10 things you should never do on a group ride

Riding on a group ride is more than just showing up on your bike. It is really about proper etiquette and following the vibe and dynamic of the group. Here are 10 things that will earn you the ire of the group. Do some or all of these, and you probably won't be invited back:

10. Show up late to the start. If the ride says its starts at 9 am, that doesn't mean showing up to the parking lot at 9 am and then trying to assemble your bike and get dressed. New comers should arrive 15 min ahead to set up their bikes and get ready for the start.

9. Do your interval training on the group ride. Unless you're the ride leader and everyone understands that it will be an interval ride, don't try to do your own interval training, especially if the group is riding tempo. If everyone is going 18 mph and then you suddenly jump out of the paceline to ride 24 mph for 4 min, its going to disrupt the group. Similarly, if the group is riding hard that day, don't come out expecting to ride recovery.

7. Come out with a bike fraught with mechanical issues. One flat tire is no big deal, but if you started the ride with worn out tires and you're on your 3rd flat, no one is going to want to wait for you. Similarly, a loose crank bolt, pedal or seatpost should be dealt with in your shiop- not on the ride. A poorly maintained bike is also dangerous, if your chain skips in a sprint or you pop out of your pedals due to worn out cleats.

6. Wear yesterday's sweaty clothing. Excuse me, but bike clothes need to be washed after every ride, not every 3rd ride, No one is gonna want to draft behind the stinky person in the paceline.

5. Talk about work, religion or politics on the ride. These are taboo subjects. Most of us have day jobs and when we're on our bikes, we don't want to stray into the workplace. Religion and politics are too heavy subjects for rides. Listen to what the rest of the riders are talking about... equipment, racing, coffee, food or training,

4. Ride in the middle of the road. There is simply no reason to do this and it will only infuriate motorists, so stay in a tight paceline and don't ride on the yellow line.

3. Randomly attack the ride. On many rides there are set sprint points and places where there are jams. Sometimes its a bridge, the town line sprint, or a certain climb. If everyone else is going, then by all means jump on. But when the group is all sitting up talking and a person just randomly attacks, he is going to be thought the fool. Some riders will get tired of these antics and counter attack the rider and drop him- for good.

2. Disrupt the paceline. This could be speeding up too much at the front, not pulling through, staying at the front too long, not slowing down in the relief line so the next person can't pull through, or going too slow on the relief line. Any and all of these will upset the person on your wheel.

1. Show up with aero bars. You may as well show up to the ride with a billboard saying "clueless." Do not come to a group ride with a Time Trial bike.

Eight is enough

How many bicycles should a cycling enthusiast have? The answer may surprise you. Currently, I counted 11 bikes at my house. Five of those are mine, two belong to my kids and the other 4 are loaners for the juniors cycling team that I coach. But why do I have five bikes? And just what is the proper number of bicycles that a person should have?

For most of us roadies, our mainstay is our road bike. That will likely be a 10-speed racing bike, hopefully carbon fiber. Its the bike we will put the most miles on throughout the spring, summer and fall riding seasons. However, many of us keep a backup road bike, "just in case..." That might have been our bike from the previous season and we kept it around after we got our new one. Its good for rainy days, or maybe you don't want to risk wrecking your $7000 Colnago in the local crit.

If you race in time trials, you may have a TT bike. This is a tough one. Most people who race them seldom ever ride them. They look cool, but they're not all that comfortable to ride and they're heavier than a standard road bike. In my case, I could use one, because I live near Rt 29, where I could practice my time trialing. I haven't gotten myself to the point to buy one though, as I prefer mass start racing to solo time trials.

A fixed gear bike is great for riding in the late fall and through the winter. Many people build one out of an older road frame, that has horizontal dropouts, but nowadays almost all the bike manufacturers sell a decent fixie that is set up for the road for just over $500. While riding a fixie may be hip and there is a certain coolness achieved when you pull up on your fixie at the local coffee shop, there are other reasons to ride one. A fixed gear bike will force you to pedal in circles and get rid of the bad habit of coasting. In the winter, you will get a better workout with fewer miles and less time in the saddle. There is no shifting to an easier gear when the road points up. In my case I have two fixed gear bikes... one set up for road, and another set up for dirt and trails. The "Country road Bob" has an identity crisis. Is it a fixed gear road bike, or a single speed cross bike? The answer is either! In the quest for fewer bikes you could say it's two bikes in one.

Next on the list is a Cyclocross bike. This is basically a road bike, with drop handlebars that has a beefier fork and more clearance for wider, knobby tires. Most have cantilever brakes, but don't be surprised to start seeing disc brakes on cross bikes soon. Believe it or not, people who are serious about their 'cross often have two of these bikes. That's because one is used as a "pit bike" to grab when the one you're racing clogs up with mud. Its kind of like getting a fresh towel at the pool every time your towel gets wet.

If you race the track, you will want a track bike. Not to be confused with the fixie, a track bike is not really built for the road, and it has no brakes. While its possible to ride these on the road, it borders on suicidal in hilly areas.

Finally there is the mountain bike. When the terrain gets too tough for a 'cross bike, the mountain bike comes into play. Take your pick, full suspension or hardtail? And the newer ones have 29" wheels. I still have a full suspension 26" wheeled MTB, which seldom makes it out of the basement.

Ask any cycling enthusiast to justify all their bikes and they can easily think of a purpose for each steed.