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
01:20saddle. 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
01:33you can have a beautifully lightweight bike and then slide in a full bottle of water which will usually
01:39weigh in at more than 700 grams. Also, I believe that the smallest of weight savings should probably
01:47be reserved for riders who might not have much weight to lose themselves. If you are carrying a
01:53little bit of extra timber, perhaps riding your slightly heavier bike could actually net a larger
01:58weight 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 is
02:13rife. Massively helped by the widespread adoption of integrated carbon bars, those which allow for
02:18the cables and hoses to be rooted inside the bars themselves and then down through the head tube,
02:23mean we're left with something which is rather aesthetically pleasing.
02:29While I'm not going to argue against the clear improvement in aesthetics, in my opinion at least,
02:34the resulting aero saving gains are slightly questionable and it's those aero efficiencies
02:41that these bars are often marketed as offering. I'm sure tucking the hoses out of the wind does create
02:47a saving. However, that saving is not going to be more than a couple of watts. So, if you are
02:55a
02:55rider who wants to be as slippery as possible, perhaps spend more time thinking about the width
03:00of your bars and your position rather than whether your cables are exposed. I can guarantee you will
03:07find a bigger saving.
03:13Another 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,
03:26before 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
04:02too 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
04:25fitness
04:26level is, but it can also be a pretty flawed metric. For those who undertake a 20 minute test and
04:33then minus
04:345%, 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
04:47can
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 open roads
05:01throw up too many variables. So perhaps don't worry about what your FTP is, but instead think about
05:08your explosive high-end power, which is the stuff that's great for getting you away from a set of
05:13lights 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
05:26will increase your real-world speed.
05:33Another 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 know that
05:53it's a problem when I can't go and meet my mates for a ride unless my legs are freshly shaved
05:58and 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 and
06:15have probably even repeated myself. We're all very obsessed about recording every metre we cover by bike,
06:23but should we be? I know for sure that some of my favourite rides have been ones where I've left
06:29a head
06:29unit at home and just ridden without having a little screen to stare at. Sure, GPS computers are great,
06:36and they do provide a wealth of information right at your fingertips. But really, not every ride has to be
06:43recorded.
06:44It's totally fine to just head out and just enjoy being outdoors with zero distractions. If anything, it's a bit
06:52better.
06:56The weather is yet another thing which I am guilty of caring too much about. It's very easy to write
07:03a day off
07:03if the wind is too strong or the chance of rain is slightly too high. But if the conditions aren't
07:10deemed to be unsafe,
07:11then just go for a ride. It's so rare that you'll feel worse for it and the chances are the
07:17conditions
07:18will be better than you may expect. The only reason to pay attention to what the forecast says is to
07:24ensure that you've got the right kind of clothing on and to check which way the wind is blowing in
07:29case
07:29you want to go for a KLM attempt.
07:36Much like FTP, constantly monitoring your average speed is kind of pointless. For a long time,
07:43all I cared about was always increasing it by another mile an hour. But when I realised how easy
07:49it 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
08:07if getting faster is what you really care about, then get yourself a power meter and monitor those
08:13numbers instead. They really are a much better reflection of where your fitness is really at. And
08:18when 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
08:36that our
08:36beloved sport is steeped in tradition. But this has led us to a point where perhaps we might care a
08:43little bit too much about cycling's long history. On one hand, it's great to understand
08:48and learn about the roots and heritage of a sport. But that shouldn't come at the cost
08:53of embracing the future and understanding that change is inevitable. It's no surprise that we're
08:59living in an era of intense innovation and that can often come with some growing pains. But with the
09:06beauty of perspective and hindsight, the end result is often something that is better than what it
09:11replaces. It may just take a few product cycles to get there. For example, steel frames to carbon
09:17frames, rim brakes to disc brakes and mechanical gears to electronic gears. I know that a lot
09:24of you love to celebrate and enjoy the tech of yesteryear and that's great, but maybe try and keep
09:31an open mind for what's to come. It's not all bad. Let me know down below, what do you think
09:37cyclists
09:37care too much about? If you enjoyed the video, then please do drop it a like, subscribe to the channel
09:42for more content and I will see you again very soon.
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