00:00We as cyclists are a bit of a funny bunch, there's no disputing that. We get obsessed
00:05over the small details and are pretty well known for sweating the small stuff.
00:09Now, I'm sure like most of you, geeking out on the details is actually really quite fun
00:15and satisfies a weird part of our brains. Quietly thinking about every detail of my bike
00:21and the parts that I may wish to upgrade in the future consumes more of my brain activity
00:27than it probably should. But recently, I took a step back and realized that there's actually
00:32quite a few dumb things that we as cyclists probably shouldn't care about. So, let's get into
00:40them. Bike weight is one metric which is poured over more than most. Most people generally want
00:49a lighter bike, the reason being that lighter bikes take less effort to power over climbs.
00:55They feel more responsive and generally make the experience of cycling a lot more fun.
01:01However, while enjoying the difference a one kilo saving is something that everyone can do,
01:06if you already have a bike that is between seven and eight kilos, you really do start to fall into
01:12a game of diminishing returns. Sure, it might be possible to save 50 grams with a change of pedals
01:18or 100 grams with a change of saddle. But when you consider what that difference is as a percentage
01:24of overall bike and rider weight combined, you're not even close to making a 1% improvement.
01:31Also, the thing that makes me laugh is the fact that you can have a beautifully lightweight bike
01:36and then slide in a full bottle of water, which will usually weigh in at more than 700 grams.
01:43Also, I believe that the smallest of weight savings should probably be reserved for riders
01:48who might not have much weight to lose themselves. If you are carrying a little
01:53bit of extra timber, perhaps riding your slightly heavier bike could actually net
01:57a larger weight saving gain and make you faster in the process too.
02:07The latest trend of pretending your bike is completely cable-less and brake hose free
02:12is rife. Massively helped by the widespread adoption of integrated carbon bars,
02:17those which allow for the cables and hoses to be routed inside the bars themselves
02:22and then down through the head tube mean we're left with something which is rather
02:26aesthetically pleasing. While I'm not going to argue against the clear improvement in aesthetics,
02:33in my opinion at least, the resulting aero saving gains are slightly questionable and
02:39it's those aero efficiencies that these bars are often marketed as offering. I'm sure tucking the
02:45hoses out of the wind does create a saving, however, that saving is not going to be more
02:52than a couple of watts. So, if you are a rider who wants to be as slippery as possible, perhaps
02:58spend more time thinking about the width of your bars and your position rather than whether your
03:04cables are exposed. I can guarantee you will find a bigger saving. Another one for the diminishing
03:15returns brigade are ceramic bearings. They are absolutely mesmerising when you give either a
03:20wheel or a chainset a spin and then they spin seemingly endlessly. However, before you go and
03:26get yourself to the point of investing in such an upgrade, ask yourself this, are you staying on top
03:32of your steel bearing maintenance? Are you keeping your chain clean and using a high quality lubricant
03:38or wax? Are you ensuring your tyre pressure is correct before every ride? All of these things
03:44will net a greater improvement compared to ceramic bearings and on the whole cost a fair bit
03:50less too. So, while ceramic bearings do have their place for those who can extract the benefits of
03:57their silky smooth ways, I think the majority of us really don't need to worry ourselves too much
04:03with them. There's nothing quite like having someone ask you what your FTP is only to have
04:13to justify it with what your watts per kilo are. At least that's true in my experience. But really,
04:19should we even really care what our FTP is? Sure, it does give you an indicator as to what your
04:25fitness level is, but it can also be a pretty flawed metric. For those who undertake a 20
04:32minute test and then minus 5%, it's not really the best way to calculate how much power you can
04:39sustain for an entire hour, which is what your FTP should tell you. For a lot of people, the
04:46maximum amount of power that you can sustain for an hour can only be found out by doing just that,
04:51an hour of pain. Additionally, for most people, we're never actually riding at pure threshold for
04:58an hour or even just 20 minutes. The open roads throw up too many variables. So, perhaps don't
05:05worry about what your FTP is, but instead think about your explosive high-end power,
05:10which is the stuff that's great for getting you away from a set of lights in a flash. Your ability
05:16to smoothly and safely ride the wheels of your fellow riders and building up your anticipation
05:22of what the other road users around you might do. Mastering these things will increase your
05:28real-world speed. Another one that I am guilty of is caring too much about shaving my legs. I've
05:40always been pretty upfront about the fact that I just like the way that it looks rather than caring
05:45about any sort of aerodynamic or injury-related benefits. Sure, it is handy when getting a
05:51massage, but I for one know that it's a problem when I can't go and meet my mates for a ride
05:56unless my legs are freshly shaved and moisturised.
06:00Certainly one I'll try and grow out of, but some habits do die hard.
06:09If it's not on Strava, then it doesn't count. A phrase that I have heard maybe a thousand times
06:15and have probably even repeated myself. We're all very obsessed about recording every metre
06:22covered by bike. But should we be? I know for sure that some of my favourite rides have been
06:28ones where I've left the head unit at home and just ridden without having a little screen to
06:32stare at. Sure, GPS computers are great and they do provide a wealth of information right at your
06:39fingertips. But really, not every ride has to be recorded. It's totally fine to just head out
06:46and enjoy being outdoors with zero distractions. If anything, it's a bit better.
06:56The weather is yet another thing which I am guilty of caring too much about.
07:01It's very easy to write a day off if the wind is too strong or the chance of rain is slightly
07:07too high. But if the conditions aren't deemed to be unsafe, then just go for a ride. It's so
07:14rare that you'll feel worse for it and the chances are the conditions will be better than you may
07:20expect. The only reason to pay attention to what the forecast says is to ensure that you've got
07:24the right kind of clothing on and to check which way the wind is blowing in case you want to go for
07:30a KLM attempt. Much like FTP, constantly monitoring your average speed is kind of pointless. For a
07:42long time, all I cared about was always increasing it by another mile an hour. But when I realised
07:48how easy it was for the metric to be influenced by wind direction, traffic lights and other road
07:54users and a dozen other variables, I started to care a lot less. Sure, it's really nice when you
08:01head out and end up getting round your local loop a lot faster than otherwise you may have expected.
08:06But if getting faster is what you really care about, then get yourself a power meter and monitor
08:12those numbers instead. They really are a much better reflection of where your fitness is really
08:17at and when you complete power-based training sessions, it's inevitable that your average
08:23speed will start to creep up as a by-product. People have been riding bikes for a really long
08:35time, so much so that our beloved sport is steeped in tradition. But this has led us to a
08:41point where perhaps we might care a little bit too much about cycling's long history. On one hand,
08:47it's great to understand and learn about the roots and heritage of a sport, but that shouldn't come
08:52at the cost of embracing the future and understanding that change is inevitable.
08:58It's no surprise that we're living in an era of intense innovation and that can often come with
09:03some growing pains. But with the beauty of perspective and hindsight, the end result is
09:09often something that is better than what it replaces. It may just take a few product cycles
09:14to get there. For example, steel frames to carbon frames, rim brakes to disc brakes and mechanical
09:21gears to electronic gears. I know that a lot of you love to celebrate and enjoy the tech of
09:27yesteryear and that's great, but maybe try and keep an open mind for what's to come. It's not
09:34all bad. Let me know down below, what do you think cyclists care too much about? If you enjoyed the
09:39video, then please do drop it a like, subscribe to the channel for more content and I will see
09:44you again very soon.
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