“Proper” Cycling Gear
If folks only knew the number of people I meet that don’t ride because they feel they don’t have the proper kit or bike…smh. If you are riding full kit, ten miles or less, you are trying way too hard. We are all getting ripped off by all the hype surrounding cycling related clothing and accessories.
I get it, skin tight lycra cheats the wind. You just saved five seconds over a hundred miles. You also stink! Linen breaths better, looks nicer, costs less and doesn’t stink. Since I don’t have to change at my destination, I just saved that five seconds.
Cycling shorts have been a joke since we stopped using real chamois. “Padding” is to reduce friction, not to protect your bum. If you are uncomfortable on your bike it does not fit. No amount of padding will fix it. The further you ride, the less padding you want. That padding pinches off blood flow causing numbness in all your private areas. Seamless and padless triathlon shorts, at a fourth the price, would be better.
For most, special clothing of any sort just won’t matter. I have acquaintances that rode The Bikecentenial in cut offs and tee shirts. It is amazing what you can accomplish when you don’t know what can’t be done.
Clipless pedals (clipped in) are more efficient. The impact is multiplied on an e-bike. According to Bicycling Magazine you’ll save two to four seconds over a hundred miles. You’ll spend an extra hundred on the uncomfortably tight and efficiently stiff shoes. You’ll spend at least another $50 extra for special pedals (if they aren’t tight, they aren’t efficient). I’ll save that time not having to change at my destination.
Of course, if you don’t know how to ankle, you save nothing. Ankling on flat pedals gives you half the advantage of properly riding clipless anyway!
Helmets can be a real game changer. Great ventilation not only keeps you cool, but saves weight and cheats the wind. This combination really could give you an extra ten seconds, over a hundred miles, on a really hot or windy day. How often does this happen? Does it justify the difference between a $20 and a $200 helmet (or even $80) with the same safety ratings?
NOTE: ALL helmets should be replaced every three to five years OR if they have been in any accident. Helmets lose their ability to protect!
Don’t get me wrong. I understand that the difference between first and fifth, in a race, can be any one of these. Combined, they could give you KOM cred on a Strava segment. Racing and endurance cycling is all about incremental gains. They add up (fractions of ounces on components, a pound or even two on a frame, rolling resistance of tires, wheel and spoke profiles, tubing shapes…). You can also cut chain life in half degreasing and boiling in wax to gain 2-4 watts.
You’re going to have a beer with your buds, not sprinting for the win. You have no idea how many leave traditional cycling for e-bikes every day because they are tired of all the cycling oneupsmanship and elitism. Shouldn’t we be doing more to make folks feel welcome?