Tom White is an old friend of RBA. A former pro motorcycle racer and successful businessman, Tom now spends all his time pampering his historical motorcycle collection and riding his bicycle. We asked him if he had any tips, and this is what he had to say. So with the beginner cyclist in mind, Tom came up with tips 22-29 for RBA's lastest installment of  theTipping Point:

22. “As a 61-year-old guy who has recently re-invented himself on a road bike, I’m pleased to share my thoughts with beginning cyclists and other old guys who have caught the bug. Get off your butt and start riding anything that’s around, and when you decide you want to follow in Lance Armstrong’s footsteps, go to the best local bike shop and listen to what they have to say. Face-to-face interaction with a cycling expert beats spending hours reading blogs any day. Yes, spend more than you are willing to share with your wife or girlfriend; you only regret not buying the best bike that you can almost afford!

23. Your local shouldn’t let you roll out the door without fitting you to the bike first. Every bike shop should follow that practice because proper fit is so important if you plan to enjoy cycling.

24. Getting a new bike with the correct frame size is crucial (smaller is better than too big because it’s easier to find your fit with a different stem or seatpost). Big George rides a 57 centimeter!

25. Beginners and old guys and gals shouldn’t buy into the low bar position; get your stem spaced so that you are still comfortable, and don’t spend all of your time looking at your front tire!

26. Make sure your seat height isn’t too low. Many beginners lose interest before they figure this out! The idea is not to have the saddle low enough so that your feet touch the ground when seated. What you are looking for is proper leg extension from the saddle to the pedals. Again, your bike shop expert won’t let this happen!

27. Pick out good cycling shoes and have the bike shop personnel fit them to the best pedals that you can afford.

28. Air the tires, fill the water bottle, oil the chain on occasion, and give it a cleaning if you really love it! For anything beyond those simple tasks, I say refer to the bike shop!

29. My initial foray as a cyclist actually started a long time ago. I started out as a motorcycle racer, and when my local riding area closed (Saddleback Park in 1984), I was looking for something to replace the physical intensity of motocross. I discovered road bikes. After riding for a few months, I invited an old motocross friend who was also a cyclist to join me for a ride of about 40 miles. I dropped him like a hot rock; in fact, he had to call his girlfriend to pick him up! I was embarrassed for him, and I didn’t see him for over a month. I found out later that he had called a trainer for advice. Basically, this was what his trainer told him: Take a relatively flat course, hold your cadence at 90 spins per minute, and go as hard as you can go for at least 10 miles, then limp home! Well, the next time we got together for a ride, we rode along a flat river trail and then started up a steep hill—this time he dropped me! That was a life-changing moment for me, and it was then that I then realized that one of the best things about cycling was to simply have fun and do your best to punish your best buddy!

The eternally youthful Tom White.