Every single bike brand will tell you that more women on bikes is an important goal. Then many of those same brands will offer smaller bikes with build kits, specifically handlebars, that aren鈥檛 appropriate for smaller riders. The practice is even more common in the world of gravel cycling.

The details that set the stage

That鈥檚 the gist of the article but before we get rolling, I need to go a little deeper. That first paragraph rests on a number of assumptions and needs some explanation.

The first thing I want to address is how this intersects with women and cycling. I鈥檓 obviously not a woman and it鈥檚 not my place to say what women need. How this issue affects women is only half the point though.

The truth is I entered this conversation with my own needs centered聽 because the things that affect us personally tend to catch our attention. I ride a size 54, or medium, and over the years I鈥檝e covered a number of gravel bikes with handlebars that aren鈥檛 right for me.

In the past I might have requested the correct size or simply dealt with it. It鈥檚 no big deal when a bar costs under $50 and takes maybe 30 minutes to swap including new tape. Now bikes are getting more integrated and things are getting more complicated.

When I reviewed the and the recently, I made a point to call out the sizing issues. As a refresher, Pivot makes things extra confusing by using odd names for the frame sizes. Despite that bike being a small, I tested both of those bikes in essentially the same size and what would typically be called either a medium or a 54. In that size, Pivot uses a 42cm bar while Mondraker specs a size 44cm. There鈥檚 also the Revel Rover that uses a 44, the Trek Checkpoint with a 42, the Salsa Warbird with a 42鈥� I鈥檓 sure I could go on.

As I wrote up those reviews, I asked the brands about the chosen sizes. The answer was, and is almost always, that it鈥檚 an adventure bike and the wide bar is there for stability.

Personally, the whole thing didn鈥檛 feel right to me. I know my shoulders measure 38 cm and if I ride wider bars my shoulders ache as the hours start to drag on. It never seemed to make sense that something was supposed to change on an adventure focused bike.

Let鈥檚 swing that back to women though. At 5鈥� 9鈥� I happen to be exactly average height for US men. Average height for US women is only 5鈥� 3.5鈥� and the situation for bar size vs frame size doesn鈥檛 get better as you go to smaller sizes. That means women are going to feel this inappropriate match up more often than men.

Maybe I鈥檓 totally wrong though? There鈥檚 certain reviewers that spend time calling for larger bars on every bike. I wonder though, are they mostly men riding larger bikes? With all this swirling in my head, I went searching for an expert.

Missy Schwab is an elite cyclist and fit expert

I knew that I didn鈥檛 want to sit and discuss what women need with another man. I also knew I wanted someone who was an experienced bike fitter and an elite level cyclist. The woman I found was Missy Schwab.

Schwab is a 鈥�6x national champion in track cycling, holds 2 US track records, and won a bronze medal at the 2015 UCI Track World Cup in Cali Colombia.鈥� In 2016 when she wrote her bio she was 鈥渞anked #1 in the United States in the sprint disciplines鈥� though she narrowly missed actually competing in the 2016 Olympics due to a training crash.

At this point, most people would call Schwab retired. She runs and she鈥檚 got ten years experience as a bike fitter for athletes of all levels. Still,聽 in case you thought retirement made her slow,she recently grabbed a second place in the 2024 USA Cycling Elite National Championship for Women鈥檚 elite team sprint.

I did also reach out to Trek, Mondraker, Pivot, and Enve to get a sense of the strategy involved in picking the stock bars for each size. Specifically I wanted to know if any of the brands in question used the kind of data that Colnago used in sizing the new . Only Enve responded and I鈥檝e got that info down below.

Now I understand that this was a lot of setup but it鈥檚 important to place the problem and explain how it affects me as well as other small riders.

Yes, different bikes call for different bar widths

As I said, the basic premise of the response I typically get from brands is that the bars chosen for a size have to do with the use of a bike. When it鈥檚 an adventure bike, you will see wider bars for added stability. This was also the gist of how Enve responded.

To be fair to Enve, as the only brand that responded, it鈥檚 important to note that the brand sidesteps the issue by allowing riders to choose the bar width at time of purchase. If you are looking at a size 49 Enve MOG, you can select the stem length, handlebar width, and handlebar model 鈥渄epending on your riding style and preferences.鈥� However, the G-series bar only goes down to 42 cm so I wanted to know why.

Enve responded with a short bit of info pointing to the focus of the G-series bar. Saying, 鈥渢he Gravel Bar prioritizes handling and control, rather than chasing any aerodynamic benefits.鈥� While pointing riders to other flared options in smaller sizes saying 鈥渇or those seeking a fit and feel more in line with a road bike, that鈥檚 where our SES AR and SES Aero handlebar options come into play.鈥�

Schwab agreed with this premise. Although she competed in track, she also told me she regularly rides a mountain bike and was clear 鈥測ou鈥檙e not going to have the same width handlebar on a track bike that you have on a road bike and that will also come across to gravel.鈥� She explained that she rides a size 54 frame also and runs 36 cm on the road but 30 cm on the track. Just as many brands have stated, different disciplines have different requirements.

The starting point is too wide

According to Schwab the problem is more about the starting point. Even bikes that offer a bar on the smaller side of the trend line are calling for a 42 cm bar on a 54. She鈥檚 quite clear that individual athletes will have different needs but is it likely that someone on a 54 needs to move up 4 cm for riding gravel? Schwab seemed skeptical of that idea. Instead she mentioned considering 鈥渕aybe a 38-40 bar to have a little bit more width鈥� in case there鈥檚 a need to 鈥渟tand up or really pull through.鈥�

Although Schwab was emphatic that different riders will have different needs, I pushed her on that point. For one thing I happen to ride the same frame size as her and seem to have the same shoulder width. More importantly though, a brand has to make a decision for everyone buying a bike in a particular size. I asked Schwab about this and she told me 鈥渁s a general rule of thumb every gravel position that I have set up as a fitter I 100% can say that I have recommended a narrower handlebar for every athlete who comes in with a gravel bike. They鈥檙e too wide.鈥�

The need for wide bars might point to other issues

Although our conversation was about bike fit and handlebar size, Schwab pointed out how interconnected bike fit and ride performance can be. Specifically she mentioned briefly how the need, or desire, to use wider bars might be a sign of other issues.

The first time this came up was as Schwab referenced her own experience with the precise nature of track cycling. Within that context she pointed out 鈥渋n the Velodrome, when we have athletes that aren鈥檛 able to handle a narrow handlebar, there鈥檚 an imbalance in the shift of power driven through the leg. So if you need a wider handlebar to keep yourself going forward in a straight direction, that to me resembles some sort of instability.鈥�

Then, later in the conversation, this concept came up again. This time I had asked Schwab why some cyclists might choose wider bars despite recommendations. In response, she told me her own experience as she explained 鈥渂efore I knew any better, I preferred the feel of wide handlebars鈥� and 鈥淚 thought I looked so cool sprinting because I could throw my bike side to side.鈥� Then, almost as an aside, she told me that at that time 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 understand how to generate power without yanking on my bars.鈥�

How can individual riders solve this problem?

Although my hypothesis is that gravel brands are failing women and small riders, I also asked Schwab how she deals with the fallout of that.

She told me the path to finding the right bar size isn鈥檛 generally an exact science. At the highest levels of competition you鈥檇 want to treat it as a scientific problem and 鈥測ou鈥檇 have to do testing on an athlete, power testing, speed testing, whatever data point you want to pull from鈥� until you found the right solution. Unfortunately not many will have that path available. Ideally bike brands would do that for us but I wasn鈥檛 able to find a brand claiming to do that in the gravel space.

That leaves most riders to find a bike fitter and solve it for themselves. Schwab explained that in her studio, she has 鈥渆very size of handlebar鈥� and that 鈥渨e install different size handlebars.鈥� If that sounds simple, it is. She told me 鈥渁 lot of times it comes down to feel for the athlete but it also comes down to visually how the bar centers under them. The relaxation of the angles of their wrist, the ability of them to open their chest and the distance between their scapulas, also like a lot of athletes come in complaining of upper back pain, neck pain, wrist pain, things like that, pressure on their hands. You can root a lot of it back to handlebar size.鈥�

In other words, it comes down to the experience of a bike fitter and Schwab says 鈥渕y general rule of thumb when I fit two handlebars is when you鈥檙e on the bike looking at an athlete from head on, what is their natural wrist position? Is the wrist straight up and down? Are they rotated out? Is the pressure on their hands distributed evenly? Are their shoulders relaxed? Do I see an equal distribution of the spread between their shoulder blades across their chest?鈥�

That experience then combines with the feedback of the athlete. 鈥淗ow does the athlete feel and how does the athlete look and are they able to actually sustain that position? Obviously on the track we look for something that is just strictly performance-based. Other athletes you want to look for overall comfort and some athletes just have personal preferences.鈥�

Personally I was also interested to see if shoulder width measurement was a factor. When asked about that, Schwab said 鈥渋t can be鈥� but mostly cautioned that it鈥檚 important to consider it on the bike, not standing. She told me that 鈥淚 have people who are like when I stand up straight and hold my shoulders back, this is how wide my shoulders are.鈥� then went on to remind riders to consider 鈥渨hen you get on the bike how is your position different?鈥�

Conclusion

Although I asked for a number of brands to add a voice, only one did. In the end I spoke to one bike fitter who has one perspective. Missy Scwhab has ten years of experience making athletes faster and more comfortable and she鈥檚 also competed at the highest level. She is still only one person. She is also very clear that every person is different and that at least part of bike fit is feel vs science.

That all means you may disagree. Schwab has 鈥渘ever put a pair of 44s on a single bike in 10 years鈥� but you and your bike fitter might find that a 44 cm bar works for you and your needs.

Beyond that, all I can tell is my own point of view. I鈥檓 5鈥�9鈥� and I need a 40 cm, or smaller, bar no matter the use case of a bike. I believe gravel brands are failing women and small riders by not offering bars in reasonable sizes for the frames they pair with. A new rider who gets a bike that doesn鈥檛 fit is a clear barrier to entry and should be an easy fix. This is low hanging fruit for inclusion.

Thanks to Missy Schwab who helped make this article聽happen. You can benefit from her expertise at .

The post Gravel Brands Are Failing Women Riders appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

It鈥檚 that time of year when cyclists in many parts of the world are putting the summer bikes away. Depending on where you live it鈥檚 cold, it鈥檚 wet, it鈥檚 frozen, or it鈥檚 some combination of all three.

If you feel like venturing out into the elements, enjoy. I鈥檝e done it and I can tell you exactly how to make it more tolerable but these days, you might not want to. There are incredible options for staying fit and having fun riding a bike that doesn鈥檛 move. I鈥檝e already shared the foundation in our , but there鈥檚 more to it.

I鈥檝e seen a number of cyclists get a nice smart trainer then barely use it. Many people will tell you that indoor cycling is awful but I think it鈥檚 a matter of finding what works. Indoor cycling can actually be fun with only a few small changes. I鈥檝e spent tens of thousands of miles going nowhere over the years and I regularly sit for 3-8 hours at a time on a trainer during the winter. This is how I do it. These are my tips, tricks, and accessories to make indoor cycling fun.

1. Start with a Goal

Spoiler, there鈥檚 going to be things to buy in this article. We aren鈥檛 making any money on it but there are accessories that will help. Still, instead of starting there, I want to start with something that鈥檚 simple and free. Before you buy anything, first start with a goal and make sure it鈥檚 something other than merely existing for a period of time on a bike. That won鈥檛 be enough.

The primary indoor riding software options include, , and with each offering different goals. Of those, TrainerRoad and Wahoo Systm are more straightforward. The goal is to improve fitness and when you log in both offer a workout for the day that reflects your recent riding. TrainerRoad describes it as 鈥淕et faster with a structured workout. These selections are automatically chosen just for you, based on your recent training history.鈥�

If that sounds like it works for you, perfect. You can adjust the time you want those workouts to last and both software platforms will offer you something with a beginning, a middle, and an end that pushes towards a short time goal of finishing and a long term goal of getting faster.

It鈥檚 a very viable way to train and more or less the way cyclists always trained. Both platforms also have small tricks, like the progressions that Trainerroad shows after each workout, to help keep you motivated in the short term.

The only problem is not everyone thrives on structured training and intervals. For some people riding a bike isn鈥檛 about trying to be as fast as possible and the inherent suffering of a hard interval doesn鈥檛 feel like much fun. I鈥檝e played with lately, which is a free game that disguises intervals, but for most people that鈥檚 where options like , , and Zwift come into play.

Of those, Zwift is the most popular so it鈥檚 often the one that people have trouble with. New riders get dropped into a Zwift world where they start riding with no particular aim. The clock is ever present and the plan is to try and outlast the time you鈥檝e given yourself for a workout. It鈥檚 torture.

Focusing on the clock is the most difficult thing you can do. There鈥檚 an element of that in an interval workout but at least then there鈥檚 a coming rest block to look forward to.

Instead, make your goal on Zwift about completing something. I鈥檒l talk about things with other people down below but if you are by yourself, pick a route and ride until you finish. If you ride faster you can finish faster, and when you finish you鈥檒l get a badge. This alone makes a huge difference and you won鈥檛 run out of options soon. Zwift knows this works so even if you are a long time user, there鈥檚 always a new challenge.

You can also ride a route using most bike computers paired with a smart trainer. I鈥檝e done that to prepare for an event and I鈥檝e done it to give myself something to do. There鈥檚 something sort of interesting about picking a famous route and completing it even if you don鈥檛 have much in the way of visuals. I once duplicated a 120 mile, cutty, local ride indoors basically because someone said I couldn鈥檛. Motivations are fickle but finishing something is powerful.

Speaking of visuals, I should also mention that you can distract yourself with a podcast or video of some kind. It works well enough but I find it hard to find new content on a regular basis. If that works for you, it鈥檚 a big component of Systm so Wahoo might be a good platform to dive into.

2. Treat Indoor Rides like Outdoor Rides

This is another one that鈥檚 free and it鈥檚 something even experienced riders tend to miss. There鈥檚 a lot of talk about how you absolutely must have movement in your trainer. I cover that in the buyers guide but I personally don鈥檛 need it.

I ride a and one of the things I love about it is how rock solid it feels. Over the years I鈥檝e had it I鈥檝e shied away from telling people this but it鈥檚 true. I like it because there鈥檚 no movement, not in spite of it. It works for me because I treat indoor rides like outdoor rides and I move.

Indoors it鈥檚 possible to stay almost completely motionless, aside from your legs, for as long as you are able. Nothing external will ever happen that causes you to move. Pretty soon that will feel like torture. It鈥檚 also unnatural, do you ever ride outside like that?

Given that intervals tend to last for less time, and are difficult enough that standing is more common, this is mostly an issue for simulation software options. Simply stated, if you are riding on something like Zwift you have to take breaks.

Just like outside, when you get to the top of the hill step off your bike. You can decide if it鈥檚 cheating to do that while your bike is coasting downhill but step off anyway. Stretch, go to the bathroom, check out the virtual scenery. This is also an excellent time to eat.

Remember, nutrition is an important part of how you need to treat indoor rides like outdoors. It鈥檚 also an important part of how you can make indoor cycling fun or quickly turn it into torture. Over and over I鈥檝e seen experienced riders, who know how to fuel outdoor rides, suddenly decide it doesn鈥檛 matter inside. I鈥檝e been that person myself. Don鈥檛 be that person.

You won鈥檛 find yourself hours from home when you bonk but you will still bonk. When it happens on a trainer you鈥檒l simply step off and be done. You will still feel terrible and it鈥檚 actually more difficult to overcome ending your ride when you don鈥檛 have to get home. Instead of facing that dilemma, make sure you eat and drink on the trainer.

3. Ride with a Group

While you are treating your indoor ride like an outside ride, you might consider riding with people. One of the things that makes Zwift dominate in the indoor ride space is the community.

The obvious aspect of this is racing. Zwift racing is incredible and one of my favorite things to do. When there鈥檚 longer races I always take advantage and even an hour flys by if you are racing against real people. I once did a team TT race with an ear piece and it was the most pro I鈥檝e ever felt. There鈥檚 a lot more to community than racing though.

Discord, Reddit, and Facebook all have active communities of people from all over the world that ride together indoors. You can also just find rides through the Zwift companion app that aren鈥檛 races. There鈥檚 many I join and we chat via text while riding. It鈥檚 great but there鈥檚 another aspect too. What鈥檚 especially great about indoor riding in this respect is that it鈥檚 not like riding outdoors.

If you want to ride with people, you don鈥檛 need to be in the same place in the world or doing the same thing. I ride with a local group but they are just a bit too far for connecting in person. I鈥檝e never met them in real life even though we ride together often.

I also don鈥檛 always do the same thing as them. Sometimes they ride in Zwift while I do intervals on TrainerRoad. It doesn鈥檛 matter as long as you meet up and get online at the same time. We use Discord to talk.

Protect Your Bike

This is a tangent but it鈥檚 important to say. Your sweat will destroy whatever bike you have on a trainer. It鈥檚 one of the reasons an old bike, or an indoor bike, are good ideas but even then you need to think about it.

The first thing you will want is a simple frame sweat protector. These stretch between your seat post and your handle bars. I happen to use the but if you are shopping something that goes a bit higher, over the steerer tube bolt, might be worth searching out.

These aren鈥檛 enough on their own though. You also want to spray something on the frame. I鈥檝e heard WD40 works but that costs about the same. Might as well go with the dedicated option and spray it over the headtube and downtube in all the little crevices. If you are using a bike with the front wheel on I also like to put a towel over the front wheel making sure to cover the brake if it鈥檚 a rim brake bike. Don鈥檛 forget to remove this towel after every ride.

4. You Need Fans. Lots of Fans.

At this point we鈥檝e arrived at the part of the article where I really start telling you things to buy. I won鈥檛 deny that but I鈥檝e got options and this is what I actually use.

For fans, I use two. The primary fan is a smart fan called the . This is hardly brand new, we talked about the back in 2022, and most people at this point know it costs $350 and competes with the .

I鈥檝e used both the Wahoo and now the Elite but the Elite works better for me because of the packaging. The area where I ride indoors is ridiculously tight so there鈥檚 not much room between the front of the bike and the wall. The Elite Aria is a more compact form factor and it rotates up. That lets me shove it right up against the wall, on top of a highly decorative paint can, and still get the air at my face. The filter seems kind of nice too since it reduces dust.

That still leaves the question of a super expensive smart fan. On that front, it works for me because my trainer space is cold in the winter. The Elite Aria connects to a Core temperature sensor, power meter, or heart rate monitor (plus a few other things) and that lets me adjust when it blows.

At this point I鈥檝e settled on HR for controlling the fan. I get on and at low HR it doesn鈥檛 do much. When I start working hard it ramps up. As temperatures have gone down, I鈥檝e adjusted the range so it starts later and ramps up slower.

Still, as powerful as this fan is, I鈥檝e found it isn鈥檛 enough. I think it would work on its own if I had the room to get it centered in front of me but I don鈥檛. It鈥檚 on the paint can off to the side instead leaving my right hand to sweat far too much.

To solve this I have a on the opposite side. It鈥檚 not the cheapest out there, but it鈥檚 powerful enough on its own (if you don鈥檛 want/need a smart fan) and I鈥檝e had it for 6 or 7 years with no issues. At some point a few years ago I further upgraded it.

The upgrade I added was a smart plug. I then called that smart plug 鈥淭he Pain鈥� so that when I鈥檓 racing, or doing a hard interval, I can say 鈥淗ey Google, turn on The Pain.鈥� Now we both get to enjoy my clever joke鈥� or not but it does work well.

Whatever you end up doing for airflow, just know it鈥檚 important. Even in a cold room when there鈥檚 no airflow, it鈥檚 miserable. You need powerful fans and probably more than one.

5. Get a Pair of Good Headphones

You might be doing the math on this and realizing I recommended talking to people while also recommending a bunch of fans pointed at your face. This isn鈥檛 a good combination for being heard and a solution has taken a lot of testing.

国产吃瓜黑料 I always recommend bone conduction headphones. It鈥檚 not the point of this article but I鈥檝e been testing the (12 hour battery and a standard USBC charge port), I wrote about the in my , and I often ride with the . All are good options outside for listening to music and staying safe. Unfortunately none of them keep you intelligible when trying to ride and talk indoors or outdoors.

I鈥檝e also tested the which is an interesting option with the inclusion of temp and HR tracking. They also sound good and are quite usable in a wide variety of situations (unlike bone conduction). I couldn鈥檛 use the tempo sensor to connect to the Aria though and they aren鈥檛 amazing at being heard over a fan either.

Out of all the headphones I鈥檝e tested, and there鈥檚 way more not worth mentioning, I landed on three that do the job. I used to always recommend the as they were the first pair of headphones that really worked with fans pointed at my head. People could hear me clearly and it was a revelation. Unfortunately, despite shining in a lot of situations, they do get a little slippery from sweat when riding indoors.

Which leaves me with my current recommendations. If you are an Apple user then the is my suggestion and if you are an Android user then the . Neither will work while you ride outside at full speed, or with the Aria at full blast, but indoors you can have fans pointed at your face and remain understandable.

I know it seems cliche to recommend these two but they are the best I鈥檝e tested for this use.

6. Computers or Tablets Are Mandatory

This is another weird category where I鈥檝e done a ton of testing to find something that works. Whatever software you decide to use, you鈥檝e got to see it while riding and there are some considerations. Depending on your software there are also some differences.

Bottom line, interval software doesn鈥檛 take much. You need something to look at and most things will work. For that use, I鈥檝e settled on a .

I鈥檓 not here to tell you this is the best tablet on the market but it solves a particular set of needs and I think that might be true even for Apple users. The reason it works so well for indoor riding is that it鈥檚 a multifunction product. I mentioned earlier I yell at my smart fan to turn it on and now I do that with the Pixel tablet instead of a tablet and a Google Home.

The Pixel tablet also has an excellent speaker, when paired with the stand, that always stays connected and keeps the tablet charged. If you want to listen to music without headphones you can yell at it to start something and you can hear it over the fans. The angle is perfect for visibility and sweat hitting the front (it happens) won鈥檛 bother it. You can also split screen it for YouTube/Netflix next to your intervals. What it does not do well is handle Zwift.

Running Zwift on the Pixel tablet is possible but not ideal. The graphics leave a lot to be desired. I actually still use it for Zwift but it鈥檚 off to the side playing music or videos.

For Zwift I recommend a computer with a dedicated graphics card. I use a relatively inexpensive Asus ROG (gaming) laptop with a 17-inch screen but there鈥檚 a lot of ways you could go about solving that equation. If I had a bunch of space I鈥檇 probably try to connect something to a small-ish TV. Whatever you decide on though, you need decent graphics hardware.

Zwift is actually quite beautiful and it loses a lot when the graphics are at the lower settings. The other bonus of running Zwift on a computer is that you鈥檒l get new features first.

7. So Is Furniture

For a few of these categories I鈥檝e gone the expensive route. This time I鈥檓 going cheap and DIY. Wahoo, Saris, and Elite all have trainer desks that are well made and thoughtfully designed. They also aren鈥檛 quite right for me and might not be for you either.

The problem with all of those options is that they sit over the front wheel and are too high. I like to keep my trainer matched to my outside bike position so I don鈥檛 get soft over the winter (only half kidding). That means I like something nice and low to look at.

I used to have a computer on a desk and it was perfect. The front wheel touched the desk and the viewing angle was great for an aggressive bike fit. These days I don鈥檛 have that much room so I built a shelf on the wall. It鈥檚 far from pretty but it dodges the pipes coming out of the wall and it鈥檚 as low as workable in the space I have. Doesn鈥檛 hurt that it was basically free.

Whatever you end up doing, my suggestion is consider your bike fit. If you are on a mountain bike with an upright fit, one of the fancy desks might be great. For road cyclists you might consider a little below eye level.

What about the Elite Rizer, Wahoo Climb, or the Zwift Play?聽

I love all of these. The is better than the but it鈥檚 also more expensive. Both options do help with more natural movement, if that鈥檚 something you still want, and it feels very immersive to go up and down as you ride. I鈥檓 not using either currently only because the Garmin bike doesn鈥檛 allow it.

In terms of the controllers, I do use them. I have the system strapped to the handlebars on the Garmin bike and I use it to interact with Zwift. It adds a lot to the experience of racing and it鈥檚 useful for interacting with the HUD too.

All of these products are tough in this article. They do fit the 鈥渕ake indoor cycling fun鈥� brief but they don鈥檛 make it easier to ride longer inside. That leaves it up to you. All three of these will make your experience in Zwift more immersive and more fun. I don鈥檛 find that they make it easier for me to ride five hours but they might for you.

It鈥檚 okay to make the choice to ride inside

There鈥檚 a big part of the cycling world that loves to shame people for riding inside. There鈥檚 no bad weather, just bad clothes. Or something along those lines mixed with how terrible indoor riding is.

I鈥檓 telling you, forget this. Indoor riding is a blast and there鈥檚 no badge of honor for riding outside. Seven to nine hours in rain just above freezing is doable. I鈥檝e done it and I can tell you how. It won鈥檛 be cheap and it鈥檚 more survivable than enjoyable.

If type 2 fun is your jam, have a blast. That鈥檚 a very valid way to spend time on a bike but it鈥檚 not the only way.

For anyone else, there鈥檚 nothing wrong with choosing to ride indoors when the weather is bad. Have you seen the prices of cycling jackets? Even if you buy a fancy indoor setup it might be cheaper. I鈥檝e also had frostbite and mild hypothermia. Maybe avoid that with an inside ride?

There鈥檚 also nothing wrong with choosing to ride indoors when you want to. Even when the weather is nice your workout can be so highly focused that many choose to do intervals inside throughout the year. Parents can stay fit without leaving kids alone no matter the weather. There鈥檚 no cars in Zwift, the sun never goes down, etc. This list continues and no one should feel bad about riding a bike. Riding outside is fun and it鈥檚 possible to make indoor cycling fun as well. Enjoy.

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