Get More For Less | Free Hacks To Make You More Efficient On The Bike

[@gcn]

How efficient are you on the saddle? 🚴📈

[@Aboycostelo]

Thank you guys, such an interesting video. I've learned a lot. Keep it up!

[@Sutlore007]

I think keeping steady speed on the right gearing/comfortable cadence will save a lot as well as planing ahead and good position on the bike. Most of the time I will keep pedaling, try not to free my legs to save power on acceleration.

[@JeffreyWilliams-dr7qe]

Do not Care! All in the Kit, Don't you know!

[@lbx5359]

Less known fact - by pedaling calmy and avoiding sprinting uselessly against your mates, you can reduce your joy on the bike by 25%.

[@dansandford-smith777]

Fact!!

[@JeffreyWilliams-dr7qe]

Whose Running All this?

[@LouieBaLLz]

That first inefficient ride was pure comedy. SPEED UP! SLOW DOWN! OH, SPEED UP! I felt like I was being personally attacked. 🤣🤣🤣

[@gcn]

Any resemblance to real persons is purely coincidental

[@LouieBaLLz]

@@gcn Unless your name is Hank 🤪

[@sebasforest963]

just what i was thinking😂 also, every time you touch the breaks, you waste the effort you just put in for nothing.

[@russellbride]

Same applies to driving a car too ... smooth driving increases your mileage quite a bit.

[@dangernba]

Brakes, tires and clutch will last a lot longer too. I drove a small hatchback for 60 thousand miles (nearly 100 thousand kilometers) and sold it with the original brake pads still in decent condition. Even my mechanic could not believe it.

[@awightman1221]

using the brakes as little as possible is the way to get best mileage. but to do that it requires you to think ahead and not go too fast. so many people seem to be in a hurry to go stop at the red light.

[@red2lucas]

Basically I’m going to ride like Hank. Lol probably the funniest line in GCN history

[@Madmaverick101]

Dainty Manon, sitting so prim and proper on that log bench. Conor, bless him, man-splaying like a cowboy. We will miss gentle Manon in times like these 😂

[@TESTA-CC]

The 6ft 8" Parachute, Quality 🤙🤙

[@gcn]

🪂

[@TESTA-CC]

@@gcn GCN Needs a Parachute Emoji For Connor 🤙👍

[@felixfelucci6955]

What bike size is Connor riding?

[@JimKJeffries]

I have found that when going down hill I will hold the pedals even, tuck my knees in, and get low. Makes a huge difference. The other is to keep holding myself back, just a little bit from what I want to do. This makes the hours simply melt.

[@rideitmtb]

Edging

[@StacyODell]

It really seems like the biggest savings came from laying off the brakes and carrying speed through the corners. "Smooth is fast"

[@renegadetenor]

I've had many of my all-too-familiar 'standard rides' (26 or 34 miles) witness absolutely no braking, and it includes every kind of corner, and even (yes in USA) roundabouts! And those were no slower than rides where I was aggressive, just to be aggressive.

[@jackass6257]

Yeah I live in a extremely hilly place with a 4 way intersection at every bottom. Makes me irate getting to the bottom right as it turns red for one person

[@geoffreyhoney122]

So bittersweet knowing this is one of the last Manon/Conor videos!! I will miss the amazing chemistry and humour of this classic duo!! Great tips and I too really did not anticipate the effiency savings would be that great. I will change some habits for sure! Great to know that even the Giant Irish Giraffe can find some efficiencies! I really think that Manon would have trouble making herself ride like needed for that first one! It isn't in her! She's too good at doing what is needed instinctively. Hank, on the other hand,......well we know how that one would go!🤣

[@HobbyHoarder]

Why one of the last?

[@choahjinhuay]

@@HobbyHoarderManon is moving on

[@cycleonSK]

"Slow is smooth, and smooth is fast". A great mantra for efficient riding.

[@peterb6282]

Thanks Connor, timing was perfect, you just confirmed what I experienced this morning! My wife and I drive to the gym each morning, I ride my bike back home. 90% of the time I do the same route and push hard to improve my average MPH and time. This morning I said screw it, I'm going for consistency...smooth out the hills, maintain a decent pace...not killing it. Got home looked at my results, quickest time, highest MPH, and didn't feel winded. Was scratching my head..how could I do so well with so much less effort?

[@jepulis6674]

Wind is a factor. Even a slight breeze like 3m/s will slow you down almost 5kmh on drops.

[@VictorElGreco]

Throwing shade on Hank… 😆

[@donwooss]

With Connor's massive dong

[@ChrisLoew]

spitting facts, they do try and kill him every eposide so there is that...

[@mmehysteria]

Cheerio

[@crbondur]

Watching Conner ride inefficiently was SO PAINFUL! I've been on rides like that, where I'm yoyoing in a group because of the 'bungee cord' effect. Cool to see that riding style really does make such a huge difference!

[@ghjgjihjgjyrdrgydsgr137]

I'm not a speedy cyclist at all, don't even have a road bike, but there's a 10-mile each way ride I do through London to visit a friend because it's cheaper than trains, and it knackers me. I have to try keeping it smooth like this.

[@huntos83]

I’m a big believer in this, generally referred to as “gross efficiency”. I would say it’s one of my greatest skills and assets as a cyclist. I am a decent enough all rounder, but I don’t particularly stand out in power numbers, w/kg, sprinting, climbing etc - but I seem to be particularly good at being efficient and converting the power I have into speed. It stands out in road bike time trials where I will typically be faster than riders of similar weight and size, while producing less power. Sometimes a lot faster. Pacing, carrying speed in bends, drafting well, holding a good body position, road positioning, breaking technique, reading the road, descending fast and then maintaining that speed etc etc. All of these skills can make you a much faster rider without any increase in power or fitness.

[@michaelsherwin4449]

The best cycling video in a while! Next I'd like to see a watt limited race based on watts per kilo. If one crosses the finish line over their watts per kilo limit they are disqualified. I'd like at least 5 in the race and I'd like everyone to talk about their strategy during the race. If some fitness levels are a bit low then everyone's watts per kilo can be reduced some. You can have loads of fun in a race like that and we can learn a few things. :)

[@kevinleblanc7016]

I discovered this in a different way. I noticed that some of the apps I use report normalized power. I didn't know what that was and had only been looking at average power. NP was always higher, sometimes by a lot, sometimes by a little. I read that NP better reflects the work of a more varied or erratic effort because it's harder. I found that two rides of similar average power might have very different NP if one was more erratic. Therefore you can achieve a given average power more easily (lower NP) if you keep your effort steady. I find that if I do a 100km ride (long for me) I go slow and steady and I'm sometimes surprised that my speed and average power are higher than I expected because it seemed easy.

[@brianphillips7696]

This video comments section is how I learned Manon has left GCN. 😢 I will miss our Dragon Queen.

[@CedarScott]

Check the GCN shows. One of the Friday shows was the going away episode. They indicated Manon had some videos already recorded that would be posted after that episode.

[@xhydrax5320]

Finally a video not about how to seem faster (strava) but how to actually be actually faster

[@sniqow]

Great video. My one though is as a small, light rider I need to take advantage of climbs and really push on the ascent because my lack of mass means less inertia on the descent, meaning less impact on my average speed.

[@brothatwasepic]

Same with dating. Smooth lines leads to more efficiency

[@ronfeldman4386]

Every new cyclist should learn about efficiency, Well after learning about bike fitting. A proper bike fit and working on being efficient is what cycling is about. The more efficient you are, The faster you will be. I work on efficiency on my single speed either on the track, road or indoors.

[@XR4turbo]

Follow along Connor's first ride for an excellent HIIT workout.

[@oplkfdhgk]

Exactly. Good for training muscles.

[@mooscka]

ha! "wind... let me catch you with my belly"

[@blaze1148]

Making the ride as hard as possible is actually great training - So _The Hank Style_ training regimen on a Eurobike is the way to go 😃

[@whatwelearned]

It's the ghost of Manon! 😁👌

[@gcn]

She still haunts us 👻

[@norkris8729]

@@gcn but is this the last haunt?

[@Penzger]

Manon😍

[@mommamooney]

Manon ❤❤❤

[@notreallyme425]

She leaving?

[@chrishayes121]

Going to miss Manon so much. Another name on the much missed list. Emma Pooley Chris Opie Jon Cannings Tom Last And most missed Matt Stephens Who have I missed?

[@aha200971]

Where is Manon going?

[@andrasszabo1570]

@@aha200971 I've just seen her on TV today, and she got the biggest job in cycling: she's on-site for Eurosport at the Tour de France!

[@petehand7690]

Katherine

[@DominicWasserzug]

I'm loving the call outs on the solo ride.

[@iFireender]

man those watts are... fun to hear. I'm a 120kg heavy dude, always been using my bike to go everywhere though. Recently bought an ebike - which obviously has a power meter built in. What I found out: When I just ride somewhere, fairly relaxed, I already get up to 180W (my power), when I put in some moderate effort but not too heavy, 230W. Climbing up the hill I always struggled with, was out of breath for for a minute, but went okay? 2 minute climb (turned my motor off to see - well, the ebike is like 13kg heavier than my normal bike, but eh, not THAT big a difference at my weight). 550W. Yeah, no shit I'm out of breath after that

[@jc2685]

Manon back on our screens! On Eurosport as a cycling pundit 😊

[@jaymsf4503]

I have struggling with my average speed. I’ll try it this weekend to see if I can improve it. Thanks guys.

[@fredmcgough748]

If I was a squirrel and saw Connor riding towards me. I would have an anxiety attack. Connor you are hilarious! Great spirit!

[@mommamooney]

Conor forgot to coast and look around at the beauty of the countryside like I do

[@theorangebaron1595]

Thanks GCN!

[@gcn]

No, thank you!

[@foxy1706]

have a 300km cycle this week, hoping to focus on being as efficient as possible for the full route 120km more then my longest ride. excited and nervous

[@viliusp9955]

Finally we have Connor doing a loop which is an actual loop and not A to B :D

[@peterbakker7064]

I really like this idea of a 30kph efficiency challenge. Curious to see if Manon could do even better. Under 150W?

[@andrewjandik337]

I miss Manon

[@smudger404]

Probably easier to be more efficient in those lovely rural villages and nice tarmac. The urban and semi urban rides I get to enjoy have far more traffic lights, railway crossings, traffic, and junctions to not be able to do this easily. The only advice I have on that is to do anti clockwise loops, so you are not crossing junctions on right turns (country dependant!) which can make some efficient use of not always having to stop if you can see the junction is clear.

[@Huneidu]

“A nice wind catcher.” He really is riding like Hank. 😮

[@Lone_wolf_31]

Connor is a bloody giant 😮

[@oOoACFREEMANoOo]

Seems like GCN Mom and Dad are vacation and the kids are taking care of the Channel

[@NetomaMusic]

Now i know how to Sprint efficiently !

[@richcrompton6891]

Just how you should ride unless you are looking to post big power numbers on Strava!

[@MrFataux]

It’s better to be on the hoods than the drops for aero, and comparing normalized power (NP) instead of average power will be more meaningful. The difference will be greater, and when your NP is close to your average power, you will be more efficient.

[@leissp1]

Nice to see Manon Interesting the Connor the tree can maintain 30 kph at 231 watts and then save 60 watts in a more aero position.

[@TriconPOE]

I'd love to see a video like this but comparing cadences, would have to measure fatigue I guess but it would be interesting to see if there's a tangible difference between running say 90 like most people seem to be aiming for compared to lower and higher (with higher and lower gears to match).

[@LukasHridesbikes]

the inefficient riding looks like my riding when I am doing panic training 😂

[@jibranjawaid]

Connor sounds like Arnold Schwarzenegger in this video, To the Corner! 😅

[@nathanwent4575]

It looked like conner was effectively doing interval training in the first lap. So on the flip side, riding inefficiently makes you stronger. 😉

[@JoakimGarde]

More efficient ride, less efficient training. But I can see the point if you are doing long rides. Most my rides are under 30 km so I don't worry much about efficiency, I try to do the best possible workout

[@russellinthebush2897]

This was interesting though I would have liked to see a baseline ride where Conor rides the loop in his normal style. That way we could compare how much more and less efficient his two rides would have been.

[@daviddjerassi]

AMAZING thank you.

[@egg2594]

Crazy not having hands anywhere near the brakes

[@g.west2372]

Actually, regarding being efficient regarding high average speed at lower wattage, more energy expenditure, where the route is harder (aka climbs and headwind), and less energy expenditure at the easy parts of the route (downhill and tailwind) is massively better. Although "more energy expenditure" should still mean not going into the red. Thats due to the air resistence growing exponentially with the speed. -> raised power on a climb gives you more speed than raised power in the downhill. Being in an aero postion is always better (above 15km/h), but exponentially at higher relative air-velocities (aka headwind or going downhill).

[@opliko]

Only 15kmh? That's only 9mph, and I never go below that during a ride lol, generally 12-17mph (20-27kmh) and where I live is always windy :(

[@samhall1452]

I’ve often wondered this, thanks! Is there evidence out there to support this? Seems like this test would be good for a follow up video.

[@jonathantraves8425]

Brilliant video, am going to miss Manon’s quiet professionalism and beautiful voice and wish her the best for the future. I share both presenters genuine surprised at the difference - and as a 6’4” parachute who likes riding half zipped for cooling purposes and loves making it hard on the low gradient climbs there was lots for me to take away and have a good hard think about the way I ride. I’ve always been a fan of getting aero for as much of the ride as possible and often find myself rolling past people sitting up peddling on the mid 20’s descents. Will be recommending this video to my club mates.

[@grandkaiaki]

Efficiency is key.

[@chrisduffill5248]

Cool , will take all this , ride easy ….

[@alejawndro]

genuine question: if you’re focus for a ride is to increase your fitness, wouldn’t there be a benefit wearing looser clothing? Kinda like a weighted vest?

[@timtaylor9590]

rolling red lights and stop signs, bunny hopping curbs and medians, drafting cars, ect...

[@AleksiJoensuu]

Shouldn't it be more efficient to pedal harder on the climbs and comparatively ease off on the descents and even flats? Reasoning being that aerodynamic drag ramps up disproportionally to speed. Thus, you'd have to pedal relatively harder for an increase to speed the faster you're going. Also, always love to see Conor goofing off - but a bit sad we won't be seeing Manon soon. Thanks for all the excellent content over the years Manon!

[@ToolCraze]

What happened to Manon? She's in the video and was just uploaded today.

[@AleksiJoensuu]

@@ToolCraze Sorry I didn't notice. She quit as a GCN presenter.

[@camcastellani9547]

As a MAMIL I think the first ride would burn more calories which to me is the point. Plus, who doesn’t want to unleash their inner Hank!🤘

[@ml48963]

If you listen closely, you can hear the motor that's responsible for Conor's "dope" performance! What's funny is how many people actually ride like that. Super surge-y, hard on the gas, hard on the brakes, zone 4-5 on the climbs, completely unpredictable. And then there's people who drive that way too - but only when riding do you realize how much fuel you waste.

[@n22pdf]

Great vid guys 😊 I miss Manon already 😊😊 Pete 🚴‍♀️🚴🏻👍

[@johnb5482]

I am sure the residents of the village love seeing the GCN crew roll in.

[@C345OFR]

Was thinking similar as Conor was shouting/growling next to houses. As a rule, most lone cyclists (without obnoxiously loud hubs, at least) can glide through villages like ninjas. Even a bit of chatter in a pair/group is usually a blink-and-you-miss-it affair for residents. Anyhoo, I'm sure the villagers wouldn't be backwards in coming forwards with any grievances. Perhaps the deal is the crew support the local shops/pubs?

[@LUCYDIAMONDBOXER1]

Trying to watch this video but an ad for a £306 set of bib shorts and jersey keeps popping up. Can you order me 3 sets please.

[@sherab2078]

Funny to watch. However, it would be interesting to see what would be the difference on a relatively straight and flat section, maintaining constant speed throughout the course (not just average). Changing position from most upright to most aero and cadence from high to low (let's say from about 90 to 60 rpm). What you showed here was funny to watch but also very extreme. It's hard for me to imagine someone would be riding as ineffectively as Connor in the first round. Those spikes of acceleration and rapid slow down, etc. Hence, I would be interested in measuring more 'subtle' differences coming from 'wrong' and 'right' techniques.

[@jameslee-pevenhull5087]

When I ride efficiently, on tour for 10 hours, I use 31-33 kCals per mile. When I ride inefficiently, for calorie burn, I use 36 - 39 kCals per mile. The difference is 'Drops or Tops'. :-) Efficiency improves with pulmonary and vascular dilation, i.e. Warmed up. Connor's 'Efficient' ride was in a traditional 'Touring' position. 'Straight Arm Touring' on the drops. In the 1940s and 1950s, touring and sports bikes had grips on the drops and the brake levers on the drops.

[@williamforbes7156]

wat about taping you're helmet vents, or some of them, would it make a non aero helm compete with designed ones, could it make an aero helm fit a TT helm or just over heat you and bonk your efforts?

[@SonnyDarvish]

And if you're overweight, then accelerating after every stop or slow down would be even harder and you'll spend more power (+ higher NP).

[@leonox7313]

The first one is how people ride a fixie

[@adambrickley1119]

So riding like Hank is a better workout? Which answered Alex's question, where does Hank get his fitness from?

[@bighammer3464]

Ahh the Zwift start. Who woulda thunk that was inefficient

[@blaze1148]

I save about 70% by drafting the other Club riders 😉

[@andremodesto]

If he uses the breaks a lot in the first round, it makes all the difference.

[@zaldyaguirrejr]

Manon 😍

[@mikewatkins422]

What was the difference in NP (normalized power) ..... surging really drives that up!

[@SweatyBibs]

How well does this translate over to gravel and general off-tarmac riding? Best regards Kasper

[@sybrenkoninckx]

hey guys! can u do de pijl van limburg ? in belgium? the arrow of limburg translated. its a big race here and i wonder how you guys like it.

[@Kkwarior]

You know. I just finished a 20min climb

[@DerJabupa]

Good timing from the video. Just came from a 15km time trial 👌😂

[@gcn]

but did you do it efficiently or not? 💨

[@DerJabupa]

@@gcn Learned from your previous videos 😉

[@userhz-i7u]

Primero de todo pon bien tus medidas de la bici, te va pequeña y vas muy encogido

[@billeterk]

Which ride was more fun though? I think NP would have been interesting to cover. And Variability Index :-)

[@martinmorsch7507]

So something I do, where Im unsure if its smart or not, is that I try not to accelerate on the decents to much, but eather towards the end of the climb. My idea is that I dont want to waste energy which im aure to lose on drag. So I try not to spike my speed because then wind steals it all. Dont know if that’s necessarily smart haha

[@fiddleronthebike]

even at the second run he looks like a parachute😎 - I bet in a real aerodynamic position (upper body and forearms parallele to the ground, narrow arms, hands narrow on the flat part of the handlebar) he would have saved another 30-40 W

[@bulsh]

I dont think you did it right on the second run because the faster the rider is going higher is the wind resistance exponentialy ( cda = Speed*Speed*Surface*Cx) so you should you push harder on climb and save on descent ? ( sorry for my crap english iam still learning )

[@harpoon2445]

Next to the same average speed they should have also done the same usage of brakes. Looked like for the inefficiënt ride he was overly slowing down for every corner and then sprinting to above 30. Seems to me that is where most of the power difference comes from.

[@peterliljebladh]

So braking away the speed you've built up is inefficient. Who would have known. 🤯

[@GeorgeMosomi]

Everyone who wants Manon back, hit the like button ->

[@alishahbazian7906]

that was roughly around 21 percent difference but still significant though.

[@tomorrow3582]

Riding all over the road in an upright position and randomly sprinting has proven to be less inefficient than cycling methodically and aero? Well i'll be damned!

[@jackass6257]

Upright bikes are so fun until you have a headwind. My neck can’t handle my road bike tho.

[@lux-wattage]

Personally, it's a psychological thing. For example, when I have bad legs, I find myself getting frustrated and trying to overcompensate. Resulting in stupid, energy consuming efforts and riding less efficient.

[@davidmckee4650]

What about ENERGY? How many KJ for first ride vs how many KJ for second ride? Also for that huge a difference in avg power, is the avg power reading eliminating zeros; i.e., coasting?

[@Deep_stew]

Energy is linear to watts, so the same proportional difference as the wattages

[@bpfastfeet25]

Bet it's an even bigger difference if you look at NP...

[@larrylem3582]

9:47, Manon is a math whiz

[@faith_yar]

I miss Manon!

[@MatthewMabborang]

Manon! 😭😭😭💔💔💔 The changing pace also syncs the changing music 🤭🤭🤭 but yes, over and under pacing the speed really affects the rhythm (breathing, pedaling and positioning) especially if you’re up for speed and being aerodynamic. Thanks Conor for this! Also, we miss you Manon! 🥺🥺🥺

[@johndoiron9615]

Manon's ghost!

[@mecoollearoyd]

Connor looks at least as aero' on the hoods as in the drops.

[@dipdip7250]

How to be more efficient on a bike? Buying a more expensive bike is always the answer.

[@gcn]

I mean, technically yes, but that’s not the point of the video 🤦‍♂