from £200-£5000 on a road bike, although something in the £400-£800 range will give you a good entry point into lightweight road-racing bikes. You don't necessarily have to buy a road bike (although if you are planning to race in a triathlon

’re on your bike when you notice the flat, shift as you slow down. Loosen the brakes and nut, pull down on the derailleur (as pictured) and slide the wheel out. Lie your bike, chain-side up, on its side.2 Take the tyre off the wheelIf you use tyre levers, jam

. Trainers are designed to offer a degree of shock absorption but bike shoes are stiff, to maximise your power transfer to the cranks. Efficient racingYou have to ask if, as a newcomer, the inefficiency of wearing trainers on the bike for more than an hour

the race, but surely such a lead was enough for a local victory. Fignon certainly thought so. In second place was Greg Lemond from the USA.Fignon decided to ride this final time-trial stage on the racing bike he had used throughout the Tour, hunching down

, says Cantrell. "First and foremost, you need to relax. When you tense up, you straighten your arms and push the bike to the outside, increasing your chances of crashing."...BY RELAXING YOUR MUSCLES Before you commit to the corner, relax your hands

There's no need to suffer from adrenaline withdrawal when the  triathlon season draws to a close. There are loads of cycle sportives around at this time of year to tempt you to go long and stay strong on the bike. Sportives are the cycling version

to make those sessions not only bearable but enjoyable - time trialling.Time trials will not only improve your cardiovascular fitness, leg strength and speed endurance, they also replicate the bike leg of a triathlon so you can become used

ones when (or if) they found out how much you'd spent on wheels for your bike.A standard racing-bike wheel such as the Easton EA50 looks like a bike wheel should look: it's round, it's made from metal and it has lots of spokes. These wheels, and others