What Do You Dislike About Cycling?

Cycling Weekly

We all love cycling but, it's not always sunshine, tailwinds and KOMs. Sam Gupta from Cycling Weekly has listed everything which he can sometimes really hate about cycling.

Transcript

00:00We all love cycling, there's no doubt about it, and that's probably why you're here watching

00:06this video. However, it's not always sunshine, tailwinds and KOMs. There are some things which

00:12we can end up really hating. So here's my list of some things that I hate about cycling.

00:22There's too many rules about what you should and shouldn't do, which quite frankly,

00:27should all be ignored. Being safe and comfortable is all that matters. It's likely that we've all

00:33heard of the rules, an outdated set of so-called guidelines created by a previous generation of

00:38riders. All that needs to be remembered is that there are no rules. If you can enjoy the privilege

00:44of owning a bike or simply having access to one, then swing your leg over the saddle and just enjoy

00:49the freedom that two wheels can give you.

00:55Cycling can sometimes become too much about the numbers and then kill the very reason

00:59that we started in the first place. It's not always about who comes first, but who gets the

01:05most out of the journey. During a long block of training, it can feel like I've spent more time

01:10looking at my Garmin than I have looking at the landscape that I've been rolling through. Heading

01:15out on a ride without a Garmin, but being safe in the knowledge of a route that I know really well

01:20can give me the headspace to unwind, decompress and just enjoy the best of what cycling has to offer.

01:30For runners, it's a case of getting change, whipping on a pair of trainers,

01:33grabbing some water and hitting start on your smartwatch. Now, I don't think I need to go into

01:38too much more detail, but that process is 10 times simpler than the fiasco that is. Choosing your kit,

01:44getting change, making sure you have your keys, your money, your phone, your ride essentials,

01:48puncture repair kits, loading your map, checking the direction of the wind, making a drink,

01:53checking your bike is still working and still has air in the tyres, all while hoping you don't get

01:58to the point of being about to leave and then needing to make an emergency dash to the toilet

02:03where you all but have to strip off again. It really can be a success just by getting out the door.

02:08You really don't need the latest gear. Great bikes and gear can be found second-hand

02:16with a sizeable cost reductions. Don't forget, a full life cycle of a well-serviced bike is

02:22well over a decade. A good second-hand bike to get you going can be found for around £300.

02:29If you need more advice on what to look for when buying a second-hand bike, then check out our guide,

02:33which I've linked down in the description below. The overall quality of more budget options is only

02:39getting better as trickle-down tech reaches those lower echelons. It wasn't that long ago that the

02:44vast majority of the peloton was racing on rim brakes, so if it was good enough for them, well,

02:49it's definitely good enough for us now. Bonking. Need I say any more?

03:01Mechanicals. There really is no good time to have one, be it a puncture, skipping gears,

03:06rubbing brake pads or a snap spoke. All of these little issues that can creep up on you can be

03:12incredibly infuriating when you're out on the bike. Of course, making sure that you get your bike serviced

03:18or stay on top of any little gremlins yourself will mean that mechanicals are less likely,

03:23but no amount of servicing can save you from a sharp thorn or a pesky little bit of glass.

03:32I love climbing. You may have guessed by my stature that that's where I tend to feel most at home.

03:38The feeling of dancing up a climb to get to the top to enjoy the view. Well, sometimes. Other days

03:45aren't quite so sprightly, which is why running out of gears is one of the most humbling experiences out

03:51there. Gurning your way up a climb, staring at your stem in pain offers very little enjoyment.

03:57Either you need to revise your gear selection or just get a little fitter. The point still stands

04:03though. No matter the reason, running out of gears sucks.

04:08We've all been there. You're riding along having a grand old time and ever so slowly a new noise

04:17creeps into your ears. You're looking around. Is it me? Yes, because you're by yourself. You stop

04:23pedaling. It stops. You carry on pedaling. The sound comes back. It must be your bottom bracket or your

04:29spokes or your pedals or your headset or your hoses or your through axles. Quite frankly,

04:34it could be anything. Yet another joy of cycling. As with my previous point, if you can stay on top

04:41of servicing, hopefully these weird annoying noises should be kept at bay. To some extent.

04:51Now, I have a bit of a love-hate relationship with this one. In my early years of cycling, I was,

04:56of course, the slowest rider in the group. However, as annoying as it was, feeling like you're holding

05:01everybody back. For me, it was also a huge source of motivation to get faster. It meant I was digging

05:08as deep as possible to be as fast as possible. And I believe if you truly want to get quicker out

05:13on the road, then just ride with someone who will consistently and continually drop you. It may not be

05:20fun, but at some point you will be able to drop them or at least hold their will. Sometimes it's not

05:26always about power zones and heart rate data. You just need to be able to go flat out, dig deep and find

05:32that extra level that you never knew you had. Again. Need I say any more?

05:42A sensitive issue for sure. When you spend a long amount of time in the saddle and maybe haven't used

05:47enough or any chamois cream, you may fall victim to the very painful saddle sore. I find that they can

05:55also creep up after a period of time of not being on the bike and maybe you aren't quite conditioned

06:00to being in the saddle again. Of course, this is something that can be looked after. Simply apply

06:05a generous layer of chamois cream to the chamois in your shorts and this will most certainly help save

06:11you from this nasty injury. This one goes out to all the beginners who are finding their feet when it

06:19comes to riding clipless pedals. We've all been there. You're coming to a stop, maybe at a set of lights,

06:24you completely forget you're attached to your bike and all of a sudden you feel yourself falling in

06:29slow motion, usually to the enjoyment of the other road users that are around you. Happily,

06:35this only tends to happen once or twice before you very much learn your lesson.

06:43Forgetting to restart your Garmin. I actually fell foul of this one pretty recently. I was 30 miles into a

06:50ride and me and my ride buddy had stopped for lunch at a cafe before continuing the next 30 miles of our

06:56ride only for me to realize with 10 miles to the end that I hadn't pressed start after we left the cafe,

07:03meaning the last 20 miles had gone unaccounted for. Schoolboy error.

07:09Now, this one is never fun and it can be ripe for not being able to clip in, which is exactly why I

07:18taught myself how to track stand. The skill of being able to stay clipped in while staying still has saved

07:25me so many times. If there's one skill that's worth mastering, I'd actually say that it's this one. My only

07:30recommendation would be to start on some soft grass with a bit of an incline.

07:38Finally, the cost of it all. It's no surprise, but cycling is a pretty costly game. To even own

07:45or have access to a bike is a real privilege. I think that no matter what level of cycling you're

07:50at though, the cost of partaking in the sport can be quite grinding. It's very much the nature of the

07:56game, but I don't think it will ever become less annoying. So there we have everything that I find

08:04can be quite annoying about cycling. Of course, I've listed quite a few things and overall, well,

08:09actually, I still absolutely love cycling. Let me know down in the comments though,

08:14is there anything that you find really annoying about cycling? I really want to hear, so do let me

08:18know. If you enjoyed the video, then please do drop it a like, subscribe to the channel for more

08:22content, and I'll see you again very soon.

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