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 is rife.
02:14Massively helped by the widespread adoption of integrated carbon bars, those which allow for the cables and
02:19hoses to be rooted inside the bars themselves and then down through the head tube, mean we're left with
02:25something which is rather aesthetically pleasing. While I'm not going to argue against the clear
02:31improvement in aesthetics, in my opinion at least, the resulting aero saving gains are slightly
02:38questionable and it's those aero efficiencies that these bars are often marketed as offering.
02:44I'm sure tucking the hoses out of the wind does create a saving, however, that saving is not going to
02:51be 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 mesmerizing
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,
04:12only to have to justify it with what your watts per kilo are. At least, that's true in my experience.
04:18But really, should we even really care what our FTP is? Sure, it does give you an indicator as to what
04:25your fitness level is, but it can also be a pretty flawed metric. For those who undertake a 20 minute
04:32test and then minus five percent, 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 maximum amount
04:46of power that you can sustain for an hour can only be found out by doing just that, an hour of pain.
04:54Additionally, for most people, we're never actually riding at pure threshold for an hour or even just
04:5920 minutes. The open roads throw up too many variables. So, perhaps don't worry about what your
05:06FTP is, but instead think about your explosive high-end power, which is the stuff that's great for
05:12getting you away from a set of lights in a flash. Your ability to smoothly and safely ride the wheels
05:18of your fellow riders and building up your anticipation of what the other road users around
05:24you might do. Mastering these things will increase your real-world speed.
05:29Another one that I am guilty of is caring too much about shaving my legs. I've always been pretty
05:41upfront about the fact that I just like the way that it looks, rather than caring about any sort of
05:46aerodynamic or injury-related benefits. Sure, it is handy when getting a massage, but I, for one,
05:53know that it's a problem when I can't go and meet my mates for a ride unless my legs are freshly shaved and
05:59moisturised. Certainly 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 and
06:16have probably even repeated myself. We're all very obsessed about recording every metre we cover by
06:22bike, but should we be? I know for sure that some of my favourite rides have been ones where I've left
06:28the head unit at home and just ridden without having a little screen to stare at. Sure,
06:34GPS computers are great and they do provide a wealth of information right at your fingertips,
06:40but really not every ride has to be recorded. It's totally fine to just head out and just enjoy
06:47being outdoors with zero distractions. If anything, it's a bit better.
06:52The 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
07:22what the forecast says is to ensure that you've got the right kind of clothing on and to check
07:27which way the wind is blowing in case you want to go for a KLM attempt.
07:36Much like FTP, constantly monitoring your average speed is kind of pointless. For a long time,
07:42all I cared about was always increasing it by another mile an hour. But when I realized how
07:48easy it was for the metric to be influenced by wind direction, traffic lights and other road users
07:54and a dozen other variables, I started to care a lot less. Sure, it's really nice when you head out
08:01and end up getting around your local loop a lot faster than otherwise you may have expected. But if
08:07getting 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 at.
08:18And when you complete power-based training sessions, it's inevitable that your average speed will start
08:24to creep up as a by-product. People have been riding bikes for a really long time. So much so that our
08:36beloved sport is steeped in tradition. But this has led us to a point where perhaps we might care a
08:42little bit too much about cycling's long history. On one hand, it's great to understand and learn about
08:49the roots and heritage of a sport. But that shouldn't come at the cost of embracing the future and
08:54understanding that change is inevitable. It's no surprise that we're living in an era of intense
09:01innovation and that can often come with some growing pains. But with the beauty of perspective
09:07and hindsight, the end result is often something that is better than what it replaces. It may just
09:13take a few product cycles to get there. For example, steel frames to carbon frames, rim brakes to disc
09:20brakes and 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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