00:00tech. As brands are constantly pushing to bring out the next best thing to make
00:04riding faster, smoother and more efficient, it recently got me wondering
00:09about what upgrades we can make to our rides that actually bring out more of
00:12the fun that we all love. So here are my favorite ride upgrades which could
00:17actually make you slower.
00:24We often talk about how the biggest aerodynamic gains can come from tighter
00:28fitting, crease free clothing. High-end cycling clothing tends to be made of
00:33exotic materials designed to wick away all moisture away from the skin, provide
00:37extra aero benefits through different textures but also be incredibly well
00:42tailored. And that's before we've even got onto the different ways that
00:45manufacturers try to make clothing more practical. Sure another big part of what
00:51brands try to do is make clothing as comfortable as possible and I will be
00:55the first to say that cycling specific shorts absolutely changed the game for
00:59me in this regard. However shorts to one side I believe that looser fitting baggy
01:05clothing can be even better some of the time. I think we're getting real evidence
01:10of this in multiple places in cycling. First we're seeing some brands actually
01:14design active clothing for road cyclists which is there to replace your ride
01:19jersey as a more relaxed and comfortable option. Now these garments tend to be
01:23made of similar materials to their typical cycling jersey counterparts as
01:27that means it'll maintain the breathability. But then a t-shirt fit is
01:31then used to bring the best of both casual and serious sporting worlds
01:36together. I think that the recent boom in gravel cycling also points to some
01:41roadies wanting to continue their drop bar fun but in a more relaxed environment.
01:45So how can we achieve this? Well as mentioned there is kit out there
01:50designed to provide that relaxed ride feel but another alternative is actually
01:55just to forget cycling clothing altogether. Try popping on your cycling
02:00shoes and your favorite bib shorts and then just a t-shirt and probably a
02:03jumper as well at this time of year. Business downstairs and party up top and
02:08I'll be honest I've done this a few times recently and there's something
02:11that just makes it feel super freeing. I wouldn't do this on a ride where I
02:15actually want to go out and achieve a new personal record but for a rest ride
02:19or a roll around the lanes it feels so much better. It's just so much more
02:24relaxed. There's a constant very physical reminder when you're riding to just
02:28chill out and enjoy it.
02:35There's one number that gets banded around quite a lot in bike shops when a
02:39new road cyclist is purchasing their first road bike and wants to experiment
02:43with clipless shoes. Riding clipped in will increase your pedaling efficiency
02:48by 30%. Now while I'm not here to argue that number at all I think it's worth
02:53remembering what it was like to ride a bike with flat pedals. You jump on and go
02:58without needing to worry about what shoes you're wearing. Much like my first
03:02point I wouldn't do this for a ride where I want to go out and execute a
03:06really hard training session but if you want a nice evening cruise or you just
03:10want to pop to the shops or go to the pub it's got to be flat pedals all the
03:14way. This one has to be a bit of a no-brainer. There's no one thing which
03:23can provide a constant distraction for the entirety of a ride like a head unit
03:28does apart from maybe a creaky bottom bracket. Now riding without a head unit
03:33will instantly mean that you switch off from heart rate zones, power numbers and
03:37average speeds. When you're not fixating on however many data metrics can be
03:43presented in front of you, you provide yourself the headspace to let your mind
03:47wander, lose yourself from the ride and just really absorb the joys of being on
03:51two wheels. I find doing this on rest rides incredibly helpful. Sure you may
03:57not want to go above zone two for example and having a head unit does
04:01really help with keeping your effort in check but there's other ways to gauge it.
04:06For example if you get to the point of not being able to hold a full
04:09conversation then it's likely you're going too hard. The point stands though
04:14while checking your head unit may become second nature and almost instinct, when
04:18you take it away you realize how much more of your ride you actually absorb.
04:27Now while this next one isn't an upgrade per se, it is a firm favorite of mine but
04:33it does come with a word of warning. Me and one of my very good friends often
04:36consider what has been our favorite ride ever and we always look back many
04:40many years to the same one. It was a warm summer's evening, we'd got around 20 of
04:45our favorite local loop miles in our legs and we decided to stop in a town
04:49about seven miles outside of home for dinner and we went to a gorgeous
04:53riverside pub and we planted ourselves in the garden. What followed was to this
04:57day the best fish and chips that I have ever eaten along with a refreshing pint
05:03of local ale. Now once we filled our bellies we then set off again completely
05:07forgetting that the toughest climb of the ride was the next bit of parkour
05:11that we'd have to navigate. Reluctantly we spun up it and sheepishly nursed
05:14ourselves home. Now while the end of the ride may not have been the most
05:18comfortable thing in the world, for me and my friend it has to have been the
05:21perfect way to enjoy cycling and a timeless summer's evening. So while I'd
05:27implore all of you to go get a burger or fish and chips midway through a ride, be
05:31sure to time it right and maybe don't go too heavy on the beers and don't
05:35expect to go quickly anytime soon afterwards.
05:43Somewhere between 70 and 90% of what causes drag on a moving cyclist is the
05:50rider themselves. This is why time trial specialists, breakaway riders and those
05:55who spend more time in a velodrome than out of it will go to agonizing lengths
05:59to contort their bodies in ways to be as slippery as possible. This is also why
06:04professional cyclists spend so much time working on their flexibility so they
06:08have the ability to sit in these more aggressive positions for hour after hour.
06:12We'll be the first to say that being flexible by regularly stretching is no
06:16doubt a good thing and it does help prevent injury. However while riding the
06:20most aggressive position may be the fastest position, it isn't always what
06:24you might want to do and arguably if you're not a professional or trying to
06:28be one, then what's the point? Bring that stem up and back, don't try and
06:32overextend yourself and get yourself sorted with a bike fit if you can and
06:36just put your body in a position that's actually comfortable. Sure it may not be
06:41the fastest position in the world but if you're comfortable, then who cares?
06:50There's one modern trend that I've absolutely loved seeing develop over the
06:54past 10 years and that is bigger tires. It's now the norm for pros to be racing
06:59on 25s rather than 23s and it's also the norm for amateurs to ride on 28s
07:04rather than 25s and actually I think we could see amateurs actually graduate to
07:0930s as more tire options hit the market. The best thing about this upgrade is
07:13that it doesn't actually make you slower. When you run the correct pressure
07:16for your weight, you'll enjoy fast rolling tires, great grip and more
07:20comfort. Now if you were to pivot away from just thinking about road bikes for
07:24a second, then I'm sure we've all rolled down the road on a gravel or mountain
07:28bike and enjoyed just how smooth and cushioned it was. So if you apply that
07:33thinking here, you could go even bigger and maybe use a fast rolling all-road
07:37tire on the tarmac. But do bear in mind, if you go past 30mm, you will
07:42likely compromise on speed and you will be pushing the limits on what size
07:46tire you can actually fit in your bike. But as clearances get bigger, maybe you
07:51should experiment with the largest size possible that you can fit in. You'll be
07:55able to run lower pressures and it will feel great. If you want to prioritise
08:00comfort over speed, then this one is a must.
08:08A big theme of all my points is comfort and arguably being more comfortable
08:13makes things more enjoyable at the cost of speed. You may not be breaking any new
08:18ground in terms of fitness as you'll literally not be leaving your comfort
08:21zone, but surely that would make the ride quite enjoyable. Steel frames have long
08:26been credited as being one of the most comfortable materials for a bike. Sure
08:30it's heavy, but like I say, that comes with comfort. You most certainly won't be
08:34as fast as you would be on a modern-day carbon fibre rocket, but it sure would be
08:38smooth. Think about it like this, if you were to combine all the points that
08:42I've made here today, what would you end up with? Well, I guess it would be a steel
08:47frame bike with a relaxed geometry. It could take around a 32c wide tyre and
08:51would probably be fitted with flat pedals. There wouldn't be a mount for a
08:56head unit because you'd just be heading to your favourite local pub for dinner
08:59and you wouldn't stand out like a sore thumb because you'd be wearing a normal
09:03t-shirt and jumpers and shoes that you can actually walk around in. Correct me
09:08if I'm wrong, but I think I may have just described everyone's pub bike and
09:12something that has arguably been around for a hundred years. Hmm. With that in
09:18mind, I think I need to slowly question everything I thought I knew about
09:23cycling. Let me know about this down in the comments below. If you enjoyed the
09:27video then please do drop a like, subscribe to the channel for more
09:30content and I'll see you again very soon.
Comments