- Whether you're a newcomer or an expert,
the chances are if you ride a bike,
at some point you've made some mistakes,
if not, all of them.
- Yeah, so what mistakes have you made?
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(happy electronic music)
- I'm going to start with video with an absolute
favorite of mine, actually, bonking.
- No, Chris, not that kind of bonking,
the cycling term for running out of energy.
- Oh. - Running out of energy
so catastrophically that you're grinding
to a halt, only having enough energy
to turn the petals and think,
and only being able to do one of those things.
- [Chris] Yeah, that makes more sense.
So, what is bonking?
- Why, it's otherwise known as hitting the wall--
- If you're a runner.
It's simply running out of glycogen,
the fast release energies that's stored
in your bloodstream and your liver.
And it's normally, the consequence
of either having ridden too far
or having not eaten enough.
So, there are two things that you can do.
You can either top up your stores,
little and often,
or just ride a little bit easier.
- Oh, Chris, when I normally bonk,
I normally take an extra spare gel
or maybe some money, because to be honest,
carrying the extra weight is definitely worth it,
it'll save you foraging around the (mumbles).
Have you got a spare gel?
- I've got no spares,
but I'm happy to push you home.
- Ah.
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- Punctures.
If you're going to fast, light
inner tubes and tires, then from time to time
they are inevitable.
They're frustrating, they're annoying,
and they're downright deflating,
excuse the pun, but there's something
even worse than that,
getting stranded on the side of the road
without a puncture packet, without a pump,
and without a spare inner tube
and only the tweeting birds for comforting.
Chris hasn't got a spare inner tube or kit,
so I'm going to leave him to it.
- I suppose you could be forgiven,
if the last 23 years
you had zero issue whatsoever,
but even if you go for a short ride,
we recommend taking at least one spare tube.
If it's a long ride, maybe take two,
just to be safe, and either way,
you should probably carry
a puncture repair patch with you
because they're a versatile item,
and they pack away
and they're very, very small and light.
And all of this will prevent you
either having to hitchhike
or call an unsympathetic loved one
for a lift home.
All of those things are in your ride.
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- Overdressing is a phrase that will strike fear
into any party-goer.
- Ah, I know how you're feeling, you know,
turning up casual to a black tie dinner.
- Yeah, well you won't get to tell anyone
I did that, but anyway.
No, in the cycling world, that would be more like
wearing an aero skin suit
to your local spin class,
wouldn't it, Ray? - Yeah, it would.
- No, that's not what we're talking about at all,
we're talking about wearing too many clothes.
- Ah, we've all been there, haven't we?
Judging the temperature from the comfort
of our sofa, putting on that extra base layer
because, to be honest, no one wants to be cold
on their bikes.
- No.
- And then we head out for the ride,
and we're the perfect temperature.
We're a genius, we're absolutely perfect.
Then, 20 minutes into our ride,
we're pressing on, our heart rates up,
our body temperature is soaring.
Sweat is dripping from our brows,
and we're trying to unzip, but uh,
it's the most uncomfortable feeling.
- [Chris] Yeah.
- [Ray] You're almost better off just feeling
a little bit chilly for those first five minutes.
Pedaling a little bit harder, warming up.
- Then you're feeling just right.
- I'm so hot, Chris,
and not in the good kind.
- (laughs)
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- Yeah, we've all been there, haven't we?
Leaving the house and not 50 petal revs,
we hear that sound.
The squeak of a dry chain.
And if you're only like me,
the last thing you want to do
is turn around and go back.
Or you arrive at the start line to a race,
with no lube to hand.
So, what should you have done?
Well, you should've washed your bike
and then lubed it straight after.
But, you haven't done that, have you?
So, are there some substitutes you could use?
Well, you're in luck. There are.
Luckily, I've brought some olive oil with me.
This works an absolute treat to stop
that awful sound.
But I've also been told,
you could use
a gel that you're not using, or even some ice cream.
Anything to lubricate the chain, that little bit.
I mean, there's nothing worse, is there?
The sapping of the power,
because of your horribly, dry, crunching chain.
Ugh!
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(bike chain whirring)
- I suppose one advantage of having
a painfully dry chain, is you're not going
to pick up one of these bad boys.
The dreaded chain ring tattoo.
Synonymous with newcomers
to the world of cycling.
Fortunately, there are ways to avoid this.
One of them is, of course,
is just cleaning your chain,
but the other one is,
always leave one foot clipped into your bike
when you're standing next to it, or on top of it,
and putting it away like that,
in kind of a tripod fashion.
Often the chain ring tattoo will come from
standing with your legs close together
over the top of the bike like that.
Once you've picked up the tattoo,
you're going to want to remove it
as fast as possible.
Now, if you remove it with your hands,
chances are, you're going to have black fingers,
and by the time you go to scratch your nose,
you have a black face, as well.
We recommend getting some tissues
or some wet wipes.
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- This is another nightmare for every cyclist
that travels away with their bike.
You arrive at your destination, get kitted up
in all your Lycra, even sort your bike out,
and you go through your bags
and you can't find your cycling shoes anywhere.
It's the
absolute
worst.
But, what do you do?
Do you A) ride anyway?
B) Sack an elf and go to the pub?
Well we would advise that you take the option A.
You ride anyway.
People have actually completed cycling events
wearing just trainers and clip-less pedals.
So, it can be done.
I mean, you don't even have to wear a vest
or cycling shorts.
All you really need is a helmet and your bike.
No matter how important you think
your glasses are because, well,
I think my glasses are quite important.
Anyway, where are those blooming cycling shoes?
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- In my mind, one of the worst mistakes anyone
on a bike can make, is not communicating properly
on a group ride.
Let me explain.
Imagine you're riding down this beautiful
stretch of road, but, for whatever reason,
there's some debris in the road or a pothole.
If you don't point it out, the riders behind you,
they have impaired vision,
they can't necessarily see it, so,
they could hit it, which could cause puncture,
or even worse, they could crash
- Yeah, something even worse than that, though,
Chris, is that finding a rogue snot rocket
right in your face.
- (cyclists) Whoa, come on!
- So, if you want to clear your airways,
make sure it's clear, move out,
there you go.
Nice and easy.
Keeps everyone happy too. - And then--
One final pointer, if you are sat on the wheel,
pay attention at all times.
(upbeat music playing)
- There you have it, we've come to the end
of all the mistakes our cyclists seem to make.
- If you think we've missed any out,
drop it down in the comments below,
give us a big thumbs up or like,
and for more great content,
click just over there.
- Aw, you keep making those mistakes, mate.
I'm perfect.