- The unwritten rules, the source of many an argument.
You know what I'm talking about.
Ankle socks, hairy legs, black shoes, black socks even.
The really important things in the world of cycling.
Except they're probably not that important at all, are they?
In this video, we're going to talk to you about why you should
break - - Break rules!
- I couldn't have said it better myself.
Although, probably don't break
all of them at once like that.
- Do you not think?
(whoosh)
Sock height has divided many a'cyclist over the years.
I mean, it's got so out of hand that the UCI
have had to get involved to create a
maximum sock height rule.
But why, why is sock height so important to cycling?
And why haven't the UCI imposed a minimum sock height rule
to stop those horrendous ankle socks?
No, in all serious, break that rule.
Wear what you damn like.
I mean if you want to wear the ankle socks, then wear them.
If you want to go no socks, then do that.
Just keep those smelly shoes away from us.
(upbeat music)
- No data, no ride.
You know the saying, the saying that basically implies
if you don't upload your ride, from your head unit
to some sort of GPS website, you may as well
have not bothered going out in the first place.
Now, we think this is a rule
you can definitely fall to break.
Think back to a time when you started cycling.
If it was like when I started,
I had no GPS device to tell me how far I'd been,
how long I'd gone for, or where I'd been at all.
Here is a sense of adventure
I simply don't really get these days.
So we recommend ditching it and feeling that liberating feel
that you once had from cycling.
Sure, there is a time and a place for using a GPS device.
Maybe you're sticking to a strict training program,
or maybe you just want to boast to your mates
about how many watts you produced in that sprint,
or how fast you were across that certain stretch of road.
If that's the case, stick with your head unit,
or maybe just pop it in your back pocket,
and use it for data recording.
Or you could do what James does,
and document your entire ride with an Instagram story.
(intense music)
- Sleeveless jerseys are a great idea.
I mean, they're perfect for riding in those
hot, sunny days to keep you cool.
But they're also perfect for getting rid of
those horrendous tan lines.
But why are they so frowned upon?
I mean, I get it.
If you look like Ollie, Sy, or even Oscar,
you're exposing your weedy arms
more than you really have to.
But I think they should make a comeback.
I think they're pretty cool.
I mean, think, Cipollini, he didn't look to bad see.
Carbon wheels were the preserve for the sponsored rider
or well-healed racer.
Super expensive but yet could be damaged in an instant.
Adding to that, poor braking performance
and rim wear in bad conditions.
And you can see why the benefits of carbon hoops
were restricted only to the most special of occasions.
However, now you can ride with disc brakes.
So there's no rim wear, and you can run wider tires
so you're not going to be impacting them anytime soon.
Plus, out on your own, you're less likely to get squashed
by a Cat-3 sprinter.
So why not feel the benefits of
error and lightweight everyday.
Now this one's more for the males than the females,
but hey, anyone can have hairy legs,
and not feel pressured to shave them.
But why do you shave your legs?
Is it for the massage?
But then when was the last time you had a massage?
Is it for hygiene when you crash?
But if you crash that much,
then your legs are the least of your worries.
And, to be honest, you do it because it looks good.
Admit it.
But as Sagan's proven, it's not essential.
Embrace your inner Chewbacca, and ride with furry legs.
Yeah, get rid of those.
(upbeat music)
- Is anyone else out there getting really bored of the
slam your stem brigade?
I mean sure, it does look really cool when your stem's
all the way down on top of the head jube.
But it's only cool if you can actually
ride in that position.
Only then can you make the benefits of that long, low,
and sleek-looking position.
If you're doing it and you can't actually reach the bars,
you're going to look like a bit of a fool.
It's also going to upset your handling,
because you're not going to be able to ride in the drops
where you actually have more control of the bike.
And altogether, fashion over function
when it comes to cycling
is something that should be avoided.
The most important thing is function,
meaning you can go fast comfortably on your bike.
Now we can all understand where this position came from.
We all see it on TV, don't we?
All the pros seem to have long, low stems on their bikes.
But if it's not for you, you just need to just accept
that having a spacer underneath your stem
is not such a bad idea after all.
And these days, spacers,
well they're kind of functional as well because
most of them can be bought with
a bit of nary faring on the back of them.
Meaning, they're not even going to slow you down.
Gettin' those nice flat forearms on the top of the hood
is going to make you much faster
than having those straight arms extended
all the way down to the drops with a slam stem.
(upbeat music)
This final rule is the topic of much controversy,
and that is how you should wear your helmet straps
underneath your glasses.
Now it's all well and good if, for example,
your straps fit snug and flush against your face
like these do and your glasses bow out around them.
Then of course, you're going to want to wear your glasses
over the top of your straps.
But maybe you've got one of those helmets where the straps
fall out the middle of your helmet
and your glasses fit flush against your face.
Well then it's just logical to wear your glasses
underneath your helmet straps, isn't it?
Just think about it.
You don't always have to listen to the fashion gurus
out there, they're not always right.
So there you have it.
A few of the unwritten rules from the world of cycling,
which we think you are perfectly entitled
to go out there and break.
If you've got any unwritten rules that
you and your mates use, drop them in the comments below.
Make sure they are written, so we know what they are.
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