3 Reason to NOT Ride Like a PRO
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- Опубліковано 9 бер 2024
- There is so much messaging in the cycling industry that you should emulate what professional riders do. But should really?
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Yesterday on the ride I was on a young man said to me and a friend you guys need to work. I looked at him and said your funny so I worked and worked and after 40 miles I took off see if he had anything left about 20min later he got there. He was the only one that did not say bye. I hope he learned a valuable lesson in non racing humility, just cause some of us don’t look the part does no mean we are not in great shape and just love riding 😂
KaBOOM! Well done and well said!!! I have had the same experience. I don't need Lycra and skinny tires to make me strong, persistent and resilient !
Ive got a friend who's approaching 70. Im 62. He 'walks' big strong dogs using a bike as a 'job'. He puts in 20000 miles a year in the saddle.
I dig nice old vintage and custom bikes. Im a retired racer and wrench on bikes for fun in retirement.
When we ride together we toy with younger folks on uber bikes and usually drop them after 10-20 miles. It all starts when they dont say hi in passing. My buddy's the big gear masher and Im the skinny climber and descender. We're like a 'pro team'! These youngsters are always the ones who pass first and instigate these little battles. Its too much fun.
I'm 66 and in better shape than when I was still riding "seriously" 30 years ago. I feel that is because I'm riding for the sheer joy of it these days; not as some obsessive/compulsive disorder.
You also have more time & not wearing yourself out at a job. I thought to retire early and spent a year riding almost everyday. I sure got better but boredom snuck in so I took a good paying job, albeit very physical as an airplane mechanic. Lots of climbing & walking including being in confined spaces for extended times, I’m doing the work of people half my age. Needless to say my bicycling time has drastically reduced to short trips as 60+ hours at the job will do that. Lucky for me I wasn’t a racer at 22, still not at 62. Guys at work ask me if it bothers me when 24yr old women flirt me up and I am not in the race for them. I tell them if bothered me when I was 24 but now have a good excuse. ✌️😎
Exactly. Just enjoy your ride, no pressure.
I’m an introverted loner dude who rides by himself 99% of the time. What I see reminds me of the dark side of high school-cliques. You have the Strava crowd (race jerseys, expensive xc type bikes, a scowl on their face as they blow past you on the trail. You have the “sesh” crowd (loves riding the man-made features, expensive long travel bikes, loves to say “sick”, “epic, bro!” and “stoked”). Then you have the hipster crowd (trying hard not to be like anyone else, trying to not look like a cyclist, riding an expensive bike that most people haven’t heard of). They’re all cliques. And then there are the road racers-they are pretty much just aliens. Luckily for me, I’m just a crusty old loner that rides through the woods because I love to turn the pedals.
The woods is nice, and pedals is a nice way to enjoy it. Keep up the good work.
I picked up biking over the pandemic, and as someone who also primarily rides alone, it all seems so bewildering, especially for an activity/sport/mode of transport that gives so much freedom to be yourself.
Loner here as well. Crusty has happened to me as well with age and life banging me up a bit.
I have a little bit of an apologist side from having lived through decades of what people with bikes did when they gathered together.
I am at my social best with people and bikes but have disliked some of the kinds of behavior at one time or another now in the world of people who pretend-look like racers and even those who urban group ride.
It's not hard for something to bring out the worst when people congregate.
I entered into a late 70s club oriented outing group and watched the elitism grow. It now requires work to be ok with some folks but that's true across many realms of any social gatherings.
Thank goodness there's always the ride in the woods alone for keeping sane.
I used to mountain bike primarily but the crashes started taking a serious toll on my body and I got fed up with my tires slinging dog shit on me because of irresponsible dog walkers, so I switched to mainly road bike riding. I tried some groups at first but I felt intimidated if I didn't have a jersey that made me look like I was on a cycling team like one who races would wear. I've parted from groups and at times it feels kind of lonely but at least I still like riding. I don't feel the need for carbon light weight junk anymore and I'm getting a vintage style steel bike with rim brakes custom made for me which I was told I should have by May. Since I first started riding a bike in my teen years it seems as though I have gone full circle and I'm just taking from cycling what cycling was really meant to be. I'm 67 now.
I am also crusty and ride alone a lot in the woods. However, I do enjoy group rides on and off road, from time to time. I also believe that not belonging to a clique is a thing that a lot of people try to identify with. Whether you do long, fast training rides with a group, mountain bike with the dudes, Rando with the guys and gals on vintage steel or just ride alone in the woods, the important thing is that your riding your bike. As humans, we have different reasons for riding. Some ride to stay in shape, some ride to race and some people just ride because they love to pedal a bicycle. I guess what I’m saying is just enjoy every moment your on your bike.
"You don't want to turn something fun into a job".
Well said. Everytime I do something, people are like "you could do that as a day job". I like to cook : "open a restaurant". I'm starting to tinker with bikes : "work as a bike mechanic". Etc. I developed a passion for photography when I was 16. It's now my job. Sometimes, it surely has taken the passion out.
I keep wondering when bike makers will actually get the wherewithal to help improve infrastructure that would actually promote the largest population of bike users?
Funding the Tour de France does not make me want to ride on the streets.
EXACTLY!!! THIS!! 100%
Phil Gaimon is really great about this at least.
They won't. It isn't their market. Or maybe I'm wrong and the Ebike market will turn them more toward caring about the bike rider as opposed to the cyclist.
They said I'd be in the Clydesdale class. I said Clydesdales don't race, so I'll pull the beer wagon and enjoy my own pace, comfortably.
Transportation for me. Errands and enjoyment.
Its ironic, the vast majority of bike users use a bicycle to simply get somewhere. Cheers!!!
Yet, look at all the idiotic hype in this industry.
I wrench in this industry for fun in retirement. Of which inevitably creates my daily job security. The larger bike industry today makes me ashamed, but Im still laughing😂
Ive been messin' with bikes a long, long time. I raced, (won a beginner trials comp once) toured, rode across the US in '77, helped run an early internet weekly nite mtb ride through some back country and ran an mtb guide service a few years.
The bike industry certainly wasnt always this way and it still isnt in 'my industry'.
I'm not convinced that it is a vast majority at all. At least not if you are referring to regular riders. And by that I mean people who will typically ride their bike once a week or more.
Well said Russ, cycling isn't just a sport, it's a mode of transport or a leisure activity too and we need very different kinds of bikes for those things. Cycling used to be the main way of getting around until the car industry forced cyclists off the road and since then it seems the bike industry has only promoted cycling as a sport, and I think the cycling industry is paying the price for that now.
I don't know where you live, but as far as what I'm used to, the car replaced horse-driven chariots, lol
,@@ichbrauchmehrkaffee5785, horse drawn vehicles were expensive and not that common.
Bicycles were widespread and reasonably priced by comparison.
With the riding costs of cars, insurance and parking, we may be headed that way again!
@@BartAnderson_writer We are definitely heading that way again. One of these days this planet will be out of oil. And it will most likely solve the cell phone problems we have also. Commuting will be a lot safer for cyclists because I don't think you would have to worry about a horse running you over.
I've ridden a Surly ECR bike packing bike for the last 7 years and I think of it as the cycling equivalent of a Toyota Landcruiser, something you can throw all your gear into and go camping for a weekend at the beach or in the mountains.
In total agreement with the sentiment, bikes are for everyone and all occasions of mobility. How it got to this place of distortion is curious though.
My understanding is that the UCI regulations were supposed to be that racers used bikes that weren’t specialized racing machines, but were accessible by everyone, the problem is that there was then an economic incentive to make faster bikes, and the bike industry responded by prioritizing race performance over functions outside of racing. Add trickle down economics of components and suddenly you have folks riding a “standard” crankset thinking that’s just what’s normal, as opposed to equipment optimized for racing and not everyday riding.
Yeah, way better ways to get the improvements that crazy helmet gives if you're not limited by UCI rules.
A front fairing also helps a ton in rain, cold, and wind. While a disk rear wheel and a few splitter plates on the chassis add way more aero without compromising utility.
In addition, the car-centric infrastructure of many cities displaced the commuter/everyday bike as they could not meaningfully keep up in traffic flow with other motor vehicles, courtesy of the “vehicular cycling” movement (of which I have very strong opinions against, but that’s another topic). It’s not for nothing that the only bikes in the market in those cities are the ones who 1) prioritize speed/aero on roads or 2) are away from roads entirely in dedicated off-road trails.
@@BirdmanDeuce26💯🫶🏽
Total agreement, cars have deprioritized bikes as modes of transit, and we are due to change that. I wholeheartedly see a future where we use less vehicle to get around, for myself it’s been a decade since I owned a car and I’ve used bikes as my primary mode of transit.
Always enjoyable to watch, Russ. Thanks for the great video.
Of course this subject is not an "either/or" question. I have a Soma Wolverine that I use to putt around on and hit the gravel occasionally and I love it, but I also have a couple of Cannondale light weight/go fast bikes that I also love to ride - I like to ride fast and they climb hills like nobody's business. I'm 69 and have no problem with the geometry of any of my bikes. You just have to get used to each bike and that can take time. Each of my bikes has it's own feel and it's own purpose and I love 'em all. Guess you could say that I am just not a monogamous bicyclist, ha-ha.
agreed! there's lots of fun to be had in all disciplines. 🚲 ❤
Thanks for the spot-on reminder that we are all Kenough no matter how we ride, as long as we enjoy it! Sometimes the message from the biking industry (even gravel biking) is that we don't matter unless we are Keegan Swenson!
I ride mainly for exercise and enjoyment. As I get my legs back after a 20 year layoff, I'll start using my bike for transportation again too. I didn't ride everywhere all the time, but for short trips to the post office and what not, I took the bike; this way I could both get something done and get my exercise in at the same time.
On point! 👌
I’d love to see a collaboration video with Russ talking sensibly with occasional comments by backwards hat Dylan Johnson.
Im planning a bike trip from Nice, France to La Spezia, Italy this summer. I’m gonna make a point to tell people I’m doing it on a bike I got for 150€ and not record it on strava 😂
Party pace all the way for me, Russ! I took those silly clipless pedals off my bike a couple years ago and have never regretted it. I also ditched the drop handle bars and installed a Nitto Albatross bar. Comfort all the way, baby!
BUT WUT ABOUT MUH STRAVA TIMES KARL
I still ride clipless SPDs. But my pedals have SPD on one side only. So any bike can be ridden with regular shoes. And my bike shoes are MTB shoes and are perfectly fine for walking.
My "road" bike is a Trek 990 with slicks, a Scott AT4 MTB bar and MicrosShift thumb shifters. Comfort and function.
You should hop on a train and go to the Netherlands! Even here in Stockholm I see that bike shops specialize in different categories. You have a few pure racing bike shops, a few adventure bike shops, and a whole lot of everyday commuter bike shops. It makes sense ,because the commuters are the majority and it's getting ever harder for one single shop to cater for all sorts of riders.
I watch a ton of bike racing. I love it. I myself do not race. I really dislike the type of person i was when i was racing, I also noticed it burned me out on riding a bike. Nowadays I am a huge fan of having fun. Sometimes fast, mostly slow but more often than not stopping to enjoy some hang time w my buds. Even on my solo rides I find I stop and hang and reflect. It’s been a game changer for me. But as for your point in this vid I agree. Good for those who like it. But not necessary for all riders to be lumped together into racer boiiiiis
Depends what you're cycling for, doesn't it? I have a carbon gravel bike, and I wear lycra because it's a sporting activity. You wouldn't run a marathon in jeans, would you? But I also own an aluminium urban bike, and I ride that around town in whatever clothes I happen to be wearing. I'm not a racing snake, I'm a little overweight, but I feel comfortable whichever bike I'm riding.
Thanks for mentioning, it’s not that serious. ( unless it needs to be)Have fun, be comfortable and get out there. My Volpe stays parked by the front door all winter. lol..
I race gravel and the pros are getting aerobars banned. I use them because I have an old fracture in my left forearm that re-breaks if I ride rough stuff for too long.
I dig it. Thanks.
One thing I always advise my friends when they get into cycling is to assess their dos and don'ts with a three sections: "need", "want", and "don't care".
"Need" pertains to the essential goals you have, the function of your cycling activity, what you're comfortable with, how to make yourself comfortable and capable on the bike based on your needs. We should prioritize budget and focus on this. This section should also embrace beneficial, nonvestigial advancements without snobbery or discrimination as long as it is feasible.
"Want" is the stuff or activities you find cool but you don't really need or that it's financially or physiologically out of your reach. You may strive to save up or make yourself fit enough to achieve these, but don't rush and don't feel pressured.
"Don't care" is pretty self-explanatory.
I want to promote cycling as a general activity but if people are unnecessarily pushed into prejudiced, uncomfortable, and borderline psychotic rabbit holes upon introduction, it always ends up with them generalizing "cycling" as unpleasant and quit.
While touring across Australia I talked to a lot of cyclists. Many were curious and wanted to hear about my experience, but many (usually dressed in spandex and riding a carbon bike) seemed completely perplexed by my flat pedals and regular shoes. They shared the attitude that one day I would "graduate" to clipping in and despite just having spent 8 months on the road, cycling 11,000km up to that point - I would finally be a "real" cyclist on that day...
Most frustrating thing at a bike shop, person bought road somewhere, comes to us, says im super uncomfortable and anything is numb,”can we bring the handle bars up like 4 inches”
That new funky race helmet that just came out makes doing all this much easier. 😆😆😆
All about the PARTY PACE! Keep preaching, Russ!
One hundred percent agreed. I find it ridiculous that the likes of GCN obsess over marginal gains and attaining maximum speed, while att he same time exhorting the value of spending 80-90% of their time on Z2. If you are going to ride the vast majority of your time at party pace, as slow as a snail compared to car traffic, why not at least ride and dress comfortably? If you care so much about your training numbers you can install power meter pedals on your beach cruiser -- your watts will be the same.
"Power meter pedals on your beach cruiser" - pure gold. 🤣
Turned a heavy old 3x hardtail into a monstercross Frankenstein with a cheap 4iiii crank meter for that exact purpose - I don't care how I look or how fast I am, only the training effect I get and my enjoyment of the great outdoors while I'm doing it (as opposed to suffering indoors). Watts are watts.
so true
Agree 100% :)
I dunno, maybe i just live in a cool area but shops around me mostly sell gravel and steel utility bikes. Very few shops only push carbon race bikes.
I think Russ should product test one of the spacey bullet helmets on his party pace bike!
I was just thinking the exact same thing the other day. I happen to have a carbon fiber gravel bike that I bought a couple of years ago. I love the bike but but it was about double the price of a trek checkpoint which is arguably a better bike than mine with options on the frame to mount stuff. I do use clueless pedals, but much like Zach Gallardo I don’t do it to be likes pro but rather to get the feeling of being one with the bike. And last year I stop using my bike computer to see where I was on the kom pecking order for Strava. I just want to ride to explore and to get fit and to feel the wind in my face
I'm a fan of racing, whether road, MTB or CX, etc But I have no interest in that side when I'm cycling - I just want to get out and enjoy the scenery at my own pace.
And we know the majority of the industry is far too obsessed in that sector; I have no interest in my FTP, W/KG or in going fast.
Keep up the good work......
I don't see much overlap between competitive cycling and the rest of us. Different values, different demographics, different ways of riding.
I've ignored it for 50 years and haven't missed it.
(The one exception are young relatives who competed. Yay for them and anyone who wants to)
The aero helmet i a great piece of equipmet in the rain! Keeps you all dry like an umbrella because it is so big, lol
Wow Russ! Way to keep it real! Super 'Pithy' not 'Pissy"! Well done! touched every base in a nutshell. When is the 'Bike Industry' going to catch up to where Real Riders are at? Love the fact that you used the Formula1 analogy that people can relate to! I'm always so dismayed when I go to my local bike shops and am presented with overpriced, bespoke, proprietary racing accessories and bikes! I think it is so ironic that gcn did a cool helpful (for the average commuter cyclist!!) video recently about HiVis clothing and how it really only helps your perspicuity during the DAY but for night you need lights and reflectives. The latter are best placed at moving parts: calves, ankles shoes and PEDALS! Remember those pedal reflectors we all had way back before the weight wienies took over? They saved us! I gave up clipping in years ago, because the science didn't support it, and my experience as an RMT told me that it could cause more damage to feet/ankles/knees and hips by isolatin forces onto limited skeletal structures for long periods. So I went to my LBS for quality flat reflector pedals. You guessed it, they didn't have any. NOT A SINGLE SET! unless the 'Bike Industry' stops selling to the dwindling road racing fringes, they will sink. They aren't selling what we want, they're selling what they want us to buy. We don't have to, we don't want to and we don't need to! Thanks for articulating the argument for PARTY PACE!
Preach
Slam that stem!! 😂😂😂😂 my favorite!!
My all-road/touring bike is set up for gravel road comfort and practicality. That said, I do use (shallow)drop bars, clipless pedals and wear padded cycling shorts. I choose these options because they enhance my cycling experience, not to look like a wannabe racer.
Haha, I love to suffer on my bike but I dont 'ride like a pro'. Been there, done that. I learned 'its the rider, NOT the freakin bike. However, Racing did teach me 'HOW to suffer'......
My favorite bike is a custom steel fixed gear cyclocross rig. Its more fun than should be legal!! PERFECTLY reliable for over 10 years now, very little maintenance beside oil and air, ridden all winter in any condition. It eats lots of cheap chains admittedly.
One of my big improvements I made to my casual-ish cycling setup is using a small top tube bag to hold my phone, wallet, and keys. Now I can ditch the cycling jersey and its weird back pockets for a normal athletic t-shirt.
I do wear lycra - but only as an insulating layer in the winter under my waterproofs and lycra shorts in the summer (under my baggy shorts) to keep my butt pad in place. I use stuff that is comfortable and helps me ride for longer but also stuff that I wouldn't feel embarrassed wearing when I shop for food etc mid tour. I certainly would not turn up to a school in just lycra!
while the sport of road racing is of minimal use... i think its good for most if not all cyclists to learn mountain bike tricks and skills. the ability to roll over a kerb, taking fast turns or weighting the bike differently can help in all respects of riding.
Great video once again. Waiting for the T-shirts and stickers “adventure nipples “
For all the flak this helmet gets. It does what it was designed to do in a small niche.
It is areo. The face shield allows the rider to see the road ahead. The flare directs air flow over the shoulders.
It is a time trial helmet. That means 99.99% percent of us riders will never use or need one😮
It’s like TT bikes and the TT discipline in general. Do they look ridiculous and impractical? Absolutely. Are they *_excellent_* for what they’re designed for? Also absolutely.
You got the right idea just ride bikes! People often tell me I should consider doing ultra endurance races because of the length of my rides. But really when you put the word race into anything I lose interest. I got into bikes because I got tired of being stuck in traffic while also being TRAFFIC. I love the freedom of a bicycle the views and how you can really absorb the environment you’re in. If I can get some good pictures eat somewhere new go fast or slow if I want to visit a new town I’ve never been to and explore, have a beer or maybe 2 or 3 JUST RIDE BIKES however you like!
There is no way for the companys to make money out of steel frame bikes with rim breaks.
Racing is the chosen engine of innovation. And Innovation helps to sell expensiv new things to the market. But there is always a nich.
Cheers🎉
I'm a thin, flexible guy and still don't make sense in the pro geometry as it seems uncomfortable AF
Hell yeah brother preach! It's obscene to try and use the same equipment and riding mentality as people who are not at all doing the same activity for the same reasons as you are. Even people doing occasional races are still nowhere near the pros, so it's silly to act like everyone should be.
Who is acting like that, then.
Id say that most people take up cycling to keep fit, so the race/performance aspect makes them think that going faster and further will therefore will make them fitter. Plus it gets competitive, even in a friendly group ride, not only by who is fastest and fittest, but who has the most expensive bike with the latest tech.
The slowest one are the ones with expensive bike but also with fat body 😂
Party Pace! 😸Where's the "Party Pace" sign? Still packed away?
If you aren't a racer who is riding competitions, you do not need gear that is designed for racing.
It's something that is so prevalent on cycling shoes. Like if you would like to have comfort over unrealistic wind tunnel aerodynamic gains, you're better off looking at non-cycling shoes.
It's one thing that I've appreciated in GCN's latest videos as they did real world comparisons between pedal types and tires widths, and noticed that the differences are quite marginal.
Yet those certain beliefs are treated holier than anything.
My feet kill me in non-cycling shoes if I ride more than an hour. Hot spots, arch collapse, etc. cycling shoes are a good bit of comfort, not just performance
But who doesn’t want to look like Dark Helmet?
*darth
Can my Brim fit on it? ;)
I watched a review on another UA-cam race/roadie oriented cycling channel. He said it was of little value and added benefit to a non-racer, "but who wouldn't like a little bit of extra speed?" THAT is gaslighting.
It took me 40 years to realize that a few extra mph does not improve the enjoyment of my rides. I don't pedal down hills anymore either😯🤘.
I am not a flexible rider and would suffer serious hip impingement , make my back issues far worse and cause neck discomfort cycling in a 'slammed' position. I am also a 'heavier' rider so cycling at pro speeds on our rough roads on my old road bike would destroy it and me !
I proudly ride like a Fred.
Funny hats is a plus for everyone though.
Just hat wearing of Any kind is a plus
Thanks. Cycling needs more people just riding bikes. I race bikes and many of the serious cyclists I know, rarely ride a bike for transportation, which I find as odd.
"I am not a 'Cyclist' (and most Dutch people aren't either)" from NJB is a great video, although I think you might have already watched it.
That is a great video by NJB
I started to ride alone once my ride buddy started wearing lycra on drop bars. My dude I'm not giving up my trusty 3x9 26er to participate in an imaginary race you're in.
I’d like to know how many people went through their Tour De France phase where they wore Lycra and tried to shave off weight to go faster
💯
If ‘aero’ is everything, UCI should just allow recumbent streamliners to compete in TTs. And good luck getting away from slammed stems - they’re everywhere now, even off-road bikes, whatever they are…
Hey Russ, just curious what sparked this video, did something happen recently?
Yeah. The absurdness of helmet gate :)
My guess on the 3 reasons, before watching the video:
Spensive - who's got money for that?
Hard on health - no wonder there's a tight "age window" for the pro's
Unsustainable - if you ride a day and have to rest for a week, it's harder to get back to it
i like to cruise slow in high vis yellow spandex. don't judge lol
I bumped into an idea by bikebikeyyc and it really hit me - Transport Not Sport
❤
I can't wait to graduate & receive the full aero helmet 😂
The fact that you aren't sponsored by any big cycling brands says it all: you're one of the biggest channels out here devoted to everyday riders and they practically don't know we exist. I've got 7 bikes, it's not like I'm not buying bike things. That's probably 5.5 more bikes than their average customer.
I don't even know why this video had to be made. Time trial bikes has been out for decades and most of us already know that's not really the way to ride for the majority. The ridiculous helmet is ridiculous at first glance but paired with a TT bike it doesn't look that out of place.
Does anyone look at F1 races and think that's how people should drive?
I mean. When 9/10 videos in my UA-cam video are trying to tell me how to ride like a pro?
Well stated. There is a wide range of videos about biking in all its flavors. I enjoy them all. It is interesting to see what is happening at the speed edge of the sport, as well as bike travel. My fav videos are spectacular scenes of various parts of the planet. Be that from the handle bars of someone riding a beautiful trail, or a helicopter shot of the country terrain and villages as the Tour passes through at record pace. It all helps keep me patrolling the roads and trails of Nor Cal. BTW the F1 Netflix videos are cool too.
@@PathLessPedaledTV I ride carbon/alu/steel bikes - why do you think there is some issue with any ? Ride feel and weight are a matter of engineering with the materials used. As far as I can tell the only real engineering happening on bike frames/wheels is among the suppliers who have the capital to maintain an engineering dept, and the equip. that entails. Others just follow. Bikes are a kick to ride/build/modify.
@@PathLessPedaledTV well that sucks, the "do not recommend" option should be useful there.
In my case, I don't get those videos a lot, or I don't see them in the way you do.
They are telling you how to ride like a pro, not "you should ride like a pro".
Im not a strong rider, so I do watch some "how to ride like a pro" videos in order to learn how to improve my riding.
ok boomer
UCI partypace division
This is exactly why I no longer eat food or drink fluids on rides. Schismogenesis or bust!
With all the money and gear needed to chase speed on road bike like pros, it would be better to invest that money on getting a motorcycle license and buy a moped or a full fledged motorcycle. Or they could spend much less money on buying a practical bike and comfortable gears for touring/commuting. Without UCI, people should do things that just makes sense for money.
Pros have pro mechanics and support vehicles following them around that will swap out their bike to keep them going down the road
Nailed it. Not my fucking job! ❤️
Is there like a fourmula 7 or 8? Sign me up!!
It's a bit like saying no one needs to have a 4x4 car except the pros who actually drive in the woods, etc... I get the idea of the video though. I'd rather say drive and dress as you like but keep it reasonable. 😉
There is nothing wrong with cycling as a sport, it is the disproportionate influence of sport (especially professional) cycling on the cycling media and bicycle/component design.
Pros are sponsored by bike firms and of course ride “ the latest & greatest, for better of worse. The crowd that frequents this site isn’t into most of the new innovations as they aren’t needed for their style of riding, i.e, “party pace”. Having stated that, the pros peloton of bikes and resultant technology propel the technology at a much faster pace than otherwise would happen. Some like index shifting, others not so much. Ditto for single cranks these days X 13 gear cogs. The main point is we have more choices than ever and prices do decrease although tough to tell with inflation. I really don’t understand people who disdain one technology so as to mock & ridicule others. Ride what you like, the rest is meaningless. ✌️
Your best point: non cyclists are put off by the odd pressure we feel to look pro (read: wear tights and click clacky shoes).
As long as you enjoy the way you ride, fine. But once you start making it some kind of deal where you feel that others that do not ride the way you do are fools, then you are the fool.
Did you just say pedalstool?
Very few can actually RIDE like a pro. Owning PRO equipment isn't anything even close to RIDING like a pro.
A lot of good points but I think a carbon frame is much more comfortable to ride. I think it’s ok to get fancy bike stuff as long as you realize it is for comfort.
You've torn the cycling community apart, Russ. It's split apart like an old moth-eaten pair of Lycra shorts, flapping in the breeze, causing completely unnecessary aerodynamic drag.
If you really need the pro gear, you get it for free.
Also : doping and cardiac problems...
If aero is everything, why pro cycling don't use 451 wheels or 650 wheels?
It boggled my mind.
Probably because just smaller wheels don't do anything for aero. Even pro-triathletes, a population looking for marginal gains wherever they can and not restricted by UCI-rules etc. are on 700c wheels. There was a time (some) triathlonbikes were equipped with smaller wheels, now all but extinct.
@@gertverseput6016 In my opinion, it is extinct because the bicycle industry and UCI is so corrupt that prevented bicycle manufacturers to become more innovative.
Small wheels is proven to be more LIGHTER, STIFFER, MORE AERO and MORE STRONGER. Here's the quote from Moulton Bicycle:
As a radical design, the Moulton bicycle - the first small-wheeled adult bicycle - needed credibility in the market and Alex Moulton realised the importance of this when planning the launch of the bicycle in 1962. Aided by his Marketing Manager David Duffield, himself a record-breaking cyclist, several riders were actively supported by Moulton. Coventry CC pursuit team were unstoppable on the track, their Moultons allowing them to keep in a tight group to reduce aerodynamic drag; road riders benefited from the reduced aerodynamic drag of the small wheels and, with reputation established, the Moulton became acceptable to the most discerning club cyclists. Following the introduction of the UCI (Union Cycliste Internationale) rule 1.3.018, Moultons are not permitted in road-racing events - this is why you never see them in events like the Tour de France - but they are still used in time-trials and for ultra-distance events.
In the Autumn of 1985, at the International Human Powered Speed Championships, a fully-faired Moulton ridden by Jim Glover broke the 200 metres flying start speed record, at 50.21mph (80.79kph). Then on August 29th 1986, at the same event, he broke his own record at a speed of 51.29mph (82.54kph) which still stands today for the conventional riding position. The Moulton ridden was an AM SPEED with the fairing designed by Doug Milliken of Buffalo, NY.
So in other words, know what you are doing and - most importantly - *why* you are doing it a certain way, do your own research, think critically, and always take "influencers" advice with a grain of salt? Great point that could be applied in all aspects of life, not just cycling.
Professional athletes push their bodies to the limits, this has consequences when they get older.
Yes. And with all the doping...
Not a pro cyclist, just pro cycling.
Why are you tearing the bike community apart, Russ? Why!?
(Also it's 'cue' not 'queue'. 'Cue' means to signal someone to perform an action, while 'queue' means to wait in line in an orderly, British fashion)
I don't see much overlap between competitive cycling and the rest of us. Different values, different demographics, different ways of riding.
@@BartAnderson_writer People try to sort themselves and others into categories too much. There's no reason a person can't power through a crit race one day, then go on an all day gravel-picnic adventure the next, then roll along the boardwalk on their beach cruiser the day after, then do some MTB laps on the local trails after that... well, other than finding the time and fitness to fit that all in, of course.
@@Nicoya, true, individuals can. You are blessed if you can engage in both.
But they really are two separate cultures. That's okay. .
The problem arises when competitive cycling claims to be the real kind, the superior kind, and doesn't recognize the other variety.
My heroes are former racing stars who become champions for the rest of us. Chris Boardman in the UK for example.
Another reason not to do what the pros do: They are highly skilled riders. They do things that could seriously injure of kill anyone less skilled. Descending down a winding mountain pass at 80 + kph comes to mind. Don't do this at home folks!
If anything, my cycling requires my paycheck.
I rode every day for a decade without a water bottle attached to my bike. Somehow I survived.
I still remember working at a bike shop and the Lyra shapes… oh… the shapes I’ve seen. I’m trying to be body positive here, but not everybody is necessarily eking out all the aerodynamic benefit that they think they are.
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