Why Francis Really Quit Bike Racing, Helmet Laws, GCN Messed Up - The Wild Ones Podcast Ep.2

[@stormpetrol]

I can also say anecdotally that I experience significantly more hostility from motorists when wearing lycra clothes as opposed to plain clothes or mtb specific gear

[@Brainreaver79]

yeah, i am more of relaxed rider,.. i wouldnt call myself a cyclist, or a mountainbiker.. but to be completely honest... 90% of all riders are all following the rules and no one can complain... from the rest 10%, 8% are cyclists in lycra that behave as if the pathway they are using road/cycling lane/shared pedestrian pathway... is owned by them without regards of the consequences if they were to crash... and yeah i know most are ok,.. but its like with taxis... you dont remember the one driving you home (because thats normal) you remember the one that drove you around the block 4 times before he braucht you home. (and no i am not a motorist..i dont own a car/motorbike)

[@DaveCM]

One think I have noticed is when I wear my USMC kit, I get a lot more distance and less hostility from motorists.

[@askmeaboutmattweiner]

It's like car drivers are abusive partners: "How DARE you wear protective gear around me? I'm a competent driver and if I hit you its because you DESERVE it. Leave your most vulnerable bits on display like a belly up dog to show that I am DOMINANT!"

[@jonburnell532]

A worrying analogy that is closer to the truth than we may like.

[@jenne1corn581]

Listened to this episode yesterday and felt for you and everyone who was close to someone who died in a bike race. And today Gino Mäder. Stay safe everyone. Mentally and physically.

[@angusowens1189]

Was thinking the same. So tragic only 26 not age at all

[@Mclovinthedank]

Imagine if wearing a seatbelt in a car made other drivers see how close they can get to hitting your car...

[@ynotnilknarf39]

Well actually It does! Risk homeostasis/risk compensation occurs. The more people feel protected, the greater the risk they take We know from the Isles report that was hidden from parliament BITD, that when the front seatbelt laws were brought in, more people died, more vulnerable people particularly. This started the downward slope forcing people on bikes off the road because it was becoming MORE dangerous due to drivers driving more recklessly. We know from studies in multiple sports that complsary headgear equals worse safety outcomes That includes boxing, skiing, cycling, Ice hockey, cricket and comparing American football to rugby, the former is one of the big elephants in the room regards headgear as so called PPE. Wearing headgear in the workplace also works for worse outcomes as a % of the working population, this started when RIDDOR was being pushed and hardhats and hi-vis were been handed out like sweets. As someone with 30 years in the industry, I feel I have a better take on it than mere anecdote and 'feeling', also I and others have exposed the fear based and deliberate manipulation of data b tpes like Jake Olivier who is sponsored b the australian state to conjur up all sprts of nonsense findings using bent data sets. He even contradicts his own set of rules when doing meta analysis on cycle helmet research (some of it is so bent as to be dangerous) so he can find the results his paymasters want. And the Australian gov want to maintain the status quo because of the way the have attacked people on bikes and cycling as a whole.

[@Gabrielle4870]

The others are also in a car.

[@discbrakefan]

Tiagra is wildly underrated too. The 10 speed version with hydraulic brakes is great and shifts perfectly and reliably. I think it is a great value mechanical groupset and should be looked at more for beginners and budget builds. I have that on my (cheap) gravel bike and Rival eTap on my road bike. Happy days!

[@GCPerformance18]

Shoutout to you and jimmy, great show guys!

[@mrwezbo]

Hye Grant, big fan of the channel, please keep making camoeos on these types of vids. Love it.

[@sherifusama5762]

Everyone is free to choose whether they’d wear a helmet or not. I personally would prefer wearing one - even with almost a decade of experience riding, I’m still human and I’m not invincible. A couple of weeks, I wanted to challenge my ego by trying to ride no handed to the train station through one of my local parks. I ended up hitting pothole, lost my balance and landed on my headed with no helmet on. I personally felt absolute regretful not wearing one and was genuinely grateful that the impact was on grass and not tarmac. In the end, no matter what’s perceived about us, helmets have a place in my heart for protecting my head throughout the years and I’ll continue to wear them regardless. Thanks for the podcast you two.

[@trek520rider2]

One beautiful sunny spring morning I hit black ice in a patch of shade and went down like a ton of bricks and banged my helmeted head so hard it gave me a headache. I immediately replaced the helmet, easier than replacing your brain. Don't kid yourself it's instant: maybe Tom Pidcock could have got a foot down but not us mortals.

[@markrskinner]

Absolutely nailed the helmet debate, Francis. And looks like Si Richardson and a few others are now thinking the same. Just a shame that there's still many out there who think helmets stop drivers from killing.

[@debrarose8079]

Wanted to let you know that when I was mountain biking with my son I crashed badly over the handle bars,cut my ear in half from the helmet strap and also sustained basal skull concussion with helmet on. I still feel safer with a helmet when cycling

[@brettmeikle]

I'm six years into a second stint (!) living in Australia, where helmets are mandated of course. Fines for non compliance can be absurdly large and the impact on rider numbers has apparently never recovered to pre-law introduction levels (edit: as Francis states). There's also a horrible level of sociopathy levelled towards cyclists here, that old 'othering' thing likely abetted by helmets, ironically. And yet, whilst on a week long tour of southern Tasmania (where I live) I wore a sunhat in preference to a lid, and on my commute on a separated cycle path through Hobart I also don't wear one. Always on the MTB though, because it's about me, not the nanny state.

[@benfurfie1715]

I grew up in Australia (born 85) so when it was brought in NSW in 91, I was 6. I went from having lots friends cycling, to almost none. The idea that mandatory helmet laws protect cyclists is laughable. All the evidence shows that if you want to improve cyclists' safety, you do it by getting more people cycling. This has the complete opposite effect. It's now viewed by all of my friends over there as something that if you do it, and very few do, it's only on recreational trails. The idea of utility cycling (going the shops, school, commuting etc) is completely alien to most of them.

[@SoJahSeh91]

@@benfurfie1715 I'm sorry, I know that you're entitled to your opinion but the whole "I'm not going to wear a helmet because the government tells me to" is absolutely childish. Especially at that level. It's the same as "I won't wear a seatbelt because the government tells me to" bs. Will it help with concussion? No. Will it help not crack your damn head open? Yes. I used to not wear helmets for cycling or snowboarding, not out of principle, but out of laziness. Got into a crash on the mountain and had a skier zoom past my head centimetres away. Literal centimetres. Any closer and I probably would not be here writing this stupid diatribe. And you can bet your ass that I've been wearing a helmet ever since and have gotten into similar accidents where the helmet got fucked but I didn't. So no, helmet mandates didn't make people stop cycling...being absolute children did.

[@ynotnilknarf39]

@@benfurfie1715 When they brought the plastic hat rules in, there had been a reduction in cycling injuries/deaths year on year already. There were campaigns to focus on speeding/bad driving. Post 1990 that all stopped as the focus for plod was to attack the criminals on bikes not wearing hats that cannot protect you from anything more than some bruising. teenage girls in one state stopped cycling by circa 90% overnight, thus losing a whole generation of kids from wanting to cycle to get to places, to simply just getting a car as a default. Those that remained were harassed not just by plod, but by the significant majority driving motors. i've been researching this for over 20 years from here in the UK and have been in Health and safety for over 30. PPE as a whole doesn't work for better outcomes, not seatbelts, not hard hats, not hi-vis, just like face muzzles, it's a fear based con to control the plebs!

[@Gabrielle4870]

​@ynotnilknarf39 and all control measures during the "pandemic", but anyway .. Australia is another country where parents chauffeur kids to school.

[@ynotnilknarf39]

@@Gabrielle4870 True, and it's not much different here, local authorities close down primary/infant schools such that ounger ones can't walk so mum (mostly) does the school run of 800metres as the little ones just can't manage ffs! As a child of the 70s in the North of England, we'd walk to school on our own by about 7, at 9 we'd be walking the 1.5 miles just to get to a park. We had no plaing fields in the Victorian build residential area ( old back to back 2 up 2 down houses with concreted back yards, coal bunker and outside loo) Kids today are cossetted as fuck and so called H&S is damaging them quite literally!

[@logojones96]

Yea helmet laws don’t help(I wear one). What helps is more people on bikes, and imo better infrastructure and changes to auto laws. Cars and dickheads are the problem, not wether people wear helmets or not.

[@Andy_Lewis]

Cheers Guys. With the help of the fundraising part of the Hospital the Lister Neonatal Unit Family group raised £360k for the family room extension (it was in dire need of a refresh and extension). Now we're focusing on the 4 bedrooms on the unit with a forecast cost of £15k per room to completely refurb and refurnish each one.

[@StephHall95]

Amazing work 👏👏👏 hope all your small people are doing well ❤

[@benfurfie1715]

100% agree Francis regarding helmets. If I'm out on my road bike, I'll wear one. I'm typically pushing 30kph+, and it's that sort of cycling I'm more likely to be injured doing (as my collarbone will attest to). However, if I'm out and about on my Urban Arrow Family cargo bike - doing the weekly shop, or taking our dog to the vets - then I'm in my normal clothes, and no helmet. If a driver can't see a 3 meter long, 1 meter wide cargo bike with a massive box on the front, and bright lights travelling at 20kph, then it isn't going to be head injuries I'll be suffering from; it'll be leg and abdominal crush injuries, which a helmet does nothing to protect me from. We need to get more people out of their cars and onto bikes. Helmets are a massive barrier to that. It's another reason I don't wear one when on the cargo bike; it's about leading by example and showing people it is possible to do it, and it's not dangerous (the only danger is from cars).

[@Jimmidoesstuff]

Cars give me WAY more space when on the Cargo bike. Even in lycra.

[@benfurfie1715]

@@Jimmidoesstuff Oh 100%. Especially something the size of the UA Family. Mainly because it looks like it will f*** up their car (and I've seen pictures where they have). Sad it comes down to you only getting that common decency because they're scared of scratching their car.

[@nextgenerationhippy]

From a health professional, thank you for the "trigger" warning on sensitive material. Keep up the good work, thanks. Nick

[@KekusMagnus]

I can't say i'm behind the 1x hypetrain. 2x drivertains can have very close gearing on the casettes and still get a wide range overall, so you can keep a near-constant cadence at a set power level very reliably, which helps a lot when training. Sure, the added complexity and negligeable aero/weigh are a downside, but the better chain-line also has to be kept in mind. Overall I think the ability to keep a steady cadence at all times alone makes 2x the way to go

[@dazzawest]

Love a Friends reference, looked like it went straight over Jimmi's head though. The issue I had with the gcn video was it was an opportunity to demonstrate the way and where to shop for second hand bikes parts. It was just 'I bought this, found this and recycled that'.

[@SnappyWasHere]

Why are cyclists so upset about the 1x thing? Can’t we as adults ride whatever we want? I don’t attack people who ride 3x. Seems so weird to be upset over it.

[@Idyll_Insomniac]

Love the laid back natures of these. Great to see Francis constantly smiling/laughing

[@tbp0701]

A few years ago, I tried a Keto diet for four months and was miserable. Lethargy, sweats, depression, chest pains. Switched to a Mediterranean-style diet and nearly everything improved. Felt physically and emotionally better, lost a lot of weight, had enough energy to start biking again (as well as hiking and running), and doctor visits/blood tests have been excellent. I've been in the market for a gravel bike, was planning on 2x as my MTB is 1x, but now I'm tempted be a 1x with an electronic groupset. Or maybe just go with a Tiagra and use the money saved on riding trips. I do use a helmet, though, but avoid roads shared with motor vehicles as much as possible, as I've lost a couple friends and was once attacked while riding.

[@10flyingdutchman]

Nailed it with the SRAM comment. Even Apex allows 11-42 with a standard rear mech and easy to swap the front chainring for something larger or smaller depending on where you live/ride.

[@jimgriffin7367]

I didn't realize Francis and Alex raced together, love a throwback.

[@cneubert28]

I also don't wear a helmet around town. anything longer I'm wearing a helmet. I do push back against helmet laws since it becomes another barrier for people to get into biking. Especially when it comes to making biking a financially better way for commuting.

[@daredemontriple6]

Definitely make the rate-my-ride a video series on the channel. As much as I enjoy the charisma of the friendly faces on this channel, I'm much more interested in what other people's bikes look like and their stories than I am about how much their bike weighs. Maybe it's worth separating the rating out into 2 or 3 distinct categories instead of just one 'out-of-ten' rating - one score for looks/aesthetic, one score for components and kit?

[@neilk22]

Keegan Swenson rode through that mud without jumping off. Equipment selection is as important as riding skill and fitness. It was obvious that mud clearance would be essential, and keegan prepared for it 👏

[@discbrakefan]

The first group had it a bit easier than before the masses came through and the mud churned up, but your point is spot on. To finish first, first you must finish! And second your equipment must be adequate!

[@neilk22]

Also worth noting that Keegan ran with a chainguide which probably helped remove the peanut butter saving his rear derailleur from failing that caused a number of riders to drop out.

[@ayalagrace]

“An obscene amount of stuff accumulated” Might be worth donating it to Cycling Minds to help fund their charitable work in Hexham. Great podcast lads

[@crazyeyes7821]

a 46x11 will spin out around 32mph or so. I have a 46x10 as my top end and usually around 35mph I start needing to either aero tuck or put down >500 watts to engage the gears.

[@Snicker60515]

I like the idea of putting a 1x on my bike, but I'm still not in the kind of shape where I can get away with it all the time. That little 33t I have on my Rival group helps immensely on those killer climbs and the 46t big ring let's me go fast when I have the tailwind.

[@emmabird9745]

I've never worn a helmet (in 50 odd years). I do have one piece of protective gear, and that's a "lollipop" flag abd it does help in keeping the skin on my elbows! I ride Ossymetric and I don't care whether it gives me power or not, I find then easier than round rings. No trouble with the shifting, in fact they shift a bit easier than round rings!

[@iMadrid11]

Testing the LTWOO groupset if it could survive Unbound Gravel would have been great video. Because the Chinese groupset maker would never spend the money to torture test their groupset to race Unbound. One of the reasons why Chinese groupsets are cheap is because they leave the long term testing to consumers. They rush product releases to market. Then just fix the design and manufacturing flaws when they are discovered. Companies like Shimano would never release a product unless they are long term tested to be durable. Because they value their reputation more.

[@anthonyoldfield4965]

Interesting chat on 1x drivetrains... I'm currently running a 1x 44t chain ring with a 11-51t cassette on my road bike and agree that you lose a little top-end speed on descents, but have more than enough gears for climbing, which is much more useful where I live.

[@petertreadway]

Wow! Thanks for rating my bike, guys. Was a definite boost to my Zwift session this morning when I heard my name mentioned! 😂 In answer to a few of your queries, the 105 parts cost around £270 (that was for the shifters, front and rear mechs and cassette) and the crank is an aluminium ZRace Hardrock that cost £50. The cable housings are indeed Jagwire compressionless (I forgot these are the only other thing bought in the UK). I would have gone with hydraulic discs but sadly there were no real budget hydro options for drop shifters when I built this around 18 months ago. I’d definitely go for the new L-TWOO setup if I were to do this again though. And yes, the compressionless housing was a NIGHTMARE to route through the Toseek integrated bar and stem! And yeh, £1200 isn’t cheap but buying it piece by piece over a couple of months definitely makes it feel cheaper than spending out all in one go! 😂 Thanks again for the feature though. I’m loving this podcast series and it helps me get through my Zwift workouts, so keep it up. Definitely think you should continue this segment as a separate video too. 👌🏻

[@domestique3954]

You can get cable directed hydraulic disc brakes for about 50€ on alive press so you’re able to keep your 105 stuff and have a good upgrade when it comes to stopping power 🤙

[@petertreadway]

@@domestique3954 Now you mention it, I recall that these are cable actuated hydraulic calipers. They're better than fully mechanical ones but the stopping power is nowhere near as good as hydraulics!

[@steveelkin7787]

The helmet debate has interesting science. Like Francis when I am a cyclist, and wear cycling gear I wear a helmet. When I am someone using a bike to commute (typically through the streets of London) and wear 'nornmal' clothers I don't. I have found that when it is clear I am not wearing a helmet car drivers and the like do give me more space as clearly they realise knocking me off will have a serious effect. The big thing I do for my safety is absolutely obey traffic laws. If a light is red, I stop and wait. I don't abuse it. Car drivers see this and don't get angry that I am being disrepectful. I think this is more important. As Francis says compulsory helmet wearing has had negative effects. In Holland where more poeple 'use bikes' there are less issues. It is all "state of mind"

[@CarbonRider1]

Regarding the Dura Ace crank…I cleaned out my parts bin, which included a 10spd DA Crank I sold for $100 + shipping, and an 11spd DA Crank for $120 + shipping. They were used, had some scratches, and I just wanted to get rid of them, so yes, you can find deals even on DA of you look. (Both with chain rings).

[@nesw360]

Lots of people wearing those mad inflatable helmets in Copenhagen these days - they do seem good, but they are very expensive and also quite heavy for something round your neck/shoulders. Whatever gets people out riding bikes though! Thanks for the pod guys, really enjoying them :)

[@bullitttheone1474]

I‘ve watched the Netflix documentary because of your first episode and pretty much binged it! I actually got me hyped up to start watching the tour live. Love ur podcast, keep it coming

[@Tobias611]

Same, did not expect to get hooked to the Tour de France as I generally don't give a damn about bikeracing. But Netflix definitely did an amazing job!

[@Jimmidoesstuff]

Yep - I AM READY!

[@kellrockets101]

Last years tour was fire. If pogacar can come in healthy from his wrist break, it should be an exciting tour again with him and Vingegaard battling

[@andym1056]

I took the GCN bike build that a lot of people have parts lying around, so Alex basically recycled an old crank and took a token amount out of the budget. I don’t know why people get so upset about these things

[@PuttMeetsHelios]

Two weeks ago at Ironman 2023 in Hamburg (Germany) a press motorbike ran into a rider head to head while overtaking. Unfortunately the cyclist was heavily injured and the motorbiker died on the spot. It was a horrible accident. Race participants had to stop and carry their bikes around the spot where the accident occured. While German TV cancelled their broadcast and the shocked commentators said that the planning of this route in a city with so many construction sites was the perfect example of an unsafe race/route, the official Ironman Stream did a) not show the crash b) did not mention the crash at all during the race c) spoke of a glorious and sunny day in Hamburg (even hours after the crash) d) started deleting comments and disabling youtube chats that mentioned somebody died e) cancelled live interviews after the race f) only mentioned the crash in a five sentence statement after the race sending the usual prayers. It made me realize that the organizers don't care about the safety of people who are involved in this race at all.

[@rob-c.]

As you asked about pronunciation, here is a good approximation of how to pronounce Vingegaards name. Jonas is ‘Yo’ (as in yo-ghurt) and then ‘Nehs’ (as in Bess, but with a h sound in there like we have in ‘bear’) and Vingegaard is ‘Ving’ (and in bing), ‘e’ (standard letter ‘e’) and then ‘gaw’ (which uses the ‘or’ sound we have in gorgeous for the vowel sound). So something like Yo-nehs Ving-e-gorw Roglic is then pronounced Rog (as in bog) and litch (as in hitch) Any Danes welcome to correct me!😅

[@gregorioprincipe6838]

Holy Shit! Anybody notice Francis looks like a cover model than a pro cyclist during his past life as a pro racer. Fun trivia to also know he was team mates with Alex of GCN! Francis now looks like he’s been thru several wars.

[@MW-ud8zp]

The focus on helmets in legislation and in media is very misleading and it turns the conversation away from the real problems that lie at the fundament of cyclist safety. However I myself will always wear a helmet when riding a bike no matter how leisurely I ride. I just feel like the way you fall from a bike is inherently different from the way you fall while walking and that difference is meaningful enough to warrant additional head protection.

[@ynotnilknarf39]

It isn't though, the test parameters of a plastic hat is the same as the forces from tripping over whilst walking, beyond that the plastic hat cannot protect your head any more, so that when it splits/cracks/breaks, it has gone beond its design spec and failed to absorb any more of the impact forces. If ou see how eas it is to snap foam ou'll understand how that differs to compression, and when it's a case of breakage due to extreme forces, there's hardly any of that impact taken by the helmet, it's mostly your brain/skull. Also, you're taking more risks by wearing, on top of which you're more likely to hit your IF you do come off, simply by design of the helmet increasing the size of your head significantly. the overall outcome is worse for helmet wearers, not just in ordinar ccling but pro ccling, but also in all other helmet wearing sports, additionally hard hats (and hi-vis, face muzzles etc) in the workplace equal greater injury/deaths and worse outcomes overall.

[@chris1275cc]

@@ynotnilknarf39 "overall outcome is worse for helmet wearers" Where did you get the stats for that?

[@Shadowboost]

@@ynotnilknarf39 This is the biggest load of nonsense I have EVER read about helmets. You don't understand how they actually are designed

[@chris1275cc]

@@Shadowboost Don't brother mate, further down he says its all part of plot to keep people afraid, or some other BS. Claims to be A health and safety professional too. 🤪🤪

[@ynotnilknarf39]

@@Shadowboost Clearly you don't either! ALL world evidence proves that helmets are a disaster for safety for wearers. ALL sports and activities including in the work place show as having MORE deaths and/or injuries post mandation or increases in wearing through coercion. I've worked in Health and Safety for 30+ years, read thousands of documents and data sets, have ridden over 200,000 miles on the road since I was a kid in varying scenarios incl high density city commuter traffic, loaded touring, high speed descents in mountain ranges. Oh and advanced driver, so I can tell ou that seatbelts, airbags, other driver aids including bigger brakes, wider tres, brighter headlights, ARE ALL detrimental to safety outcomes! I'm not some snot nosed kid you can bullshit with your piss weak talk sonshine!

[@pscoop]

I have 2 pairs of Elitewheels ELT (entry level carbon disc wheels) and they are great. Both were around £270. 2000+ miles later and both are still running true and I love them. Also great service from them, keeping me up to date with build progress, delivery, etc.

[@gingerbruner]

I’m so glad you added Emily officially rather than a disembodied voice, semi heard.

[@dominicbritt]

Great show guys. I wanted to raise the quasi fact that keeps being mentioned when people discuss helmet use. Australia and New Zealand both introduced helmet laws in the 1980s/1990s BECAUSE of horrific injuries caused to cyclists resulting from a huge increase in car traffic. The decrease in cycling in both places was not because of compulsory helmets - it was the dangerous growth in car traffic, no dedicated infrastructure and limited public transport.

[@shimona500]

Mandatory helmet law doesn't make sense, but if you don't have good infrastructure, and it doesn't dissuade you from riding, it makes sense on an individual level (depending on your risk tolerance). I for example have had instances where a minor non-cycling bump caused a concussion which meant I couldn't work for 2 weeks. And that was only mild. Don't want to leave space for brain injuries.

[@JoolsBurke]

Agree on the helmet: 'transport' cycling, I don't wear a helmet, because cycling is safe (relatively, despite how it feels sometimes); 'faster' cycling on a road bike, I wear a helmet, but to a certain extent that is because I don't want lack of a helmet used in defending the driver that finally kills me

[@pierremaggi8661]

At least in the original (French) version, many comments on the Netflix tour de france show is actually directly the commentator from the tv, so it maintains that "live" feel.

[@ploegdbq]

I'm Francis, this is Jimmy, *welcome to JETLAGGED*

[@ToeKneeBee725]

Looking at gear ratios and considering a typical 50/34 crankset with an 11-34 cassette - it is only the lowest 3 or 4 gears that the ratio is easier in the 34T chainring.. Looking at how much I actually use those gears helped me decide the best 1x chainring and cassette..

[@Jamman1793]

Agree with the 1x argument, 46t chainring and a 11-34 cassette. Does everything from Deliveroo riding, Hilly rides up to Consett/Derwent, Road rides with the uni cycking club. Never failed

[@cdeccles]

on my old racer i had 2x and never used half the cassette so i have 1x with a 40t narrow-wide chainring and it works perfectly. i live in a hilly area and not far from the alps so almost never undergeared. makes the bike lighter, simpler and no dropped chains. as Francis says, you only miss the big ring on descents when you want to go fast. not important FOR ME but everyone has different riding needs

[@liamgaul]

Loads of people wear those inflatable airbag helmets in Copenhagen. Especially women, who don't want to mess up their hair with a helmet. I'd say more people wear them than traditional helmets, but that's because almost nobody wears helmets because the infrastructure is amazing and it's safe because there's no driver in Copenhagen that doesn't also cycle. They are hella expensive though

[@MP-th4nx]

Followed Francis on You tube for a while, but this is the first Podcast I've watched. Great ... really enjoyed it.

[@j.c.7780]

Bizarre hearing that Francis used to be in a team sponsored by "Pedal Heaven" - assuming it really is the place in Fleet - that's where I picked up my first ever bike in 2021 after I started watching Francis' videos during that fuel crisis.

[@Cade_Media]

The very same!

[@warrenhowlett5014]

We do have mud like that in uk…..the hill at the back of my house. In correct conditions wheels stop turning after about 10 seconds!

[@EGMyths]

In my country it is mandatory to wear a helm until 16 years old, after it is up to you. I just recently started using a bike and only used the helm with my kids so they can see me and wear it themself since they do tend to fall and crush most of the time. But a few days ago I went for a ride after raining and fall with my bike cuz of the wet surface and realize the importance of a helm and decided I will always use one.

[@Fixingeverthingwithaengine567]

Ya I watched the bike build with Alex. It is a honest mistake. I have a lot of bikes and bike parts myself for years of commuting and trail riding solo for years. Some parts stay as extra/just in case and never get used. I build all of my own bikes. Turning a 1500 dollar bike to a 5000 dollar bike is easily achievable with on now what to buy for what you are riding. Different terrain equals different setup. Love it that you guys went to a podcast. Awesome I would love to go riding in the UK one of these years.

[@KekusMagnus]

Yeah, and like they said, cranksets are one case where the diminishing returns are pretty extreme and a Tiagra crank will preform almost as well asa dura-ace crank, he was just making his lifer easy by reusing parts he had no use for

[@Dustydayzz]

I must say thank you for the time stamps ❤

[@brianmcginley7215]

So.... obviously Decathlon are about to discontinue the RC120 and RC520 and looks like the Van Rysel line too, judging by their website and also....you guys almost spilling the beans on a recent podcast! Looking forward to see the new range of great-value aluminum-frame road bikes from Decathlon.

[@PeterSmithCA]

I've never really gotten into podcasts, maybe a function of my age! But I've really enjoyed your first two, and the channel in general. Looking forward to next one.

[@danthxman]

Over arching problem here regarding racing issues and helmets/dehumanisation is the attitude of motorists towards cyclists driven by mainstream media

[@capncotter1]

Leading source of head trauma is car accidents. Drivers are the ones who ought to wear helmets.

[@hugobosswood9002]

Last time a van came really close I followed it to where he worked and he locked himself in his van. Even though he didn’t actually hit me he was close enough to clip my handlebar hence I confronted the idiot!

[@justsomedude7556]

The commentary portion of the Netflix show is horrible. Outside of that, I have enjoy what I have watched so far. I also wear a helmet for every ride because, we do not have solid bike infrastructure, however more bike lanes are going in, but many car drivers just decide its extra driving space. I know its a crap shoot, but the one time I crashed and hit my head, I did not have a concussion, but I considered that I was just lucky. I've used 1x, but I live in a flat area, so it works well here. And comically, right after you discussed ultra marathon, I got a you tube add on running shoes

[@jimbrooks9470]

I understand the findings, vis a vis driver perception, but I wear a helmet on every ride. Almost a year ago, I had a crash after having my front wheel catching on a gap in a railroad track. I was doing a little over 20mph when my left side (including my head) slammed into the concrete surface. The impact was bad enough that my left collarbone was broken into 4 sharp pieces, and I had a crack in my hipbone. Given the force of the impact, I'm confident in saying that had I not had the helmet on (and it was a good one - Specialized Evade 2), I would have suffered brain damage or death. So...even accepting the results of the research, I still consider wearing protective head gear a greater benefit than liability.

[@ElrocStone]

I use a gravel bar on my road bike because my shoulder is munted (its been dislocated a few times and the socket is not good) and my arm goes numb with a normal bar.

[@VikingEngr]

I have a set of unbranded chinese carbon wheels, this is very anecdotal but I've been using them for over 10,000 km now and they've been flawless. I've even had a 60kph crash with them about 3000 km ago and they're still going strong. Two small chips on the rear wheel from the crash and that's it. The only thing I can really fault them for is that braking is not great (they're rim brake). The braking surface is fine and hasn't worn away much at all but they just don't bite very well. I refuse to use them on rides with long descents for that reason. The weight might also be an issue for some people, they're 38mm deep and weigh around 1500 grams, only 300 grams lighter than my alloy rims, so quite hefty I think for the depth. I wouldn't recommend them for anything serious but they're really not bad at all. I would suggest them to anyone who just wants the look of carbon wheels, especially if you have disc brakes, or maybe as training wheels.

[@Anna-iv5gg]

Do you know the model? I wouldn't mind trying a pair myself!

[@zakcollins987]

On the helmet topic, my last crash was on a recovery ride, I was on a path around the lake, flat, going about 25-30kph. A stick jammed my wheel and I went otb. This is the sort of ride where you might consider not wearing a helmet. From my crash I needed stitches in my eyebrow and broke my helmet. I will never ride without a helmet.

[@Sierramike524]

I had a look at the listing of the eRX, looks like the "no battery" thing is just the 2 AA battery inside the battery housing tube, just need to buy some lithium AA batteries. That's pretty good, they sorta made the battery unit more repairable.

[@mikekelly2324]

I got smashed by a car doing 40 miles an hour, i survived, my bike frame got snapped in half and my rear wheel rim ended in 4 pieces, it was a big impact. The police took the helmet to show kids that is worth wearing a helmet. I get what your saying, if your in a suit of armour then other road users see you has being less at risk so will push that risk, but having had my incident would never condone a serious cyclists not wearing a helmet

[@seant6102]

I think it would be great if you guys did a price build series would be good to see how you would do it.

[@sergeb1207]

I wore a helmet for a 3 mile pop to a shop and was in a crash involving a car on the way back. I was fine physically except for minor scratches but the bike was written off. The fact of me wearing a helmet was quite key to me being able to claim successfully on the driver’s insurance. According to my claims adjuster cycling without a helmet can be argued to be evidence of reckless riding by insurance companies. I have my doubts as my case was quite clear (driver turning left into a bus lane without indicating or giving priority to traffic going straight) but I would not consider cycling without a helmet even for short distances

[@stevennorth6484]

Regarding the pros using 1x, Primoz Logic's chain came off on the mountain tt stage.

[@GNerdful]

I live in China and although there are some dangerous drivers, the biggest danger actually is all the electric scooter/e-bike riders. Each city has it's own laws regarding them but where I live, you don't need a license or anything so they just zoom around disregarding everything and everyone. They ride on the pavement, the rode and the bike lane and a lot of the time they're going the wrong way so you need to swerve around them into the traffic lane.

[@RazvanBuescu]

Hi guys, As always, love your podcasts and videos and you're doing great! Just a side note on the descent speed when you're with a 46 tooth and an 11 speed cassette to hit 45mph... that's far from real, I have over 100 cadence with 53/39 and 11 speed sprocket and do 65-68km/h With a 52/36 I have to up the cadence to around 115 in an aero position. To go to 50/34 would be impossible let alone anything less...

[@kautzz]

the article about the women's safety demands, is outrageous. the helmet you were mentioning is essentially an airbag. airbags work with explosives. strapping explosives around my neck does not make me feel particularly safe 😅 spain is a nice country to ride in. tons of cyclists everywhere. car drivers are used to them and very careful.

[@Philatlondon1]

The riding standards in the amateur races have fallen so far over the years. Commissaires used to regularly DQ riders for crossing the white lines and it really helped. By the time I stopped racing, they'd pretty much given up on their responsibilities.

[@jhoff80]

As a cyclist who doesn't follow racing at all, I wish Netflix explained a little more in the early episodes. I was Googling a bunch of small details that they could have just talked about once and gotten rid of the confusion.

[@Jimmidoesstuff]

Hey Joe - don't suppose you mind sharing what a couple of those details were? Quite curious. Thanks, pal

[@jhoff80]

​@@Jimmidoesstuff I fully admit that a lot of what I didn't know is stuff most here would probably think is basic, but one thing I distinctly had to look up was the rules behind the pushing the rider after a crash. I was also surprised a little by the drafting of cars when they were trying to catch up to the peloton. I think they mentioned something about it, but I had to look up the "general classification" phrasing to make sure that meant the overall leader as opposed to the stage winner. I also would have benefitted from a short discussion on how team dynamics work. Like they say quite a few times early on that van Aert's job is really only to help his teammates, but they don't say how. I can assume being a cyclist that is related to letting them conserve energy by drafting until the mountains, but if I have to guess that as a cyclist, a random person browsing Netflix might even have less of an understanding. All of that being said, I've been enjoying it (5 episodes in) even as someone who doesn't care about racing at all. Edit: Also, still no damn clue what the green jersey means.

[@paulsymons562]

Tried a couple of sets of flared bars, not for me. Didn't like the way the levers were tilted so your hands rested on an edge rather than the flat bit at the top that is designed for it.

[@JakeMartin-qi1by]

Those two races were the worst days of my life. Awful scenes. Big hug ❤

[@pscoop]

Shimano has e-tube phone apps (if you have the bluetooth adapter in your system) so you can do firmware updates without having to plugin. I have no idea why Shimano haven't created BT enabled junction boxes so it is just a standard feature not an optional extra - I think it's built into di2 12 speed groupsets.

[@Tobias611]

Woo finally! Time to binge. Been waiting for the new episode.

[@jackriley1989]

RE losing bikes in travel: apple airtag. Even if you don't have an iPhone just hook it up with a close friend's. It saved me once when I got diverted through Heathrow and they were confident my bike box was at the gate (it wasn't 😂)

[@medina1440]

I never watched pro cycling before, and have been really enjoying Unchained, it does a good job building the stakes between teams and riders, exploring group dynamics, and how the strategy of pro cycling for Tour de France works.

[@alexclark9514]

I was out one week ago and car pulled out on a roundabout knocking my off my bike. I was lucky I had a helmet on as cracked at the back of. Helmet was a MET with MIPS. Helmet is only 10 months old. I enjoy watching the video

[@glennoc8585]

I've got a met with MIPS that's great news that, it obviously did its job.

[@alexclark9514]

@glennoc8585 thanks. I've ordered my new MET RIVALE MIPS Helmet yesterday

[@patrickford9615]

I just don't ride on the road outside residential neighborhoods. I have access to a walking/biking path network just outside the neighborhood and I love it. Also, I usually only ride that if I can't make it to the mtb trail for any reason.

[@danthxman]

I feel like I need to speak to these people that see a cyclist as less of a human because they’re wearing a helmet. When you actually think about that, how mad is it

[@beermonster1234]

I've been riding elitewheels carbon wheels from aliexpress for 15 months now including through winter, no issues at all. Think they were roughly 300-350. Looking forward to your video! p.s. loving the podcast!

[@hannahl610]

The correct punishment for a mistake while cycling should not be death or serious injury. Anyone creating that situation - race organisers or road designers or whoever - should be liable for manslaughter.

[@2wheelsrbest327]

Well don't know how I missed the first episode but given this one I have got another hour of great viewing ahead. Helmets Being an old boy I can remember riding my motorbike legally without having to wear one so it took me some time to wear one riding a bicycle. Particularly as I had an accident on my motorbike with my mate on the back and I wearing a helmet had to have stitches in my head but my mate helmetless was ok. Wear a cycle helmet now but often wonder why given how slow I ride. As for new technology I love it but sort of agree with Durianrider that given having limited funds I'll stick with mechanical & rim brakes. That said everyone I have spoken to that has electronic gearing wouldn't go back to mechanical. GCN Bike build yes I thought it was a bit naughty of them but I do think that as a company they've lost an understanding of how many of its viewers don't have unlimited funds to feed their cycling habit. Just it was a shame Alex got all the flack because he seems to me to be one of the presenters that knows about the real world.

[@RicardoRocha-lg1xo]

In my neck of the woods (jungle?) I haven’t heard of any cases of deaths in racing scenarios, thankfully. In recreational scenarios there’s been many, though. Usually early on Sunday mornings. That being said, the kind of injuries I witnessed first hand in amateur racers pushed me to quit. It’s just not worth it when you got a job to go to the next day and other racers don’t seem to care about their own well being (and definitely not for others’)

[@mikekelly1771]

Question - Who would win a tag-team wrestling match. Chris Miller podcast VS Cade Media podcast?

[@trevorn902]

Get an AirTag for your bike box. It will be “lost” but you will know exactly where it is. Reset the tag and use it for other things between trips.

[@alexanderh2715]

I am always aggressive towards cars and I can deal with aggression. Have slapped more mirrors and roofs than I can count. I always wear a helmet and a safety vest at night. Fortunately after moving to another city in Germany I noticed the people here are way more friendly and I hardly get overtaken with too little space. Apparently cycling is seen as something legit to get from a to b. Ebikes help a lot too. Many people are now able to get up climbs and use the bike so they see first hand what it feels like being the most vulnerable in traffic.

[@MegaRobboz]

Oval chainrings helped me with a more smooth pedalstroke above 95rpm. Why? couldn't tell you but it just does. Also solved a deadspot, maybe more training focused on pedaling could've sorted that out but I've ridden bikes for almost 6 years now so...

[@JakeMay]

Completely agree on the English dubbing on the TdF doc. Occasionally the levels were off and it was hard to hear the dub over the french base. And also the English pefformances just weren't very good! Enjoyed the doc overall though

[@senasplage]

What ! The TdF doc is in French ? Oh joy !

[@martinhudobivnik5895]

I don't like flared dropbars on my gravel bike either, except when bikepacking. So I'll take that compromise.

[@KoeiNL]

I'm Dutch and here's it's not mandatory to wear a helmet when cycling. Cyclist deaths per km in the Netherlands are the lowest in the world. A helmet should be worn when going fast, but for everyday commuting at lower speeds it really isn't necessary if the infrastructure is good enough. At least that's my point of view from the perspective of riding my bike daily but not considering myself a cyclist ( I don't ride it for sports).

[@julesh4924]

Great show guys. Loved it

[@andrewfish1001]

Interesting chat about hostility from motorists changing depending on how you're dressed and if you wear a helmet. This also applies to dog walkers, joggers and other pedestrians - especially on the C2C (around where you film at Beamish). Defiantly get more abuse and refusal to move out of the middle of the cycle path if you're in full kit. Mind, even had someone refuse to move over slightly for my 8 year old daughter who rang her bell. I think he was just generally a knob though Great channel - sure I'll see you out around The Black Horse / Beamish one day, filming

[@slowcyclist4324]

Roadies complaining about the mud being sticky and clogging up the drive train. Meanwhile mtb riders have been dealing with conditions where the mud is so soft and sticky that you literally can’t even walk up the path, and can only go up by forming a human chain to pull/push each other up.