Last time, we introduced "Things Cyclists Can Relate To!" and it was well-received, so this time we'd like to share "Road Bike Realities."

Please enjoy them and have a good chuckle.

Hair gets messed up from sweat when wearing a helmet

Unlike city bikes, you wear a helmet when riding a road bike.

It's partly for fashion, but mainly for safety.

Road bikes can go quite fast, after all.

In the event of a fall, it could lead to serious injury or even be life-threatening.

Helmets are crucial for protecting your head.

However, when you wear a helmet and ride, you sweat, and the helmet presses your hair down, messing up your hairstyle.

In the morning, if you have bedhead, it actually fixes it, but setting your hair becomes pointless, so you gradually end up with shorter hair.

Body fat dramatically decreases

Road biking involves a significant amount of exercise.

It might be ideal for dieting.

It's not just that you lose weight; your body fat dramatically decreases even if your weight stays the same.

That means you're building more muscle, right?

Since it's not a short-distance activity, you can achieve a lean, muscular physique rather than the thick muscles of a bodybuilder.

The way you ride your road bike daily will make a difference, so if you're thinking about body design, please check out our past blog posts.

Lower the handlebars and raise the saddle, even on a city bike.

When you're used to riding a road bike, even if you get a chance to ride a city bike, you tend to lower the handlebars and raise the saddle, leaning forward.

When you have to ride a city bike, for example, on a shared bicycle, you realize how much you used to ride in an upright position.

Riding a road bike in this posture puts a strain on your buttocks.

You need to balance the strain on your handlebars (arms) and saddle (buttocks).

For this reason, when riding a city bike, you often find yourself adjusting it to be similar to a road bike.

If you're using a shared bicycle, please remember to return it to its original settings for the next person.

Start mixing protein with various things

When you ride a road bike, you tend to want to build muscle.

The first thing that comes to mind then is protein.

Honestly, it's not particularly tasty.

While some products include sugar (sweetness), if you're trying to cut sugar, a protein powder with sugar just feels wrong.

So, you tend to think about making it tastier by mixing it with other things.

Milk is the basic mixer.

It's fine at first, but it gets boring every single time.

Also, milk contains a certain amount of sugar.

It has about 5g per 100g.

Next is soy milk.

Soy milk also contains a lot of protein, so you might switch from cow's milk to soy milk, thinking it's doubly good.

Some soy milk also contains about the same amount of sugar as cow's milk, so you tend to choose sugar-cut soy milk.

This reduces the sugar content to about 2-3g per 100g.

Almond milk is also popular.

If you ask if it's tasty, it might not have much flavor, but it's a milk-like drink made from almonds.

The good points are that it contains various nutrients and is low in sugar.

You can reduce the sugar content to about 1g per 100g.

Financial sense goes awry when you start riding a road bike

Road bike parts vary widely in price.

An expensive frame can easily exceed a million yen, which is enough to buy a kei car.

Both parts and tools, if they're good quality, are outrageously expensive.

If you start getting particular about carbon, the price skyrockets.

ICAN, from Japan's perspective, is like a veteran Chinese carbon manufacturer that makes good products using Japanese materials, so they produce affordable and quality parts.

Even so, while you might scrimp on food, saving 10 or 50 yen, the parts you buy often cost tens of thousands of yen.

You start looking at clothes you used to like and think, "This one outfit could buy that pedal," beginning to think about things based on road bike standards.

You become unusually fond of anpan (sweet bean paste buns).

When riding a road bike for long distances, energy gels are essential.

If you forget them, it would be terrible to bonk on top of a mountain.

Always keep non-perishable items in your bag, and in addition, buy your favorite energy gels before you head out for a ride.

When you're tired, you crave something sweet.

And carbohydrates efficiently convert into energy.

Among sweet carbohydrates... what the author became unusually hooked on was "anpan" (sweet bean paste buns).

Other road biking friends choose "castella" (sponge cake), "protein bars," or "onigiri" (rice balls).

What they all have in common is that it's the same thing every time.

The author has also come to distinguish between different companies' anpan and knows which convenience store carries which manufacturer's product.

Life changes

Those who have read this far will understand that your hairstyle changes, your physique changes, your diet changes, your financial sense changes, and your way of thinking also changes.

Your sagging stomach flattens, and you gradually develop a somewhat inverted triangular silhouette, looking more toned.

By focusing on teamwork, leadership skills are honed, planning abilities are developed through organizing tours, and you become better at making arrangements.

It also positively impacts work, allowing you to handle tasks efficiently and be more attentive to those around you.

And then, you might even start becoming popular.

Not only with the opposite sex but also with the same sex.

It's not in a strange way; it simply means you've become a more attractive person.

That's the appeal and effect of road bikes.

Singing while struggling uphill

For the "punchline" of this article, I want to talk about "singing."

Singing on uphill climbs, like Onoda Sakamichi from Yowamushi Pedal, is already an excessive "sickness."

Nevertheless, the fun part about road biking is that it's good as long as you're enjoying yourself, right?

I've also sung sometimes and felt embarrassed when someone heard me.