00:00We as cyclists are a bit of a funny bunch, but there's no disputing that. We get obsessed over
00:05the small details and are pretty well known for sweating the small stuff. Now, I'm sure like most
00:11of you, geeking out on the details is actually really quite fun and satisfies a weird part of
00:17our brains. Quietly thinking about every detail of my bike and the parts that I may wish to upgrade
00:23in the future consumes more of my brain activity than it probably should. But recently, I took a
00:30step back and realised that there's actually quite a few dumb things that we as cyclists
00:35probably shouldn't care about. So, let's get into them.
00:44Bike weight is one metric which is poured over more than most. Most people generally want a lighter
00:50bike. The reason being that lighter bikes take less effort to power over climbs. They feel more
00:56responsive and generally make the experience of cycling a lot more fun. However, while enjoying
01:02the difference, a one kilo saving is something that everyone can do. If you already have a bike that is
01:08between seven and eight kilos, you really do start to fall into a game of diminishing returns. Sure,
01:15it might be possible to save 50 grams with a change of pedals or 100 grams with a change of saddle. But
01:21when you consider what that difference is as a percentage of overall bike and rider weight combined,
01:27you're not even close to making a 1% improvement. Also, the thing that makes me laugh is the fact
01:33that you can have a beautifully lightweight bike and then slide in a full bottle of water which will
01:39usually weigh in at more than 700 grams. Also, I believe that the smallest of weight savings should
01:46probably be reserved for riders who might not have much weight to lose themselves. If you are carrying
01:52a little bit of extra timber, perhaps riding your slightly heavier bike could actually net a larger
01:58weight saving game 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, those which
02:18allow for the cables and hoses to be rooted inside the bars themselves and then down through the head tube,
02:24mean we're left with something which is rather aesthetically pleasing. While I'm not going to
02:30argue against the clear improvement in aesthetics, in my opinion at least, the resulting aero saving
02:36gains are slightly questionable and it's those aero efficiencies that these bars are often marketed as
02:43offering. I'm sure tucking the hoses out of the wind does create a saving. However, that saving is not
02:51going to be more than a couple of watts. So, if you are a rider who wants to be as slippery as possible,
02:58perhaps spend more time thinking about the width of your bars and your position rather than whether
03:03your cables are exposed. I can guarantee you will find a bigger saving.
03:14Another one for the diminishing returns brigade are ceramic bearings. They are absolutely mesmerising
03:19when you give either a wheel or a chainset a spin and then they spin seemingly endlessly. However,
03:25before you go and get yourself to the point of investing in such an upgrade, ask yourself this,
03:31are you staying on top of your steel bearing maintenance? Are you keeping your chain clean
03:36and using a high quality lubricant or wax? Are you ensuring your tyre pressure is correct before every
03:42ride? All of these things will net a greater improvement compared to ceramic bearings and on the whole,
03:49cost a fair bit less too. So, while ceramic bearings do have their place for those who can extract the
03:56benefits of their silky smooth ways, I think the majority of us really don't need to worry ourselves
04:03too much with them. There's nothing quite like having someone ask you what your FTP is, only to have to
04:13justify 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 fitness
04:26level is, but it can also be a pretty flawed metric. For those who undertake a 20 minute test and then
04:33minus 5%, it's not really the best way to calculate how much power you can sustain for an entire hour,
04:41which is what your FTP should tell you. For a lot of people, the maximum amount of power that you can
04:47sustain for an hour can only be found out by doing just that, an hour of pain. Additionally, for most
04:55people, we're never actually riding at pure threshold for an hour or even just 20 minutes. The
05:01open roads throw up too many variables. So, perhaps, don't worry about what your FTP is, but instead
05:08think about your explosive high-end power, which is the stuff that's great for getting you away from a
05:13set of lights in a flash. Your ability to smoothly and safely ride the wheels of your fellow riders and
05:20building up your anticipation of what the other road users around you might do. Mastering these things
05:27will increase your real-world speed. Another one that I am guilty of is caring too much about shaving
05:39my legs. I've always been pretty upfront about the fact that I just like the way that it looks,
05:44rather than caring about any sort of aerodynamic or injury-related benefits. Sure, it is handy when
05:50getting a massage, 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. Certainly one I'll try and grow out of, but
06:03some habits do die hard. If it's not on Strava, then it doesn't count. A phrase that I have heard
06:14maybe a thousand times and have probably even repeated myself. We're all very obsessed about
06:20recording every metre we cover by bike, but should we be? I know for sure that some of my favourite
06:27rides have been ones where I've left the head unit at home and just ridden without having a little
06:32screen to stare at. Sure, GPS computers are great and they do provide a wealth of information right at
06:39your fingertips. But really, not every ride has to be recorded. It's totally fine to just head out and
06:46just 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. It's very easy to write a
07:03day off if the wind is too strong or the chance of rain is slightly too high. But if the conditions
07:10aren't deemed to be unsafe, then just go for a ride. It's so rare that you'll feel worse for it and the
07:16chances are the conditions will be better than you may expect. The only reason to pay attention to what
07:22the forecast says is to ensure that you've got the right kind of clothing on and to check which way
07:28the wind is blowing in case you want to go for a KLM attempt. Much like FTP, constantly monitoring your
07:39average speed is kind of pointless. For a long time, all I cared about was always increasing it by
07:45another mile an hour. But when I realised how easy it was for the metric to be influenced by wind
07:51direction, traffic lights and other road users and a dozen other variables, I started to care
07:58a lot less. Sure, it's really nice when you head out and end up getting around your local loop a lot
08:04faster than otherwise you may have expected. But if getting faster is what you really care about,
08:10then get yourself a power meter and monitor those numbers instead. They really are a much better
08:15reflection of where your fitness is really at. And when you complete power-based training sessions,
08:21it's inevitable that your average speed will start to creep up as a by-product.
08:28People have been riding bikes for a really long time. So much so that our beloved sport is steeped
08:38in tradition. But this has led us to a point where perhaps we might care a little bit too much
08:44about cycling's long history. On one hand, it's great to understand and learn about the roots and
08:49heritage of a sport. But that shouldn't come at the cost of embracing the future and understanding
08:56that change is inevitable. It's no surprise that we're living in an era of intense innovation and
09:02that can often come with some growing pains. But with the beauty of perspective and hindsight,
09:08the end result is often something that is better than what it replaces. It may just take a few
09:13product cycles to get there. For example, steel frames to carbon frames, rim brakes to disc brakes,
09:20and mechanical gears to electronic gears. I know that a lot of you love to celebrate and enjoy the
09:26tech of yesteryear 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 you again
09:44very soon.
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