Actually, no. Historically a quality bike has always hovered around the modern equivalent of $300-$500. With lower production volume bikes (think boutique/performance focused/custom frame builders) or specialized bikes (like recumbent, tandem, trikes, quads or hand bikes) running in the $800-$2,500+ range.
@@Shindinru it depends on what you mean by serviceable. Will it work? If by work we mean function just enough to get you from point A to point B most of the time without causing significant issues that would render your bike unrideable, then sure, it will work. But a tourney group set doesn’t allow to trim properly (neither does Claris) on the FD, the rear cassette is really limited in range and number, the components are well known to be of lower quality material, and they will, much sooner than nicer sets, fail. Down the line you will spend more time and money repairing and adjusting a tourney than you would if you buy a bike with a slightly better group set.
It took me a while to learn to pace myself. When you live somewhere with no bike infrastructure, you just instinctively want to push harder even on a slower Dutch bike. It feels like you’re not going to anger impatient drivers as much and when people see you riding they won’t think cycling is stupid because it’s so slow.
Having proper bike infrastructure certainly makes riding like this easier. It's also probably why so many cities only seem to have fast athletic cyclists.
This is so true. Riding in London UK and Bristol are two very different experiences. In London, you are asserting your space amongst a lot of traffic including bit lorries and double-decker buses. The riding style there is much more aggressive. When I moved to Bristol I had to learn to adjust my ride style/attitude.
“Dressing for the destination, not the journey”, from your book got me out more and more for everyday riding and life. I need bike swag for those long weekend rides, not for a grocery stop or the gym.
To that end, if you like wearing jeans and are handy with a needle or sewing machine, do some googling on guesseting the crotch of your jeans. I did this with a couple pairs of my jeans (largely to reduce strain in that area of the fabric as I work a job that often requires me to get on the floor and crawl around under desks dealing with cabling), but I also found that riding with gusseted jeans was not bad - unlike most other jeans which I find do not allow for a great enough range of motion.
@@Shifter_Cycling I use your book to start conversations on year around community biking in Wyoming. And delving into our Northern North American relationship with winter.
@@Shifter_Cycling I do weekend rides in Cities. I'm from suburban Mississauga and typically every weekend, me and a buddy drive to Downtown Toronto with our bikes in tow to just ride around. Just today a portion of Allen Road (A 4 lane divided highway) was closed for Cyclists and Pedestrians. We went on that then took the subway to Queens Park and rode through Downtown Toronto, it allowed me to discover a Pizza Vending Machine on King Street and it was pretty good!
Most of these pro bike, anti-car videos make me angry, not refreshed. I do weekend rides but I drive most places since I'm a Car enthusiast first, bicyclist second
@@coastaku1954 i don't see think they're necessarily anti-car. But more about thinking about the right tool for the right trip. Most trips for me are less than 5 miles away, and I use my bike for those. But when i need to go to my family's (15 miles away, and I usually come back late at night) I use my car. In my view having more people using bikes when they don't really need a car benefits car drivers as well, since bikes generate less traffic than cars with a single occupant (which is most commuters)
@@Shifter_Cycling because then RUclips would either steal all your ad revenue, or get you ⅓ of the way towards a cancelled channel. Yay music industry!
I ditched my car for a bike because I want to spend life being in the world rather than getting through it. I ride everywhere and at my own pace because it's about the journey not the destination.
But you cannot get to places on a bicycle in a day, like on a moped or motorcycle where you can get to really interesting places outside your city you would never found otherwise… a bike is good around the area one live but not to experience life
The north american cycling world is so completely alien to me. Over here, what you consider 'slow' riding is the default and the athletic riders are the outliers. The main difference is probably an enormous amount of proper cycling infrastructure.
I don't know where you are, but I am envious. For people around here, "bike infastructure" means a trail where you can ride really fast and force old guys like me into the ditch.
even in México(still north america) most people commuting go "slow" and use unathletic clothes and bikes(maybe they use MTB because they are cheap here, compared to other bike types). there isn't to much bicycle infrastructure outsite big cities, but if you know what streets to use it's not a bad option
I’m in the NYC Metro Area, on the New Jersey side, and my town has ZERO bike infrastructure. If you’re over the age of 18 and on a bike, you’re seen as either (1) an undocumented immigrant who can’t get a driver’s license, (2) a poor person who can’t afford a car, (3) an adult with so many DUIs or other traffic/parking convictions that your driver’s license was taken away, or (3) an organic granola chomping boomer liberal self-consciously trying to reduce his carbon footprint in an ostentatious and obnoxious way and forcing drivers to pay attention to you. (You can guess which category I’m in… :D ). I’ve recently started using my bike for most errands, and for the first time in over 60 years, I’ve actually resorted to riding on the sidewalk sometimes, just because I’d like to live long enough to finish watching some of the shows I’ve started on Netflix. Drivers around here ARE trying to kill you. (It’s not paranoia if it’s the really ARE out to get you…)
One thing to note is that in many places in North America you are riding with cars and expected to keep up if you don't want them honking at you. It definitely encourages you to go faster.
I’ve been experimenting with your suggestion to “get old” in recent years, and while it certainly does help me ride more slowly, I have to warn you that the side effects of getting old may make this strategy less than ideal.
Getting old can but not always slow you down. I remember someone said "never underestimate an old fat man on a bike, they can just leave you in the dust". And getting old can be problematic in other aspects of life.
I discovered your channel a few weeks ago when I decided to haul my 30 yo Diamond Back mtb out of the shed where it had been resting for the last couple of decades, save for the odd one off journey to pick up the pick up from the repair garage, and that was only a vew kilometres away. I live out in the sticks of the interior of Portugal and the bike is ideal as a form of transport on the numerous dirt roads that go everywhere. I found a form of slowing down (not that I go particularly fast anyway) is taking the dog for a daily run of 8 kms. His little legs aren't the longest and riding slowly he keeps up easily, plus we do a couple or so drink stops for both of us. The pick up is only used now for hauling and trips to the city or hilly destinations. I love your presentations, they are so easy to listen to that sometimes I think I might be missing out by not living in the city! Keep the videos coming in, no tv here to watch in the evenings.
This is a good point. If you're competing with an ocean of quickly moving motor vehicles, riding leisurely with your head up likely won't work. Another argument in favour of bike infrastrutcure!
100%, Pangolin. In the Before Times, the middle four miles of my commute (a trail on each end) was on the highway, which made me want to ride very fast; I think I maxed out at a blistering 14mph. Going to work was actually nice, as not much traffic at 7a.m., only two turnoffs, and I was riding alongside Humboldt Bay. Going home was hairy; invariably into the teeth of a north wind, when everyone was going home, *seven* busy turnoffs to survive, and crossing the highway to get to the trail.
Yes, good point indeed. I have one loop I like to ride which is mostly paved bike trails. But, at one point it ends abruptly, and the road has no bike lane at all. You have to cross the road and find an opening in traffic, then try and keep up.
it's kind of silly to think about, imagine every time you wanted to walk somewhere you put on your running clothes and sprinted there instead. There's nothing wrong with a leisurely ride through town
Yes, or wearing a formula 1 racing suit with advertisements all over it and a helmet when you get in your Prius to go to work. It’s a bizarre look to regular folks when you’re not actually competing in a race. Not that you should care too much about what others think but it looks like folks are taking themselves way too seriously with their race fantasies. I admire folks taking care of themselves, that’s very cool but ……🙄
Really nice and interesting video. I feel this advice is in the category of "I can't believe we need to be told this, but we do". Sort of like eating if you're hungry and not eating if you're not hungry. As a fellow bicycle rider in Calgary, love your work.
Yes, that thought crossed my mind while making this. But I decided to go for it after going for a weekend road ride recently and realizing just how easily the bike goes fast, and how difficult it is to move slowly on a fast bike. Hope to see you on the streets some day! Thanks for watching.
Great point. I also live in a city with some downtown streets that have the green lights timed to the speed limit, so riding too quickly may mean you'll miss the "green wave."
@@steemlenn8797 No you don't. That's not how that works. If you go through a green, and then go at exactly 20 mph to the next intersection, it will just have turned green. However, if you go half that speed, you will be stuck at a red and have to wait for the next cycle. The cycles aren't close enough together that you can go at any reasonable pace below 20 mph and still make the green each time. You should read more about platoons and traffic engineering before making comments like these.
I fitted a stem extension to my bike. My back and my neck thank me for that. The 'slower' riding position is also a bit safer as you see a lot more of the road.
@@Shifter_Cycling Unfortunately the aheadset as the current standard makes it fairly difficult to adjust things easily or even try out different heights easily. Problems like buying a stem extension are unheard of with the old quill stem. I wonder why ahead even found its way on casual everyday bikes that - in the range of their intended use - can't even really make use of the benefits of the system.
This is so refreshing...many people in North America won’t ride as they think they need to spend thousands on a bike and wear Lycra...urban biking is for everyone...not a sport but a healthy activity...Thank you and please continue promoting urban biking :)
I tell myself -- 'Take your time. It's not a race. There's no rush. I'll get there soon enough.' This way, my mindset is more relaxed and I'm also a safer cyciist.
Yes. It depends on the Route and Infrastructure. Some commutes have no traffic lights, some have nice bike ways that skip traffic lights. On another Route I need to take, you are doomed as cyclist with traffic lights, that you will not be able to pass. If you are super fast, you still won't be in time for the next green phase, if you are slow, you'll still aren't slow enough to ride trough. There is one crossing I hate in particular. There is a nice long downhill ride and exactly at the bottom it the crossing. Unless you are extremely lucky, there is no way the Lights are green, hence you'll loose all your momentum.
I recently went on a ride with a friend who hasn't cycled for over 6 years. I let them borrow my old mountain bike since it's the only other bike I have. I was going really slowly to match their pace and I was kind of surprised how much fun I had on the ride despite not breaking into a sweat.
Slow is cool! Think of how you don't want to be all sweaty at your destination, if you ride slowly you'll be cooled by the gentle breeze but you won't be all hot through excessive exertion.
Commute distance and terrain probably makes a difference to how you go about your ride. My 18km ride often involved serious headwinds, and a low cycling position really helped just to keep moving!
Have a crash while going fast and end up spending time in hospital. I still like to go fast on clear flat roads, but most of the time I stay around 10 mph, see the sights and look for vehicles trying to run me over.
The main reason I usually ride fast is because we mostly don't have bike lanes, and if you ride slow, cars see you as an obstruction and start taking over if they can somehow squeeze past or if there are too many parked cars that don't allow taking over they often start honking and shouting at me while driving right behind me. Too risky for me. If I have the space I do enjoy riding slowly tho, totally agree on that one.
I find it difficult to for me to ride slow because I enjoy going fast. Even if I intend to take my road bike out and just cruise, I find myself going faster than expected. So if I want to go slow I usually ride my vintage steel road bike. It's a 1982 Olmo Competition and although she feels buttery smooth, I just can't go as fast on it as I can on my other road bikes and to put in the extra effort forces me to just cut it back and slow down. That's my cruising bike along with my single speed CX bike that I use to get around anywhere. The gearing is such that I can only go so fast yet it's still fun to ride and feel like I'm going faster than I am. For us roadies that are accustomed to going faster, you need the bike that'll slow you down. That's why I have several bikes for different needs. I just love bikes!
Reaching a new personal best is fun, but I find a ride so much more enjoyable when you take the time to soak in your surroundings. I've caught a lot of cool occurrences in nature by cruising just a little easier.
Flipside: a lot of bikes built for "speed" are actually built for speed within UCI regulations. I for one wish we'd see some of that focus and innovation spread out to make recumbents and tandems and cargo trikes and such more easily attainable.
I use the same bike to commute, go to visit family and friends, to go sightseeing and to "race" and to do the athletic stuff, I met her more than two decades ago, all steel and what they call a hybrid, now she has dropbars, but with dual action brakes for passing from #PrayForSpeed mode to appreciate the country and city. Context is King, go with the flow and enjoy the ride
I ride local "bike" paths that were designed to be used by _everyone_. Skateboarders, in-line skaters, and all the many variations of new electric personal modes not to mention pedestrians. There are a number of sport cyclists who take it for their personal race track in spite of the fact that it has a posted speed limit of 10mph. I have an ebike and I'm perfectly comfortable to turn the assist on its lowest setting, pedal along and wish people good morning. So I wholeheartedly agree with your premise. Ride according to the design of the road you're on, not according to your bike's capabilities.
The real challenge is when someone overtake you and you know you can go just as fast. Outraced a Cervelo on a my cheap flatbar commuter with 3g Torpedo and Ortlieb sidebags. It is borderline addiction and often bad for my knees.
Refreshing point of view. I'm 71 years old, don't race but I enjoy riding my bicycle. And where I live it seems everything is uphill, so I bought an ebike. I'm still not riding it fast and I don't run my heart rate to 180. But getting the bike to be comfortable has been somewhat a challenge.
I bought a front wheel pedal assist e-bike with the rear being single speed. It is quite nice to ride actually for commuting purposes. Getting past the construction site on the bridge is easier with it, as well as when going against the afternoon wind. I am currently only 45. The e-bike gets charged at home using solar panels. Saves me a lot of petrol costs.
I just ride a mountain bike- the long flat bars and chunky tyres with large grips just feel more stable when I am slow, it is easier to get additional leverage on the bars and more freedom of range in my arms to correct wobble and just to hold it straight if my arms aren't tucked in and held low and I am not hunched over too much and the additional weight- especially with the rack on and full panniers on it really encourages you to go slow- fortunately everything is uphill from me, so I can go uphil to the shops with empty panniers and then coast back down once they are full! Frankly those tyres feel much nicer on downhills too as sometimes the roads here can be a bit less than ideal and it is Scotland so there is a lot of inclement weather that would make that even worse and as their are a lot of forest trails I can use to make journeys more interesting, the MTB is perfect! I really do not like the feeling of being on a road bike, I get a sore back if I ride one too long and I find the position makes my muscles tense, even sprinting feels better on the MTB, even if it's not as fast!
No matter how hard I try I just can't be slow on a bike. Even with an already heavy bike and carrying stuff I'm kind of always racing myself, especially on the routes I regularly use.
The body position makes a bigger difference. If you bend forward, you try to move faster. It's the same with walking vs. running. You wouldn't run to the train station, unless you're late and need to catch that train.
What about the sweat factor? One of the things I've tried to get out of this mindset is to try to arrive at a destination without having broken a sweat. It also makes me more pleasant to be around once I'm there 😉.
@@Shifter_Cycling That is precisely the problem! I need a HUGE effort to not arrive completely sweaty at my destination. But maybe it's because the infrastructures where I live are not really bike-friendly. So on the road I often feel like I need to be fast enough to feel safe in the traffic.
I get bored and upset if I go slow though. Plus I don't want to block faster riders or cars. I'm already technically dressing for the destination and carrying a bag sometimes with my 2.5kg laptop in it or food . But dressing for the destination for me is t-shirt shorts and sandals which is what I normally wear when I ride anyway. It's just much more fun to go fast, last gear up the hill at 30+kph chasing the bus so I can draft it up . I mostly use a trail bike, unless something on it breaks again then it's my XC , the trail bike is lighter and has better pedal efficiency, I know seems counter intuitive but they're very different levels of bikes the rear linkage on the trail bike isolates pedal forces or something like that and it's carbon while my XC is aluminium. There's just something in me that doesn't like going slow, I've seen the Strava entries of other riders I know and I've tried to go at whatever speed they're at but within 5 mins I couldn't take it anymore and I was a whole 2kph higher than their average to make it less boring in the first place. Skirts and dresses don't slow people down that much some girl in a sundress overtook me on one of my attempted slow rides. Which is why I just went back to my usual speed on that ride, I don't like getting overtaken.
This is one of the videos that actually supports my point. Here in my town, all my friends just wants to be fast, forcing me to be fast. I like being fast, but not everytime we ride. And with my breathing condition, it makes it insanely difficult for me to keep check of myself when you're pressured to go fast. I'm so glad that I saw this video and that many people agree.
It’s true, most bikes sold are built for “speed” even cheap mountain bikes. Mine was only £99 and was ridiculously high geared but had low aggressive handle bars which made me ride fast. A set of porteur bars and a spring saddle and now I’m cruising to work instead of racing.
not being rude but ive found all £99 bikes are heavy af, must be made of heavier metal or something. consider upgrading to something that costs a couple of hundred more and you will feel like you are power after riding that one lol 😂 i did this a few years ago trust lol
A great follow-up to a prior video of yours "The unexpected benefits of an upright Dutch bike". (And I could easily quote it word for word because it's right there in my recommendations under this one. 😂)
I think riding a slow bike is the best tip. Because a city bike is more comfortable for a slower pace and you don't feel like you have to force yourself to slow down. Riding a road bike slowly is like driving a supercar but constantly having to brake. It is unnatural and uncomfortable. Wearing regular clothes might work for some people. But not for me. I still have the tendency to speed up the bike. I just want an adrenaline rush no matter which clothes I wear. Use single speed and a city bike and just riding comfortably would be my best choice.
I cycle to work and often find myself in isolated and lonely pathways here in Calgary. It gets pretty boring at certain parts of my ride and its tempting to just go fast to get out of those boring portions. I found that listening to audiobooks forces me to slow down in order to understand what Im listening to, haha. Also, not logging my ride in Strava helps a lot in slowing down too!
Definitely began to enjoy my bike rides a lot more - commute to and from work and errands, checking out the neighborhoods around me, and just for fun - when I stopped imagining every ride was a leg in the Tour de France and racing against anybody in front of me (they didn't know it was a race). Lol
I personally ride pretty fast on my bike to go to class every day, but I think it really comes down to my commute. I ride 5km, but most of it is in the middle of fields, it's empty and exposed to the wind. I really don't have much to see along the route, and with the wind that always seems to be against me, I just wanna get out of there. So basically my method is to try and go as hard as I can while staying relatively non sweaty. But when I spent a few days in Amsterdam and rented a bike there, I absolutely enjoyed the slow riding. I think it just depends on the cicumstances!
I really enjoy speed on the bike. And while I am only riding discounter bikes not more expensive than 500 bucks, they don't automatically make me slow. My average speed is around 15mph, without winds 20mph - without the intention of going fast, it has just come to be a habit. I will go slower automatically, when I somehow feel exhausted or tired. But that rarely happens. I don't ride bikes for sports, I ride them for fun but also for getting places. My car broke down and was wasted few months back, and it didn't have any impact on me like it would with most people, didn't care for getting a new one, since everything I need to go to is within 25 miles and I like to do ALL my trips on the bike - I may have used public transport like 5 times within the last 10 years. I also do big grocery shoppings with it, either with my huge packback or if that ain't enough, bike trailer. Now that we are getting close to summer, it's awesome. Sure in fall or winter it's less thrilling, but still alright to me. I was never in the eco-hipster position, bragging with me using the most ecological transport existing, but it certainly is a nice thought, that no means of transport is even slightely as good for the environment as using the (non-electric) bicycle is.
This is great. Thanks for sharing. Speed is certainly fun, I just worry sometimes the culture of racing in cycling drowns out the idea that you don't need to be fast. Kudos to your commitment to cycling!
@@Shifter_Cycling I've also gotten this idea, that the majority of channels about cycling here is about it as a sport and about being, well....... sporty and fast. But I would say, the sports aspect of it even is the smaller bit of the whole ordeal, that it is so valuable as an ecological means of going somewhere. But sure, there is this one big aspect of laziness. Laziness basically is an omnipresent thing in modern society, whatever causes people the tiniest amount of strain, it's not acceptable. And I can really tell, last winter was so nasty that I was rarely cycling. When springs finally came up, I lost almost all of my power and endurance, that a short relaxed ride wasn't even that comfortable. And the majority of people always feels that way, since they don't cycle regularly. I don't want to lose it again, so even when I don't need to go anywhere for days, I do fun trips - yesterday I did 100K, and it was less exhausting, than I thought, basically still pushing it surprisingly mad when being close to being back home. Oh boy, I keep blabbering anecdotes here, but that got me to a thought: If you'd like additional content for your channel from a whole different part of the world, feel free to get to me. I own good 4K camera equipment, I know how to use it (producing videos for almost 20 years now, just not having it on here), I am rather professional at editing and I am living within cycling distance of a worldwide known and beloved metropolis, Munich. Also, I speak perfect American English. You could tell me, what kind of content you'd like to show, and I'd produce it exclusively for your channel. Why? Because I have fun with video work, I just don't have reasons for own projects these days. My camera is getting dusty, and that's a shame. If you are interested, tell me where we can have more private conversations.
@@shannontrainer5857 And who implied such a thing? As my main comment said, it's a nice thought, that riding the bike so much is very good environmentally, but where did I brag, that I am better than others? I don't give a shit, how somebody travels. When I recommend the bike to others, it's not because they are "worse people than me for burning fossil fuels", I tell them how it's very damn expensive ans they make themselfes very dependent on those expensive things. Getting into the city is very annoying with the car, thick traffic, searching for parking spots and paying good money for them. All this is so much easier with the bike. And having a rather cheap one doesn't make thiefes interested in stealing it, when it's locked somewhere outsidd.
You’re right, in this crazy world is nice to slow down from time to time. I cycle for exercise 4 days a week in a Sirrus X 5.0 hybrid carbon fiber bike which I Love. But eventually I take my old 26” MTB with front suspension which is way more comfortable and I really enjoy it. Nice video.
For commuting rides I use my fitness watch to warn me that my heart is hitting a high aerobic zone and that I need to slow down. This lets me get to where I am going without sweating or being out of breath. I do the opposite on fitness rides and speed up if my HR goes too low.
Really interesting stuff, after a lifetime of fast (road, cross, mtb, but always fast) at 63 I just got a Brompton and an electric one at that with the sole purpose of slowing down a bit. I picked it up on Friday and did 15 miles Saturday and 28 Sunday. I stopped to let people have the right of way, to let dog owners catch their dogs and I stopped to look at the world. I also made a point of saying good morning to everyone I met. I only used the power assist for the steepest hills so the rest of the time i was probably riding something that weighs about the same as all my other bikes added together. I still averaged around 10mph according to my tracker. I thoroughly enjoyed it. And the most interesting observation was that the only people that didn’t respond to my greeting were riding road and mountain bikes. I guess that’s because I don’t fit the image of a “cyclist” any more 😂😂😂😂
I find with my ebikes (including a Brompton 🙌) I'm not bothered about stopping so much because I know the assist will do most of the work getting me back up to speed 😀
@@OneLessCar Hey Michelle, you’re at least in part responsible for us getting E Bromptons, yours were some of the videos we watched when contemplating the idea! Yes, 100% agree with you.
I’ve learned to love riding “slow” on my commuter. Upright position, regular clothes and regular shoes with platform pedals make riding fun again (like when you were 10 years old). Plus, you can get off the bike and enjoy the destination.
Have a couple concussions. I don't actually recommend this. But when I think of what happened at a relatively slow speed, I shudder to think of what COULD have happened if I'd crashed on one of those fast descents I used to do. Ride a bike with small wheels. Living in a studio, and taking my bike on the bus for my commute, led to the purchase of a Brompton. These are beautiful machines, and not exactly slow. But they are too unstable to go really fast. At least if you're afraid of more concussions. Also they haul surprisingly large loads. Two gallons of water in the front bag, plus groceries in my backpack, and I am moving at a stately pace.
I began riding more slowly to work so I wouldn't be as sweaty, and I discovered that I enjoy the slower commute - and then I ride faster on the way home for a good workout. I live in a very hilly area, and I just coast down the hills and enjoy the ride rather than trying to go as fast as I can. Most of my commute is on shared walking/biking trails, and the walkers and runners seem more friendly when I'm ambling along rather than barreling down the path.
Love this train of thought - slowing down to better enjoy the experience. Sometimes I like going fast. Sometimes dirt roads Sometimes slick asphalt Sometimes hauling a bag of compost "Do I contradict myself? Very well then I contradict myself, (I am large, I contain multitudes.)"
Yes, this is me too! When I meet other cyclists, they always ask what "kind" of cycling I'm into. I always say 'I'm a bike agnostic' and they look at me funny.
I'm riding an Enduro hardtail MTB amd i have to say it handles great while cruising as much as it handles great when going fast. It's probably a combination from the kinda in-between aggressive and upwards seated position and while standing having a pretty aggressive position and the geometry of the bike. I see no point in going slower than needed tho.
I think another extremely useful component in the mixture of what someone wears on a bike for whatever purpose, where it's not either total street clothes or total road bike outfits, are cycling sweatpants, which I've adopted this year for the idea of preventing cycling shutdowns over winter. These come lined and they're either a lot warmer or at least a little warmer than other sweats I've used. Jeans likewise for that matter. They also come with tighter cuffing from the zippers and the design, so you don't have to tie off your right leg. They also look sharp compared to what average sweatpants tend to look like. So you don't look like KGB Teddy so much. Down to a point in the temperature range I think they'll be good enough for keep warm and keeping practical. That point is probably going to be low to mid-20s F and I'll be willing to use thermal pants with them too.
I enjoyed this video. I actually came across this looking for non fast or sports biking videos and forums. I just ride for practicality. To get from A to B for a specific reason. I live 6km from my nearest town and shop's, supermarket's etc. I hauled home approximately 60kg of shopping on Wednesday on a trailer behind my bike. Relatively slowly. It's heavy and for safety. And it made me sweat. Then the next day I went out again to do some other business but I just took 2 X 20 litre pannier bags for anything extra I might pick up. Practically all of my riding is to get from A to B for a specific reason. A little for exercise, a little to save on using the car and the environment and a little just for the fun of it. I don't own or want to own any lycra or go faster gear. I was wearing jeans and a sweater. My bike has lots of lights and mirrors and extras for practicality, comfort (a wide, soft saddle) and safety. I'm not a zealot. If the weather's bad I'll probably take the car. Where is there a forum or community for me?
Great vlog. EVen the mountain bikes are all about smoothing out the terrain so you can keep up with mates who also get the expensive bikes and go on about how "good" they are. But the terrain becomes less challenging, or you do down it a bit faster (which has more risks). And it's true the expensive mtb trend has led to bike parks becoming more gnarly. This is crazy, as you get the same experience with a cheaper bike on less gnarly stuff. Then they have carbon e bikes, the most expensive of them all. All that battery weight - that having carbon hardly makes much of a difference!
I have paid a lot of money for a cargo bike and almost nothing for an open box gravel bike that came with a few scratches. My favorite is the gravel bike. :-) Seems to me that too many people with money spend too much for bicycles that they rarely ride thus driving up the costs. Advertising hype along with demand for features people think they need is a big part of rising prices. The weight of the bike is only a fraction of your body weight so it makes no real difference unless you are a professional racer racing up hill. Even then the difference will only be seconds. It doesn't matter what you ride, only that you do ride. :-)
@@SmokinPaul Excellent point. I'm just a centimetre off 2 metres tall and weigh 118kgs. Riding my extra large frame steel bike with a trailer behind it fully laden with 60kgs of groceries still all adds up to a good bit less than I weigh on my own.
@@tconnolly9820 been reading about eBikes and how people will buy a more efficient motor so they can go farther which drives the cost up and then they get a small battery. What they should do instead is buy the less efficient less costly motor allowing them to buy a much bigger battery. That way they would have much greater range for half the cost or less. 😎 It's about clearly understanding your goals and not getting caught up in details, assumptions and preconceived ideas. In other words use first principal thinking. By discovering various truths about recumbents, eBikes and the related technologies I'll be able to get something that fits my needs much better and at a far lower cost. 🙂 Much better than spending lots of money while learning from your mistakes.
@@SmokinPaul I probably was missing your point a little. I was making the comparison to my size and weight plus a pulled load behind using pedal power alone on what probably was a £300/+? bike when bought almost 5 years ago (it was a Christmas present - I checked prices online as you do). But good grief, bicycles have become crazily and unnecessarily expensive for relatively little more in performance if you're not being seriously competitive.
@@tconnolly9820 my point was people buy shit they don't need that doesn't really make a difference. They buy into the myths and sales BS. LOL 😆 If they go faster it's because their wallets are lighter. Hahahaha 🤣
Got me thinking of so much. Links to the slow movement. I find it hard to get on board with the cycling industry’s obsession with speed. At the same time, I do look for ways to make my journeys quicker. I get a buzz off choosing the right tube carriage, timing a connection, weaving in and out of crowds on foot, but I still don’t think I value going faster and faster by bike, maybe because a bike already gives you so much independence from crowds on the pavement or public transport. Great video as always.
Agreed. Work days I commute on my Gocycle. Perfect way to get to the office in an urban environment. The road bike is like getting in a Ferrari for those sporting rides. A great combination for my different needs.
Extra tip that works for most people: ride with your mouth closed and breathe through the nose only. Once you find the right pace it's very pleasant. Or, nowadays, wear a mask while riding, it will also set a limit to your pace.
This was super useful! As a "roadie" I like fast but also want to slow down occasionally to look at the world. I will correct you about age slowing you down, I am almost 60 and can ride at a 19 MPH average. I know people that are older than me who are faster!
I'm 65 and ride as fast or faster than most. It's because we are still riding and using our bodies. Most people I know are couch potatoes and in failing health. In their 50's they begin to loose mobility and function. They look at you thinking it must be genetics because diet and exercise is too much effort for them. :-( Those that are still riding or doing other activities are still in great health. A guy I work with just retired and he plans on doing a lot of riding on the rails to trails bike paths around the USA. :-)
@@SmokinPaul That's great and you are so right! Use it or lose it! We are lucky that we find enjoyment and joy in using our bodies 😊 Keep riding friend!
@@jcsrst what frustrates me is when I tell people I know that if they started taking walks, riding a bicycle even slowly they could be in about the same shape as me. Even a small amount of exercise and movement can give you 80% of the benefits. They all feel like their present decline is insurmountable, that old age is something that cannot be stopped. Basically even if they believe me they're too lazy to get off the couch. Just blows my mind. It's like they enjoy being unhealthy and unable to enjoy life. Television is like an opiate to them. 😟
Good content! Over the years, I've come to adopt a lot of these measures. Age and back issues have encouraged me to abandon road bikes for ever-more-upright hybrids in the city, always with a pannier on the rear rack for spur-of-the-moment shopping. I've taken my hybrid on the past few road trips as well - it's a little slower of course, but you appreciate the countryside more. On the clothing side, for years I've been wearing only clothing that is washable (vs. requiring dry cleaning), so everything can go in both the washer & dryer. I've also been buying mostly GoreTex-lined shoes (shoutout to Ecco - they're expensive, but they are truly waterproof, even in Vancouver rain, and they last for at least a decade in my experience). The latest switch has been to Levi's 'commuter jeans'. They're slightly stretchy so they're more comfortable for cycling, and they don't get sodden like 100% cotton jeans if it does rain. They also dry out extremely quickly, and on you, when they do get wet. I used to carry rain pants around with me in the winter, but now I rarely bother. There's something very satisfying about simplification, and having multi-purpose clothing & equipment. It's nice to arrive somewhere without looking like you obviously cycled. :-)
I'd love to dress for my destination but I live in a hilly city in the subtropics. Showers and a change of clothes are not optional. I still save the lycra for more serious rides though and instead compromise by wearing a mix of mountain biker/runner kit. On the topic of bike position - I wanted to become more versatile on my road bike so I forced myself to ride in busy pedestrian areas until I got good enough to ride at 3-4km/h through crowds with my clipless pedals with no fear of losing balance. Great way to practice both riding slow, your attentiveness and your soft skills.
Riding slow is not that easy. My main two reasons are: 1.) The slower you go, the more cars want to pass you closely. 2.) I ride a pretty heavy 25 years old bike, but my mind is always in this "cycling game": I want to get over the next light before it turns red, I want to try if I can get up the hill a bit faster than yesterday, I try to catch the car the just surpassed me,... ;-) But of course, after a long day at work, I usually pick a slower pace...
Exactly! After work people look at me and ask how I have the energy to ride home. It's the ride to and from work that gives me the energy they do not have. I'm old but my body is young because I push myself. I enjoy life too much to let myself fall apart. At 65 I've not given old man time a thing. Others I know are already hunching over like old men and losing there balance and mobility, soon to be permanent couch potatoes. :-( I enjoy life too much not to constantly push myself and stay in tip top shape. You'll live longer while staying healthy... the lazy will experience an unpleasant decline doing less and less. Live long and die young. :-)
I'm in a city where I will get honked at or passed with little space if go slow. Already adapted to going fast all the time (11 MPH+) but I do know few areas where bikes are only allowed thus I can enjoy going slowly.
Having decent bike infrastructure in your city certainly makes this easier. A decade ago in my city, riding slowly was much more difficult than it is now thanks to a bunch of new bike lanes.
@@Shifter_Cycling We have some bike lanes here and there but people use the bike lane here as a sidewalk extension and vehicles use it to double park. I adapted to that by putting mirrors on bikes to safely go around because people here have big egos and can't be reasoned with. Good thing is due to the bike boom/rona there is more people on two wheels here so drivers are more used to seeing us.
To answer your question in the chat. If you drive faster than 25km/h the assist is switched off, but for me thats not a problem, 20 is fast enough. I don't know about spedelec's and the assist.
One thing I've found to be true and that is the fact that bicycles tend to more often than not compromises between a pure road bike and a pure Cruiser style or a Dutch style. Those compromises mean that for most of what a guy (or girl) might have it's going to be a mixture of speed, position, utility, and sport, where it's rarely all one way or the other. Also, I've found that a guy can keep most of the speed of a hybrid style or road style bike, engage in the utility of hauling groceries with a backpack with 25 pounds of it, and nevermind the racks and all that. It keeps your bikes more multi-purpose and a bit lighter too.
3 года назад+1
This is the stupidest most obvious solution I’ve ever heard for my arriving-to-the-office-sweating problem.
I've honestly never had this issue. I tend to coast once I've built up a little bit of speed, sometimes even taking one foot off the pedal. But then again, I'm fairly uncompetitive. Having a lot of traffic lights on my commute also helps.
I've had motorcycles in the past but recently bought in ebike. I keep it in pedal assist 1 mostly, go slow and easy; I can't believe how much I'm enjoying it. Getting old and smelling the roses.
I test rode an ebike on Saturday, an Xtracycle RFA Sport. First thing I noticed is I wanted pedal fast - and I did! With gusto. Although my knee, which I am in physio for, forced me to slow it down.
I can't "dress for my destination" because I'm sweaty within three minutes of a ride. I always have to wash and change at work. I wear lycra because it dries quickly, is treated with anti-stink, and is more visible to the blind oafs I share the road with. I wear cycling shorts because they are far more comfortable and stop my groin from looking/feeling like raw schnitzel, which is what happens if I wear normal trousers and underpants. Sometimes I ride a road bike, sometimes a tourer, sometimes a belt-drive with rack, panniers and fenders, sometimes a bare-bone single-speed. I ride as fast or as slow as I damn well please. I don't give a tinker's cuss what other people think of the way I look.
Same here. I swore I would never wear bicycle clothes. Then I tired a lycra bike shirt that wicked the sweat and made me feel cool. Now I look like a dork and at my age could care less what anyone thinks. The function of the clothes outweighs the look and then you get used to how they look. LOL
I guess I'm old (65). I have a Fuji drop bar road bike and a '68 Schwinn three-speed (Racer). I've been riding the Schwinn a lot more lately, for the reasons stated in this video. It's more enjoyable to me, and maybe that is because of my age. The old Chicago Schwinn three-speeds are a great bike for riding slowly. Though Schwinn dubbed them "lightweights," they are quite heavy. They are also bomb-proof, so well built practically by hand in the hey day of the Chicago Schwinn factory. My 54-year-old Racer, though it got a lot of use by its original owner, it still rides smooth and true. The Sturmey-Archer hubs from back in the day were built to last forever, and they do. So, if you want to ride slower, find yourself a vintage Chicago Schwinn three-speed. There are plenty of them out there on CL, and they're cheap.
The speed question is asked a lot by folks riding the new e-bikes, EUCs, scooters, and e-skateboards. I chose a Onewheel Pint as my primary commuter vehicle because it prioritizes maneuverability over mph.
Good advice. I used to be a speed demon. Drop bars & going really fast. But over the years, I’ve dropped the drop bars for flat bars & a more upright seating position. I’m an athlete, so I can still go fast on a hybrid if I want to. But i enjoy touring & riding at a more leisurely pace. I wear t-shirt & jeans while riding. I don’t clip in & just wear sneakers or even sandals. Nothing against the lycra wearing road bikers out there. That’s just my style of riding now. The US bike industry in particular seems to be focused primarily on the road bikers & speed however. Even gravel bikes here have drop bars where in Europe flat bars dominate. It’s interesting.
I ride a few different types of bike. my main commuter bike is my Trek but I love to slow down and ride my 50's Rollfast coaster brake bike. people also seem to respond to me better on different bikes.. some even wave and say hi! that has never happened while riding my Trek.. I call my coaster brake bikes "happy Bikes" since they make you happy riding them and other people happy to see you taking it easy. Also because they are very heavy and slow its kind of a thrill to ride them fast sometimes..
About a week ago I was biking in my city and was whizzed past by a cyclist in all his gear and on his fancy road bike. I haul stuff, wear skirts, ride a hybrid, etc, and I am tuned to city speeds from over a decade of primarily getting around by bike in various cities. I caught up to him at the next light right as it was changing color (he was stopped) and then I blazed past HIM, because my speed meant I rarely have to stop or slow down a lot for lights. My moderate speed enables continuity in city biking, which ends up faster in the long run. (Also a lot of fun to bike past cars during rush hour).
First of all, thank you for the work you do on these videos; I rediscovered riding a bike last year and forgot how great it is. I live in Toronto and, like Calgary, we too have hills; in particular, there are few going north from Lake Ontario. I currently own a gravel bike, but for city commutes I use a Dutch bike (an Omafiets) with three internal gears, swept-back handlebars, all steel body, and weighs like a tank. My question for you is: do you have any tips regarding uphill in addition to being on the lowest gear on a heavy 3-speed bike; in particular, body positioning (do I stand, do I sit, do I sit back, do I put pressure on the handlebars and lean forward, etc.)? On a road/gravel bike putting the weight to the front helps but it's easy to do that since you're already hunched on the dropbars anyway. Not so easy with swept-back handlebars.
I have an ebike and don't use it most of the time, so the extra weight give me a better work out, but when I'm on the trails and just trying to take my time to go longer distances and not wear myself out, I still find myself just trying to keep my speed up. Dropping a gear so it's just an easier pedal is what I try to do as well. Although just telling myself to pedal slower is what I end up doing...
After 50+years of riding I've arrived at your point of view. Apart from the gears😃 where I live (Cornwall UK) you're pretty much riding up or down hills. We've all been sold stuff that's not really suitable for the riding that the vast majority of us actually do😃
I know you yourself have discovered this in the two years since you filmed this, but leaning forward onto straight arms is the problem. Sitting up with elbows relaxed at your sides is so much nicer!
You forgot to mention turn off Strava and use the bike to explore. If your checking out new areas you tend to be looking around more and finding your way.
Most people either spend thousands on bikes, or have some old mountain bike with a ton of rolling resistance. There's very few single speed hybrids out there, which I think is the best choice for most people in most situations.
I feel forced to ride fast in traffic because i find it's safer and my movement is more predictable for drivers around me if I'm going at a similar speed as traffic. What would be most ideal would be if our infrastructure in Canada wasn't oriented towards fast traffic but, made traffic a bit slower and safer for all... I've been thinking a lot about lately after watching a video of traffic in Amsterdam and how it's different from North American cities.
My tip is to live in a hilly area.there’s no other option than slow 🤣 I have dropped the Lycra and just wear loose fitting clothes. It’s a lot more comfortable for me.
About a decade ago I remember wheels magazine in Australia did a test where for a couple of weeks the journo drove to work as quick as he could legally, and for a couple of weeks he drove to work at a casual pace. He found that on the quick weeks he used a lot more petrol but also was generally cranky all day. The stress of trying to shave off a few minutes affected his whole mindset for that day. On the casual driving weeks he felt much more relaxed. Sure he had to leave earlier., But it's not that big a deal. I imagine this applies to commuting by bike, too.
![BLACK BAG - Official Trailer [HD] - Only in Theaters March 14](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Du0Xp8WX_7I/mqdefault.jpg)
The “cyclist” focus has also drastically increased the cost of bikes. Which doesn’t help increase numbers riding bikes.
Yes! An unfortunate side-effect, for sure.
Actually, no. Historically a quality bike has always hovered around the modern equivalent of $300-$500. With lower production volume bikes (think boutique/performance focused/custom frame builders) or specialized bikes (like recumbent, tandem, trikes, quads or hand bikes) running in the $800-$2,500+ range.
@@Shindinru lol good luck buying anything that’s not tourney equipped and will break on you in a year under $800
@@gandalfthegray620 Why the hate for Tourney? It's a perfectly serviceable group set.
@@Shindinru it depends on what you mean by serviceable. Will it work? If by work we mean function just enough to get you from point A to point B most of the time without causing significant issues that would render your bike unrideable, then sure, it will work.
But a tourney group set doesn’t allow to trim properly (neither does Claris) on the FD, the rear cassette is really limited in range and number, the components are well known to be of lower quality material, and they will, much sooner than nicer sets, fail.
Down the line you will spend more time and money repairing and adjusting a tourney than you would if you buy a bike with a slightly better group set.
It took me a while to learn to pace myself. When you live somewhere with no bike infrastructure, you just instinctively want to push harder even on a slower Dutch bike. It feels like you’re not going to anger impatient drivers as much and when people see you riding they won’t think cycling is stupid because it’s so slow.
Having proper bike infrastructure certainly makes riding like this easier. It's also probably why so many cities only seem to have fast athletic cyclists.
this is exactly what made me get into sportive cycling. Now my city has lots of bike lanes and I can finally ride slow
This is so true. Riding in London UK and Bristol are two very different experiences. In London, you are asserting your space amongst a lot of traffic including bit lorries and double-decker buses. The riding style there is much more aggressive. When I moved to Bristol I had to learn to adjust my ride style/attitude.
“Dressing for the destination, not the journey”, from your book got me out more and more for everyday riding and life. I need bike swag for those long weekend rides, not for a grocery stop or the gym.
I love the weekend rides too, but it just doesn't make sense for me in the city. Thanks for checking out my book!
To that end, if you like wearing jeans and are handy with a needle or sewing machine, do some googling on guesseting the crotch of your jeans. I did this with a couple pairs of my jeans (largely to reduce strain in that area of the fabric as I work a job that often requires me to get on the floor and crawl around under desks dealing with cabling), but I also found that riding with gusseted jeans was not bad - unlike most other jeans which I find do not allow for a great enough range of motion.
Yes, this whole vlog is about the Dutch bike scene.
@@Shifter_Cycling I use your book to start conversations on year around community biking in Wyoming. And delving into our Northern North American relationship with winter.
@@Shifter_Cycling I do weekend rides in Cities. I'm from suburban Mississauga and typically every weekend, me and a buddy drive to Downtown Toronto with our bikes in tow to just ride around. Just today a portion of Allen Road (A 4 lane divided highway) was closed for Cyclists and Pedestrians. We went on that then took the subway to Queens Park and rode through Downtown Toronto, it allowed me to discover a Pizza Vending Machine on King Street and it was pretty good!
This has got to be one of the most interesting bicycling videos out there. Such a refreshing point of view. Thank you!
Thank you for watching!
Most of these pro bike, anti-car videos make me angry, not refreshed. I do weekend rides but I drive most places since I'm a Car enthusiast first, bicyclist second
@@coastaku1954 i don't see think they're necessarily anti-car. But more about thinking about the right tool for the right trip. Most trips for me are less than 5 miles away, and I use my bike for those. But when i need to go to my family's (15 miles away, and I usually come back late at night) I use my car. In my view having more people using bikes when they don't really need a car benefits car drivers as well, since bikes generate less traffic than cars with a single occupant (which is most commuters)
@@noisycarlos why not ride a bike 15 miles?
@@shannontrainer5857 no good safe paths, and it crosses through a very sketchy area, unfortunately.
I'm in the mood
The rhythm is right
Move to the music
We can roll all night
🎶 slow ride / take it easy 🎶
Why didn't I use that song!?
Hey, nice to see you hanging around here
@@Shifter_Cycling because then RUclips would either steal all your ad revenue, or get you ⅓ of the way towards a cancelled channel. Yay music industry!
Might have been worth it
@@Shifter_CyclingEarworm installation successful. Engaging slide guitar audiation.
[EDIT] HUMOR ATTEMPT FAIL
I ditched my car for a bike because I want to spend life being in the world rather than getting through it. I ride everywhere and at my own pace because it's about the journey not the destination.
But you cannot get to places on a bicycle in a day, like on a moped or motorcycle where you can get to really interesting places outside your city you would never found otherwise… a bike is good around the area one live but not to experience life
The north american cycling world is so completely alien to me. Over here, what you consider 'slow' riding is the default and the athletic riders are the outliers. The main difference is probably an enormous amount of proper cycling infrastructure.
I don't know where you are, but I am envious. For people around here, "bike infastructure" means a trail where you can ride really fast and force old guys like me into the ditch.
The UK is similar, it's still considered a sport, not proper transport here in most places. It's very slowly changing but there's a long way to go.
even in México(still north america) most people commuting go "slow" and use unathletic clothes and bikes(maybe they use MTB because they are cheap here, compared to other bike types).
there isn't to much bicycle infrastructure outsite big cities, but if you know what streets to use it's not a bad option
I’m in the NYC Metro Area, on the New Jersey side, and my town has ZERO bike infrastructure. If you’re over the age of 18 and on a bike, you’re seen as either (1) an undocumented immigrant who can’t get a driver’s license, (2) a poor person who can’t afford a car, (3) an adult with so many DUIs or other traffic/parking convictions that your driver’s license was taken away, or (3) an organic granola chomping boomer liberal self-consciously trying to reduce his carbon footprint in an ostentatious and obnoxious way and forcing drivers to pay attention to you. (You can guess which category I’m in… :D ). I’ve recently started using my bike for most errands, and for the first time in over 60 years, I’ve actually resorted to riding on the sidewalk sometimes, just because I’d like to live long enough to finish watching some of the shows I’ve started on Netflix. Drivers around here ARE trying to kill you. (It’s not paranoia if it’s the really ARE out to get you…)
One thing to note is that in many places in North America you are riding with cars and expected to keep up if you don't want them honking at you. It definitely encourages you to go faster.
I’ve been experimenting with your suggestion to “get old” in recent years, and while it certainly does help me ride more slowly, I have to warn you that the side effects of getting old may make this strategy less than ideal.
Getting old can but not always slow you down. I remember someone said "never underestimate an old fat man on a bike, they can just leave you in the dust".
And getting old can be problematic in other aspects of life.
I discovered your channel a few weeks ago when I decided to haul my 30 yo Diamond Back mtb out of the shed where it had been resting for the last couple of decades, save for the odd one off journey to pick up the pick up from the repair garage, and that was only a vew kilometres away. I live out in the sticks of the interior of Portugal and the bike is ideal as a form of transport on the numerous dirt roads that go everywhere. I found a form of slowing down (not that I go particularly fast anyway) is taking the dog for a daily run of 8 kms. His little legs aren't the longest and riding slowly he keeps up easily, plus we do a couple or so drink stops for both of us. The pick up is only used now for hauling and trips to the city or hilly destinations.
I love your presentations, they are so easy to listen to that sometimes I think I might be missing out by not living in the city!
Keep the videos coming in, no tv here to watch in the evenings.
A lot of my commuting routes don’t have bike friendly infrastructure, so I have to ride it like I stole it.
This is a good point. If you're competing with an ocean of quickly moving motor vehicles, riding leisurely with your head up likely won't work. Another argument in favour of bike infrastrutcure!
100%, Pangolin. In the Before Times, the middle four miles of my commute (a trail on each end) was on the highway, which made me want to ride very fast; I think I maxed out at a blistering 14mph. Going to work was actually nice, as not much traffic at 7a.m., only two turnoffs, and I was riding alongside Humboldt Bay. Going home was hairy; invariably into the teeth of a north wind, when everyone was going home, *seven* busy turnoffs to survive, and crossing the highway to get to the trail.
@@Shifter_Cycling And mirrors.
Yes, good point indeed. I have one loop I like to ride which is mostly paved bike trails. But, at one point it ends abruptly, and the road has no bike lane at all. You have to cross the road and find an opening in traffic, then try and keep up.
@@Korina42 blessed be the rear-view mirror!
it's kind of silly to think about, imagine every time you wanted to walk somewhere you put on your running clothes and sprinted there instead. There's nothing wrong with a leisurely ride through town
Yes, or wearing a formula 1 racing suit with advertisements all over it and a helmet when you get in your Prius to go to work. It’s a bizarre look to regular folks when you’re not actually competing in a race. Not that you should care too much about what others think but it looks like folks are taking themselves way too seriously with their race fantasies. I admire folks taking care of themselves, that’s very cool but ……🙄
This is a really good way of putting it!
Really nice and interesting video. I feel this advice is in the category of "I can't believe we need to be told this, but we do". Sort of like eating if you're hungry and not eating if you're not hungry. As a fellow bicycle rider in Calgary, love your work.
Yes, that thought crossed my mind while making this. But I decided to go for it after going for a weekend road ride recently and realizing just how easily the bike goes fast, and how difficult it is to move slowly on a fast bike. Hope to see you on the streets some day! Thanks for watching.
I spent this weekend riding slowly. Purposely slowly. Enjoying the trees, flowers, going out of my way to take scenic routes. It was a blast!
In downtown Toronto, I've found that if I ride fast, I have to stop at more traffic lights. This has incentivized me to bike slower.
Great point. I also live in a city with some downtown streets that have the green lights timed to the speed limit, so riding too quickly may mean you'll miss the "green wave."
Lights where I lived are timed to 20 mph, so biking slowly is extremely impractical for me.
@@tealmer3528 Why? 15 kilometers is a nice, leasurely pace, it's half of 20mph, so you get all green..
@@steemlenn8797 No you don't. That's not how that works. If you go through a green, and then go at exactly 20 mph to the next intersection, it will just have turned green. However, if you go half that speed, you will be stuck at a red and have to wait for the next cycle. The cycles aren't close enough together that you can go at any reasonable pace below 20 mph and still make the green each time. You should read more about platoons and traffic engineering before making comments like these.
@@tealmer3528 ahaha yo i thought he was right til u explained and i have an extremely large brain lol 😂 must be tired from riding. feel dumb now 😂
I took your advice and somehow got to work faster. Thanks
I fitted a stem extension to my bike. My back and my neck thank me for that. The 'slower' riding position is also a bit safer as you see a lot more of the road.
Yes, I find being a bit more upright does seem to make me more aware of my surroundings.
@@Shifter_Cycling
Unfortunately the aheadset as the current standard makes it fairly difficult to adjust things easily or even try out different heights easily. Problems like buying a stem extension are unheard of with the old quill stem. I wonder why ahead even found its way on casual everyday bikes that - in the range of their intended use - can't even really make use of the benefits of the system.
This is so refreshing...many people in North America won’t ride as they think they need to spend thousands on a bike and wear Lycra...urban biking is for everyone...not a sport but a healthy activity...Thank you and please continue promoting urban biking :)
I tell myself -- 'Take your time. It's not a race. There's no rush. I'll get there soon enough.' This way, my mindset is more relaxed and I'm also a safer cyciist.
Well, i really like cycling fast. I recently bought a: stromer st2 and damnnnn it’s fast, 28 mph feels right.
On my dense urban environment, no matter how fast you want to be, it´s the red lights that will set your speed.
Yes. It depends on the Route and Infrastructure. Some commutes have no traffic lights, some have nice bike ways that skip traffic lights. On another Route I need to take, you are doomed as cyclist with traffic lights, that you will not be able to pass. If you are super fast, you still won't be in time for the next green phase, if you are slow, you'll still aren't slow enough to ride trough.
There is one crossing I hate in particular. There is a nice long downhill ride and exactly at the bottom it the crossing. Unless you are extremely lucky, there is no way the Lights are green, hence you'll loose all your momentum.
I recently went on a ride with a friend who hasn't cycled for over 6 years. I let them borrow my old mountain bike since it's the only other bike I have.
I was going really slowly to match their pace and I was kind of surprised how much fun I had on the ride despite not breaking into a sweat.
Slow is cool! Think of how you don't want to be all sweaty at your destination, if you ride slowly you'll be cooled by the gentle breeze but you won't be all hot through excessive exertion.
Yes, I totally agree. Avoiding sweat is a key motivator for me too!
But I don't want to be late for work...
I've never really tried getting older but it's happening anyway so I'm good on that tip.
We're all trying it out as we go.
I highly recommend getting older. Less stressful and competitive than when you're young. Lots of memories to turn over as you ride.
Nice to know we can achieve some things without all the athletic apparel and equipment companies. Who knew? 😉
I need to chill out during my commutes. It's not a race for crying out loud!
Commute distance and terrain probably makes a difference to how you go about your ride. My 18km ride often involved serious headwinds, and a low cycling position really helped just to keep moving!
Have a crash while going fast and end up spending time in hospital. I still like to go fast on clear flat roads, but most of the time I stay around 10 mph, see the sights and look for vehicles trying to run me over.
The main reason I usually ride fast is because we mostly don't have bike lanes, and if you ride slow, cars see you as an obstruction and start taking over if they can somehow squeeze past or if there are too many parked cars that don't allow taking over they often start honking and shouting at me while driving right behind me. Too risky for me.
If I have the space I do enjoy riding slowly tho, totally agree on that one.
I find it difficult to for me to ride slow because I enjoy going fast. Even if I intend to take my road bike out and just cruise, I find myself going faster than expected. So if I want to go slow I usually ride my vintage steel road bike. It's a 1982 Olmo Competition and although she feels buttery smooth, I just can't go as fast on it as I can on my other road bikes and to put in the extra effort forces me to just cut it back and slow down. That's my cruising bike along with my single speed CX bike that I use to get around anywhere. The gearing is such that I can only go so fast yet it's still fun to ride and feel like I'm going faster than I am. For us roadies that are accustomed to going faster, you need the bike that'll slow you down. That's why I have several bikes for different needs. I just love bikes!
Reaching a new personal best is fun, but I find a ride so much more enjoyable when you take the time to soak in your surroundings. I've caught a lot of cool occurrences in nature by cruising just a little easier.
It's such a different experience. Both have their merits.
Flipside: a lot of bikes built for "speed" are actually built for speed within UCI regulations. I for one wish we'd see some of that focus and innovation spread out to make recumbents and tandems and cargo trikes and such more easily attainable.
I use the same bike to commute, go to visit family and friends, to go sightseeing and to "race" and to do the athletic stuff, I met her more than two decades ago, all steel and what they call a hybrid, now she has dropbars, but with dual action brakes for passing from #PrayForSpeed mode to appreciate the country and city.
Context is King, go with the flow and enjoy the ride
I ride local "bike" paths that were designed to be used by _everyone_. Skateboarders, in-line skaters, and all the many variations of new electric personal modes not to mention pedestrians. There are a number of sport cyclists who take it for their personal race track in spite of the fact that it has a posted speed limit of 10mph. I have an ebike and I'm perfectly comfortable to turn the assist on its lowest setting, pedal along and wish people good morning. So I wholeheartedly agree with your premise. Ride according to the design of the road you're on, not according to your bike's capabilities.
I can't afford a car so I ride my bicycle around my hood and just take it easy
The real challenge is when someone overtake you and you know you can go just as fast.
Outraced a Cervelo on a my cheap flatbar commuter with 3g Torpedo and Ortlieb sidebags.
It is borderline addiction and often bad for my knees.
Refreshing point of view. I'm 71 years old, don't race but I enjoy riding my bicycle. And where I live it seems everything is uphill, so I bought an ebike. I'm still not riding it fast and I don't run my heart rate to 180. But getting the bike to be comfortable has been somewhat a challenge.
I bought a front wheel pedal assist e-bike with the rear being single speed. It is quite nice to ride actually for commuting purposes. Getting past the construction site on the bridge is easier with it, as well as when going against the afternoon wind. I am currently only 45. The e-bike gets charged at home using solar panels. Saves me a lot of petrol costs.
I just ride a mountain bike- the long flat bars and chunky tyres with large grips just feel more stable when I am slow, it is easier to get additional leverage on the bars and more freedom of range in my arms to correct wobble and just to hold it straight if my arms aren't tucked in and held low and I am not hunched over too much and the additional weight- especially with the rack on and full panniers on it really encourages you to go slow- fortunately everything is uphill from me, so I can go uphil to the shops with empty panniers and then coast back down once they are full! Frankly those tyres feel much nicer on downhills too as sometimes the roads here can be a bit less than ideal and it is Scotland so there is a lot of inclement weather that would make that even worse and as their are a lot of forest trails I can use to make journeys more interesting, the MTB is perfect! I really do not like the feeling of being on a road bike, I get a sore back if I ride one too long and I find the position makes my muscles tense, even sprinting feels better on the MTB, even if it's not as fast!
No matter how hard I try I just can't be slow on a bike. Even with an already heavy bike and carrying stuff I'm kind of always racing myself, especially on the routes I regularly use.
The body position makes a bigger difference. If you bend forward, you try to move faster. It's the same with walking vs. running. You wouldn't run to the train station, unless you're late and need to catch that train.
What about the sweat factor? One of the things I've tried to get out of this mindset is to try to arrive at a destination without having broken a sweat. It also makes me more pleasant to be around once I'm there 😉.
@@Shifter_Cycling That is precisely the problem! I need a HUGE effort to not arrive completely sweaty at my destination. But maybe it's because the infrastructures where I live are not really bike-friendly. So on the road I often feel like I need to be fast enough to feel safe in the traffic.
If the industry is really aiming for speed, we would have loads of recumbents on the roads right now.
I get bored and upset if I go slow though. Plus I don't want to block faster riders or cars. I'm already technically dressing for the destination and carrying a bag sometimes with my 2.5kg laptop in it or food . But dressing for the destination for me is t-shirt shorts and sandals which is what I normally wear when I ride anyway.
It's just much more fun to go fast, last gear up the hill at 30+kph chasing the bus so I can draft it up .
I mostly use a trail bike, unless something on it breaks again then it's my XC , the trail bike is lighter and has better pedal efficiency, I know seems counter intuitive but they're very different levels of bikes the rear linkage on the trail bike isolates pedal forces or something like that and it's carbon while my XC is aluminium.
There's just something in me that doesn't like going slow, I've seen the Strava entries of other riders I know and I've tried to go at whatever speed they're at but within 5 mins I couldn't take it anymore and I was a whole 2kph higher than their average to make it less boring in the first place. Skirts and dresses don't slow people down that much some girl in a sundress overtook me on one of my attempted slow rides. Which is why I just went back to my usual speed on that ride, I don't like getting overtaken.
This is one of the videos that actually supports my point. Here in my town, all my friends just wants to be fast, forcing me to be fast. I like being fast, but not everytime we ride. And with my breathing condition, it makes it insanely difficult for me to keep check of myself when you're pressured to go fast. I'm so glad that I saw this video and that many people agree.
I am cruising on my bike. Most less than 10km trajects only take a few more minutes. It's safer for everybody and I don't sweat.
It’s true, most bikes sold are built for “speed” even cheap mountain bikes. Mine was only £99 and was ridiculously high geared but had low aggressive handle bars which made me ride fast. A set of porteur bars and a spring saddle and now I’m cruising to work instead of racing.
not being rude but ive found all £99 bikes are heavy af, must be made of heavier metal or something. consider upgrading to something that costs a couple of hundred more and you will feel like you are power after riding that one lol 😂 i did this a few years ago trust lol
A great follow-up to a prior video of yours "The unexpected benefits of an upright Dutch bike".
(And I could easily quote it word for word because it's right there in my recommendations under this one. 😂)
If only cars were made to go slower :-)
🙌Well said!
I think riding a slow bike is the best tip. Because a city bike is more comfortable for a slower pace and you don't feel like you have to force yourself to slow down. Riding a road bike slowly is like driving a supercar but constantly having to brake. It is unnatural and uncomfortable.
Wearing regular clothes might work for some people. But not for me. I still have the tendency to speed up the bike. I just want an adrenaline rush no matter which clothes I wear. Use single speed and a city bike and just riding comfortably would be my best choice.
I cycle to work and often find myself in isolated and lonely pathways here in Calgary. It gets pretty boring at certain parts of my ride and its tempting to just go fast to get out of those boring portions. I found that listening to audiobooks forces me to slow down in order to understand what Im listening to, haha. Also, not logging my ride in Strava helps a lot in slowing down too!
thanks sir for these tips,especially a beginner like me!
Definitely began to enjoy my bike rides a lot more - commute to and from work and errands, checking out the neighborhoods around me, and just for fun - when I stopped imagining every ride was a leg in the Tour de France and racing against anybody in front of me (they didn't know it was a race). Lol
slow is smooth
smooth is fast
I personally ride pretty fast on my bike to go to class every day, but I think it really comes down to my commute. I ride 5km, but most of it is in the middle of fields, it's empty and exposed to the wind. I really don't have much to see along the route, and with the wind that always seems to be against me, I just wanna get out of there. So basically my method is to try and go as hard as I can while staying relatively non sweaty. But when I spent a few days in Amsterdam and rented a bike there, I absolutely enjoyed the slow riding. I think it just depends on the cicumstances!
I really enjoy speed on the bike. And while I am only riding discounter bikes not more expensive than 500 bucks, they don't automatically make me slow. My average speed is around 15mph, without winds 20mph - without the intention of going fast, it has just come to be a habit. I will go slower automatically, when I somehow feel exhausted or tired. But that rarely happens. I don't ride bikes for sports, I ride them for fun but also for getting places. My car broke down and was wasted few months back, and it didn't have any impact on me like it would with most people, didn't care for getting a new one, since everything I need to go to is within 25 miles and I like to do ALL my trips on the bike - I may have used public transport like 5 times within the last 10 years. I also do big grocery shoppings with it, either with my huge packback or if that ain't enough, bike trailer. Now that we are getting close to summer, it's awesome. Sure in fall or winter it's less thrilling, but still alright to me.
I was never in the eco-hipster position, bragging with me using the most ecological transport existing, but it certainly is a nice thought, that no means of transport is even slightely as good for the environment as using the (non-electric) bicycle is.
This is great. Thanks for sharing. Speed is certainly fun, I just worry sometimes the culture of racing in cycling drowns out the idea that you don't need to be fast. Kudos to your commitment to cycling!
@@Shifter_Cycling I've also gotten this idea, that the majority of channels about cycling here is about it as a sport and about being, well....... sporty and fast. But I would say, the sports aspect of it even is the smaller bit of the whole ordeal, that it is so valuable as an ecological means of going somewhere. But sure, there is this one big aspect of laziness. Laziness basically is an omnipresent thing in modern society, whatever causes people the tiniest amount of strain, it's not acceptable. And I can really tell, last winter was so nasty that I was rarely cycling. When springs finally came up, I lost almost all of my power and endurance, that a short relaxed ride wasn't even that comfortable. And the majority of people always feels that way, since they don't cycle regularly. I don't want to lose it again, so even when I don't need to go anywhere for days, I do fun trips - yesterday I did 100K, and it was less exhausting, than I thought, basically still pushing it surprisingly mad when being close to being back home.
Oh boy, I keep blabbering anecdotes here, but that got me to a thought: If you'd like additional content for your channel from a whole different part of the world, feel free to get to me. I own good 4K camera equipment, I know how to use it (producing videos for almost 20 years now, just not having it on here), I am rather professional at editing and I am living within cycling distance of a worldwide known and beloved metropolis, Munich. Also, I speak perfect American English. You could tell me, what kind of content you'd like to show, and I'd produce it exclusively for your channel. Why? Because I have fun with video work, I just don't have reasons for own projects these days. My camera is getting dusty, and that's a shame.
If you are interested, tell me where we can have more private conversations.
@@Marc_Fuchs_1985 I hate to say this, but limiting yourself to slow heavy upright bikes doesn't make you more morally superior.
@@shannontrainer5857 And who implied such a thing? As my main comment said, it's a nice thought, that riding the bike so much is very good environmentally, but where did I brag, that I am better than others? I don't give a shit, how somebody travels. When I recommend the bike to others, it's not because they are "worse people than me for burning fossil fuels", I tell them how it's very damn expensive ans they make themselfes very dependent on those expensive things. Getting into the city is very annoying with the car, thick traffic, searching for parking spots and paying good money for them. All this is so much easier with the bike. And having a rather cheap one doesn't make thiefes interested in stealing it, when it's locked somewhere outsidd.
@@Marc_Fuchs_1985 Bike theft is very prevalent in the Netherlands where thieves will steal even the most busted Dutch bike.
You’re right, in this crazy world is nice to slow down from time to time. I cycle for exercise 4 days a week in a Sirrus X 5.0 hybrid carbon fiber bike which I Love. But eventually I take my old 26” MTB with front suspension which is way more comfortable and I really enjoy it. Nice video.
That's a great way of looking at it. Both are great, but in different ways. Thanks for watching.
For commuting rides I use my fitness watch to warn me that my heart is hitting a high aerobic zone and that I need to slow down. This lets me get to where I am going without sweating or being out of breath. I do the opposite on fitness rides and speed up if my HR goes too low.
Really interesting stuff, after a lifetime of fast (road, cross, mtb, but always fast) at 63 I just got a Brompton and an electric one at that with the sole purpose of slowing down a bit. I picked it up on Friday and did 15 miles Saturday and 28 Sunday. I stopped to let people have the right of way, to let dog owners catch their dogs and I stopped to look at the world. I also made a point of saying good morning to everyone I met. I only used the power assist for the steepest hills so the rest of the time i was probably riding something that weighs about the same as all my other bikes added together. I still averaged around 10mph according to my tracker. I thoroughly enjoyed it. And the most interesting observation was that the only people that didn’t respond to my greeting were riding road and mountain bikes. I guess that’s because I don’t fit the image of a “cyclist” any more 😂😂😂😂
I find with my ebikes (including a Brompton 🙌) I'm not bothered about stopping so much because I know the assist will do most of the work getting me back up to speed 😀
@@OneLessCar Hey Michelle, you’re at least in part responsible for us getting E Bromptons, yours were some of the videos we watched when contemplating the idea! Yes, 100% agree with you.
I’ve learned to love riding “slow” on my commuter. Upright position, regular clothes and regular shoes with platform pedals make riding fun again (like when you were 10 years old). Plus, you can get off the bike and enjoy the destination.
Platform pedals for the win
Have a couple concussions. I don't actually recommend this. But when I think of what happened at a relatively slow speed, I shudder to think of what COULD have happened if I'd crashed on one of those fast descents I used to do.
Ride a bike with small wheels. Living in a studio, and taking my bike on the bus for my commute, led to the purchase of a Brompton. These are beautiful machines, and not exactly slow. But they are too unstable to go really fast. At least if you're afraid of more concussions. Also they haul surprisingly large loads. Two gallons of water in the front bag, plus groceries in my backpack, and I am moving at a stately pace.
I began riding more slowly to work so I wouldn't be as sweaty, and I discovered that I enjoy the slower commute - and then I ride faster on the way home for a good workout. I live in a very hilly area, and I just coast down the hills and enjoy the ride rather than trying to go as fast as I can. Most of my commute is on shared walking/biking trails, and the walkers and runners seem more friendly when I'm ambling along rather than barreling down the path.
Love this train of thought - slowing down to better enjoy the experience.
Sometimes I like going fast.
Sometimes dirt roads
Sometimes slick asphalt
Sometimes hauling a bag of compost
"Do I contradict myself?
Very well then I contradict myself,
(I am large, I contain multitudes.)"
Yes, this is me too! When I meet other cyclists, they always ask what "kind" of cycling I'm into. I always say 'I'm a bike agnostic' and they look at me funny.
I'm riding an Enduro hardtail MTB amd i have to say it handles great while cruising as much as it handles great when going fast. It's probably a combination from the kinda in-between aggressive and upwards seated position and while standing having a pretty aggressive position and the geometry of the bike.
I see no point in going slower than needed tho.
I think another extremely useful component in the mixture of what someone wears on a bike for whatever purpose, where it's not either total street clothes or total road bike outfits, are cycling sweatpants, which I've adopted this year for the idea of preventing cycling shutdowns over winter. These come lined and they're either a lot warmer or at least a little warmer than other sweats I've used. Jeans likewise for that matter. They also come with tighter cuffing from the zippers and the design, so you don't have to tie off your right leg. They also look sharp compared to what average sweatpants tend to look like. So you don't look like KGB Teddy so much. Down to a point in the temperature range I think they'll be good enough for keep warm and keeping practical. That point is probably going to be low to mid-20s F and I'll be willing to use thermal pants with them too.
i love coasting
I enjoyed this video.
I actually came across this looking for non fast or sports biking videos and forums.
I just ride for practicality.
To get from A to B for a specific reason.
I live 6km from my nearest town and shop's, supermarket's etc.
I hauled home approximately 60kg of shopping on Wednesday on a trailer behind my bike.
Relatively slowly. It's heavy and for safety.
And it made me sweat.
Then the next day I went out again to do some other business but I just took 2 X 20 litre pannier bags for anything extra I might pick up.
Practically all of my riding is to get from A to B for a specific reason.
A little for exercise, a little to save on using the car and the environment and a little just for the fun of it.
I don't own or want to own any lycra or go faster gear.
I was wearing jeans and a sweater.
My bike has lots of lights and mirrors and extras for practicality, comfort (a wide, soft saddle) and safety.
I'm not a zealot.
If the weather's bad I'll probably take the car.
Where is there a forum or community for me?
Great vlog. EVen the mountain bikes are all about smoothing out the terrain so you can keep up with mates who also get the expensive bikes and go on about how "good" they are. But the terrain becomes less challenging, or you do down it a bit faster (which has more risks). And it's true the expensive mtb trend has led to bike parks becoming more gnarly. This is crazy, as you get the same experience with a cheaper bike on less gnarly stuff. Then they have carbon e bikes, the most expensive of them all. All that battery weight - that having carbon hardly makes much of a difference!
I have paid a lot of money for a cargo bike and almost nothing for an open box gravel bike that came with a few scratches. My favorite is the gravel bike. :-)
Seems to me that too many people with money spend too much for bicycles that they rarely ride thus driving up the costs. Advertising hype along with demand for features people think they need is a big part of rising prices. The weight of the bike is only a fraction of your body weight so it makes no real difference unless you are a professional racer racing up hill. Even then the difference will only be seconds.
It doesn't matter what you ride, only that you do ride. :-)
@@SmokinPaul Excellent point.
I'm just a centimetre off 2 metres tall and weigh 118kgs.
Riding my extra large frame steel bike with a trailer behind it fully laden with 60kgs of groceries still all adds up to a good bit less than I weigh on my own.
@@tconnolly9820 been reading about eBikes and how people will buy a more efficient motor so they can go farther which drives the cost up and then they get a small battery.
What they should do instead is buy the less efficient less costly motor allowing them to buy a much bigger battery. That way they would have much greater range for half the cost or less. 😎
It's about clearly understanding your goals and not getting caught up in details, assumptions and preconceived ideas. In other words use first principal thinking.
By discovering various truths about recumbents, eBikes and the related technologies I'll be able to get something that fits my needs much better and at a far lower cost. 🙂
Much better than spending lots of money while learning from your mistakes.
@@SmokinPaul I probably was missing your point a little.
I was making the comparison to my size and weight plus a pulled load behind using pedal power alone on what probably was a £300/+? bike when bought almost 5 years ago (it was a Christmas present - I checked prices online as you do).
But good grief, bicycles have become crazily and unnecessarily expensive for relatively little more in performance if you're not being seriously competitive.
@@tconnolly9820 my point was people buy shit they don't need that doesn't really make a difference. They buy into the myths and sales BS. LOL 😆
If they go faster it's because their wallets are lighter. Hahahaha 🤣
I definitely prefer slow riding at a sloth pace, 7-8 mph. I still can ride long distances, stopping for pics, but at a relaxed pace.
Got me thinking of so much. Links to the slow movement. I find it hard to get on board with the cycling industry’s obsession with speed. At the same time, I do look for ways to make my journeys quicker. I get a buzz off choosing the right tube carriage, timing a connection, weaving in and out of crowds on foot, but I still don’t think I value going faster and faster by bike, maybe because a bike already gives you so much independence from crowds on the pavement or public transport. Great video as always.
Agreed. Work days I commute on my Gocycle. Perfect way to get to the office in an urban environment. The road bike is like getting in a Ferrari for those sporting rides. A great combination for my different needs.
I hate being slowed down by the tyranny of air, too. Lol. Love your videos, Tom.
Extra tip that works for most people: ride with your mouth closed and breathe through the nose only. Once you find the right pace it's very pleasant. Or, nowadays, wear a mask while riding, it will also set a limit to your pace.
This was super useful! As a "roadie" I like fast but also want to slow down occasionally to look at the world. I will correct you about age slowing you down, I am almost 60 and can ride at a 19 MPH average. I know people that are older than me who are faster!
I'm 65 and ride as fast or faster than most. It's because we are still riding and using our bodies. Most people I know are couch potatoes and in failing health. In their 50's they begin to loose mobility and function. They look at you thinking it must be genetics because diet and exercise is too much effort for them. :-( Those that are still riding or doing other activities are still in great health. A guy I work with just retired and he plans on doing a lot of riding on the rails to trails bike paths around the USA. :-)
@@SmokinPaul That's great and you are so right! Use it or lose it! We are lucky that we find enjoyment and joy in using our bodies 😊 Keep riding friend!
@@jcsrst what frustrates me is when I tell people I know that if they started taking walks, riding a bicycle even slowly they could be in about the same shape as me. Even a small amount of exercise and movement can give you 80% of the benefits. They all feel like their present decline is insurmountable, that old age is something that cannot be stopped. Basically even if they believe me they're too lazy to get off the couch. Just blows my mind. It's like they enjoy being unhealthy and unable to enjoy life. Television is like an opiate to them. 😟
Good content! Over the years, I've come to adopt a lot of these measures. Age and back issues have encouraged me to abandon road bikes for ever-more-upright hybrids in the city, always with a pannier on the rear rack for spur-of-the-moment shopping. I've taken my hybrid on the past few road trips as well - it's a little slower of course, but you appreciate the countryside more.
On the clothing side, for years I've been wearing only clothing that is washable (vs. requiring dry cleaning), so everything can go in both the washer & dryer. I've also been buying mostly GoreTex-lined shoes (shoutout to Ecco - they're expensive, but they are truly waterproof, even in Vancouver rain, and they last for at least a decade in my experience). The latest switch has been to Levi's 'commuter jeans'. They're slightly stretchy so they're more comfortable for cycling, and they don't get sodden like 100% cotton jeans if it does rain. They also dry out extremely quickly, and on you, when they do get wet. I used to carry rain pants around with me in the winter, but now I rarely bother.
There's something very satisfying about simplification, and having multi-purpose clothing & equipment. It's nice to arrive somewhere without looking like you obviously cycled. :-)
Thanks for the clothing advice! I agree on the stretch jeans (I love Duer jeans), and I may test out your recommendation on shoes 👍🏻
I'd love to dress for my destination but I live in a hilly city in the subtropics. Showers and a change of clothes are not optional. I still save the lycra for more serious rides though and instead compromise by wearing a mix of mountain biker/runner kit.
On the topic of bike position - I wanted to become more versatile on my road bike so I forced myself to ride in busy pedestrian areas until I got good enough to ride at 3-4km/h through crowds with my clipless pedals with no fear of losing balance. Great way to practice both riding slow, your attentiveness and your soft skills.
Riding slow is not that easy. My main two reasons are:
1.) The slower you go, the more cars want to pass you closely.
2.) I ride a pretty heavy 25 years old bike, but my mind is always in this "cycling game": I want to get over the next light before it turns red, I want to try if I can get up the hill a bit faster than yesterday, I try to catch the car the just surpassed me,... ;-)
But of course, after a long day at work, I usually pick a slower pace...
Exactly! After work people look at me and ask how I have the energy to ride home. It's the ride to and from work that gives me the energy they do not have.
I'm old but my body is young because I push myself. I enjoy life too much to let myself fall apart. At 65 I've not given old man time a thing. Others I know are already hunching over like old men and losing there balance and mobility, soon to be permanent couch potatoes. :-( I enjoy life too much not to constantly push myself and stay in tip top shape. You'll live longer while staying healthy... the lazy will experience an unpleasant decline doing less and less.
Live long and die young. :-)
I'm in a city where I will get honked at or passed with little space if go slow. Already adapted to going fast all the time (11 MPH+) but I do know few areas where bikes are only allowed thus I can enjoy going slowly.
Having decent bike infrastructure in your city certainly makes this easier. A decade ago in my city, riding slowly was much more difficult than it is now thanks to a bunch of new bike lanes.
@@Shifter_Cycling We have some bike lanes here and there but people use the bike lane here as a sidewalk extension and vehicles use it to double park. I adapted to that by putting mirrors on bikes to safely go around because people here have big egos and can't be reasoned with. Good thing is due to the bike boom/rona there is more people on two wheels here so drivers are more used to seeing us.
To answer your question in the chat.
If you drive faster than 25km/h the assist is switched off, but for me thats not a problem, 20 is fast enough.
I don't know about spedelec's and the assist.
I sold my road bike, bought a carbon fiber fat bike and ride the same 10 miles every morning. Much more fun.
Great video, thank you! And can you let us know - what is that bike you are riding? It's gorgeous and I want to get one!
One thing I've found to be true and that is the fact that bicycles tend to more often than not compromises between a pure road bike and a pure Cruiser style or a Dutch style. Those compromises mean that for most of what a guy (or girl) might have it's going to be a mixture of speed, position, utility, and sport, where it's rarely all one way or the other. Also, I've found that a guy can keep most of the speed of a hybrid style or road style bike, engage in the utility of hauling groceries with a backpack with 25 pounds of it, and nevermind the racks and all that. It keeps your bikes more multi-purpose and a bit lighter too.
This is the stupidest most obvious solution I’ve ever heard for my arriving-to-the-office-sweating problem.
I've honestly never had this issue. I tend to coast once I've built up a little bit of speed, sometimes even taking one foot off the pedal.
But then again, I'm fairly uncompetitive.
Having a lot of traffic lights on my commute also helps.
Obeying rules of the road, such as stopping at traffic lights, is also highly recommended and a good way to stay slow 👍🏻
I've had motorcycles in the past but recently bought in ebike. I keep it in pedal assist 1 mostly, go slow and easy; I can't believe how much I'm enjoying it.
Getting old and smelling the roses.
I test rode an ebike on Saturday, an Xtracycle RFA Sport. First thing I noticed is I wanted pedal fast - and I did! With gusto. Although my knee, which I am in physio for, forced me to slow it down.
I can't "dress for my destination" because I'm sweaty within three minutes of a ride. I always have to wash and change at work. I wear lycra because it dries quickly, is treated with anti-stink, and is more visible to the blind oafs I share the road with. I wear cycling shorts because they are far more comfortable and stop my groin from looking/feeling like raw schnitzel, which is what happens if I wear normal trousers and underpants. Sometimes I ride a road bike, sometimes a tourer, sometimes a belt-drive with rack, panniers and fenders, sometimes a bare-bone single-speed. I ride as fast or as slow as I damn well please.
I don't give a tinker's cuss what other people think of the way I look.
Same here. I swore I would never wear bicycle clothes. Then I tired a lycra bike shirt that wicked the sweat and made me feel cool. Now I look like a dork and at my age could care less what anyone thinks. The function of the clothes outweighs the look and then you get used to how they look. LOL
I guess I'm old (65). I have a Fuji drop bar road bike and a '68 Schwinn three-speed (Racer). I've been riding the Schwinn a lot more lately, for the reasons stated in this video. It's more enjoyable to me, and maybe that is because of my age. The old Chicago Schwinn three-speeds are a great bike for riding slowly. Though Schwinn dubbed them "lightweights," they are quite heavy. They are also bomb-proof, so well built practically by hand in the hey day of the Chicago Schwinn factory. My 54-year-old Racer, though it got a lot of use by its original owner, it still rides smooth and true. The Sturmey-Archer hubs from back in the day were built to last forever, and they do. So, if you want to ride slower, find yourself a vintage Chicago Schwinn three-speed. There are plenty of them out there on CL, and they're cheap.
The speed question is asked a lot by folks riding the new e-bikes, EUCs, scooters, and e-skateboards. I chose a Onewheel Pint as my primary commuter vehicle because it prioritizes maneuverability over mph.
Good advice. I used to be a speed demon. Drop bars & going really fast. But over the years, I’ve dropped the drop bars for flat bars & a more upright seating position. I’m an athlete, so I can still go fast on a hybrid if I want to. But i enjoy touring & riding at a more leisurely pace. I wear t-shirt & jeans while riding. I don’t clip in & just wear sneakers or even sandals. Nothing against the lycra wearing road bikers out there. That’s just my style of riding now. The US bike industry in particular seems to be focused primarily on the road bikers & speed however. Even gravel bikes here have drop bars where in Europe flat bars dominate. It’s interesting.
Good one.
Fun
I ride a few different types of bike. my main commuter bike is my Trek but I love to slow down and ride my 50's Rollfast coaster brake bike. people also seem to respond to me better on different bikes.. some even wave and say hi! that has never happened while riding my Trek.. I call my coaster brake bikes "happy Bikes" since they make you happy riding them and other people happy to see you taking it easy. Also because they are very heavy and slow its kind of a thrill to ride them fast sometimes..
About a week ago I was biking in my city and was whizzed past by a cyclist in all his gear and on his fancy road bike. I haul stuff, wear skirts, ride a hybrid, etc, and I am tuned to city speeds from over a decade of primarily getting around by bike in various cities. I caught up to him at the next light right as it was changing color (he was stopped) and then I blazed past HIM, because my speed meant I rarely have to stop or slow down a lot for lights. My moderate speed enables continuity in city biking, which ends up faster in the long run.
(Also a lot of fun to bike past cars during rush hour).
Less haste - more speed.....
regular clothing has slowed me down a lot. but also brought more respect on the road.
I came here to learn how to keep balance while riding a bike slowly. But nice video, thank you.
First of all, thank you for the work you do on these videos; I rediscovered riding a bike last year and forgot how great it is.
I live in Toronto and, like Calgary, we too have hills; in particular, there are few going north from Lake Ontario. I currently own a gravel bike, but for city commutes I use a Dutch bike (an Omafiets) with three internal gears, swept-back handlebars, all steel body, and weighs like a tank.
My question for you is: do you have any tips regarding uphill in addition to being on the lowest gear on a heavy 3-speed bike; in particular, body positioning (do I stand, do I sit, do I sit back, do I put pressure on the handlebars and lean forward, etc.)? On a road/gravel bike putting the weight to the front helps but it's easy to do that since you're already hunched on the dropbars anyway. Not so easy with swept-back handlebars.
Good to smell the roses regularly. While you can.
I have an ebike and don't use it most of the time, so the extra weight give me a better work out, but when I'm on the trails and just trying to take my time to go longer distances and not wear myself out, I still find myself just trying to keep my speed up. Dropping a gear so it's just an easier pedal is what I try to do as well. Although just telling myself to pedal slower is what I end up doing...
After 50+years of riding I've arrived at your point of view. Apart from the gears😃 where I live (Cornwall UK) you're pretty much riding up or down hills. We've all been sold stuff that's not really suitable for the riding that the vast majority of us actually do😃
I know you yourself have discovered this in the two years since you filmed this, but leaning forward onto straight arms is the problem. Sitting up with elbows relaxed at your sides is so much nicer!
You forgot to mention turn off Strava and use the bike to explore. If your checking out new areas you tend to be looking around more and finding your way.
Totally. Tracking a ride changes the ride. 👍🏻
Most people either spend thousands on bikes, or have some old mountain bike with a ton of rolling resistance. There's very few single speed hybrids out there, which I think is the best choice for most people in most situations.
I feel forced to ride fast in traffic because i find it's safer and my movement is more predictable for drivers around me if I'm going at a similar speed as traffic. What would be most ideal would be if our infrastructure in Canada wasn't oriented towards fast traffic but, made traffic a bit slower and safer for all... I've been thinking a lot about lately after watching a video of traffic in Amsterdam and how it's different from North American cities.
It's the same in London (UK). I learned to ride fast and be aggressive in asserting my position.
My tip is to live in a hilly area.there’s no other option than slow 🤣 I have dropped the Lycra and just wear loose fitting clothes. It’s a lot more comfortable for me.
About a decade ago I remember wheels magazine in Australia did a test where for a couple of weeks the journo drove to work as quick as he could legally, and for a couple of weeks he drove to work at a casual pace. He found that on the quick weeks he used a lot more petrol but also was generally cranky all day. The stress of trying to shave off a few minutes affected his whole mindset for that day. On the casual driving weeks he felt much more relaxed. Sure he had to leave earlier., But it's not that big a deal. I imagine this applies to commuting by bike, too.
I did some tests a few years ago between fast and slow bikes. The difference in speed was marginal, but the experience was totally different.
ruclips.net/video/Y9Mi9JvJH94/видео.html