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    24 yrs of Cycling Knowledge in 8 min



    Unlock 24 years of cycling wisdom in just 12 minutes with these essential tips and tricks to elevate your ride.
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    Dustin Klein: Working Artist, Lifestyle Cyclist, Maker.
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    🎶Music: 👨🏻Ron Lewis: http://bit.ly/Hello_Ron

    Discover cycling tips distilled from 24 years of experience. This video covers everything from choosing the right gear to avoiding common mistakes, ensuring you get the most out of your cycling journey. Perfect for beginners and seasoned riders alike.

    [Music] have you been struggling to figure out how to build Fitness are you confused about finding the perfect bike or looking to avoid some common newbie cyclist mistakes well you’re in luck today we’re going to tap into my 24 years of cycling experience to help you patch these punctures in your cycling knowledge again with the puns I thought we talked about this this reminds me of when I first started cycling I kept making the same simple stupid mistake over and over that really held me back it was so obvious but first we got to talk about Fitness like how the heck do people go on these crazy long rides when I first started cycling I struggled to do anything over 10 to 15 miles then I stumbled onto one thing that I still do to this day to maintain my cycling endurance in the year 2000 I was interning at a small Skateboard Magazine when a job as a bike messenger fell completely in my lap which is a great job for anyone in their 20s and what this did was put me on the bike every single day in all weather now I don’t expect people to start riding their bikes every single day but this did teach me one one critical thing that I utilize to this day to maintain cycling endurance which eventually led to riding longer and further than I ever expected which boils down to one simple thing and that is consistency consistency consistency figuring out when you can ride on a consistent schedule will do wonders for your endurance and open doors to longer and bigger rides even if it’s just community to work consistency is key to this day I keep a habit of riding consistently several days a week this allows me to go on bigger rides more often without the overwhelming struggle of starting from Ground Zero riding consistently in all kinds of weather does something to a person and I think it’s mostly good cycling is super expensive which can add a lot of pressure to finding the perfect bike and one thing that’s helped me see this different is to think of bikes as tools there’s nothing quite like having the right tool for the job but that doesn’t mean you can’t make do with unconventional tools it’s just generally harder to do will take longer and is a less pleasant experience but it is possible if any of this is landing feel free to subscribe it’s completely free and better [Music] than wa right this way me go [Music] [Music] D now [Music] go all of this boils down to two simple mentalities when looking for the right gear the first is to consider what you’re actually going to spend the bulk of your time riding that will guide a lot of your decisions the second is to just work with what you’ve got if you’re on a limited budget or you only have an older bike that’s fine start there and you can upgrade over time remember people have been riding older and crappier bikes than yours further and farther than you can imagine I’m thinking 1903 tour to France on a 40 lb single speed race bike no thank you essentially Perfection is an illusion you can’t get it [Music] wrong plus you can always build another bike I I don’t know what to do with it I just keep cutting it and it just keeps coming back all this old bike talk reminds me of the time I bought a used 1980s univa and went on a solo bike trip from Athens Greece to Istanbul Turkey and I learned a lot on that trip but the biggest lesson was the answer to the simple stupid mistake I made that was ruining my cycling I was in the middle of nowhere completely alone when my body started getting shaky weak and freaking out I could not ride anymore I had to pull over I didn’t have a phone I didn’t have food I was completely stranded and then by pure chance somebody drove by took pity pulled over to see if I was all right and it wasn’t a ride from them that saved that day it was the fact that they had a small bag of figs to help me get my blood sugar back it wasn’t until later that I realized this is called bonking when your blood sugar levels Crash from not having enough food on a ride it will leave you completely debilitated it’s dangerous and will absolutely ruin your ride wait wait who’s got some good bonking stories let us know I can’t wait to read these and I kept that bag as a reminder to never not have enough food that’s so stupid I would naively go on Long rides by myself without enough food or water essentially it’s just poor planning I was unaware of the dangerous consequences of not having enough proper nutrition or hydration on rides things you do in your 20s I can’t stress this enough bring more food than you think you need especially in the beginning bonking is dangerous scary and potentially life-threatening just because you’re going on a group ride do not expect others to feed you this is rude dangerous and grounds for dismissal some general guidelines for bringing food on rides always bring enough for yourself you are never expected to share your food unless your riding compan compon is in dire need in which case sharing some food May save their life and if they’ve done this like three times then get rid of them now all of this info is going to get you in the right direction but it’s not going to get you all the way there to do that you’ll have to watch this video where we talk with some Avid gravel cyclists and get some Pro tips on how to survive on the deep in the in the mhm or so we don’t die you don’t want to die do you

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    50 Comments

    2. @jeffwieczorek9291 on

      My worst bonk was on the Chicago lakefront path as a newbie to triathlon. I went about 25 miles one direction, ran out of food, forgot my phone and wallet on the counter, and didn’t realize I had a headwind the whole way back. I actually had to walk my bike the last ten miles because it was faster than the speed I could pedal. As painful as it was it was such a great life lesson to never make that mistake again.

    3. @BrianRPaterson on

      Bonking story: In Scotland, it used to be called “The Knock.”

      in the late 50s/early 60s my dad was a serious bike tourer. He and his pals were pedaling along a highland road, when one of them just slowed right down, stopped and toppled over sideways. Fortunately he landed in a snowbank. He’d got “The Knock.” Completely out of energy.

      They picked him up, fed him some chocolate, and after a wee while they rode on.

      Fortunately I’ve never been seriously bonked, but I always carry plenty of snacks and some emergency candy just in case.

      Oh, and plenty of water too. There are few things worse than running out of water in the middle of a long dry trail. But that’s another story.

      Cheers

    4. @garysladek9110 on

      Bonked riding the bicycle leg of the 1986 Santa Barbara Triathlon. Was not gonna make it if there had not been a well placed feed station. Problem was all they had was green, and I mean hard bananas. They did the trick, but without bonking I would never have eaten them. Cheers.

    9. @rynkydynky on

      Don't try to fix something that's not broken! And use your own tools. Learned this the hard way in a race. It cost me a tubeless valve and 1.5hrs of time just because I wanted to check my tire pressure with a street pump. 🤦‍♂️

    13. @noahjz on

      Just putting this out there – has anybody else ever experienced the ANTI-BONK? This is when you are adding lots of electrolytes to your water and maybe have had too much caffeine to compensate for a bad night's sleep, and the more of the sugar-salt water you drink the more you feel cruddy? It shares many of the same symptoms of bonking but in extreme versions this can lead to accelerated heart rate. It doesn't feel great either!

    14. @MrOctober4171 on

      Fatbike race in 10° F weather, a poptart 5 hours beforehand is enough nutrition, right? Only food at the finish line was doughnuts and beer, when I finally limped across the finish line I downed a pint and 2 doughnuts, then started stumbling around for another reason

    15. @paulkalifatidi3 on

      I was on an overnight ride from Mexican Hat to Indian Creek. I got stuck in snow drifts and mud up at 9k elevation. Carrying my bike through waste deep snow for 20 miles killed me. I’m not sure I bonked as I was eating plenty of food and snickers and even a few energy gels, but it still felt like mega exhaustion. By the time night hit, I was barely halfway past where I wanted to be (back down at a sensible elevation for March in Utah) and ended up sleeping in a latrine. Great story, favorite ride I’ve ever done.

    16. @grvl307 on

      Was riding up Alpe d'Huez during a cycling event when I found a dude who started the event with two granola bars.. (175 km, 4200 meters of elevation).. he bonked hard. I gave him tons of food because I knew the feed station was close and I had too much food. On the next climb the dude overtook me 😂

    21. @archonaut8920 on

      Rode a forest trail loop in Beddgelert Wales a little hungover. Got to near the end and raced ahead to beat my mates. Went past the end of the loop without realising and up the big climb at the start AGAIN. Bonked at the top, got cramp in both legs every time I tried to pedal. No water, no food, starting to get dark. I could just about walk so picked up the bike and walked off trail through the trees towards where I guessed the start of the trail was. Luckily I was right and I arrived at the bike hire place just before they called mountain rescue. Ate a Marathon bar (now snickers) and found a nice pub to rehydrate 👍🏻

    22. @KahluaBomb on

      Bonk story:

      First MTB ride of the year, thought I was just gonna go do like 10 miles and head home. I think I skipped dinner the night before and had a very minimal breakfast, huge mistake. On the trails I ran into a friendly local who showed me some of the trail system. Feeling pretty tired and mostly out of water but having so much fun riding with them I kept going. They took me alllll the way to the bottom of the trails where they left to ride home, leaving me needing to ascend maybe 400' over 1.5 miles of a climbing trail to get back to my car at the staging area. I had already emptied my camelback, had no snacks, and was not feeling it. I physically could not ride any further and found myself walking the bike, or stumbling up the hill with the bike, looking around for any plant life that looked edible (there were none). I get 80% of the way up the hill when it gets close to the main road in, ditched the bike on the trail, and started the walk back to my car up the road knowing I wouldn't make it if I had to push the bike and I physically could not ride it. Got to the car and immediately drank whatever old drink was in my cupholder, had a snack or three, then found the bike and headed to the local cafe where I ate: Halibut avocado toast (could be an entree for a normal sized person), Octopus and fried potato dish, Cheeseburger and fries, along with like 2 cocktails and a beer. I was sad they didn't have desserts (covid). I have since always carried extra water and snacks regardless of how long I think i'm going to be out for.

    25. @kitten-inside on

      Last year, I got down to the optimal body weight at my height for the first time in years. It was great until I hit that precise point of not having any easily accessible fat when bonking… On a 100 km MTB ride. It was the first time I absolutely *had* to stop for a burger mid ride. The legs just said "nah".

    26. @kayeman001 on

      hit the wall so hard, and had close to zero cash on my, but just enough for a McDonalds happy meal, i went through the drive thru

    27. @ricky7396 on

      I was saying consistency. I'm a 6 day a weeker also. For over a decade. Love that you open about the herb, a doobie on rides is great. And digging the thick bamboo in your garden. Looks awesome.

    28. @kayeman001 on

      also, the body can do so much more than we think – I was coming back from injury, "couldn't" ride more than 50, 60K – was between events in EU on my way from Switzerland to France – stopped in Italy on Lago Maggiore for 2 nights, and new I could ride about 65K along the lake (should be flat right?) across the border into Switzerland (it's a thing, as where i come from, country borders are just too far), and then take the ferry back to where I started – so, 65k – totally doable. I stopped enroute after about 50K and had a beer and a pizza (I think this actually saved me) and kept going – super excited to cross the border and then stopped for a Coke (only time I drink full fat Coke is on rides). After that leisurely ice cold drink (it was a flipping hot and humid day) I walked to the Ferry Master and asked what time was the next ferry was, and he laughed and said, due to Covid, they weren't crossing borders. Ooops, bad planning. to add injury to insult, no trains nor busses either. Shite! So, I started riding back. Made it to the town where I had the pizza – and started to look for the train station, at which time my batter on my mobile phone died. Eventually found the station only to realise the next train to where i needed to be was another 2 hour wait. So – I pretty much had no choice, other than a very expensive taxi ride – and I rode back. I finished almost in the dark, 140Km later and an ave speed close to 28Kph. I couldn't believe it. I downed 3 beers, had a long shower and slept really well that night.

    29. @bitchoflivingblah on

      EBD you forgot about the call of shame the one you have to make every now and again. I'll do virtually anything to avoid calling the wife to come out and collect me. But sometimes you have to pull that trigger and suck up the "I told you so".

      Still it has made me learn everything about the bike enough to fix practically every catastrophic situation I may encounter. So I only make the call now when its a toss up between the ambulance and the wife, ambulance usually wins.

    32. @alxk3995 on

      German word for bonking is "hungerast" (word for word translation would be hungerbranch).
      I find both words bery confusing if you never heard them in context before. 😂

    37. @G-DUB83 on

      After finishing Iceman last year, I crossed the finish line all happy, I stopped. Then I started to shake, had no idea where I was, why so many people where there and I thought I just blinked but I guess I blacked out because like 15min passed and a friend was in my face asking if I was OK.

    38. @vosster on

      Was riding with a friend the whole day and suddenly nothing worked anymore. Could barely turn the pedals and was totally slow even at thinking. Nearly paralyzed. My friend thankfully recognized and understood the situation and its urgency and even climbed a near garden fence to get me some apples from a tree there. The two apples were not ripe, tasted badly and had the size of golfballs, but within minutes I was feeling better and could go on. Since then I never ride without some emergency sugar.
      Thank you for bringing this up and telling people! It's an underestimated and often belittled danger of long rides. Even for well experienced and trained riders.

    45. @timtaylor9590 on

      idk if i would call bonking life threatening or even dangerous, youd really have to be in the middle of no where with no water or food or cell phone, in which case the problem isnt bonking, the bonking is just a symptom of stupidity. if you bonk you can rest and wait for your bodys blood sugar to normalize, then noodle to where ever for help. no water would be dangerous but thats not bonking. iv bonked about 20miles out, but i still had a cell phone and couldnt find enough courage to ask random strangers for cold water or food, so i just limped home.

    47. @ricowhoo1313 on

      hers a tip if your out without gloves and it gets cold wen it gets dark oven mitts from the dollar store will get you home with no frost bite for cheap

    48. @DanielGonzalez-wn5qs on

      First time I bonked I was riding by myself and only had a small bottle of water for a 30km ride, decided to go further down. When I noticed I was 70k away with no water I decides to turn back. On the way back there was this massive climb. I was basically seeing white and couldnt even think clearly. When I finally made it back, my jaw hurt like never before, and the next day my dentist told me I had clenched my jaw so hard I had misaligned my wisdom teeth and had to get the removed (mind you I was 25 and they had never bothered me before).

      Very fun.

    49. @GuyInnagorillasuit on

      Bonking: overestimated the distance and hilliness of a new loop I'd plotted out back in the days when you used a paper map. Somewhere between halfway and tho thirds through I hit the hilly section and bonked hard. I took a 20 minute break that allowed a little energy to return and limped back home. I had a glass of orange juice as soon as I walked in the door – I'll never forget how goddamn good that juice was.

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