What are your unpopular cycling opinions?

[patrickhill]

@GoLongThenGoHome

@patrickhill

Z2 fanatics just don’t want to ride hard and they’ve developed the Z2 religion as justification.

Ride hard fanatics who avoid Z2 cause it’s boring; stagnate within a year or two and don’t want to admit it to themselves

This is definitely also true.

[IvyAudrain]

@mailman

@IvyAudrain this is all your fault. You unleashed the beast #hottakes

[OreoCookie]

[WindWarrior]

@oldandfast

Perhaps not that unpopular.

1. Bikes size 56 and up are ugly AF.
2. It’s mostly about W/kg
3. Thin arms, flat chest and narrow shoulders are terrible epidemic.
4. Guys with bellies give the sport a bad reputation.
5. Despise e-Bikes

Why stop there, throw in race and gender for the body shaming trifecta! Sinner.

[tshortt]

Steel is not real.

[dadwatts]

Cargo bikes are the pinnacle of bicycle evolution, just as Minivans represent automotive perfection.

[FergusYL]

Having just built up my more or less dream gravel bike, the only bike I truly lust after is a cargo e-bike.

[mtbjones]

Username checks out

[alex3627]

I agree - unpopular opinions are one thing, but bringing bodies into it is too far

[cendres]

@OreoCookie

PS The only thing that is stupid about clipless pedals (in English anyway) is the name: you clip into clipless pedals?!?! Wot? (Last time I lived in Germany, they were called click pedals because they make a click sound when you clip in.)

Seems non-sensical now but made perfect sense in the mid-80s when they replaced pedals with toe clips and straps. My first pair of cycling shoes had cleats NAILED to the soles. Anyone else remember Detto Pietro?

Edit: Captain Literal here now sees this has been well covered. But my cleats really were nailed to my Dettos.

[wake]

Unpopular opinion:

FTP doesn’t matter. At all.

[wake]

Drop bar bikes must run 2x drivetrains.

Drop bar bikes must never use suspension forks.

Ti for gravel, carbon for XCFS, aluminum for enduro, steel for folding bikes.

[unmountain_biker]

@oldandfast

Guys with bellies give the sport a bad reputation.

Time to reevaluate some things, bud.

[OreoCookie]

@unmountain_biker

Time to reevaluate some things, bud.

Why, I think he is spot on: The title of the thread is “What are your unpopular cycling opinions?”, and I think this is a perfect example of an unpopular opinion.

(Just in case, calibrate your sarcasm meter before reading.)

[oldandfast]

@WindWarrior

Why stop there, throw in race and gender for the body shaming trifecta! Sinner.

@alex3627

I agree - unpopular opinions are one thing, but bringing bodies into it is too far

@unmountain_biker

Time to reevaluate some things, bud.

I thought we were given a bit of leeway in this thread. Thanks Mr. @OreoCookie for bringing it up.

On the issue at hand, my very unpopular opinion stems from several comments made by non cyclists, which out of ignorance, interpret the fact that if less svelte ppl ride bikes, cycling is not that hard…I know, idiotic, but it is a fact.

I actually don’t care at all what ppl look like. While at the same time I work very hard at keeping my old carcass in as good of shape as possible, inside and out.

Perhaps cycling IS a more inclusive sport for people that is out of shape, say relative to something like running, and that’s probably a good thing. I live in an area where a few octogenarians still race and everybody is fit, perhaps I’m losing perspective

End of ramble.

[OreoCookie]

@oldandfast

I thought we were given a bit of leeway in this thread. Thanks Mr. @OreoCookie for bringing it up.

On the issue at hand, my very unpopular opinion stems from several comments made by non cyclists, which out of ignorance, interpret the fact that if less svelte ppl ride bikes, cycling is not that hard…I know, idiotic, but it is a fact.

I actually don’t care at all what ppl look like. While at the same time I work very hard at keeping my old carcass in as good of shape as possible, inside and out.

There is a lot of ignorance out there, but I don’t think hitting into the same groove, i. e. reinforcing existing misconceptions, is the way to go. I love that the sport I love connects people.

Cycling is a great sport, because it is a one of the better sports for people who are overweight (apart from swimming). Unlike e. g. running, you don’t ruin your joints. And with proper gearing and/or electric assistance, you can make cycling fun for a lot of people. The other thing is that lycra has this magical ability to make almost everyone look fat. In our team one guy is quite overweight and he keeps on apologizing, and I just want to (as kindly as possible) tell him there is no need, just enjoy the ride

[oldandfast]

@OreoCookie

or electric assistance

Wow wow. Here I draw the line. Spectacular vistas and challenging climbs are being polluted with e-bikes everywhere. It’s a nightmare.

If you aren’t fit enough to make it there you don’t deserve the peace, the smell, the vistas. Stay away!

[DaveWh]

MTBers roll their eyes when roadies talk about a technical descent.

[oldandfast]

MTB’ers pee a bit when trying to go down at 80km/h, with cars.

[OreoCookie]

@oldandfast

Wow wow. Here I draw the line. Spectacular vistas and challenging climbs are being polluted with e-bikes everywhere. It’s a nightmare.

If you aren’t fit enough to make it there you don’t deserve the peace, the smell, the vistas. Stay away!

Huh? Why do you care how people get up climbs?

Now I don’t plan on getting an ebike for sports anytime soon, but just imagine what it can do for you if you are very fit and you are riding with people who aren’t as fit as you are. ebikes make cycling more approachable for everyone, and anything that makes more people choose bikes as their mode of transportation and fun is a good thing in my book.