If you've spent the money on a good bike you need to take precautions to prevent serious mechanical problems. Be sure to regularly wash your bike and keep it clean. Do not overuse chain lubricant. And most importantly, keep your tires well inflated.

Be careful with your brakes. If your tires might be at risk of losing traction, don't brake hard. This will cause a skid and possibly a fall. You don't have control of your bike unless your wheels are free to turn. Be aware that you might have traction problems on wet/slippery pavement, sand, or light snow.

Want to get a smoother pedal stroke? Try biking for a while on a fixed gear bike.

If you want to build leg strength, workout on an indoor bike using only one leg to pedal at a time.

If you want to shift smoothly you must plan ahead. You should shift gears just a few seconds ahead of time. As you move the lever, ease up on your pedal pressure. The bike should shift within one crank revolution.

If you are trying to ride in a straight line don't look directly down, but rather 20-30 feet ahead. Looking further away prevents you from wiggling around to much.

Try to remain in your seat as much as possible when climbing a hill. You can put out more power while standing because you are using all your weight to push down on the pedals but you are also putting out a lot more energy. This is because your pelvis isn't in contact with the saddle which means your core and back muscles must work harder. You just end up using more energy when you stand.

When going downhill, bend over and you will go faster. However, going uphill you will actually get more power sitting up as high as you can.

Keep your grip on your handlebars wide. This will help prevent your breathing from coming restricted.

Slide back on the saddle, you will get more leverage for your legs.

Remember biking is just like every other exercise in that you will need a warm up period and a cool down period for a big ride….doing these will help prevent damage to your muscles.

If you are a competitive rider having a good coach is helpful. This person will keep you on track both mentally and physically to help you get ready for a big race.