As the warm weather sinks in, many of us turn to cycling as the transport mode of choice. Whether you’re reuniting with an old bike this spring or considering a new one, Yu Centrik’s engineers, designers, ergonomists and avid cyclists share their personal top tips for a smooth cycling experience.

Seat suspension

Chloé

Make it comfortable to carry

Dave

Pad the seating tube at the place where it presses into your arm so you can carry your bike in comfort.

A lightweight chain lock

Émilie

Easy GPS access

François

I use a waterproof holster to attach my iPhone to my handlebars. Google Maps guides me through the bike paths and lets me discover alternative routes.

Front break first

Ignacio

The one thing that I think most people should try to do is break with the front break. It’s a small trick that keeps you safe. If every you need to break suddenly, wearing out the front break a little bit will make it much less likely to jam. This happened to me once and I flipped over the bike.

Removable saddle

Joëlle

I like being able to easily remove the saddle because there’s always the possibility of having it stolen.

A good mud guard

Louis-Thomas

For me it’s the mud gard. This is my armour. Its width, length and the presence of deflectors protect me from the consequences of speedy riding in messy conditions.

Shoulder position

Maya

Slide your shoulder blades down your upper back while you ride. This frees your neck from tension and prevents your wrists from absorbing shock.