotton and 100% recycled polyester available. Great for the planet, the Gym and the Pub !. See the full range of Sustainable Bamboo Running Clothes
Finally for more tips about Cycling, Running, General Adventuring, check out some of the other posts on my blog
Initially, this may seem like a simple concept and one which is often overlooked. Breathing is something that is handled by our subconscious mind most of the time and not often given much thought. This is probably why a lot of people do not consider how to breathe. By taking control of your breathing you can retrain yourself to perform better. If you often feel breathless and struggling for air this is definitely something you should read…
If you learn to breathe properly you can push yourself harder for longer. You can work your muscles more efficiently and feel less tired at the end. Whether you’re Cycling, Running, Hiking, Walking this is something that will make what you’re doing much easier.
Breathing is something you will have to do. You’ll have to do it more when exercising. It is easy to see runners going along, hardly out of breath and assume they are super fit. The likelihood is that they are but they didn’t start there. They are indeed working hard but have learnt to control their breathing in a more effective way.
Take the small wins to get going
Firstly, it is very easy to get carried away. When using Strava it is easy to become disheartened if you weren’t as fast as last time. Don’t do this. Accept you’re going back to step 1 to build yourself up stronger. The aim here is simply to not get out of breath and keep going.
Pick a distance you normally have to slow down and walk or push or stop. Instead of trying to run quickly just breathe deeply. Breath in through your nose for 3 seconds, hold it, breathe out through your mouth for 3 seconds, hold it and repeat. If you find you’re breathing faster, slow down. Do not allow to yourself to get to the point of hyperventilating. It’s much harder to recover from this and you will have to stop. Concentrate on letting your breathing control your speed. Use all of your lungs.
You will start to feel like you’re getting better and gaining fitness very quickly. More than likely you’re just fuelling yourself with oxygen much more efficiently. Also you will save a little energy from not breathing as hard and inefficiently !
Why does this make you so much better ?
Under normal resting breathing you only utilise about 20% of your lung capacity. Instead of rapidly using a small part, try using all of it, breathe deeply and slowly. Rest days are still important but if you feel like you can go and push yourself more often then why not. Well done, you’re starting to learn how to breathe.
Learning how to breathe more efficiently is your first step towards being more efficient. Fuel your muscles with more oxygen. It is easy to assume that breathing faster and heavier will increase the amount of oxygen in your body but it has the opposite effect. Slowing down your breathing will increase your blood-oxygen saturation level.
The Next Steps
Once you have learned to cover that distance you couldn’t do without stopping you can either start speeding it up or you can go further. This is where you can start to see greater fitness gains. Being able to go further or faster or longer, whatever your goal is, is where you can start getting fitter.
Don’t try to do it all at once. Remember you are rebuilding yourself ultimately better than before. If you have to slow down to go further, do it. Build up slowly. This is about pacing yourself so you don’t get exhausted as much as it is about improving. Stay in this zone of not being out of breath and you will build fitness much faster. This is how you can work your muscles more efficiently and reduce fatigue.
A Life Skill to Master
This is truly a skill to master. There are many good videos and guides out there with various different techniques. Ones to give you a burst of speed or ones that might just work better for you. Everybody is different and it is not a one size fits all solution. However, this is a good place to start. In conclusion, all you need to do is keep it slow and deep and allow your breathing to control your pace. Don’t let your pace dictate your breathing.
Once you have mastered this doing whatever you are doing, it translates over to making you better at any other type of aerobic exercise.
As always, If you found this useful, support me by buying some of my awesome sportswear
The Grizzly Wears Recycled Polyester Sportswear range is a core part of our line up. Whilst we grow as a business, this range will grow with us. I see this range as an important part of our journey to a more sustainable future.
Why is Recycled Polyester so great ?
Firstly, this fabric is great. Each T-Shirt is made from about 8 plastic bottles worth of plastic waste meaning we prevent that waste going to landfill. Not only does it mean we have less requirements for virgin material to be produced from oil but we reduce landfill waste that takes a long time to break down. Both important points in the battle to save the planet.
And secondly, this is a great performing fabric for technical clothing. It breathes well, it is soft and smooth. It dries quickly. We sacrifice none of the performance we are used to as we gain so many benefits.
Polyester has become the dominant fabric of the sportswear industry. It is good for running, cycling, the gym, hiking, walking. You name an activity and there will be a polyester garment designed specifically for it. This is due to the particular balance of properties it provides. Along with an industry scaled to meet demands.
Is there no better, natural alternative ?
Few natural fabrics have the properties of polyester. There are a great number of natural fabrics being created. The issue we face is that they are costly, in short supply, hard to get hold of. Recycled polyester is more widely available. Although it isn’t the ultimate solution it is one step in the right direction.
The main advantage is that it doesn’t take up land, natural habitats or limited resources to produce. It is made entirely of a waste product. In addition it requires much less energy to produce. We should look ultimately towards natural solutions but use what we have in the mean time. We have a lot of plastic waste.
Exploring the natural world (Probably wearing Polyester)
What about when it reaches the end of it’s life ?
Because Grizzly Wears only uses 100% recycled polyester, it can be easily recycled again. When polyester is blended with another material, the process of recycling becomes harder. In addition there are limited places which can process this. By sticking to 100% polyester and nothing else, we have a product range that is recyclable again.
Currently, I am looking in to services to have this range recycled but do have the possibility of sending clothing to people in need. If you return this range of clothing to us in the future, it will be dealt with in the best way possible. We may even give you money off some new clothing for doing so.
Clothing wears out, fashion changes. Make new clothes from old ones. Check out my Shop to buy the latest items available and send them back once you’re finished.
Are there any downsides ?
I am yet to discover a fabric that has no downsides at all. Recycled Polyester is no exception and I see the biggest problem as being microplastics. this is a problem we all have to tackle by washing clothes less, for a shorter time and at a lower temperature. Filters are available for your washing machine from Planet Care. Scientists are working on identifying plants that can remove microplastics from our water. Even though this is not perfect, the advantages do outweigh the negative effects. Polyester is something we just have not found a natural replacement for yet.
Recycled Polyester Sportswear in Conclusion…
As polyester is an engineered fabric which performs like polyester, a natural replacement is not easy to find. For sportswear, most people will demand a level of performance. And also have a limited budget. Utilising recycled polyester lets us create high performance clothing and meet the performance and price requirements that you have come to rely on.
Choose 100% recycled polyester and take steps to a more sustainable future. This is one of our tools to fight climate change in the fashion industry and maybe one day we will tip the balance more in favour of recycling. One day we may create a closed loop eco system of infinitely recyclable polyester. Read about how its used in our Sustainable Bamboo Running Clothes
Finding motivation can be hard at times. More so in winter months when the weather is less inviting. As a result I definitely end up with a seasonal fitness dip and I know I’m not the only one. This definitely applies a lot more broadly than fitness but here are a few ways I fit things in. Here are a few tips to Clear your mind of Excuses and get things done.
For the purposes of writing this, I chose running as the target activity. Just switch the word with whatever you make excuses about not doing to fit. It could be running, cycling, mountain biking, yoga, going to the gym. The same excuses come up for everything.
To start with, everybody has objections to doing things. The difference between somebody who does take action is they are better at overcoming the excuses in their own mind. It is as simple as that. On occasions they have built up that level of resilience, some are just that way to start. Take some steps towards being that person who just does things and stop procrastinating !
A wise man, a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away
“Try not. Do. Or do not, there is no try”
— Yoda, Grand Master Jedi
Tackle that to-do list
When you have a huge “to-do” list it can be overwhelming. Bear in mind everything on that list is only one thing. Do one thing. Do one more thing. It’s strangely addictive and before you know it, that list is much shorter. For example: Today you need to do the shopping; walk the dog; go to work; grab some lunch; cook the dinner; tidy up after last night; put the washing machine on; load the dishwasher; hang the washing up to dry; go back to the shop for what you forgot; collect that missed parcel and try and squeeze a run in. Looking at your day this way, it seems like an unstructured mess of 12 things. It absolutely is. Take a breath and relax.
Today you will:
Get up and run with the dog, have breakfast, then leave a note of where to leave your parcel and throw your workout clothes in the washing machine.
Grab lunch on the way to work and have a relaxing walk on your break.
Go shopping on the way home with a photo of the recipe you’re making for dinner.
Load the dishwasher and start cooking, hang the washing out whilst you’re waiting.
This way you have achieved six tasks (half of them) before starting work. And one of them was that critical “you time” run. This way the jobs are done. A little planning has even given you a few hours to crash at the end of your day. Furthermore by being a little proactive, some of the jobs took care of themselves.
Do the boring quickly and enjoy the interesting
Quite importantly, nobody wants to savour the boring jobs. By getting on and just doing them so much time is saved. Time that is now free and absolutely all yours !
When you clear your mind of excuses you can get on and get things done. Unfortunately, every day there are boring jobs. This is part of being a grown up. The “I’ll do it later” philosophy seems to just add to that to-do list. In conclusion it is another simple solution. However, it is easy to postpone things and let the excuses build up. Leading to all of these individual things to become an excuse in their own way. “I haven’t got time to run because I have to tidy up”. Turn this around. “I am going for a run and then I will speed tidy on my runner’s high!”. When you find a different perspective, you begin to wonder why there was a problem in the first place.
What are the most common excuses ?
Like cheap brand cola, excuses seem to come in similar flavours with a unique twist. Every supermarket has them, but who makes the best. Well this one is down to personal preference. This section may be offensive as I blow holes through your top excuses. If you find it offensive, this is more than likely because it is true !
These are some of the excuses I use myself and have heard others use, along with the arguments to clear your mind of excuses.
I’ve got [insert here] to do instead.
Sometimes a reason rather than an excuse. Probably the most common one. If it is something you can do in advance or afterwards, move your schedule and make that run happen. In the event of not having flexibility, run at a different time. It isn’t always a one or the other choice. Choose both.
Someone couldn’t come with me today/I don’t want to go by myself.
So your friends are busy ? Go by yourself. When you go with somebody else you tend not to mix. Go by yourself and you will meet new people. Other people by themselves. If you spend your life waiting for other people, you will have a lot of free time. To make it worse there will always be someone who says “I would have come with you”. This is normally the person who said they were too busy the last twenty times you asked.
Check out Lost Explorers, and their great idea, the green light, This signals to other people that you are approachable when you are out and about.
The weather is too hot/cold/windy/wet/muddy.
You probably want to wash your clothes and have a shower anyway. Just get on with it. The perfect weather hardly ever seems to come, especially in the UK. If I waited for the right weather I would probably leave the house a maximum of three days per year. Some of the best adventures I’ve had have been peeping out from the comfort of my goretex jacket on a rainy day.
The weather is what you make of it. Just remember, everywhere you go, always take the weather with you.
I won’t get back in time to watch [insert here] on TV.
Get Netflix. This is the 21st century. Plenty of streaming services, some are free.
My [insert body part] hurts.
Well this is exercise. Furthermore, I can confirm it only gets worse with age. There are two different types of pain. Firstly, the kind where you should stop, slow down, rest, recover. Secondly the kind that is just your body adapting to what you demand of it. This is the kind of pain you probably won’t benefit from backing away from. Get up, get out, face the pain. When you push through this type of pain and find it gets no worse or disappears, you learn to cope and push through it. Use this pain as an opportunity to build yourself up stronger. This is how you build muscle and get better at what you choose to do.
In summary, try to push yourself and if it gets no better, walk home and get the peas out of the freezer.
I’m tired.
Yeah… everybody gets tired. There is usually enough left to get a few miles in. Tiredness is something that’s with me most of the time. Beat that tiredness with a run in the fresh air, get your heart pumping and get going. You’ll sleep better. Problem solved. On the other hand you’ll get an energy boost. Problem solved.
I’m waiting for a parcel.
Every day is parcel day when you have Amazon Prime. Remember when we had to get up and physically go to a shop?
Try to get your parcels delivered to a neighbour or safe place. Even better get them all delivered on one day to minimise time spend waiting for parcels. (I’m currently waiting for a parcel and not running).
Clear your mind of Excuses conclusion…
Unless faced with a valid reason, organise your day better, combine tasks. Deal with things that are stopping you doing what you enjoy.
The more you manage to overcome these excuses, the more your default habit becomes to dispose of them. If it wasn’t a problem last time, it won’t be next time.
If you found motivation here, show everybody with one of my T-Shirts. Grizzly Bears don’t make excuses. If you’re going to be a bear, be a Grizzly !
Every year I tell myself I will continue to ride through winter to maintain my bike fitness. Every year I find an excuse not to. This year I took up running which has given me a big boost out of winter. See How to Run for Bike Fitness for more information on this. Mountain Biking does seem to need its own type of fitness. The best way to achieve this fitness is absolutely by riding more often and pushing yourself. In reality there are times when it is difficult to get out and ride. For this reason I thought I would put together a list of Activities that Help with Mountain Biking. These are the things I personally find, make me better on my bike.
Being that time of year when everybody is in a similar position and wanting to get back out riding more, I thought it would be good to write down the things I find help me. Let’s get over that downtime and off season with a boost into the season ahead.
Running
As mentioned in the opening section because it is a big one, there are so many aspects that translate. Any type of running is good but I like trail runs. It’s rare in mountain biking that you will be riding smooth, flat ground. For this reason I like to run on the slippery slopes. Constant pace is not as important as constant effort and this helps with flow.
Running
Running definitely helps with aerobic fitness and this is important. In addition is the breathing control learned from running. In other words, I personally find allowing your breathing to dictate your pace rather than trying to match breathing to pace, allows you to keep pushing for longer. This is a great skill to learn if you haven’t already. Breathing should be deep and slow and never to the point of hyperventilating. When you breath shallow and hard it feels as if you’re able to give more effort but this is not true. On the whole your breathing should follow a sustainable rhythm. In essence, slow down and build stamina and fitness and speed will follow.
There are different types of run which help with different things. Normally I run around 3 miles, currently I can do this without having a level of pain that impacts on my riding. Sometimes I like to push it and do 10+ miles, I definitely need time to recover but I feel these runs are the ones I benefit most from.
Spinning
Recently I took up spinning. This is the indoor activity I can make myself do when the weather is bad, I can’t be bothered cleaning mud off things, there is nothing on Red Bull TV. Although I love relaxing on an evening and not doing a lot, I have watched everything worth watching because of lockdown. I was getting bored on evenings and as a result, decided to fill my time with spinning classes whenever possible.
Spinning
Being completely honest, I thought with years of mountain biking under my belt I could walk in and smash it. This was absolutely not the case. Mountain biking does not help with spinning but spinning does help with mountain biking. Being conditioned to pedal full suspension means I have a weird cadence. Without realising I compensate for pedal bob in my strokes. Being up and out the saddle, in different positions works muscles in different ways. In either case it does help my riding. To summarise the benefits, it helps me power through climbs and sprints without as much pain.
Try spinning with an open mind. It is not easy. Mountain biking does not help you be good at this. Give it a few classes at maximum effort and you will feel the benefits. My local Gym does pay as you go classes, meaning I can walk to somewhere that I don’t need to sign up for a year.
Walking
Never underestimate the power of a good walk. I find a walk can help loosen off muscles, keep you more mobile and help recovery. You don’t have to go for miles on end but a quick half hour gentle walk with the dog usually helps.
Walking
It is also nice to get fresh air, exercise and not over exert yourself from time to time. Even better as you’re moving more slowly you tend to pick out new trails created by the trail fairies and can take the time to track walk some trails and pick new lines. As you are a mountain biker I probably don’t need to tell you to be mindful of other riders trying to beat Strava times and get out of their way. Also, you can take your GoPro and use it to get some great photos of things you don’t normally stop to appreciate because you are moving too fast.
Yoga
Yoga has many benefits. Probably too many to cover in a paragraph or two. In this context it will help with core strength and balance. In addition it helps to undo some of the damage and pain caused from riding your bike. By stretching out and following the sun salutation you can definitely ease out muscle pain in areas that mountain biking seems to aggravate. In particular, your spine.
Yoga
Constantly leaning forwards in that pedalling position and twisting intensely, definitely takes it’s toll. Rather than reaching straight for the painkillers, take 10 minutes to go through the sun salutation. I always find the pain and stiffness goes away a lot faster than painkillers can take effect. Moving forwards I know I need to find time to fit a round of this into the start or end of my day as spending long hours sitting at a desk is also bad. This routine will help to make you more flexible, build core strength and in addition, relieve pain. The list of ailments I have cured with yoga is always growing. I have fixed headaches, pain anywhere down my back, in my shoulders, hips, legs and all from this one simple routine. Learning this will save a fortune on Ibuprofen and Paracetamol !
Cycling
Although I don’t do any road cycling personally, I do understand that it translates over to mountain biking well. I have tried it in the past, I don’t like the feeling that someone is likely to injure or kill me when not paying attention driving. In my head it is much better to do it on my own terms going head first into a tree.
Cycling
Like spinning, cycling is a different body position and slightly different variation of the same motion. It is probably cheaper to buy a bike trainer and cheap road bike/racer to cycle indoors rather than a spare wheel, tyre and cassette for your mountain bike. In addition my boost axle doesn’t fit in a trainer and I don’t want to clamp my carbon frame into one. Riding on a trainer in front of the TV during winter is a good way to boost fitness and get the miles in.
Mountain Biking helps with Mountain Biking !
Last but not least, the ultimate way to get better at mountain biking. More rides, more often, more distance. Not every ride has to be long, hard and fast. A short, half hour gentle ride is still a ride and it all helps. An obvious one in the list of activities that help with mountain biking.
Be more strategic with your rides and try to get something out of them. Small goals can be great motivation whether it be beating your PB on a Strava section or a whole ride, or even challenging a friend’s PB. You can just challenge yourself to riding past a landmark on a big hill without getting off and pushing. If you manage your goal, that’s awesome, now beat it. If you didn’t get out and try again. This type of motivation can really help you set aside time for rides and get more enjoyment. Even just getting through X miles without putting a foot down or stopping for a rest is an achievement.
Mountain Biking
As I said in the opening paragraph, Mountain Biking does seem to require its own type of fitness. Other activities can benefit greatly and feed into your level of “bike fit” but getting out on your bike is how you put it all together.
A Summary of Activities that Help with Mountain Biking
If you want to be good at mountain biking, there is no substitute for getting out and riding trails. In the UK, weather isn’t always on your side so sometimes it’s good to have an indoor replacement or a way of getting the exercise without having to clean everything. Furthermore it is nice to mix it up from time to time and do something different. If that activity can help with your riding, all the more reason to do it.
Personally, I feel the off season is where all the work I did last season is undone and struggle to find motivation to ride knowing I will be rubbish again. In addition anything I can do to ease the pain of those first few rides is more than worth the effort. Building back up to full strength and better in a shorter time means I can enjoy my rides more.
As time goes on I may add to this list.
Finally, If you found this blog informative, helpful, inspiring and want to support me, You can buy sustainable clothing for a range of activities in my online shop. You can also follow me on Instagram or sign up to my mailing list. I’m even on Facebook and YouTube too !
Riding mountain bike in the UK often means you will get plastered in mud for at least 11 months of the year. It isn’t good to put your bike shoes in the washing machine constantly. What are the consequences of giving them a heavy dose of bike cleaner and a quick rinse ? Can Bike Cleaner Clean Shoes ?
For the purpose of this test I used my favourite bike cleaner. Peaty’s Loam Foam. Not only is this stuff great because it’s super effective and reduces bike cleaning effort. It is also eco friendly. The spray bottle is a great design. You can pick up a cheap concentrate refill to keep topping it up too. I’ve tried a few other bike cleaners but because of all the boxes this one ticks, it is my current favourite.
Peaty’s Loam Foam – Matches my Bike !
After a quick rinse with the hose pipe followed by a quick covering with loam foam to get the stubborn dirt. I like to leave the foam to dwell for a while. Finally followed by a good blast with the hose to remove the remainder.
Getting my shoes dirty.
Firstly I had a good ride, got my shoes loaded up with mud. As per usual. I strongly believe with mountain biking that if you don’t come home covered, you aren’t doing it right.
Shoes prepared for cleaning
The Wash Cycle
Secondly, I gave my shoes a good coating of Peaty’s finest product. Then I gave it a few minutes to do its thing, soak in, loosen that mud.
Foaming Action
The Revealing Rinse
Finally, I turned the hose back on my shoes and gave them a good rinsing to wash away that biodegradable foam and the mud with it. Look at that effortless finish. Saved water, detergent and the washing machine by throwing my shoes in it.
Good as new !
I won’t lie, cleaning my bike shoes is probably the last thing on my mind after every ride. They quite often get left plastered because its only going to happen again. However, this is probably the cleanest they have been since new and it took me 2 minutes whilst cleaning the bike anyway.
So Can Bike Cleaner Clean Bike Shoes ?
100% Yes. Is it a good Idea and will it damage your shoes ? I’ve no idea. I could probably do with a new pair anyway as these have had years of use. I wonder what else I can clean with this miracle stuff. Next time I will try doing the laundry with it !
As usual, If you found this useful, informative and possibly the answer to a question you never asked, please support by visiting my shop. If you tried this out and found it works miracles, drop me a comment. If your shoes dissolved, I take no responsibility. For updates and news check my Instagram.
Strava is a fantastic tool. It is great for tracking fitness progress, seeing how you compare against friends and measuring how far you have been. Although Strava also has a dark side. Thieves can locate your address and use this information to steal your bike. Here are a few tips to Keep Your Bike Safe on Strava.
*For the purpose of writing this Blog I have taken screen shots from my account on https://www.strava.com
What is the Risk ?
Using Strava for years and only hearing of a few bike thefts this way, I would say Strava is fairly safe. Unfortunately there are opportunistic thieves out there who will take a chance. I have not had anything stolen myself but have avoided using Strava often because of this risk. The last thing anybody wants is to have their beloved bike taken from them. With a few tips, I will show you how to reduce the risk even further. Due to an increasing number of people taking up mountain biking and cycling there is likely an increase in the number of bike thieves.
Bike thieves will attempt to track down your address via the location in your maps and listing what gear you have is like giving them a shopping list. With many bikes being well over £1000 in value there is a great incentive for bikes to be stolen. The best way to stop thieves is by making information unavailable or harder to get.
Strava Privacy Controls – Where you appear
Firstly, Privacy Controls are your best starting place to secure your account. You should see a number of different settings when opening this section. Each section contains permissions for where your activity can be viewed. I like to set all my settings to “Followers”. In turn this means someone must follow me to be able to view my activities and personal data. Limiting the number of people who can view your information is the first step towards securing your account.
Keep Your Bike Safe on Strava – Where you Appear
You will also see settings for Activities and Group Activities. I also set these to “Followers”. Local Legends and Flyby are slightly different. These will only make your time on a particular section visible to everyone when left open. The main risk is someone being able to track your home address. This leads nicely into the next section…
Strava Privacy Controls – Additional Controls
Second on the list is Additional Controls. Although most importantly these controls can prevent your address being shown altogether. Map Visibility is the key section where you can keep your home address hidden. In my settings I like to hide all activity within 1/4 mile of my home address and other addresses I commonly ride from. If you often ride from a friend’s house it is worth adding their address to. Although a better outcome for you, you don’t want to be the reason they are targeted. Furthermore to improve safety I also Hide the start and end points of every ride by 1/8 mile. Meaning a fellow riders address is hidden by default when starting there. Also your car/van is not shown if you drive somewhere to ride.
Keep Your Bike Safe on Strava – Additional Settings
Now that you have limited activities only to followers and hidden the start and end points of your rides there is one more important piece of information. The shopping list…
Strava My Gear
Finally, it is every mountain biker and cyclists god given right to boast about how awesome their bike is. Tell your friends in the car park, the coffee shop, the pub and remind them every time whilst your riding. Do try and avoid telling potential bike thieves.
If you are a runner, the likelihood of your running shoes being stolen is minimal. I don’t think many thieves target used footwear. To itemise all of your expensive cycling gear and make it public knowledge is not a great move. Don’t give thieves a reason to target you. For this reason, put your running shoes on there, not your bike. Advertising an ultimate spec, high end bike on here is going to make you very attractive to thieves.
Keep Your Bike Safe on Strava – Checklist
To summarise and keep it short:
Limit who can see you to Followers.
Be selective about your Followers.
Hide your home address
Add your friends, families or other addresses you often ride from
Conceal your start and end points.
Don’t publish a shopping list !
In conclusion, follow these steps and make sure your bike stays safe. Keep your insurance provider happy. Every so often I see posts about bike theft. Above all else, nobody wants their bike stealing so make sure you aren’t next. For fear of somebody coming along, tracking you, invading your privacy, keep your data and your bike safe on Strava.
In the meantime, if you found this helpful – check out my other posts. Follow me on instagram to stay up to date. Lastly, support me on my mission by buying some of my sustainable clothing. There will be more mountain biking/cycling/sportswear coming soon !
After almost 2 years of COVID isolation and lock down I decided it was time to boost my fitness. Starting from the worst shape I have been in for years. I pushed myself hard, it hurt. After only 10 days I felt physically and mentally better, ready to tackle 2022 head on. Also without realising I had decided to run for bike fitness.
Firstly I would like to declare I am not a qualified fitness coach or personal trainer. This is about how I gave myself a huge boost in only 10 days. Starting every year I feel like I have lost the gains from the previous year. The excuses for not consistently riding and keeping up my fitness over every winter are:
Dark
Cold
Muddy
Wet
Facing reality, none of these actually bother me a great deal. Pushing myself to get out despite these horrors leads me to having fun anyway. Every year I seem to repeat the same cycle. 2021 was especially difficult for me, I won’t go into that. This is about how I found motivation and drive for the future. Boosted my fitness in 10 days. Felt enthusiastic about getting on my bike again. Furthermore, learnt to enjoy running where I have never managed this before.
A few photo highlights along my way
Where do I Start ?
Seeking a reason to run, I impulsively signed up to run 50 miles for Prostate Cancer UK. Signing up on 30th December and starting 1st January gave me little time for excuses. Having a good reason to get out gave me a lot of drive to succeed. Importantly I felt as though I couldn’t let them down. Because of this I was more determined to keep going through any pain. Realising there are two types of pain, without a doubt there is the pain you can run through. This is pain caused by your body improving and also adapting to the new demands you are asking from it. Nonetheless some pain should slow you down, make you take a break or rest. Undoubtedly you will feel the first kind of pain if you are starting from the same place as I did but coping and overcoming only makes you stronger.
Starting on a Saturday meant that I had 2 full days to achieve some critical miles before 5 easier days when I couldn’t run as much because of work. This definitely made me chase as many miles as I could in the time I had. Running became a top priority and an enjoyment for the first time in my life.
Lastly here are the things I wish I had worked out at the start:
The right shoes are worth it
Speed is not important at all
Focus on breathing and let it dictate your pace
Concentrate on smoother steps
Don’t push to the point of gasping for breath
Make time to stretch before and after
Duct tape is the best fix for blisters and hot spots
The Run to Bike Fitness Plan
Clearly, to say I had a plan to start with would be a lie, I had a rough daily distance to cover and a new found level of motivation. Either way what I did over the 10 days was along the lines of this:
Day
Activities
Notes
Total
1
Run – 4 miles Run – 4 miles
Skinned heels due to bad shoes on run 1. Fixed heels with duct tape, ran again.
8 miles
2
Run – 6 miles
Miles adding up already
14 miles
3
Run – 4 miles Walk – 1 mile
Walking helps to keep you moving and loosen up
19 miles
4
Walk – 1 mile
Rest day but walk to stay loose
20 miles
5
Walk – 1 mile Run – 4 mile
Keep walking to recover Half way there now
25 miles
6
Walk – 2 miles
Rest day with longer walk
27 miles
7
Walk – 1 mile Run – 4 miles
Keep going, keep walking, keep running
32 miles
8
Run – 10 miles
Forget about speed, walk if you need to, just keep moving
42 miles
9
Walk – 1 mile Run – 3 miles
Get loose with that walk. Gentle 3 miles
46 miles
10
Walk – 1 mile Run – 3 miles
If you made it this far you should feel the benefit. Be proud of what you have done
50 miles
My rough guide to covering 50 miles in 10 days
Did you get to the end ?
Did you manage to run to bike fitness ?
If you made it all the way through and feel ready to get back on your bike or gained a new love for running this is great. The mileage shown in the plan is roughly what I did but not exactly. You don’t have to complete every walk/run to the exact mileage. Importantly you don’t have to run fast. Distance and keeping going is where I found my fitness boost. Lastly if this helped please leave me a comment. Furthermore if you are an experienced Personal Trainer or Running Coach, I hope you haven’t recoiled in terror at this. After doing this I definitely gave my fitness and mental state a giant boost. Apart from this, I went on to further complete 131 miles (5 marathons) over 30 days.
In Conclusion, please use this as a guide, adjust distances, durations and frequencies if you have to. The key to succeeding for me was forgetting about speed and just keeping moving. I was unquestionably in a better place than where I started after only 10 days. After trying Couch to 5K and finding it didn’t work for me I needed to concentrate on my own pace and not run to somebody else’s rhythm.
Importantly, if you love cycling, mountain biking or running check out my online shop. My ever growing range of sportswear is absolutely sustainable and also environmentally friendly.
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