00:00As brands are constantly pushing to bring out the next best thing to make riding faster,
00:05smoother and more efficient, it recently got me wondering about what upgrades we can make to our
00:10rides that actually bring out more of the fun that we all love. So here are my favourite ride
00:16upgrades which could actually make you slower. We often talk about how the biggest aerodynamic
00:27gains can come from tighter fitting, crease-free clothing. High-end cycling clothing tends to be
00:33made of exotic materials designed to wick away all moisture away from the skin, provide extra
00:38aero benefits through different textures but also be incredibly well tailored and that's before we've
00:44even got onto the different ways that manufacturers try to make clothing more practical. Sure another
00:50big part of what brands try to do is make clothing as comfortable as possible and I will be the
00:55first
00:55to say that cycling specific shorts absolutely change the game for me in this regard. However,
01:01shorts to one side I believe that looser fitting baggy clothing can be even better some of the time.
01:08I think we're getting real evidence of this in multiple places in cycling. First we're seeing
01:13some brands actually design active clothing for road cyclists which is there to replace your ride
01:19jersey as a more relaxed and comfortable option. Now these garments tend to be made of similar materials
01:24to their typical cycling jersey counterparts as that means it'll maintain the breathability but then
01:30a t-shirt fit is then used to bring the best of both casual and serious sporting worlds together.
01:37I think that the recent boom in gravel cycling also points to some roadies wanting to continue their
01:43drop bar fun but in a more relaxed environment. So how can we achieve this? Well as mentioned there is
01:49kit out there designed to provide that relaxed ride feel but another alternative is actually just to
01:56forget cycling clothing altogether. Try popping on your cycling shoes and your favourite bib shorts and
02:01then just a t-shirt and probably a jumper as well at this time of year. Business downstairs and party
02:07up
02:07top and I'll be honest I've done this a few times recently and there's something that just makes it feel
02:12super freeing. I wouldn't do this on a ride where I actually want to go out and achieve a new
02:17personal
02:18record but for a rest ride or a roll around the lanes it feels so much better it's just so
02:23much
02:23more relaxed there's a constant very physical reminder when you're riding to just chill out and enjoy it.
02:35There's one number that gets banded around quite a lot in bike shops when a new road cyclist
02:40is purchasing their first road bike and wants to experiment with clipless shoes. Riding clipped in
02:46will increase your pedaling efficiency by 30%. Now while I'm not here to argue that number at all
02:52I think it's worth remembering what it was like to ride a bike with flat pedals. You jump on and
02:58go
02:58without needing to worry about what shoes you're wearing. Much like my first point I wouldn't do this
03:04for a ride where I want to go out and execute a really hard training session but if you want
03:08a nice
03:09evening cruise or you just want to pop to the shops or go to the pub it's got to be
03:13flat pedals all the way.
03:20This one has to be a bit of a no-brainer there's no one thing which can provide a constant
03:25distraction
03:25for the entirety of a ride like a head unit does apart from maybe a creaky bottom bracket. Now riding
03:33without a head unit will instantly mean that you switch off from heart rate zones, power numbers
03:37and average speeds. When you're not fixating on however many data metrics can be presented in front of you,
03:44you provide yourself the head space to let your mind wander, lose yourself from the ride and just
03:49really absorb the joys of being on two wheels. I find doing this on rest rides incredibly helpful.
03:56Sure you may not want to go above zone two for example and having a head unit does really help
04:01with keeping your effort in check but there's other ways to gauge it. For example if you get to the
04:07point
04:08of not being able to hold a full conversation then it's likely you're going too hard. The point stands
04:14though while checking your head unit may become second nature and almost instinct when you take it
04:18away you'll realize how much more of your ride you actually absorb.
04:28Now while this next one isn't an upgrade per se it is a firm favorite of mine but it does
04:33come with a
04:33word of warning. Me and one of my very good friends often consider what has been our favorite ride ever
04:39and we always look back many many years to the same one. It was a warm summer's evening we'd got
04:44around 20 of our favorite local loop miles in our legs and we decided to stop in a town about
04:49seven miles
04:50outside of home for dinner and we went to a gorgeous riverside pub and we planted ourselves in the
04:55garden. What followed was to this day the best fish and chips that I have ever eaten along with
05:01a refreshing pint of local ale. Now once we filled our bellies we then set off again completely forgetting
05:07that the toughest climb of the ride was the next bit of parkour that we'd have to navigate.
05:12Reluctantly we spun up it and sheepishly nursed ourselves home. Now while the end of the ride may not
05:17been the most comfortable thing in the world for me and my friend it has to have been the perfect
05:22way
05:22to enjoy cycling and a timeless summer's evening. So while I'd implore all of you to go get a burger
05:29or a fish and chips midway through a ride be sure to time it right and maybe don't go too
05:34heavy on the
05:34beers and don't expect to go quickly anytime soon afterwards.
05:44Somewhere between 70 and 90 percent of what causes drag on a moving cyclist is the rider themselves.
05:51This is why time trial specialists, breakaway riders and those who spend more time in a velodrome than
05:57out of it will go to agonizing lengths to contort their bodies in ways to be as slippery as possible.
06:02This is also why professional cyclists spend so much time working on their flexibility
06:07so they have the ability to sit in these more aggressive positions for hour after hour.
06:12We'll be the first to say that being flexible by regularly stretching is no doubt a good thing
06:17and it does help prevent injury. However while riding the most aggressive position may be the fastest
06:22position it isn't always what you might want to do and arguably if you're not a professional or trying
06:28to be one then what's the point? Bring that stem up and back, don't try and overextend yourself and
06:34get yourself sorted with a bike fit if you can and just put your body in a position that's actually
06:39comfortable. Sure it may not be the fastest position in the world but if you're comfortable then who cares?
06:50There's one modern trend that I've absolutely loved seeing develop over the past 10 years and that is
06:57it's the norm for pros to be racing on 25s rather than 23s and it's also the norm for amateurs
07:03to
07:03ride on 28s rather than 25s. And actually I think we could see amateurs actually graduate to 30s as
07:10more tyre options hit the market. The best thing about this upgrade is that it doesn't actually make
07:14you slower. When you run the correct pressure for your weight you'll enjoy fast rolling tyres, great grip
07:20and more comfort. Now if you were to pivot away from just thinking about road bikes for a second
07:25then I'm sure we've all rolled down the road on a gravel or mountain bike and enjoyed just how
07:30smooth and cushioned it was. So if you apply that thinking here you could go even bigger and maybe
07:35use a fast rolling all-road tyre on the tarmac. But do bear in mind if you go past 30mm
07:41you will
07:42likely compromise on speed and you will be pushing the limits on what size tyre you can actually fit in
07:48your bike. But as clearances get bigger maybe you should experiment with the largest size possible
07:53that you can fit in. You'll be able to run lower pressures and it will feel great. If you want
07:59to
07:59prioritise comfort over speed then this one is a must.
08:08A big theme of all my points is comfort and arguably being more comfortable makes things more enjoyable at
08:15the cost of speed. You may not be breaking any new ground in terms of fitness as you'll literally
08:20not be leaving your comfort zone but surely that would make the ride quite enjoyable. Steel frames
08:25have long been credited as being one of the most comfortable materials for a bike. Sure it's heavy
08:30but like I say that comes with comfort. You most certainly won't be as fast as you would be on
08:35a
08:35modern day carbon fibre rocket but it sure would be smooth. Think about it like this. If you were to
08:41combine all the points that I've made here today what would you end up with? Well I guess it would
08:46be a steel frame bike with a relaxed geometry. It could take around a 32c wide tyre and would probably
08:52be fitted with flat pedals. There wouldn't be a mount for a head unit because you'd just be heading
08:57to your favourite local pub for dinner and you wouldn't stand out like a sore thumb because you'd be
09:02wearing a normal t-shirt and jumpers and shoes that you can actually walk around in. Correct me if I'm
09:08wrong
09:08but I think I may have just described everyone's pub bike and something that has arguably been around
09:14for a hundred years. Hmm. With that in mind I think I need to slowly question everything I thought I
09:22knew
09:22about cycling. Let me know about this down in the comments below. If you enjoyed the video then
09:28please do drop in a like, subscribe to the channel for more content and I'll see you again very soon.
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