Cycling cool/uncool?

[JamesM]

Cycling is not masculine enough for them, case closed.

I don't think people realise how physically demanding cycling can be, say a road ride, race or mountainbike race.
Whilst the peole I asked said that you have to be supremely fit to be a top cyclist, they do not believe that you need to be strong.
"I ride my bike to work 5 days a week, how hard can a race be?"
yes, you ride perhaps 3 miles a day, at slightly faster than walking pace, there's a BIG difference.

Finally there is the word itself "cycling", I think people object to being called a "cyclist", to them being a "cyclist" means putting on the helmet and lycra (read: not masculine) , where as they would say they "just ride a bike".

What's going on? Is cycling really thought of as being a bit....less masculine than other sports???

Interestingly, a lot of the people I know who are "down" on cycling class "going to the gym" as their favourite sport, I wasn't aware it was a sport??!

Pro roadies are as hard as nails.

 

[tintin40]

I've never worried about cycling being cool / uncool, trendy, or passe.

I've been cycling for decades, and hope to for decades more. What other people, or society in general, think or feel about it is a huge irrelevance, really.

I mean some may look for affirmation, empathy or acceptance - but at the end of the day, people (en masse) are idiots -

Agree.100%

 

[highlandsflyer]

Being cool is really secondary to your chosen mode of transport.

Someone said something about being 45 and thus unable to be cool.

Just trawl through the icons of cool.

Most reach the epitome of cool around that age.

The rest are dead so who gives a shite?

 

[silverclaws]

What's cool anyway and why has anything to be anything to be cool , is it, just consensus of opinion, or the opinion of a leader type?

But it is interesting the concept of cool ;

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cool_(aesthetic)

It just says ; 'marketing' to me.

Coined by this chap apparently ;

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/musi ... -cool.html

 

[medoramas]

Today cycling will not be cool, definitely! It's 8.30 in the morning and I'm boiling already...

 

[unkleGsif]

I mean some may look for affirmation, empathy or acceptance - but at the end of the day, people (en masse) are idiots -

Agree.100%

The irony of this statement and its posting on a website established for the gratification of a particular niche, and which dedicates regular sections to various incarnations of "Bike of the Month".... ISNT lost on me....

... least of all with a BoTM winner



G

 

[Neil]

I mean some may look for affirmation, empathy or acceptance - but at the end of the day, people (en masse) are idiots -

Agree.100%

The irony of this statement and its posting on a website established for the gratification of a particular niche, and which dedicates regular sections to various incarnations of "Bike of the Month".... ISNT lost on me....

Which statement - Tony's or mine?

'cos I stand by what I wrote - either for cycling in general, or my interest, here. I'm not looking for affirmation, empathy, or even acceptance.

As to what society, en masse, thinks about cycling as a hobby / sport / pastime, I struggle to care. The only aspect I do care about, is where it spills over to hostility or aggression whilst on the road in traffic.

I didn't join retrobike for affirmation, empathy or acceptance - I joined here as a resource for bikes from the era I prefer - initially as a source of info. That I hang around and make a monkey of myself is not my primary reason.

The retrobikes I own I do so for myself - I couldn't care less whether other people approve, or not, though - I'm not into this whole "learned culture" thing that evolves in some over time.

Some people do seek those things - either for themselves, or by extension the bikes they own - and I'm not critical of that, I'm ambivalent. All I would say, is it leaves them vulnerable to the passing flights of fancy in society over whether such things are "cool" or "uncool", or others generally approve, or not.

 

[David B]

Today cycling will not be cool, definitely! It's 8.30 in the morning and I'm boiling already...

It wasn't cool yesterday evening either - I did a time trial and was sweating buckets during my ride even though I wasn't off until 8pm!


David

 

[medoramas]

I did some small research few months ago regarding why people don't use bicycles as their main mean of transport (some uni project). What made me wonder is that many of whom the bicycles are on the very bottom of ways of transportation, usually take their family for a bike ride around a local park on Sunday afternoon. That's the only usage of bikes for the majority of adults.

 

[unkleGsif]

I mean some may look for affirmation, empathy or acceptance - but at the end of the day, people (en masse) are idiots -

Agree.100%

The irony of this statement and its posting on a website established for the gratification of a particular niche, and which dedicates regular sections to various incarnations of "Bike of the Month".... ISNT lost on me....

Which statement - Tony's or mine?

'cos I stand by what I wrote - either for cycling in general, or my interest, here. I'm not looking for affirmation, empathy, or even acceptance.

As to what society, en masse, thinks about cycling as a hobby / sport / pastime, I struggle to care. The only aspect I do care about, is where it spills over to hostility or aggression whilst on the road in traffic.

I didn't join retrobike for affirmation, empathy or acceptance - I joined here as a resource for bikes from the era I prefer - initially as a source of info. That I hang around and make a monkey of myself is not my primary reason.

The retrobikes I own I do so for myself - I couldn't care less whether other people approve, or not, though - I'm not into this whole "learned culture" thing that evolves in some over time.

Some people do seek those things - either for themselves, or by extension the bikes they own - and I'm not critical of that, I'm ambivalent. All I would say, is it leaves them vulnerable to the passing flights of fancy in society over whether such things are "cool" or "uncool", or others generally approve, or not.

Noth Neil, both

Just thought it was ammusingly ironic that is all..... didnt need a detailed, in depth waffle about the psychology of retrobiking.


G