Miserable Roadie Rant

16simon":22guertx said:
I don't think that I'm a bike snob, but I wouldn't nod to someone in town on an old MTB wearing normal clothes because I wouldn't feel anything in common with someone who just jumps on a bike to ride to work.

But what would be the point of me spending thousands I don't have on a pro-road rig and wearing lycra and disco slippers when I'm nowhere near fit enough for them to make any real difference to my riding? Then I'd be an "All the gear, no idea" cnut surely? Not to mention eyerolls from the world for looking like a psychedelic string of sausages.

I love riding, but at the moment with two very young kids at home, "Just jumps on a bike to ride to work." is the only time I get to exercise. I would love to be able to put eight hours a day in and have a resting pulse of 4 bpm, but it's never going to happen.

I nod to any adult on a bike, and 90% of the time you get something back, but the "Eyeroll" was a new low. :LOL:
 
i have a mate who i believed to be fairly down to earth.

out for a ride we popped into a local quarry to see a guy in his 30's on a really really nice santa cruz. he had expecsive shoes and helmet, fox clothing, bling rucksack, the works.

he was also with 4 kids from about 10 to 16 so much of his riding was tootling around.

whjen my mate first saw him he pointed out his bike to me. after realising he was only tootling about my mate went on a right old rant about it being a waste, all the gear, what a prick, bet he's a rich boy bla bla bla. anyway, after about 20 mins we chatted to the guy. clearly a nice guy, clearly teaching someone elses kids to ride off road. fair play to him.

it really peeved me off that my mate reacted that way
 
i remember as a kid a band of us going out into the peaks for our first ride beyond the horizon. Most were on single speeders, I remember having a 3 speed hub and only one had a derailleur. Unfortunately for him derailleur boy was the smallest and weakest and couldnt get bottom gear. As he walked up a hill, some scruffy old-boy club cyclist stopped and showed us how to adjust using the stop screws and barrel adjuster. It got us going again, but I'll never forget him taking some time with us and passing on his knowledge.
He could have just fecked us off, we being skool kids in jeans & teeshirts on BSOs, but he didnt.
 
pigman":1xhn9i8g said:
i remember as a kid a band of us going out into the peaks for our first ride beyond the horizon. Most were on single speeders, I remember having a 3 speed hub and only one had a derailleur. Unfortunately for him derailleur boy was the smallest and weakest and couldnt get bottom gear. As he walked up a hill, some scruffy old-boy club cyclist stopped and showed us how to adjust using the stop screws and barrel adjuster. It got us going again, but I'll never forget him taking some time with us and passing on his knowledge.
He could have just fecked us off, we being skool kids in jeans & teeshirts on BSOs, but he didnt.
Different times, then, though.

These days, older people would probably not feel as ready to approach the youth, for fear of being abused.
 
I don't know about you, but I try to help kids if I see them with broken bikes. IMO, one of the worst problems with our society is we're so frightened of talking to our children.
 
Perhaps didn't make my point very well. but what I was talking about was people who are passionate about cycling and those who are not. This does not relate to how much you spend on a bike; as you know it is possible to pick up a decent retrobike for little money that may not have disc brakes and 140mm forks, or 11spd and carbon rims, but is light and enjoyable to ride and in many ways is more of a connoisseur's bike.

Let me give two examples:

One of my clubmates bought a carbon Focus road bike, and when I pointed out that the chain was worn and that by replacing it he would extend the life of the drivetrain, he told me that he intended to run it into the ground then buy another bike for the summer. He might have had an expensive bike, lycra, Oakleys, etc but to me he was not a cyclist since he lacked any connection with or passion for his bike.

At the now gone Eastway cycle circuit, one guy used to turn up to the Thursday evening crits on a Halford's Apollo road bike, with trainers and clipless pedals, and used to hang on and always finished in the bunch. I had much more respect for him than someone who rides a £5k road bike in a 4th cat road race.

The reality is that the majority of people who I would not class as real cyclists are not on expensive bikes and kitted out in lycra, and this is what seems to rile people. This is my opinion, and I don't look down in any way on them, I just feel that although we are both riding bicycles we do not necessarily have anything in common so I don't acknowledge them with a nod. It's my choice, and I don't think it's rude; like I said, no one nods to other car drivers, do they?
 
16simon":3fimuhvq said:
Perhaps didn't make my point very well. but what I was talking about was people who are passionate about cycling and those who are not. This does not relate to how much you spend on a bike; as you know it is possible to pick up a decent retrobike for little money that may not have disc brakes and 140mm forks, or 11spd and carbon rims, but is light and enjoyable to ride and in many ways is more of a connoisseur's bike.

Let me give two examples:

One of my clubmates bought a carbon Focus road bike, and when I pointed out that the chain was worn and that by replacing it he would extend the life of the drivetrain, he told me that he intended to run it into the ground then buy another bike for the summer. He might have had an expensive bike, lycra, Oakleys, etc but to me he was not a cyclist since he lacked any connection with or passion for his bike.

At the now gone Eastway cycle circuit, one guy used to turn up to the Thursday evening crits on a Halford's Apollo road bike, with trainers and clipless pedals, and used to hang on and always finished in the bunch. I had much more respect for him than someone who rides a £5k road bike in a 4th cat road race.

The reality is that the majority of people who I would not class as real cyclists are not on expensive bikes and kitted out in lycra, and this is what seems to rile people. This is my opinion, and I don't look down in any way on them, I just feel that although we are both riding bicycles we do not necessarily have anything in common so I don't acknowledge them with a nod. It's my choice, and I don't think it's rude; like I said, no one nods to other car drivers, do they?
There are plenty of REAL cyclists, though, that don't have any passion for it.

Over the years (and I've seen similar comments in this thread) I've seen countless people riding bikes as a means of transport, day-in, day-out, come rain or shine, yet don't really have any enthusiasm for either the equipment, or cycling as a sport. Yet for all their ambivalence to their equipment, or lack of any real interest in doing more than really getting about, they are still cycling for years and years.

And I have a lot of respect for them for doing so, because there is a difference between people like that, and people who simply buy a BSO from Tesco on a whim, use it for a couple of weeks, then sling it in the shed or garage.
 
A bicycle is a simple means of propulsion yet is one of the most vulnerable out on the road.

Rather than grumping at each other, cant we grump at the shite attitude of other road users?
 
The Ken":3msblhl8 said:
Yes I agree! what about Taxi Drivers for starters? ;) :LOL:

definitely! Taxi drivers are the worst, no other industry allows for 15+ hours on the road without an official break.
 
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