Our Unpopular Cycling Opinions… 

I ride 10-11 hours a week. I haven’t checked my FTP in at least two years. I measure progress by how far I can ride and how high I can climb. If that’s improving, I’m happy.

The whole vibe of this channel is just so good. Focusing on enjoying your bike riding rather than all the bs about overpriced bikes and going as fast as you can all the time. Kudos to the three of you for making these videos, I truly believe you're helping more people get on bikes affordably and enjoying improving their health.

It will be called an “all-road” bike and it will fit 38-44mm tires and have endurance geometry. And hopefully it doesn’t cost 14k 😅

Another thing, I love waving and saying 'good morning\afternoon' to all cyclists I see, even walkers as I pass on the bike path, I say "passing good morning". It's the way my parents bought me up to be respectful to all people around me. Story time, I'm a girl on a bike and the weekend I slowed down and rode along side another girl and talked to her for 45min and it was the best morning, I found out she's a academic at the university I'm studying at and this is just brilliant to meet another girl who loves bikes, riding, and academics. Life is great

I'm so glad that you gave an honest, practical and logical answer to the disc brake question. I have three vintage steel bikes (87 Limongi, 96 Cinelli Supercorsa and a 95 Eddy Merckx Arcobaleno) built with modern Campagnolo groupsets and high-end aluminum wheelsets. They are lighter (8-9kg) than the vast majority of the carbon bikes with disc brakes that my buddies ride (over 9kg). As well, my wheelsets are all high end that I bought used, in near mint condition for between $200 and $400 CAD. What I love about my bikes is that they cost a fraction of what a new carbon-disc bike costs, weigh the same or less, look great, are a blast to ride and still stop exceptionally well. They are also great conversation starters at the coffee shop. If you aren't racing, you don't need the lightest and greatest carbon disc bike for $10,000. I love your content! Keep up the great work!

i thought of the comparaison between pro cycling jerseys vs football jerseys aswell. i personally think the 2023 UAE shirt is the coolest looking jersey i've seen but never bought it because alot of people on social media looks down upon/makes fun of wearing pro team kit. menawhile people go to the gym in a Barca or Man U shirt. maybe it's time to stop caring of what other people think about how you look instead of wearing what you enjoy :)

I think it’s also important to realize that at least in America vast numbers of Rail Beds have been converted into riding trails.therefore the proliferation of gravel type cycles make sense. Furthermore these trails are growing exponentially in popularity and availability.

It's not the "road" category that is dead, it's the "not assisted" one... I'm pretty sure the majority of bike sales (in the Western world) are ebikes at the moment, and that is not going to change...

I love rim brake (direct mount specifically) as the fun bike, but for the daily/commute/bad weather bike....disc brakes. Winter is zwift only haha.

I’m going to speak on behalf of all 300 million Americans here: there are friendly people all over the US. I think different regions have different types of “friendly” but there are people who wave at cyclists everywhere. There’s also assholes everywhere but I think the default for the majority of people here is at least friendly-leaning

I'm a mountain biker, and I find baselayers valuable just because I don't like feeling the shoulder straps of my bibs on my skin. I wear baggies over my bibs and baselayer (a very minimal Endura Translite). Haven't actually tried this setup in the heat of summer yet (I only started wearing full bibs in November). We'll see how it goes.

Carbon wheels on rims in the wet are a disaster. I’ve got scribe alloy wheels on my winter bike on rims. Its stops great. My carbon wheels have been sold!!

Road cycling has died with me, meaning I no longer ride a road race bike. I have one for those days I may do a proper climb or want to keep up in a group ride but I have converted all my bikes to something more all-road-thicker tires, two wheelsets (30-32 on road and swap out 43 for gravel), comfort, riding at whatever speed and distance I want. I used to be a big fan of road racing but it's just gotten so ridiculous and somewhat elitist that it's driven me away. And the claims of all the latest tech and innovations are all the same that it's hard to believe it's any better than the last iteration, and it's hard to keep up. It's all marketing hype and I've just decided not to buy into it anymore. I ride what I want now and am influenced less by the pros. Only took 40+ years.

RE: AL bikes. Ohhh Jim. Jimminy Jimothy James... take the Triban out and back-to-back ride it against ANYTHING hydroformed. Seriously, an Endurace/Emonda/Roadmachine *buries* the square and round section stuff. I was same as Francis with an S1 (I LOVED that bike! frame cracked) and replaced it with a Vitus Zenium SL... Blimey the difference! Both on 25s, Similar road handling, but crikey how much more enjoyable long rides became.

The Cyclami TPU tubes, A2 mini battery pump, Jiankun hollowtech chainsets I got from Aliexpress have all been top quality and a fraction of UK prices.

Baselayer makes you warmer, isn't that a good thing in the UK?

I'll say this - every bike shop I've entered for the last 2-3 years (Seattle area), the only skinny-tire drop bar bikes have been unsold from prior years' models. EVERY new drop bar bike has been gravel.

Agreed relaxed geometry all purpose bikes with 30-42c tires will become the norm. less skus of bikes in all categories will also have a positive affect of the polish of products as more time will be spent on the design. at least i hope so.

Your bike can be an original artwork which you love and cherish. I know folks who treat their bike like a tent or sleeping bag or camp stove, also.

on carbon brake tracks: The new generation of textured brake tracks with grooves in them really don't have any of these issues anymore. Pair those with rather soft pads and you're good to go. It will stop you fine, even in torrential rain. The only thing that remains then are overheating issues on long descents. That problem will probably never disappear.

I love my Wilier road bike and will always have one. I love using it. I hope that I can upgrade it to a disk brake model.

Baselayers are better for hiking, but in the winter i do wear a merino wool baselayer when i ride for warmth 😊

15:07 I agree, Specially with the sku removal from trek. I assume it will be the same from many other brands in near future

earth tone kit is the one at the moment, so nice!

Is this episode a re upload?

I live in London and a lot of people compliment my bike. I do the same wherever I am. I was driving back from a scuba dive in Begur (near Girona) in September and saw a guy starting up a hill on a lovely new red Madone and had to wind down the window to compliment his bike.

Black kit is definitely better on a cold day here in New England, provided it's sunny.

There appeares to be 8 plus different grades of aluminium. The common 6061 seems to be the "work horse" one

Speaking of the friendliness of Americans, I don't think there are (north or south, east or west) any real differences. People are people and I find them to be both ways in all areas of the country.

Black helmet and jersey is a no go, except in sunny winter rides. Way too hot. Base layer is important. I hate sweat soaked jersey touching skin. FTP is for zone setting and measures basic fitness. 350 always beats 280 (at same weight) but 350 does not necessarily beat 320 in 5min or 4 hour race.

There are many different aluminum alloys with different properties. It could make a big difference when constructing a frame. But I would assume there are only two to three used in the bike industry.

wear a netting (fishnet of some kind)under your baselayer is the way to go.this is an army thing and it works.

As a motorcyclist, I’ve waved to Jetskis on a lake and have them wave back to me as we passed each other. I wave to everyone.

All hail the rim brakes! EDIT - With good aluminum wheels (looking at you HED).

I have a carbon road bike and a alloy gravel bike, going off road with alloy is ok, the forks are carbon, the seat-post is dampening the ride, all is good. The alloy is good now days and I have some good bikes and I love cycling. ps, I love wearing colours, I love my bright pink kit, and I just got a new grape jersey and I love it. Ride on Friends

Ill agree with the lycra one, i wear lycra if im out for a priper ride but if im running errands im in normal cl9thes and ive moticed a very big defference in how other cyclists treat me. And as it goes im in the south by the sea haha

In the US I have lived in the south for 30 years and now I live in the north. Car drivers are more friendly in the south for sure.

I often like older stuff but I also really like powerful responsive brakes so I just really don't like rim brakes anymore. My road bike is still rim brake tho because it's still a really nice bike and I'm not spending the money on a new one. Edit: I wouldn't care as much if I lived in a dry place. Rim brakes in the wet are just horrible.

Carbon rim brakes can be as good as disc with the right pads. Campag red pads work amazing on my Campag and zipp wheels. High end aluminium is night and day different to cheap crap. You've obviously never ridden a good Scandium frame. My 20 year old Merckx Easton taperwall Scandium is as good as a lot of decent modern carbon bikes. I have an SL6 S-Works tarmac which the Merckx still compares well against.

On the friendly people subject. I went for a jog while on vacation in South Carolina. Passed by and made eye contact with a woman pushing her baby, said “hello” and waved. She immediately broke eye contact, looked down and sped up her pace. When I returned from my jog I realized that I hadn’t rubbed the sunscreen on my face in well enough and looked like I had white Halloween makeup all over my face. 😂

Sale of gravelbikes doesnt mean that roadcycling is dead, I do a lot of roadcycling with a bike that is really good for roadcycling, and it is a gravel bike. It is far more gravelbikes going on the roads these days, and far more e-bikes.

12:15 DOGGO!

There have been disks with carbon braking surfaces on racing cars for years now, and even for bikes recently... goes against my intuition, but they clearly are used for performance.

I do hope there is ‘high end aluminium’. I wouldn’t want aeroplanes to be made out of the same stuff as Weinmann brakes. 😮

As a self professed bike nerd with what some would call a collection of bikes, personally. I love to check out other peoples bikes, I will go out of my way to stop people on trail or go check out bikes in the parking lot or trail head. Granted, I might be aggravating some people by doing this but honestly, I don't give a shit.

great video mate

Do you think pro cyclists should be allowed to wear yellow or green as part of their team kit in the TDF unless they have won the yellow or green jersey.

Each of us can make a place more or less "friendly". It may work and may not, but it is always worth trying. I have had numerous spontaneous conversations with people whilst riding in places not known for their "outgoing" personalities. You risk being "that nutter" but I am already in lycra after all.

You know, as a cyclist I don’t ride my bike so that I can cycle; I cycle so that I can ride my bike. Cycling, is simply a way for me to test my new bike or whatever new bike upgrade that I’ve thrown onto it.

Sorry but a good baselayer DOES NOT MAKE YOU WARMER, but it depends on the baselayer and it's better against sweat, it's made to get sweat away from your body.

Fiddling with rim brakes is easier than disk brakes on the road.

cyclists do NEED strength training for bone density alone. or risk a broken hip in your 50s from a simple laydown.

Rimbrake has been a good option for more than 100 years, thy phi such is the same and it will not change, so it is a good option and will be forever. Not the best, but good for sure.

Some bikers are more polite and waving, One of those pleasant bikers I met was very strong and riding in UNO-X clothes

You could get 7000 series aluminium frames once but these seem to have been superseded by 6061.

I live in southeast Texas right by the Gulf of Mexico.. The general population is much more courteous BUT definitely not to cyclists!!! Texans HATE cyclists!!! Literally are willing to hit us and most won’t suffer any legal consequences.

Aero bikes are faster. Can’t believe you guys didn’t cover that one.

People will keep on buying straight racing road bikes because they're the more desirable bikes, simple as that. People will suffer to look cool and people are ready to suffer to have the "best" thing. Car drivers will buy race ready sports car with unbearable suspension just to know they have the best hing.

Hoe about scandium aluminum? Never had the pleasure to ride one, but was said to be good

There are better aluminium frames than others. It won't compare to carbon, but some alu frames are better than others.

I just at a gut level prefer metal framed bikes to plastic framed bikes. Whether aluminum, steel, or titanium, I prefer a metal bike. They last longer, are generally cheaper, and function quite admirably when spec'd with nice parts. If you aren't a racer, go metal. Along that bent, if you prefer rim brakes, go with alloy rims. Metal is strong and works.

As always rim brakes get blamed for carbon wheels faults. SO funny......You know some day the industry will make carbon disc's just so they can again sell the bleeding edge the "Next New Thing" & they will use the same fear of not being able to get xyz parts hahah...I guess you folks have never seen Eroica? They have not worried about not finding parts for decades. Same will be true of Rim Brakes...They aren't leaving any time soon

There are different grades of aluminium and all have different properties

Man I swear. Every "unpopular" opinion is actually popular

wow! numero uno?! I ride more cause my bike is beautifullllllll❤

Seriously? You aren't aware of seperate grades of aluminum? Or design choices made by using different wall thicknesses in specific areas of the bike? The differences in corrosion resistance? The difference in heat treatment processes, and how that affects final quality. These people constantly attack their own credibility.

Commuting in Lisbon has been more dangerous with all the zombie tourists crossing roads and bike lanes than cars so far.

Hi guys, I enjoy your videos and have been for a while , occasionally I disagree with your opinions and that is ok but today was too much. To say that there is no high end or low end aluminum is ignorant, uneducated and borderline disingenuous. No different Han saying there is no high end and low end steel, carbon or any other material , Columbus Spirit , Reynolds 853, Platinum OX are not the same with the lower grades, same with aluminum. Would be nice if you correct the statement and maybe avoid making statements like this in the future.

I'm guilty... I don't wave and acknowledge people who don't look like cyclists... I'm trying to change that.

england is antipathetic to cycling. england is too small, too overcrowded, too wet, even the most scenic roads are pot-holed and scabrous (eg. fred whitton), roads are too narrow and toy town, there is no gravel.

Get someone in to talk about aluminium. There are different grades

I only ride rim brakes on my road bike. I agree, we should be able to ride whatever gear we want to ride. Hate the fact that the industry WANTS to force us to change that freedom really. My Pinarello F 10 is only compatible with rim brakes and I do not plan on investing on a new bike and wheel system just because my freedom of choice is about to be ripped away from me. Guess it will get down to the availability of used gear in the future or will just have to ride my gravel bike. Too bad. Freedom must prevail !

One that might not be relevant to Britain, but where I live too many people buy MTBs over gravel/trekking bikes even though they barely ever leave asphalt surfaces. I believe that this fact is one of the most contributing factors to the popularity of e-bikes spiking over here, where most of these people also buy an overbuilt electric MTB with 3-4" tires to ride on roads. I believe that when someone buys an e-bike, they would be better off either getting a trekking or city one.

Given aluminium and carbon from aliexpress .... I will pick aluminium anytime... other online sellers..carbon should be OK... but aluminium for me.

The north is definitely nicer than the south in America.

So this genius thinks that aroeplanes are made from the same stuff as sodacans and cheap rulers from Temu ?

Gravel bike is a gimmick and shouldn't even exist, the Gravel World Championship of 2023 was won on a Road bike !!! Road bikes are the only good bikes.

Statistically cyclist are much worse behaved and dangerous than car drivers, just not as lethal, at least here in Barcelona.