I have a bell on my commuting bike (in London). I’ve never rung it at a pedestrian as it is pretty passive aggressive in my opinion, however I LOVE to give it a little ding sometimes when no one is around. It makes me so happy 🛎️ 🛎️. I am nearly 40.
I have a little bronze bell,a Schmidt’s power hub and led front-and backlights on my winter race bike and i also mounted cross brake levers on the top of my bar and a tiny bar end mirror.
The "hate" for electric cars is probably more to do with urbanism and city-planning. Some people hail the electric car as the single saviour of the environment, and I'm sure it would be better to have all electric cars than petrol cars, but we'd still have poorly designed cities, mass manufacture of vehicles and batteries like you say. If you get 50 people out of a car onto an electric bus that's far better than putting them in 50 electric cars in terms of space saved, road wear, and probably the environment. Or of course, get them on a bike! Incomparable amounts of roadwear and emissions to manufacture. There's ofc plenty of nuance to the argument and this is just a RUclips comment. Cheers guys for another good episode!
Right, we can dream of an all-electric, all-renewable society, but it's a very long-term strategy and so many politicians love that oil lobby money. Or... Build cycling infrastructure now :)
Worth noting that Moto GP/superbike riders going to ride the Isle of Man TT isn't really the norm. There are a number that cross over but not loads. Most are road racers. What's interesting about the TT is the general opinion of the riders is that they are mad... This is far from the case.. they are extremely calculated. They often get annoyed when they are referred to as mad or mental as you would last about 30 seconds on the TT if you were simply mad or mental.. 😬
Exactly!! There was a podcast about 10 years ago with McPint, and he said similar....They're not mad at all - they're just as talented and skilled as the more mainstream MotoGP/WSBK riders......
Nothing wrong with trunk bags on endurance rides. Lots of folks using them on PBP. Sporty Panniers also exist and can be great - just look at Lachlan Morton on the Tour Divide, he had a smashing set of panniers he used that were tucked in close to the frame. Classic Panniers are great for commuting and certain types of adventure riding - especially if you are on "all road" types of terrain. As with so many things - a piece of kit is only as useful or useless within the specific problem it is trying to help you solve. The big saddle bags make sense for a lot of folks because of how easy they are to install and remove. While a tailfin or rack isn't a big deal to install or remove - its still a more time and energy than velcro straps and snaps.
Disagree on the tailfin front: can install or remove the rack in seconds provided it's not direct mount and you haven't used security screws. Many times the price of a saddle bag though.
About batteries. I have connected my etap derailleur to my wahoo. When you switch off the wahoo after a ride and the battery is getting low you get a warning message on the screen. No more forgetting-to-charge moments. If you have a sram setup with front derailleur you always can swap batteries. Jimmy’s bike of the shelve with dynamo, lights etc already exist: The new Ridley Kanzo Adventure !
I was shocked when you got to wind-up/close-out bit at the end. I was enjoying the podcast too much and thought "it couldn't be over yet!". This was a good one again.
Welcome back Francis Congrats on the 💍 Driverless vehicles : How long till we're all extras in the "Fifth Element" ! "Driverless " petrol tankers, double-decker buses, "blue light" fire trucks, police & "meat wagons" ?
Main advantage for running electric cars currently is economies of scale of power production rather than just whether the electricity is sourced from low carbon sources. 10KWh of electricity from the grid produces far less CO2 than from an internal combustion engine in a car. Sorry my inner nerd was calling. Love the show guys!
Hi guys love the show. Mostly just commenting to boost your engagement but while I'm here : I use the saying hello method to alert pedestrians to my presence. I do it when I'm quite close and after I've slowed to walking pace. I think if you call from far away you obviously have to shout which puts people's backs up. I do recognise Francis' experiences it seems no matter what you do SOME walkers will be cross with you. I do have a bell but find that seems to surprise people more and a lot of people don't seem to be happy that you rang your bell. In terms of building rapport between cyclists and walkers I think making a point of saying hello is good even after ringing your bell and if they did something to ease my passing ,such as moving aside or holding onto their dog, I'll make a point if saying thank you.
I wear my normal glasses on the bike all the time - never had an issue with watering eyes, only issues are riding in the rain and low sun, so I just wear a casquette :)
Fyi guys..prescription lenses for glasses are normally plastic or polycarbonate plastic for impact resistance. Now I am in Canada so UK may still use glass. Cheers from your friedly neighborhood Optician 😊
Probably a controversial take on cycling specific glasses, but here it goes: Helmets with built-in visors! Bought one on a whim, love it. Would never go back.
Glad you mentioned MotoGP. Loads of riders use cycling as their main cardiovascular training, more than F1 drivers. Check out Scott Redding and Aleix Espargaro, could basically be a pro
In your discussion on panniers and bags you neglected to mention traditional saddlebags made by companies such as Carradice. I've ridden across the USA, done LEJOG etc using a Carradice Camper and an Ortlieb handlebar bag and on my daily rides I use a Carradice Barley or Audax to carry tools, rain jacket and food. No mounts are required apart from loops on your saddle, they make it a lot easier to access stuff inside than with the modern bikepacking saddlebags and they don't swing around as much.
100% had the same experiences as Francis around the use of a bell. Electric cars could be great, but even Volvo shared some research around how many miles they have to cover to be as green or greener than the same fossil fuelled equivalent and it was like 90,000 miles I’m sure. Might be wrong though 😂
You're not wrong, but the Volvo report was. They used worst case scenario numbers for everything related to building and charging an EV, but conveniently forgot to factor in anything but exhaust emissions for combustion cars. No manufacturing emissions, no emissions from extracting, refining and transporting fuel. They came out with 70,000 miles as the break-even point, but unbiased studies have found it to be more like 15,000 miles. The Volvo report has been debunked lots of times but it still gets reported in the news because anti-EV stories seem to generate a lot of clicks.
I can recommend the german brand “Schmidt’s” power hub-I built the front wheel and put a 80 lux Busch & Müller IQ front light with daylight led’s and a led backlight on my race bike. I noticed that car drivers suspect the daylight leds for a motorized vehicle and they pass me with more distance 80 lux brighten up the forest roads better than natural daylight as you can see every hole or bump on the way. They both shine bright already at 15 km/h,there is a electronic device that fits into the steering tube that converts the power to a usb port at the top cap which enables to power a garmin or a action cam/smartphone. Great solution for extended bike rides/night rides!
American sports changes rules all the time, even in the NFL. In the recent years they’ve introduced new “Pass Interference” and “Roughing the Passer” rules to make the offence flow better to create a more entertaining product. Even though the games still takes very long (3houra for a 60 min game lol), there are more “WOW” moments and spectacles.
IMO, as a prescription glasses wearer, cycling specific glasses are great *if* you can get them. For the vision unimpaired, there's so many options you'd feel like a kid in a sweetshop, but for me, with a relatively low prescription power, I have only found 1 company that will even make prescription lenses for a visor/wrap-around style of shades, and they only offered 1 frame option. On top of that of course you have the price tag - mine cost over 300 pounds. I bit the bullet because of some of the issues mentioned here as well as some others - wind making my eyes water, the risk of a crash resulting in glass fragments - but also because of things like the optics. My prescription glasses do not give me any help with lighting and certain conditions - even my prescription shades do very little for glare and contrast and such. The cycling shades I have make riding in the wet or in bright but shadowy conditions a lot easier. For reference, my prescription is about half of the maximum allowed correction for joining the British Army - so I'm not exactly wearing bottle-bottoms or anything!
I think what you have established at 51:28 is that the metric system makes sense and everything measured in yards, inch, feet etc. could be described as antic and antique guessing. Love the podcast even with the imperial units, which are lot for a factual german ;-)
The biggest issue for athletes to turn into this doping league is that they would need to drastically improve their results. Otherwise they are kind of turning themselves in that they've done it before.
Agreed, you can buy safety glasses in a whole range styles and price points, from very cheap & cheerful to not so cheap but high quality. I don't feel nearly as guilty when I drop them, smash them, scratch them, lose them etc.
Re the glasses question, I can heartly recommend getting a helmet with a visor. Long ago Giro had a very good one which has magnetic clips so its easy to clip on and off. What I'd find was that descents were worst for watery eyes (and a little dangerous) so I'd swap the visor down just for those. Its also very useful for rainy riding as it encloses your face and gives you a broad area to wipe down rather than your glasses.
First of all - fantastic podcast On the subject of electric cars: Interesting how your perspective has partly changed from cyclist to car driver ;) ("great to drive"). As a cyclist, I sometimes find them more dangerous because they are much less noticeable. You hear them late or not at all, especially in the city. But basically I agree with you that e-cars are great cars
panniers and racks die quite quickly on XC/ trails... though a large drybag in the top of a pannier rack keeps volume inline without catch on trees etc...
Yes jimmy I totally agree with what Andy says..I rewatch the short that you put out about your mental health struggle and 2 30 min rides is what I got prescribed…which I struggle with btw..Thanks again jimmy.
The comparison between the Enhanced Games and the Isle of Man TT is a bit flawed. People train their entire lives to do the IOM TT, for some it’s seen as the pinnacle of Motorbike Racing, or racing in general. The Moto GP is the F1 of Bikes, heavily focused on tech and innovation, whereas the TT uses (largely) available road bikes. It’s not just a retirement home for GP riders, it’s an entirely different kettle of fish. Agostini was one of the main GP riders to do the TT, but stopped in 1972 because he thought it was too dangerous. Most riders in the TT do race Track in the BSB which is like the premier British Circuit Championship, but their primary focus is the TT. I do love the podcast btw.
Francis is wrong about the Isle of Man rders, they are road racers, different category, not elderly GP riders etc. Electric cars are great if you like child slavery.
Icarus - cracking program and the twist was a "woah" moment, but 100% would have been great to see the original intent of that documentary, and how that panned out.
I love the old SRAM Force. I quickly discovered that if you're transporting your bike on the back of your car and you leave the batteries in, the bike is waiting for a signal so the battery drains. If you're not using the bike then remove the battery, pop in the spacer, and it won't go flat whilst you're not using it. Bosh! Also, when you're about to ride and you put the batteries back in, they flash different colours to show how charged the battery is. If it's not green... charge it! Also, mobile phone battery life is sheeeet, and people find a way to charge them up at least every other day.
For commuting panniers are the way forward. My bike doesn't have mounts, but the titanium rack attaches to mounts on the seat post collar and on the drop outs via quick release skewer.
Regarding bell and loud hub. I have loud hub on gravel bike and no, it doesn't solve the problem in 100% of the cases, usually I do shout "excuse me", yet I still got "do you have a bell?", so now, I have electric bell, loud hub and I'm shouting! no excuse to be surprised unless they are deff!
I've been using an Arschrakete for about 7 years now. Same one, appears to be bombproof. Used it for multiple audaxes, PBP attempt, commuting, multiday trips etc. If you pack the heaviest items towards the seat post then it doesnt swing about too much. Have considered a Tailfin but not sure I need it. I see a few audax riders riding traditional pannier setups, usually just with one bag. Doesn't seem to slow them down and never heard anyone being mocked for it. I have some panniers laying around somewhere as my 2008 Specialized cyclocross bike has the bosses. Not used that setup for ages though.
Take a look at Mountain Laurel Designs gravel panniers - bomb poroof and super light. Attached to the Ortlieb Quickrack (permanently) - they are perfect. 9L per bag. They are narrow and put the weight down low. When you get to your camp site - you unclip the Quickrack and voila - your panniers are with you in the tent.
@36:30 prescription glasses are usually not glass anymore. If you cannot wear contacts (like me) then you can have prescription sunglasses (up to a limit due to the curvature) or with a prescription (Rx) clip. Rudy Project make very good ones with a clip.
Ortlieb Quick Rack + Revelate 14L Terrapin Dry Bag and Restrap rack straps is my discount Tailfin Rack. 1/3rd the price and weighs 250g less. Sure, less capacity at 14L vs 20L on the Tailfin, but the price is just damn eye watering.
@31:00 IoM TT racing (or any road racing like the North West 200 in Northern Ireland) is a completely different discipline than Grand Prix racing. You don’t (as Francis was saying) have cross over between the two.
16:30 Last year, rode my SRAM Red 11 Speed 3,500 miles and charged my batteries twice. So, dont know how your batteries go down so fast, however my new 12 speed AXS does need charging more, batteries are smaller.
6 месяцев назад
hello algorithm, this is a great podcast and you want to show it to more people. Welcome back Francis and congrats! It's good to have you back :)
Went to Texas in December and forgot to charge my SRAM battery before we left for the trip. It was pretty much dead when we started a 30 mile ride and it was so stressful. If the solar powered chargers are convenient that would be awesome for those situations. Will have to see what it is when they actually release it.
Firstly, thanks for a great episode. When it comes to Ikarus he was training to win the race Haute Route which is described as the world's most prestigious multi-day cycling events for amateur riders. He wanted to see if he with doping could place high or win the race with doping. But one ironic this is when he competed fully doped his battery connected to his electronic shifters died 🙂. P.S. Waterworld is one of the greatest movies ❤
Great podcast, i always enjoy your discussions. You are a bit wide of the mark with The Isle of Man TT comparison however. The riders are real road race specialists and incredibly skillful. Just being fast on a track (Moto GP) would not make you fast or safe at the TT. Watch some Guy Martin to learn more about the special skills needed for this type of racing. It is certainly not the place where old riders go to retire. Famously Giacomo Agostini refused to ride the TT even when it was part of the World championship after his friend, Gilberto Parlotti was killed there in 1972.
Question Please: Why does my Endurance Bike seem faster than my race bike? OK, some facts, neither are new! The 2008 Schwinn Peloton LTD, is carbon, with (new) carbon wheels, (new) black Inc carbon integrated bar stem, (new) 105 levers and Ulegra derailleurs mechanical, chainring 50/34 with 11-34 Cassette, 25mm Vittorio Zaf-Pro with TPU tubes. The Schwinn is lighter than the Felt Z, 2016, carbon Endurance, with original Mavic KSyrium wheels tubeless (with Vittorio green insert) Vittorio Corsa Next tires, Ultegra Di2, 140mm Disks, FSA carbon SLK cranks, 52/36 - 11-34. Same seats, (Selle Italia Gel Flo), same pedals (I have a crippled left leg, so SPD XT). I have NOT done a full scale professionally managed set of repeatable tests, but I do the same short 40km ride 3-4 days a week and I sort of alternate them. Both have Ultegra WAXED chains! The Felt feels faster. I can feel the Schwinn under me accelerate (well I call it accelerating, not my forte) I feel can feel it surge, but the Felt feels faster. I am NO racer, I just like the Scwhinn (hence the expensive upgrade recently) and I am fat and almost old (70 years). I got the Felt for longer riding and I am not disappointed, but I have done many 100+ km rides and a couple of 200+ km rides on the Scwhinn, the Felt is much more comfortable. But these short ride results are doing my head in, I know there are a lot of variable not considered like wind et al, but generally I am faster by feel and faster by time. Ray aka Desmo500. - Melbourne
Would be comedic if a doping games type event would prove how widespread doping is by providing a lower performance baseline than regular "non doped" events
The TT is not done for money. Some racers are solely road races who don't race on track, some race on track and also on the road. You certainly don't retire into it, you have to have the drive that you want to go to the IOM and accept the consequences, and spend years learning it just to be able to get around the course without even coming close to the top ten.
With SRAM, I frequently leave for a ride, get a couple of minutes down the road, try to change gear, then realise that the battery is still in the charger where I put it the night before.
With the fluff up of the week, There is also a thing where the upper body half is longer than the lower body, That’s how I usually base my frame preference with, Semi Compact geometry was the best fitting bike I could ever find, I myself have a longer arm reach but short inseam for my height. This where most of the discrepancy in generic bike stores fail to consider.
I use a trunk bag for commuting. It keeps weight low, it's convenient and easy to store in my small office. I tried paniers, and didn't like having to put the rack on and off several times a week.
I’m with Francis on the “Where’s your bell” argument, I’ve been shouted at loads of times despite using Emily’s method of politely saying “hello” and “thank you” when passing.
Saddle height. How would your spine compressing affect saddle height? Your legs don't change in length, therefore saddle height will always remain the same.
In Australia, there are plenty of sports style glasses with prescription non-glass lenses. Been wearing Adidas “golfing” prescription glasses for years… no eye watering and they’re transition lenses too.
My answer for cycling specific glasses is no. You don't need them. You will have to pay extra for the glasses advertised as cycling specific. While the same manufacturer can have the same product marketed as safety glasses. For example I ride in Uvex I-vo glasses for many years already. I can ride the whole summer day in them and eyes feel perfectly fine and no air comes inside. And these glasses are very cheap for given quality and adjustability. 10 USD glasses, that can be adjusted in angle and length. And for riding in the dark I tried my ballistic clear glasses that I had for airsoft, they worked perfectly fine, also really cheaper than most of cycling glasses, while sit perfectly tight and can protect eyes even from shot of real shotgun. ) (I hoper the last won't be needed),
43:35 oh man. loud hubs are definitely obnoxious. would be equivalent of tailgating a car while revving the engine. or laying on the horn when people need time to move. also I feel like when I hear a hub sound, I feel lazy bastard haha. I always have my legs moving even slightly. I think a bell ding is the most polite but you need to do it early and not when you're right behind them. I like to use a low repetitive beat song and people can gauge your distance approaching them. it's like an audible sound that increases to their ear but it's not as loud as a hub. but there are some people who can't hear anything with noise canceling headphones haha. always say something when passing. "thanks" "good morning" costs nothing and it feels more like a community sharing the space. for extreme situations, like overcrowd paths where people are dangerously zigzag and in their own selfish world, I will activate my apple ultra watch siren haha.
The vast majority of prescription glasses are made with plastic lenses, glass is not that common. As someone who is pretty myopic (-7.5 both eyes, roughly) and doesn't get on with contact lenses, I have ridden in my normal glasses and its awful, your eyes run and its very uncomfortable, you really do need some kind of wrap-round glasses. I've ended up with a few pairs of Rudy Project glasses with a clip in insert that I can change between them. at high prescriptions like mine inserts are the only option as curved lenses in high prescriptions are either super expensive or not possible. RXsport are the people to go to if you want prescription specs
Having commuted loads on cycle paths. I could not agree more with Francis on the bell chat! Ring the bell and folk look at you with disgust like you've soiled in their hand. Don't ring the bell and loads of others give you grief for not riming you bell! It's borderline comedy, you just can't win.
Bell story: I was riding by Regent's Canal in London, came up behind 2 coppers. No bell, so I just said "hello" or something. Plod 1 says "where's your bell", so I just went "Ding, ding". Plod 2 absolutely pissed herself laughing. But off road...bells.
The Van Rysel RCR size XS has a virtual top tube of 536mm, so more like a typical size S. The size S is 544, so more like a normal medium. This is similar to Canyon's sizing nomenclature.
You normal sized people have no idea how easy you have it. 😂 I'm 203cm (6ft 8" in old money) and it's always a struggle to get a decent fit - bikes in my size are a rarity. It took me a month to find winter cycling shoes last winter (and they weren't very good) and then another year to find a second pair that were better. Basic ice skates - two months of hunting, basic ski boots, a month. There is very little that's routinely available off the shelf.
I swear by dynamo hubs, even on my "normal" road bike. The hub + light combo is lighter than battery lights, front beam shapes are much better (SON or B+M), and having reliable light all night on demand is life changing. The calculated resistance for SON dynamo hubs is literally only 5' per mile, which I'm happy to live with. You can wire plug-in USB chargers and charge anything you want, day or night. SRAM's solar system seems a bit weak by comparison, both in terms of charging times and execution. Seriously, who thinks of putting electronics on a water bottle...how will that even survive the dishwasher?
look at exo rail by alpkit. takes the sway out of the saddlebag. Same with the carradice bagman but that's specifically for those bags. Both are super stiff but I think the bagman just about wins.
One more, I had to watch this in sections; I love this discussion of eyewear; I always get blinded by sweat and didn't know bike specific glasses might help.
25:55 There are regularly pacers employed by professional racers during a marathon, who ofcourse have to complete the marathon as well. Funny instance of a pacer actually winning a marathon. ruclips.net/video/R_Wv_xrsR2A/видео.html
Please all wear glasses at all time while riding! Once upon a time a BMW overtook me, completely flooring it, 6000 rpm and a little stone shot from the tires into my glasses. The lens was destroyed but my eye was ok. I am very sure that I would have lost an eye that day. The glasses saved me.
Francis is right about loud freehubs being useful for alerting people of you being there, but they are still WAY overrated because A. That’s not why the majority of people have them, and B. people think a loud freehub is somehow a sign of higher quality when it’s not.
@@rob-c. Well, I need to ride ~6 km to get out of the city for a good bike ride. And that 6km is a nightmare because the bike lanes go through the tram and bus stops with a lot of waiting people. Naturally, they are standing, walking etc on the bike lane. I don't want to have a bell on my training bike, as it looks weird and not always easy to reach. A loud hub is a win-win, I do not annoy most of the pedestrian with my ding-ding-ding, as their reaction sometimes is unpredictable, and you don't have to stop or slow down to ask for a free lane. I don't know the other reason to use them on a road bike, because most of the time a rider is pedaling.
Just get a Decathlon saddle bag... it doesn't sway, is easy to pack, affordable and actually very high quality. Two weeks in Sicily were a breeze with it. concerning EVs: life cycle assessments show that in most cases EVs will have less environmental impacts over their entire life cycle, as around 83 % of emissions (for example) for combustion cars are from the use phase. So even the added emissions from EV battery production do not offset that amount the slightest. There are sustainable ways of powering combustion cars, like bio ethanol/bio diesel or efuels, which have their own problems with the competition with food production and the absurdly low efficiency of green hydrogen production and conversion to efuels.
I have cycling specific glasses and then I have Bolle safety glasses. I wear my Bolle's most of the time and they only cost me about £9-11. when i bought them.
Francis is incorrect about the IOM TT. Most TT racers, young and old, are road racers, ie their niche and expertise is racing on closed public roads. It is the most dangerous of motorcycle racing because there are no run off areas as in WSB, British Superbikes or Moto GP which are all raced on tracks, ie when you crash, there are a lot of inanimate objects to hit, such as brick walls, houses, trees....not a gravel run off area.... All of them have the utmost skill and dedication and certainly are not in it for the money. Also not every year is there a fatility at the TT.
Want to listen to the podcast 6 hours early? Check out the audio version here: podfollow.com/the-wild-ones/view
Welcome back Francis. You're no Nic Vieri, but you'll do.
What happend to Vieri Media? 😮
I have a bell on my commuting bike (in London). I’ve never rung it at a pedestrian as it is pretty passive aggressive in my opinion, however I LOVE to give it a little ding sometimes when no one is around. It makes me so happy 🛎️ 🛎️. I am nearly 40.
I only use my bell to greet other cyclists. For pedestrians I prefer slowing down and politely greeting (not shouting at) them.
I have a little bronze bell,a Schmidt’s power hub and led front-and backlights on my winter race bike and i also mounted cross brake levers on the top of my bar and a tiny bar end mirror.
The "hate" for electric cars is probably more to do with urbanism and city-planning. Some people hail the electric car as the single saviour of the environment, and I'm sure it would be better to have all electric cars than petrol cars, but we'd still have poorly designed cities, mass manufacture of vehicles and batteries like you say. If you get 50 people out of a car onto an electric bus that's far better than putting them in 50 electric cars in terms of space saved, road wear, and probably the environment. Or of course, get them on a bike! Incomparable amounts of roadwear and emissions to manufacture.
There's ofc plenty of nuance to the argument and this is just a RUclips comment. Cheers guys for another good episode!
Also the electricity needed to power electric cars is produced by burning fossil fuels 😂
Right, we can dream of an all-electric, all-renewable society, but it's a very long-term strategy and so many politicians love that oil lobby money. Or... Build cycling infrastructure now :)
Worth noting that Moto GP/superbike riders going to ride the Isle of Man TT isn't really the norm. There are a number that cross over but not loads. Most are road racers. What's interesting about the TT is the general opinion of the riders is that they are mad... This is far from the case.. they are extremely calculated. They often get annoyed when they are referred to as mad or mental as you would last about 30 seconds on the TT if you were simply mad or mental.. 😬
Exactly!! There was a podcast about 10 years ago with McPint, and he said similar....They're not mad at all - they're just as talented and skilled as the more mainstream MotoGP/WSBK riders......
Nothing wrong with trunk bags on endurance rides. Lots of folks using them on PBP. Sporty Panniers also exist and can be great - just look at Lachlan Morton on the Tour Divide, he had a smashing set of panniers he used that were tucked in close to the frame.
Classic Panniers are great for commuting and certain types of adventure riding - especially if you are on "all road" types of terrain. As with so many things - a piece of kit is only as useful or useless within the specific problem it is trying to help you solve.
The big saddle bags make sense for a lot of folks because of how easy they are to install and remove. While a tailfin or rack isn't a big deal to install or remove - its still a more time and energy than velcro straps and snaps.
Disagree on the tailfin front: can install or remove the rack in seconds provided it's not direct mount and you haven't used security screws. Many times the price of a saddle bag though.
About batteries. I have connected my etap derailleur to my wahoo. When you switch off the wahoo after a ride and the battery is getting low you get a warning message on the screen. No more forgetting-to-charge moments.
If you have a sram setup with front derailleur you always can swap batteries.
Jimmy’s bike of the shelve with dynamo, lights etc already exist: The new Ridley Kanzo Adventure !
Same, but on my Garmin. The SRAM app also sends notifications too.
The shrug after the waterworld comment was gold lol 😂
I was shocked when you got to wind-up/close-out bit at the end. I was enjoying the podcast too much and thought "it couldn't be over yet!". This was a good one again.
Solid agree. I swear this podcast is 15 minutes long.
Mmmmm I thought the same thing!
Welcome back Francis
Congrats on the 💍
Driverless vehicles : How long till we're all extras in the "Fifth Element" ! "Driverless " petrol tankers, double-decker buses, "blue light" fire trucks, police & "meat wagons" ?
Great podcast as usual and good to see Francis back. I totally agree with Francis about bells, damned if you do damned if you don’t.
Main advantage for running electric cars currently is economies of scale of power production rather than just whether the electricity is sourced from low carbon sources. 10KWh of electricity from the grid produces far less CO2 than from an internal combustion engine in a car. Sorry my inner nerd was calling. Love the show guys!
Rotating between Francis, Nick and e.g. James would be great. It's good to hear different takes on things.
This is the way.
It’s a great group that’s easy to listen to and very knowledgeable with different experiences.
Hi guys love the show. Mostly just commenting to boost your engagement but while I'm here : I use the saying hello method to alert pedestrians to my presence. I do it when I'm quite close and after I've slowed to walking pace. I think if you call from far away you obviously have to shout which puts people's backs up. I do recognise Francis' experiences it seems no matter what you do SOME walkers will be cross with you. I do have a bell but find that seems to surprise people more and a lot of people don't seem to be happy that you rang your bell. In terms of building rapport between cyclists and walkers I think making a point of saying hello is good even after ringing your bell and if they did something to ease my passing ,such as moving aside or holding onto their dog, I'll make a point if saying thank you.
I have that bell issue. It makes me resent and avoid shared paths, which makes up our entire cycling path network where I live.
I wear my normal glasses on the bike all the time - never had an issue with watering eyes, only issues are riding in the rain and low sun, so I just wear a casquette :)
Fyi guys..prescription lenses for glasses are normally plastic or polycarbonate plastic for impact resistance. Now I am in Canada so UK may still use glass. Cheers from your friedly neighborhood Optician 😊
I'm in the US and can't remember the last time I saw an option for glass lenses. I'm 55 years old. I know I had them as a kid because I broke a pair.
Probably a controversial take on cycling specific glasses, but here it goes: Helmets with built-in visors! Bought one on a whim, love it. Would never go back.
Second that! You can even wear your usual prescription glasses under the visor (that's what I do) 😊
Good to have Francis back and he is 100% right, Waterworld is a terrible film.
Glad you mentioned MotoGP. Loads of riders use cycling as their main cardiovascular training, more than F1 drivers. Check out Scott Redding and Aleix Espargaro, could basically be a pro
In your discussion on panniers and bags you neglected to mention traditional saddlebags made by companies such as Carradice. I've ridden across the USA, done LEJOG etc using a Carradice Camper and an Ortlieb handlebar bag and on my daily rides I use a Carradice Barley or Audax to carry tools, rain jacket and food. No mounts are required apart from loops on your saddle, they make it a lot easier to access stuff inside than with the modern bikepacking saddlebags and they don't swing around as much.
100% had the same experiences as Francis around the use of a bell.
Electric cars could be great, but even Volvo shared some research around how many miles they have to cover to be as green or greener than the same fossil fuelled equivalent and it was like 90,000 miles I’m sure. Might be wrong though 😂
You're not wrong, but the Volvo report was. They used worst case scenario numbers for everything related to building and charging an EV, but conveniently forgot to factor in anything but exhaust emissions for combustion cars. No manufacturing emissions, no emissions from extracting, refining and transporting fuel. They came out with 70,000 miles as the break-even point, but unbiased studies have found it to be more like 15,000 miles. The Volvo report has been debunked lots of times but it still gets reported in the news because anti-EV stories seem to generate a lot of clicks.
I can recommend the german brand “Schmidt’s” power hub-I built the front wheel and put a 80 lux Busch & Müller IQ front light with daylight led’s and a led backlight on my race bike.
I noticed that car drivers suspect the daylight leds for a motorized vehicle and they pass me with more distance
80 lux brighten up the forest roads better than natural daylight as you can see every hole or bump on the way.
They both shine bright already at 15 km/h,there is a electronic device that fits into the steering tube that converts the power to a usb port at the top cap which enables to power a garmin or a action cam/smartphone.
Great solution for extended bike rides/night rides!
American sports changes rules all the time, even in the NFL. In the recent years they’ve introduced new “Pass Interference” and “Roughing the Passer” rules to make the offence flow better to create a more entertaining product. Even though the games still takes very long (3houra for a 60 min game lol), there are more “WOW” moments and spectacles.
IMO, as a prescription glasses wearer, cycling specific glasses are great *if* you can get them. For the vision unimpaired, there's so many options you'd feel like a kid in a sweetshop, but for me, with a relatively low prescription power, I have only found 1 company that will even make prescription lenses for a visor/wrap-around style of shades, and they only offered 1 frame option. On top of that of course you have the price tag - mine cost over 300 pounds. I bit the bullet because of some of the issues mentioned here as well as some others - wind making my eyes water, the risk of a crash resulting in glass fragments - but also because of things like the optics. My prescription glasses do not give me any help with lighting and certain conditions - even my prescription shades do very little for glare and contrast and such. The cycling shades I have make riding in the wet or in bright but shadowy conditions a lot easier.
For reference, my prescription is about half of the maximum allowed correction for joining the British Army - so I'm not exactly wearing bottle-bottoms or anything!
I think what you have established at 51:28 is that the metric system makes sense and everything measured in yards, inch, feet etc. could be described as antic and antique guessing.
Love the podcast even with the imperial units, which are lot for a factual german ;-)
Pannier bags are great. Perfect for my commute to work and weekend bike-packing. I have aluminium frame bikes with mounts.
The biggest issue for athletes to turn into this doping league is that they would need to drastically improve their results. Otherwise they are kind of turning themselves in that they've done it before.
Wrap around Safety Glass. are way less expensive & can be found with reading glass built in.
Agreed, you can buy safety glasses in a whole range styles and price points, from very cheap & cheerful to not so cheap but high quality. I don't feel nearly as guilty when I drop them, smash them, scratch them, lose them etc.
Re the glasses question, I can heartly recommend getting a helmet with a visor. Long ago Giro had a very good one which has magnetic clips so its easy to clip on and off. What I'd find was that descents were worst for watery eyes (and a little dangerous) so I'd swap the visor down just for those. Its also very useful for rainy riding as it encloses your face and gives you a broad area to wipe down rather than your glasses.
First of all - fantastic podcast
On the subject of electric cars: Interesting how your perspective has partly changed from cyclist to car driver ;) ("great to drive"). As a cyclist, I sometimes find them more dangerous because they are much less noticeable. You hear them late or not at all, especially in the city.
But basically I agree with you that e-cars are great cars
panniers and racks die quite quickly on XC/ trails... though a large drybag in the top of a pannier rack keeps volume inline without catch on trees etc...
Yes jimmy
I totally agree with what Andy says..I rewatch the short that you put out about your mental health struggle and 2 30 min rides is what I got prescribed…which I struggle with btw..Thanks again jimmy.
The comparison between the Enhanced Games and the Isle of Man TT is a bit flawed. People train their entire lives to do the IOM TT, for some it’s seen as the pinnacle of Motorbike Racing, or racing in general. The Moto GP is the F1 of Bikes, heavily focused on tech and innovation, whereas the TT uses (largely) available road bikes. It’s not just a retirement home for GP riders, it’s an entirely different kettle of fish. Agostini was one of the main GP riders to do the TT, but stopped in 1972 because he thought it was too dangerous. Most riders in the TT do race Track in the BSB which is like the premier British Circuit Championship, but their primary focus is the TT. I do love the podcast btw.
Is 60 hours long enough to charge a battery? If so you may never need to use an external source to charge your battery.
Bring back Nic, all is forgiven! 😆 Seriously though, it's great to see you back Francis...
Francis is wrong about the Isle of Man rders, they are road racers, different category, not elderly GP riders etc. Electric cars are great if you like child slavery.
Icarus - cracking program and the twist was a "woah" moment, but 100% would have been great to see the original intent of that documentary, and how that panned out.
I love the old SRAM Force. I quickly discovered that if you're transporting your bike on the back of your car and you leave the batteries in, the bike is waiting for a signal so the battery drains. If you're not using the bike then remove the battery, pop in the spacer, and it won't go flat whilst you're not using it. Bosh! Also, when you're about to ride and you put the batteries back in, they flash different colours to show how charged the battery is. If it's not green... charge it!
Also, mobile phone battery life is sheeeet, and people find a way to charge them up at least every other day.
For commuting panniers are the way forward. My bike doesn't have mounts, but the titanium rack attaches to mounts on the seat post collar and on the drop outs via quick release skewer.
Regarding bell and loud hub. I have loud hub on gravel bike and no, it doesn't solve the problem in 100% of the cases, usually I do shout "excuse me", yet I still got "do you have a bell?", so now, I have electric bell, loud hub and I'm shouting! no excuse to be surprised unless they are deff!
On the 5'8 sizing issues..... Please do something for us 5'8 guys!! Gravel and Road would be amazing.
I've been using an Arschrakete for about 7 years now. Same one, appears to be bombproof. Used it for multiple audaxes, PBP attempt, commuting, multiday trips etc. If you pack the heaviest items towards the seat post then it doesnt swing about too much. Have considered a Tailfin but not sure I need it. I see a few audax riders riding traditional pannier setups, usually just with one bag. Doesn't seem to slow them down and never heard anyone being mocked for it. I have some panniers laying around somewhere as my 2008 Specialized cyclocross bike has the bosses. Not used that setup for ages though.
Many audax riders in the USA also use Carradice type saddlebags.
@@user-gs7nd9ok3z Yup. Top quality bags those are.
Anyone got recommendations for prescription cycling glasses?
I just got Rudy springshield air sunglasses that have a prescription optical insert. I noticed some other companies are starting to do this as well.
Take a look at Mountain Laurel Designs gravel panniers - bomb poroof and super light. Attached to the Ortlieb Quickrack (permanently) - they are perfect. 9L per bag. They are narrow and put the weight down low. When you get to your camp site - you unclip the Quickrack and voila - your panniers are with you in the tent.
@36:30 prescription glasses are usually not glass anymore.
If you cannot wear contacts (like me) then you can have prescription sunglasses (up to a limit due to the curvature) or with a prescription (Rx) clip. Rudy Project make very good ones with a clip.
Emily is the best part of this podcast and you guys should find ways to make her more involved
I rode over a thousand km with a saddle bag (Ortlieb one) and it didn't wobble much, I mounted it very tightly.
Ortlieb Quick Rack + Revelate 14L Terrapin Dry Bag and Restrap rack straps is my discount Tailfin Rack. 1/3rd the price and weighs 250g less. Sure, less capacity at 14L vs 20L on the Tailfin, but the price is just damn eye watering.
Welcome back Francis. Glad you got to spend time with family and friends.
hearing y'all talk about the marathon WR rip Kelvin Kiptum he was going to revolutionise the marathon
It's the old Saturday Night Live skit "The All Drug Olympics" come true!
Congrats on getting hitched Mr Cade! 🚴♂️💍🚴♂️
@31:00 IoM TT racing (or any road racing like the North West 200 in Northern Ireland) is a completely different discipline than Grand Prix racing. You don’t (as Francis was saying) have cross over between the two.
Awesome work team 👏🏾 you provide a lighthearted yet informative approach to many serious issues. I love you all ✊🏾👊🏾👌🏾
16:30 Last year, rode my SRAM Red 11 Speed 3,500 miles and charged my batteries twice. So, dont know how your batteries go down so fast, however my new 12 speed AXS does need charging more, batteries are smaller.
hello algorithm, this is a great podcast and you want to show it to more people.
Welcome back Francis and congrats! It's good to have you back :)
Went to Texas in December and forgot to charge my SRAM battery before we left for the trip. It was pretty much dead when we started a 30 mile ride and it was so stressful. If the solar powered chargers are convenient that would be awesome for those situations. Will have to see what it is when they actually release it.
Firstly, thanks for a great episode. When it comes to Ikarus he was training to win the race Haute Route which is described as the world's most prestigious multi-day cycling events for amateur riders. He wanted to see if he with doping could place high or win the race with doping. But one ironic this is when he competed fully doped his battery connected to his electronic shifters died 🙂. P.S. Waterworld is one of the greatest movies ❤
Great podcast, i always enjoy your discussions. You are a bit wide of the mark with The Isle of Man TT comparison however. The riders are real road race specialists and incredibly skillful. Just being fast on a track (Moto GP) would not make you fast or safe at the TT.
Watch some Guy Martin to learn more about the special skills needed for this type of racing. It is certainly not the place where old riders go to retire. Famously Giacomo Agostini refused to ride the TT even when it was part of the World championship after his friend, Gilberto Parlotti was killed there in 1972.
Question Please: Why does my Endurance Bike seem faster than my race bike? OK, some facts, neither are new! The 2008 Schwinn Peloton LTD, is carbon, with (new) carbon wheels, (new) black Inc carbon integrated bar stem, (new) 105 levers and Ulegra derailleurs mechanical, chainring 50/34 with 11-34 Cassette, 25mm Vittorio Zaf-Pro with TPU tubes. The Schwinn is lighter than the Felt Z, 2016, carbon Endurance, with original Mavic KSyrium wheels tubeless (with Vittorio green insert) Vittorio Corsa Next tires, Ultegra Di2, 140mm Disks, FSA carbon SLK cranks, 52/36 - 11-34. Same seats, (Selle Italia Gel Flo), same pedals (I have a crippled left leg, so SPD XT).
I have NOT done a full scale professionally managed set of repeatable tests, but I do the same short 40km ride 3-4 days a week and I sort of alternate them. Both have Ultegra WAXED chains!
The Felt feels faster. I can feel the Schwinn under me accelerate (well I call it accelerating, not my forte) I feel can feel it surge, but the Felt feels faster. I am NO racer, I just like the Scwhinn (hence the expensive upgrade recently) and I am fat and almost old (70 years). I got the Felt for longer riding and I am not disappointed, but I have done many 100+ km rides and a couple of 200+ km rides on the Scwhinn, the Felt is much more comfortable. But these short ride results are doing my head in, I know there are a lot of variable not considered like wind et al, but generally I am faster by feel and faster by time.
Ray aka Desmo500. - Melbourne
Would be comedic if a doping games type event would prove how widespread doping is by providing a lower performance baseline than regular "non doped" events
The TT is not done for money. Some racers are solely road races who don't race on track, some race on track and also on the road. You certainly don't retire into it, you have to have the drive that you want to go to the IOM and accept the consequences, and spend years learning it just to be able to get around the course without even coming close to the top ten.
I don't use a bell - just shout 'ding-a-ling' - always gets a smile!
Congratulations Francis.
With SRAM, I frequently leave for a ride, get a couple of minutes down the road, try to change gear, then realise that the battery is still in the charger where I put it the night before.
With the fluff up of the week, There is also a thing where the upper body half is longer than the lower body, That’s how I usually base my frame preference with, Semi Compact geometry was the best fitting bike I could ever find, I myself have a longer arm reach but short inseam for my height. This where most of the discrepancy in generic bike stores fail to consider.
I use a trunk bag for commuting. It keeps weight low, it's convenient and easy to store in my small office. I tried paniers, and didn't like having to put the rack on and off several times a week.
I’m with Francis on the “Where’s your bell” argument, I’ve been shouted at loads of times despite using Emily’s method of politely saying “hello” and “thank you” when passing.
I washed my hands and paused this video to make the comment that Francis is wrong about waterworld. Waterworld is an amazing film
Saddle height. How would your spine compressing affect saddle height? Your legs don't change in length, therefore saddle height will always remain the same.
In Australia, there are plenty of sports style glasses with prescription non-glass lenses. Been wearing Adidas “golfing” prescription glasses for years… no eye watering and they’re transition lenses too.
Thanks Emily , Francis , and Jimmi...he's right , Waterworld sucked !
And. I got prescription sunglasses when I had the money. Oakley makes some nice ones , ride with em all the time !!
I have high strength prescription glasses that most cycling glasses can't match and I'm uncomfortable wearing contacts. So I use a visored helmet
My answer for cycling specific glasses is no. You don't need them. You will have to pay extra for the glasses advertised as cycling specific. While the same manufacturer can have the same product marketed as safety glasses.
For example I ride in Uvex I-vo glasses for many years already. I can ride the whole summer day in them and eyes feel perfectly fine and no air comes inside. And these glasses are very cheap for given quality and adjustability. 10 USD glasses, that can be adjusted in angle and length.
And for riding in the dark I tried my ballistic clear glasses that I had for airsoft, they worked perfectly fine, also really cheaper than most of cycling glasses, while sit perfectly tight and can protect eyes even from shot of real shotgun. ) (I hoper the last won't be needed),
For winter/night glasses I picked up a shatter proof sealed safety glasses for $8. I have no complaints.
43:35 oh man. loud hubs are definitely obnoxious. would be equivalent of tailgating a car while revving the engine. or laying on the horn when people need time to move. also I feel like when I hear a hub sound, I feel lazy bastard haha. I always have my legs moving even slightly.
I think a bell ding is the most polite but you need to do it early and not when you're right behind them.
I like to use a low repetitive beat song and people can gauge your distance approaching them. it's like an audible sound that increases to their ear but it's not as loud as a hub.
but there are some people who can't hear anything with noise canceling headphones haha.
always say something when passing. "thanks" "good morning" costs nothing and it feels more like a community sharing the space.
for extreme situations, like overcrowd paths where people are dangerously zigzag and in their own selfish world, I will activate my apple ultra watch siren haha.
The vast majority of prescription glasses are made with plastic lenses, glass is not that common. As someone who is pretty myopic (-7.5 both eyes, roughly) and doesn't get on with contact lenses, I have ridden in my normal glasses and its awful, your eyes run and its very uncomfortable, you really do need some kind of wrap-round glasses. I've ended up with a few pairs of Rudy Project glasses with a clip in insert that I can change between them. at high prescriptions like mine inserts are the only option as curved lenses in high prescriptions are either super expensive or not possible.
RXsport are the people to go to if you want prescription specs
Having commuted loads on cycle paths. I could not agree more with Francis on the bell chat! Ring the bell and folk look at you with disgust like you've soiled in their hand. Don't ring the bell and loads of others give you grief for not riming you bell! It's borderline comedy, you just can't win.
Bell story: I was riding by Regent's Canal in London, came up behind 2 coppers. No bell, so I just said "hello" or something. Plod 1 says "where's your bell", so I just went "Ding, ding". Plod 2 absolutely pissed herself laughing. But off road...bells.
WaterWorld was amazing, take it back!
The Van Rysel RCR size XS has a virtual top tube of 536mm, so more like a typical size S. The size S is 544, so more like a normal medium. This is similar to Canyon's sizing nomenclature.
You normal sized people have no idea how easy you have it. 😂
I'm 203cm (6ft 8" in old money) and it's always a struggle to get a decent fit - bikes in my size are a rarity. It took me a month to find winter cycling shoes last winter (and they weren't very good) and then another year to find a second pair that were better. Basic ice skates - two months of hunting, basic ski boots, a month. There is very little that's routinely available off the shelf.
The filmmaker in "Ikarus" wanted to dope for the Haute Route, an amateur event. Gran Fondos are notorious for doping by MAMILs.
Simple question, why aren't all metal framed road bikes provided with pannier mounts?
I swear by dynamo hubs, even on my "normal" road bike. The hub + light combo is lighter than battery lights, front beam shapes are much better (SON or B+M), and having reliable light all night on demand is life changing. The calculated resistance for SON dynamo hubs is literally only 5' per mile, which I'm happy to live with. You can wire plug-in USB chargers and charge anything you want, day or night. SRAM's solar system seems a bit weak by comparison, both in terms of charging times and execution. Seriously, who thinks of putting electronics on a water bottle...how will that even survive the dishwasher?
Only podcast you can click the like button quite early.
Damn straight!
You mean the only podcast gets a like then watch or in my case listen at work
Well done everyone , easy listening great to hear different topics!
look at exo rail by alpkit. takes the sway out of the saddlebag. Same with the carradice bagman but that's specifically for those bags. Both are super stiff but I think the bagman just about wins.
One more, I had to watch this in sections; I love this discussion of eyewear; I always get blinded by sweat and didn't know bike specific glasses might help.
You might do better dealing with the sweat rather than spending money on new glasses. I have sweatbands that direct the sweat to the side of my face.
Dynamos aren't 'All That' for bikepacking on technical single track as its tuff to keep up the 10 kpm need to get out useful voltage
25:55 There are regularly pacers employed by professional racers during a marathon, who ofcourse have to complete the marathon as well. Funny instance of a pacer actually winning a marathon. ruclips.net/video/R_Wv_xrsR2A/видео.html
As a prescription eyeglasses wearer, I have always liked the Laurent Fignon look.
Please all wear glasses at all time while riding! Once upon a time a BMW overtook me, completely flooring it, 6000 rpm and a little stone shot from the tires into my glasses. The lens was destroyed but my eye was ok. I am very sure that I would have lost an eye that day. The glasses saved me.
agree with Francis on freehubs
Francis is right about loud freehubs being useful for alerting people of you being there, but they are still WAY overrated because A. That’s not why the majority of people have them, and B. people think a loud freehub is somehow a sign of higher quality when it’s not.
@@rob-c. Well, I need to ride ~6 km to get out of the city for a good bike ride. And that 6km is a nightmare because the bike lanes go through the tram and bus stops with a lot of waiting people. Naturally, they are standing, walking etc on the bike lane. I don't want to have a bell on my training bike, as it looks weird and not always easy to reach. A loud hub is a win-win, I do not annoy most of the pedestrian with my ding-ding-ding, as their reaction sometimes is unpredictable, and you don't have to stop or slow down to ask for a free lane. I don't know the other reason to use them on a road bike, because most of the time a rider is pedaling.
Just get a Decathlon saddle bag... it doesn't sway, is easy to pack, affordable and actually very high quality. Two weeks in Sicily were a breeze with it.
concerning EVs: life cycle assessments show that in most cases EVs will have less environmental impacts over their entire life cycle, as around 83 % of emissions (for example) for combustion cars are from the use phase. So even the added emissions from EV battery production do not offset that amount the slightest. There are sustainable ways of powering combustion cars, like bio ethanol/bio diesel or efuels, which have their own problems with the competition with food production and the absurdly low efficiency of green hydrogen production and conversion to efuels.
50:35 - The spine compressing shouldn't affect leg length too much, should it?
I don't have a bell or a loud hub I just go ding ding and people appreciate that more than a bell.
Francis speaking the truth, Waterworld is just a soggy budget Mad Max
I have cycling specific glasses and then I have Bolle safety glasses. I wear my Bolle's most of the time and they only cost me about £9-11. when i bought them.
Francis is incorrect about the IOM TT.
Most TT racers, young and old, are road racers, ie their niche and expertise is racing on closed public roads.
It is the most dangerous of motorcycle racing because there are no run off areas as in WSB, British Superbikes or Moto GP which are all raced on tracks, ie when you crash, there are a lot of inanimate objects to hit, such as brick walls, houses, trees....not a gravel run off area....
All of them have the utmost skill and dedication and certainly are not in it for the money.
Also not every year is there a fatility at the TT.