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.
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00:00We all love cycling, there's no doubt about it, and that's probably why you're here watching
00:06this video. However, it's not always sunshine, tailwinds and KOMs. There are some things which
00:12we 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. It's likely that we've all
00:33heard of the rules, an outdated set of so-called guidelines created by a previous generation of
00:38riders. All that needs to be remembered is that there are no rules. If you can enjoy the privilege
00:44of owning a bike or simply having access to one, then swing your leg over the saddle and just enjoy
00:49the freedom that two wheels can give you.
00:55Cycling can sometimes become too much about the numbers and then kill the very reason
00:59that we started in the first place. It's not always about who comes first, but who gets the
01:05most 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. Heading
01:15out on a ride without a Garmin, but being safe in the knowledge of a route that I know really well
01:20can give me the headspace to unwind, decompress and just enjoy the best of what cycling has to offer.
01:30For runners, it's a case of getting change, whipping on a pair of trainers,
01:33grabbing some water and hitting start on your smartwatch. Now, I don't think I need to go into
01:38too much more detail, but that process is 10 times simpler than the fiasco that is. Choosing your kit,
01:44getting change, making sure you have your keys, your money, your phone, your ride essentials,
01:48puncture repair kits, loading your map, checking the direction of the wind, making a drink,
01:53checking your bike is still working and still has air in the tyres, all while hoping you don't get
01:58to the point of being about to leave and then needing to make an emergency dash to the toilet
02:03where you all but have to strip off again. It really can be a success just by getting out the door.
02:08You really don't need the latest gear. Great bikes and gear can be found second-hand
02:16with a sizeable cost reductions. Don't forget, a full life cycle of a well-serviced bike is
02:22well over a decade. A good second-hand bike to get you going can be found for around £300.
02:29If you need more advice on what to look for when buying a second-hand bike, then check out our guide,
02:33which I've linked down in the description below. The overall quality of more budget options is only
02:39getting better as trickle-down tech reaches those lower echelons. It wasn't that long ago that the
02:44vast majority of the peloton was racing on rim brakes, so if it was good enough for them, well,
02:49it's definitely good enough for us now. Bonking. Need I say any more?
03:01Mechanicals. There really is no good time to have one, be it a puncture, skipping gears,
03:06rubbing brake pads or a snap spoke. All of these little issues that can creep up on you can be
03:12incredibly infuriating when you're out on the bike. Of course, making sure that you get your bike serviced
03:18or stay on top of any little gremlins yourself will mean that mechanicals are less likely,
03:23but no amount of servicing can save you from a sharp thorn or a pesky little bit of glass.
03:32I love climbing. You may have guessed by my stature that that's where I tend to feel most
03:37at home. The feeling of dancing up a climb to get to the top to enjoy the view. Well,
03:43sometimes. Other days aren't quite so sprightly, which is why running out of gears is one of the
03:49most humbling experiences out there. Gurning your way up a climb, staring at your stem in pain,
03:55offers very little enjoyment. Either you need to revise your gear selection or just get a little
04:02fitter. The point still stands though. No matter the reason, running out of gears sucks.
04:08We'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 pedaling. It stops. You carry on pedaling. The sound comes back. It must be your bottom bracket,
04:29or your spokes, or your pedals, or your headset, or your hoses, or your through axles. Quite frankly,
04:34it could be anything. Yet another joy of cycling. As with my previous point, if you can stay on top
04:41of servicing, hopefully these weird annoying noises should be kept at bay to some extent.
04:51Now, I have a bit of a love-hate relationship with this one. In my early years of cycling,
04:55I was of course the slowest rider in the group. However, as annoying as it was, feeling like you're
05:00holding everybody back. For me, it was also a huge source of motivation to get faster.
05:06It meant I was digging as deep as possible to be as fast as possible. And I believe if you truly want
05:12to get quicker out on the road, then just ride with someone who will consistently and continually
05:18drop you. It may not be fun, but at some point, you will be able to drop them or at least hold their
05:24will. Sometimes it's not always about power zones and heart rate data. You just need to be able to go flat out,
05:30dig deep and find that extra level that you never knew you had.
05:37Again. Need I say any more?
05:42A sensitive issue for sure. When you spend a long amount of time in the saddle and maybe haven't used
05:47enough or any chamois cream, you may fall victim to the very painful saddle sore. I find that they can
05:55also creep up after a period of time of not being on the bike and maybe you aren't quite conditioned to
06:00being in the saddle again. Of course, this is something that can be looked after. Simply apply
06:05a generous layer of chamois cream to the chamois in your shorts and this will most certainly help save
06:11you 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 falling in
06:29slow motion, usually to the enjoyment of the other road users that are around you. Happily, this only
06:36tends to happen once or twice before you very much learn your lesson.
06:39Forgetting to restart your Garmin. Now, I actually felt foul of this one pretty recently. I was 30
06:49miles into a ride and me and my ride buddy had stopped for lunch at a cafe before continuing the
06:55next 30 miles of our ride. Only for me to realise, with 10 miles to the end, that I hadn't pressed
07:02start after we left the cafe, meaning the last 20 miles had gone unaccounted for. Schoolboy error.
07:12Now, this one is never fun and it can be ripe for not being able to clip in, which is exactly why
07:18I taught myself how to track stand. The skill of being able to stay clipped in while staying still
07:24has saved me so many times. If there's one skill that's worth mastering, I'd actually say that it's
07:29this one. My only recommendation would be to start on some soft grass with a bit of an incline.
07:38Finally, the cost of it all. It's no surprise, but cycling is a pretty costly game. To even own
07:45or have access to a bike is a real privilege. I think that no matter what level of cycling you're
07:50at though, the cost of partaking in the sport can be quite grinding. It's very much the nature of the
07:56game, but I don't think it'll ever become less annoying. So there we have everything that I find
08:04can be quite annoying about cycling. Of course, I've listed quite a few things and overall, well,
08:09actually, I still absolutely love cycling. Let me know down in the comments though,
08:14is there anything that you find really annoying about cycling? I really want to hear, so do let me
08:18know. If you enjoyed the video, then please do drop it a like, subscribe to the channel for more
08:22content, and I'll see you again very soon.