Congratulations! You've finally got yourself a bike along with some decent kit. That's probably the biggest hurdle you'll encounter when becoming a cyclists right? Getting the bike? Well, this article might, unfortunately, crush any dreams you may have of riding down the Champs Ellise in that yellow jersey one day. Here is my list of top 5 things people don't tell you before you start cycling.
It's hard
In most sports, professionals always make everything seem way easier than they actually are. Cycling is, unfotunately, no exception. From climbing a mountain to going on the attack, 100+ kilometer Tour de France stages to the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix, it always seems so effortless on the TV. That is, until you actually try it out for yourself. Chances are, if you're getting into cycling without a decent background in some other physical sport, you're thighs and back will be killing you within 5km from home. Plus, if you've never ridden a bike before, you'll most probably be unfamiliar with bicycle gears or how to use them, causing you to be shifting late and stalling up a long climb.
In most sports, professionals always make everything seem way easier than they actually are. Cycling is, unfotunately, no exception. From climbing a mountain to going on the attack, 100+ kilometer Tour de France stages to the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix, it always seems so effortless on the TV. That is, until you actually try it out for yourself. Chances are, if you're getting into cycling without a decent background in some other physical sport, you're thighs and back will be killing you within 5km from home. Plus, if you've never ridden a bike before, you'll most probably be unfamiliar with bicycle gears or how to use them, causing you to be shifting late and stalling up a long climb.
Not only that, once you've built up a little more stamina, figured out how your gears work and generally feel a little better about yourself, enter group rides. The challenge of balancing your composure so as to ride predictably in the group while still pedaling your heart out and cursing under your breath to keep up with the wheel in front of you is perhaps a quirk exclusively found in cycling. And depsite all that effort and suffering, it'll be all the more disheartening when you get dropped, a.k.a the group is just too fast for you and you get left behind.
It's pricey
I've met my fair share of riders who've forked out bigs sums of cash or have taken out loans to pay for their high-end road stallions so as to own the latest and greatest the bicycle market has to offer. Unfortunately, in all that haste, they didn't stop to consider the long-term financial commitments that come with cycling. Owning a bike is, in many ways, similar to owning a car; you can suffer from punctures, it gets damaged in crashes, it requires regular sevicing, wear-and-tear affects the drive-train (gears and chain) and it can get stolen. And of course, as with a car, the pricier your bike is, the higher the cost to maintain it.
I've met my fair share of riders who've forked out bigs sums of cash or have taken out loans to pay for their high-end road stallions so as to own the latest and greatest the bicycle market has to offer. Unfortunately, in all that haste, they didn't stop to consider the long-term financial commitments that come with cycling. Owning a bike is, in many ways, similar to owning a car; you can suffer from punctures, it gets damaged in crashes, it requires regular sevicing, wear-and-tear affects the drive-train (gears and chain) and it can get stolen. And of course, as with a car, the pricier your bike is, the higher the cost to maintain it.
In my post on how to buy your first bike, I touched briefly on the different kinds of bicycle frames and groupsets out there. A groupset consists of the parts on your bike other than the frame, wheels, seat and seat post, handle bar and the handle bar stem. In other words, the gears, shifters, brakes, deraileurs and cranks. And as with a high-performance car engine, the higher end your groupset is, the more it's going to cost you to replace those parts once they've worn out. Not only that, most pro-team mechanics recommend changing your chain more frequently if you run a higher end groupset as it's far cheaper to change a chain than it is to change sprockets or the entire cassette once it's worn out. More frequent chain changes will allow your cassette to last longer, sometimes up through 5 chains. The frequency by which you should replace your chain with a new one has been widely debated by many in the cycling community. A consensus that comes up frequently on the internet is after 2000 miles (3200 kilometers) or so, even sooner if you're a little on the heavy side or if you do a lot of climbs.
Apart from that, those who choose to go down the carbon route had best try to avoid crashes as best as they can. I mean sure, it goes without saying that no one wants to crash. But in the event lady luck took the day off and you do end up eating asphault, chances are you'll probably fare far better than your carbon companion. Carbon bikes are infamously known for their low levels of durability in the event of a major crash. Even if your frame doesn't snap in half, any cracks that form may result in your bike being too dangerous to ride. So, assuming all your groupset components are fine (less than likely), you'll have to get a completely new frame.
There's a lot to learn
Up until this point in the article, if you're even a little bit overwhelmed by the all information, don't worry, most beginners usually are. Wait until you realise what else you don't yet know.
As with the components that make up a bicycle, from the ball bearings in your head tube down to the rubber that grips the road, there are so many things to learn about cycling. Regardless of how deep your pockets are, not all the problems you encounter can be solved by dropping by your local bike store and handing your bike over to the mechanic who'll be all too happy to see you. A road side mechanical will creep up on you and pounce one day, maybe not today, probably not tomorrow, but one day. And when that day comes, you had best hope you how how to solve your little conundrum, especially if you forgot to bring a phone and are miles away from home. (FYI, here's a list of things I recommend every cyclist carry with him/her when on a long ride). Being able to remedy a flat tyre and fix a broken chain are 2 skills every cyclist should have in his or her repertoir.
Apart from emergencies, knowing how to perform a basic bike service ( ie replacing a worn out chain, regreasing your head tube and bottom bracket, degreasing and relubing your chain, indexing your gears, etc) will greatly help your wallet out in the long run and is a mark of a seasoned cyclist.
It's not going to get you a 'superhero' body
Unlike most other sports, professional cyclists aren't too well known for having Henry Cavill's Superman-esque body. Instead, our bodies are more akin to that of a T-Rex, big girthy thighs with toned calves while having little going on in the upper limbs. And trust me when I say, after awhile, you'll start to find your favourite pair of jeans or shorts just not fitting you right.
There are of course, exceptions to this law of cycling nature. Track cyclists like 6 time Olympic gold medalist Sir Chris Hoy and our very own Bronze medalist Azizul Awang for instance, both have quite muscular builds, full of the fast white-twitch muscle fibers needed to put out all those watts. But such bodies weren't built on bikes alone, track cyclist spend almost as many hours in the gym as they do out on the track. And before you ask, yes, professional road cyclists do spend some time in the gym as well, but the exercises they do aren't so much to turn them into sprinters but to complement the levels of fitness they achieve on their bikes. In fact, most amateur level riders are capable of putting out the same amount of maximum power of that of a professional. What sets the pros apart is their ability to sustain a higher than normal average power for a longer than normal period of time. So, in the event you think cycling's going to get you a spot in the next Avengers movie, it'd be best to consider a different sport altogether. Plus, our tan lines aren't exactly swimsuit magazine cover material.
It's rewarding
Despite all the obstacles and challenges you'll face as a cyclist, both on and off the road, there's no denying the high that it rewards us with as well as the addiction we so lovingly suffer from. Riding an hour continuously for the first time, finishing that first century ride, conquering that once unconquerable hill, your first race, your first duathlon or triathlon even, a ride across the country or even the world! Some of the many milestones a cyclist goes through, each worthy of celebration in our own small ways as well as acting as a marker for what we've already achieved and a reminder of everything else that we've yet to do.
And then theres its effect on our bodies. Health is not something that can be stolen, created or bought, it has to be earned. Being able to shred up the side of a mountain without slowing down but instead going "I've got this, gimme another gear" or hold the line at the front of a peloton while your mates rest their worn out asses behind you. Being less than 10% body fat or having a resting heartrate under 60 beats per minute, are goals that money can't buy and are in fact status symbols that we as cyclists strive for.
Our tan lines are our badges of honor, signs that we are warriors of the road who have suffered and fought through poor road conditions, ass-hat drivers and the unforgiving heat and should not be hidden but instead displayed proudly, within the confines of our homes.
In short/TL;DR : It's harder than it looks, it's expensive, there's a lot you don't yet know, you're not gonna get buff through cycling and it'll all be worth it at the end.
Annnnnddddd that's about it for this post. Do you agree with all my points? Were there things I missed out? Please do let me know in the comment section down below and tell me what you think. As always, I appreciate any and all feedback, comments and questions and will try my best to get back to you. Until next time, thanks for reading!
