Transport cycling is very different from sports cycling. Here are some of the things that athletic riders in Lycra get wrong about commuting.

Sports cycling is as relevant to riding to work as marathon running is to walking to the shops. That is to say: not at all. Utility cyclists in the Netherlands understand this, which is why they make everyday journeys on practical bikes, wearing normal clothes like any other commuter.

UK cycle commuting often involves keen cyclists on road bikes or lightweight hybrids, wearing Lycra and clip-in shoes. It’s a valid way to get to work, especially if you’re also a sports cyclist. The problem is that it’s sometimes presented as the only sensible option. And that leads to bad advice for less sports-oriented commuters. Bad advice like…

Slam your stem

This means fitting the handlebar stem as low as it will go, with no spacers – or at most just one thin one – between the stem and headset. Professional racing cyclists do this for aerodynamics. Roadie commuters do it because they think it looks pro. Unfortunately, it’s less comfortable to have the handlebar significantly lower than the saddle. You end up with aches and pains in your hands, shoulders, neck and back. The handlebar should be whatever height it needs to be to make you comfortable. You’re riding to work, not racing the Tour de France.

Clip-in pedals are better

For racing, yes. For commuting, maybe, maybe not. Clip-in pedals (confusingly also known as clipless) will prevent your feet slipping off the pedals in the rain or bouncing off if you hit a pothole. They also enable higher peak power outputs, which is helpful for racing in general and sprinting in particular. On the other hand: they’re more expensive; you can only ride in your special cleated shoes; and it’s not as easy to get your feet on and off the pedals when starting and stopping. They’re worth trying to see if you like them but they’re strictly optional for commuting.

Lycra is the only outfit for cycling

Wrong. Lycra is the only outfit for racing cycling because the tight, stretchy fit is more aerodynamic. Additionally, the seat pad in Lycra shorts can improve bum comfort on long or intense rides. If you’re commuting a handful of miles each way, everyday clothes are usually fine. If not, try a pair of Lycra shorts (or padded undershorts or padded cycling knickers) underneath baggy shorts or loose trousers. Because let’s be honest: Lycra is fine on the bike but looks weird when you’re off it, even if you do happen to have the chiselled quads of a bike racer.

You don’t need mudguards

Professional racers don’t use mudguards because they add some weight and aerodynamic drag, and because being clean doesn’t win races. Roadie commuters don’t use mudguards because they think it looks pro, and also because many road bikes lack the fittings and clearance that mudguards require. This leads to a curious form of denialism: my expensive road bike, which I really like, won’t take mudguards; ergo, mudguards are unnecessary. It’s nonsense. For commuting in the UK, you need mudguards. They keep you and your bike cleaner and drier. If you can’t fit conventional mudguards, there are workarounds.

A 12kg bike is heavy

It isn’t – and it doesn’t make any practical difference for commuting in any case. (Nor does a bike weighing 15kg or more.) Professionals ride bikes weighing as little as 6.8kg. Such bikes do feel lovely and light. Yet a study by Cornell Aeronautical University for Schwinn found that it took a 12lb (approx 5.5kg) weight difference to make a 1mph difference to cycling speed. So that pro bike – with no mudguards, no rack, no lights, more fragile tyres and wheels – gives you just 1mph over your 12kg hybrid. In a race, where victory can be determined by fractions of a second, that’s huge. On a commute, stopping for junctions and traffic lights, it’s basically irrelevant. It’s possible, in fact, to ride slower and arrive faster.

Narrow, harder tyres are faster

That’s true in the velodrome, where the riding surface is super smooth. It used to be believed that it was true on road as well. Then it was discovered that wider, softer tyres actually roll better. Professionals are already using 28mm tyres instead of 23mm or 25mm, and they may go wider still in the years to come. For commuting, even wider tyres can be as fast or faster. Partly that’s the stop-start nature of commuting. Partly it’s the fact that wider tyres are much less likely to puncture on potholed or damaged roads. The fastest tyre in the world isn’t quick when you’re stuck at the side of the road repairing it!

That 34/28 bottom gear will get you up any hill 

Road bikes have higher gears than most other bike types. The easiest gear for climbing hills – smallest chainring and largest sprocket – will likely be 34/28. If that’s too difficult, some roadies will try to persuade you that you’re the problem, that you need to get fitter and stronger. As with mudguards it’s denialism, a refusal to accept that there’s anything wrong with the bike. Let’s call this out for the macho nonsense that it is. The whole point of gears is to enable you to ride at a comfortable cadence. They should go as low as you need them. If they’re too high on the road bikes you’re looking at, choose a gravel bike, tourer or hybrid instead.

Toe overlap isn’t a problem

Except sometimes it is. Toe overlap is when your foot hits the front wheel or mudguard during a tight turn. You can test for it by sitting stationary on your bike with the cranks horizontal, with one foot on the ground and one on the forward pedal. Now turn the handlebar left and right. If the front wheel hits your foot, that’s toe overlap – and it can make you fall off. Toe overlap is most common on road bikes but it’s rarely an issue for roadies, because bikes are mostly steered by leaning when you’re travelling at pace. When you get closer to walking speeds, however, you do steer by turning the handlebar. On a commute, you might steer like that on a shared cycle path, while filtering past traffic or if you weave while riding up a steep hill.

You need a bike fit

You probably don’t. Paid-for bike fits can be really useful if you’re riding a bike that doesn’t, in fact, fit you very well. (Did you slam the stem?) They work best for cyclists who want to be aerodynamic and comfortable at the same time. That’s road cyclists, in the main. Commuters seldom ride as far or as fast, so can trade worse aerodynamics for improved comfort. Try raising the handlebar so that you sit more upright; a shorter stem can also help. You can pay your local bike shop to do this for you if you don’t have the tools or skills.

The number of bikes to own is n+1

This is a formula that cycling enthusiasts of all kinds like to use to justify buying more bikes. In the formula, n is the number of bikes that you currently own, so it’s saying that you should always own one more than you have – that there’s always room for another bike. It is nice to have more than one bike, assuming you have the money and space for them, and it’s something you can make affordable by getting the bikes through Cyclescheme. But for commuting you need just one bike, so the formula is: n = 1. What’s more important is that your one bike is always ready to ride. Fit tougher tyres to prevent punctures and learn some bike maintenance or get it serviced regularly at your local bike shop.