Guest post: pro triathlete Laura Siddall talks about her wheel choice

“I love your dress” 

“Oh, this old thing” or “ this…it was so cheap”

Why, (and I’m being stereotypical) as females do we play down or dismiss complements and comments?

Why, am I talking about dresses on a bicycle website? Well, there is a similar stereotype in cycling. Women, for some reason, feel they aren’t good enough to have a ‘nice’ bike or some good bits of kit and apparel, or some good wheels. Now I’m talking sweeping statements here, because I know this isn’t the case with all women, but I want to address the fact that as female cyclists and female triathlete… regardless of level, ability, time in the sport – you DO deserve good bikes and equipment. You are worthy of this! It’s not about whether you think you are good enough or not. 

I’ll go off on another tangent here. Take a job application. Let’s say there are 10 requirements (skills or experience etc.) for the job. A man (stereotypically) will look at the requirements for the job. He may be able to tick 3 out of the 10 boxes but will be of the opinion, “that’s good enough, I can do this job” and apply. The woman will look at the list, and probably be able to tick 7 or even 8 out of 10, but because she can’t tick all 10, she won’t apply.

So, let’s get back to bikes and wheels. Yes, women, girls, to all the females out there…you do deserve a good bike and good wheels. Yes, you are good enough, and regardless of level or time in the sport, it doesn’t need to break the bank either. There are plenty of bikes and equipment that are a really reasonable price for the quality and gains they provide.

Why do you do triathlon or why do you cycle? Because you love it? Because it gives you a buzz from the endorphins it creates? You feel fit and healthy? You love being outside? You love pushing yourself? You love socialising with great friends? Whatever your reason, there’s no harm in pursuing your goals whilst at the same time feeling awesome about the bike and equipment you have. I look at my Factor bike and my Parcours wheels, and I can’t wait to jump on and ride. It excites me. The bike and wheels draw me in because they look damn good and I want to get on my bike and go for a ride. It doesn’t matter whether I’m spinning to the coffee shop, or doing some interval session, or even racing. There’s a placebo effect of having good kit to inspire and motivate you and well, just make you feel pretty special when you go out and train.

Then of course there’s the actual efficiency benefits and all those little gains you can make, with aerodynamics, power, and time over a race course. Again, to all the women out there, yes you do deserve this and yes you are good enough and worthy! I won’t go into the science, however you can read more on the technical side here!

Laura Siddall
@lmsid