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 this

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

00:12which we 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. Now,

00:31it's likely that we've all heard of the rules, an outdated set of so-called guidelines created

00:37by a previous generation of riders. All that needs to be remembered is that there are no rules.

00:42If you can enjoy the privilege of owning a bike or simply having access to one,

00:46then swing your leg over the saddle and just enjoy the freedom that two wheels can give you.

00:51Number three. Cycling can sometimes become too much about the numbers and then kill the very

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

01:05the most 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.

01:14Heading out on a ride without a Garmin, but being safe in the knowledge of a route that I know

01:19really well, can give me the headspace to unwind, decompress, and just enjoy the best

01:24of what cycling has to offer. For runners, it's a case of getting change,

01:32whipping on a pair of trainers, grabbing some water, and hitting start on your smartwatch.

01:36Now, I don't think I need to go into too much more detail, but that process is 10 times simpler

01:42than the fiasco that is choosing your kit, getting changed, making sure you have your keys,

01:47your money, your phone, your ride essentials, puncture repair kits, loading your map,

01:50checking the direction of the wind, making a drink, checking your bike is still working,

01:54and still has air in the tires, all while hoping you don't get to the point of being about to leave

02:00and then needing to make an emergency dash to the toilet where you all but have to strip off again.

02:05It really can be a success just by getting out the door.

02:09You really don't need the latest gear. Great bikes and gear can be found second-hand with

02:14a sizable cost reduction. Don't forget, a full life cycle of a well-serviced bike

02:19is well over a decade. A good second-hand bike to get you going can be found for around £300.

02:25Now, if you need more advice on what to look for when buying a second-hand bike,

02:29then check out our guide, which I've linked down in the description below.

02:33The overall quality of more budget options is a huge plus, and it's a great way to

02:38only get better as trickle-down tech reaches those lower echelons. It wasn't that long ago

02:43that the vast majority of the peloton was racing on rim brakes, so if it was good enough for them,

02:48well, it's definitely good enough for us now.

02:54Bonking. Need I say any more?

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

03:05skipping gears, rubbing brake pads, or a snap spoke. All of these little issues

03:10that can creep up on you can be incredibly infuriating when you're out on the bike.

03:16Of course, making sure that you get your bike serviced or stay on top of any little

03:19gremlins yourself will mean that mechanicals are less likely, but no amount of servicing

03:25can save you from a sharp thorn or a pesky little bit of glass.

03:29I love climbing. You may have guessed by my stature that that's where I tend to feel most

03:34at home. The feeling of dancing up a climb to get to the top to enjoy the view. Well,

03:40sometimes. Other days aren't quite so sprightly, which is why running out of gears is one of the

03:46most humbling experiences out there. Gurning your way up a climb, staring at your stem in pain,

03:52offers very little enjoyment. Either you're going to have a great time,

03:56or you need to revise your gear selection or just get a little fitter. The point still stands though,

04:04no matter the reason, running out of gears sucks.

04:11We've all been there. You're riding along, having a grand old time and ever so slowly,

04:16a new noise creeps into your ears. You're looking around. Is it me? Yes, because you're by yourself.

04:22You stop pedalling. It stops. You carry on pedalling. The sound comes back. It must be

04:28your bottom bracket. Or your spokes. Or your pedals. Or your headset. Or your hoses. Or your

04:33thru-axles. Quite frankly, it could be anything. Yet another joy of cycling. As with my previous

04:40point, if you can stay on top of servicing, hopefully these weird annoying noises should

04:45be kept at bay, to some extent. Now, I have a bit of a love-hate relationship with this one.

04:54In my early years of cycling, I was of course the slowest rider in the group. However,

04:59as annoying as it was feeling like you're holding everybody back, for me, it was also a huge source

05:04of motivation to get faster. It meant I was digging as deep as possible to be as fast as

05:10possible. And I believe if you truly want to get quicker out on the road, then just ride with

05:15someone who will consistently and continually drop you. It may not be fun, but at some point,

05:21you will be able to drop them, or at least hold their will. Sometimes it's not always about power

05:27zones and heart rate data. You just need to be able to go flat out, dig deep, and find that

05:32extra 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

05:47haven't used enough or any chamois cream, you may fall victim to the very painful saddle sore.

05:54I find that they can also creep up after a period of time of not being on the bike,

05:58and maybe you aren't quite conditioned to being in the saddle again. Of course,

06:02this is something that can be looked after. Simply apply a generous layer of chamois cream

06:07to the chamois in your shorts, and this will most certainly help save you from this nasty injury.

06:16This one goes out to all the beginners who are finding their feet when it comes to riding

06:20clipless 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

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

06:34Happily, this only tends to happen once or twice before you very much learn your lesson.

06:43Forgetting to restart your Garmin. I actually felt foul of this one pretty recently. I was

06:4930 miles into a ride, and me and my ride buddy had stopped for lunch at a cafe before continuing

06:55the next 30 miles of our ride, only for me to realize with 10 miles to the end that I hadn't

07:01pressed start after we left the cafe, meaning the last 20 miles had gone unaccounted for.

07:08Schoolboy error.

07:12Now, this one is never fun, and it can be ripe for not being able to clip in,

07:16which is exactly why I taught myself how to track stand. The skill of being able to stay

07:22clipped in whilst staying still has saved me so many times. If there's one skill that's worth

07:28mastering, I'd actually say that it's this one. My only recommendation would be to start on some

07:32soft grass with a bit of an incline. Finally, the cost of it all. It's no surprise, but cycling is

07:43a pretty costly game. To even own or have access to a bike is a real privilege. I think that no

07:49matter what level of cycling you're at though, the cost of partaking in the sport can be quite

07:54grinding. It's very much the nature of the game, but I don't think it'll ever become less annoying.

08:02So there we have everything that I find can be quite annoying about cycling. Of course,

08:07I've listed quite a few things, and overall, well actually, I still absolutely love cycling.

08:12Let me know down in the comments though, is there anything that you find really annoying

08:16about cycling? I really want to hear, so do let me know. If you enjoyed the video,

08:19then please do drop it a like, subscribe to the channel for more content, and I'll see you again

08:23very soon!

Category

Transcript

Recommended