Who’s riding road bikes these days?

[legrandefromage]

I'm off to ride an old Batavus Professional.

Ner.

 

[hookooekoo]

I suspect it's the generations that never played outside much that don't bother much with real bikes ridden on real roads, with a real breeze in your face, and a real risk of falling off. Their lives are lived virtually. Presumably they enjoy what they do, or perhaps they never experienced the real world and don't know what they are missing. If you hardly ever rode a bike for fun as a kid, why would you suddenly buy one as an adult? Most would only do so as an attempt to lose weight, and they would probably think a gym membership is more cost effective than an expensive carbon bike that provides only a very specific type of exercise.

 

[legrandefromage]

I'm sorry, there was some Ultegra involved

But, baggy shorts and a knackered old t-shirt did make up for it

 

[legrandefromage]

... and for you manly men, that's 52 teeth right there

 

[KermitGKona88]

Now I am not going to make any bones about it. I am a fat middle aged male, I was out the other day blasting along on my Cruiser, helmet on, all safe. I saw another fat middle aged bloke riding in the opposite direction on his road bike clad in lycra,I am not judging I love cycling and i you want to do it wearing a sausage skin that's fine by me, but, I put my hand up to wave to him and he deliberately looked away as if he never saw me... Now that is not a real cyclist, it is a fashionista riding a bike because it is the trendy thing to do.

Another example I was on my way to the next town on the bus, stopped at a red light, yes I do catch buses when I have to put a days work in and am carrying lots of paperwork and stuff, and a fashionista on a carbon whippet, wearing a more flattering sausage skin, but nonetheless riding on a pavement he should not have been riding on, rode across the first part of the junction outside the local hospital, hesitated in the center reservation just long enough for our light to go green then sprinted acroos the road right in front of a double decker bus, as he passed still riding on a pavement he should not be on, I noticed one word on his sausage skin and smiled to myself... STRAVA...

 

[KermitGKona88]

... and for you manly men, that's 52 teeth right thereView attachment 654372

 

[legrandefromage]

Suntour Superbe

 

[legrandefromage]

Pro

 

[CassidyAce]

Now I am not going to make any bones about it. I am a fat middle aged male, I was out the other day blasting along on my Cruiser, helmet on, all safe. I saw another fat middle aged bloke riding in the opposite direction on his road bike clad in lycra,I am not judging I love cycling and i you want to do it wearing a sausage skin that's fine by me, but, I put my hand up to wave to him and he deliberately looked away as if he never saw me... Now that is not a real cyclist, it is a fashionista riding a bike because it is the trendy thing to do.

Another example I was on my way to the next town on the bus, stopped at a red light, yes I do catch buses when I have to put a days work in and am carrying lots of paperwork and stuff, and a fashionista on a carbon whippet, wearing a more flattering sausage skin, but nonetheless riding on a pavement he should not have been riding on, rode across the first part of the junction outside the local hospital, hesitated in the center reservation just long enough for our light to go green then sprinted acroos the road right in front of a double decker bus, as he passed still riding on a pavement he should not be on, I noticed one word on his sausage skin and smiled to myself... STRAVA...

Well, he wasn't doing the reputation of roadies, or cyclists in general, any good. Around here, it's students without lights and kids on mountain bikes riding on the wrong side of the road. The roadies I encounter are usually polite, friendly and say 'Hello' even if I'm on a decades-old Marin or whatever. Perhaps I should have placed more emphasis, earlier, on how public image and reality differ.

Additionally, I feel that the likes of GCN are a mixed blessing for roadies. They do some good, informative videos but, equally, they peddle a very performance-oriented view of road riding. They could do more on touring, great scenic road rides, more on the health and well-being aspects of riding, more on safety . . . But no, there's a preponderance of videos about watts used and going faster, further, harder, all of which creates a very one-dimensional view of road cycling.

 

[KermitGKona88]

Well, he wasn't doing the reputation of roadies, or cyclists in general, any good. Around here, it's students without lights and kids on mountain bikes riding on the wrong side of the road. The roadies I encounter are usually polite, friendly and say 'Hello' even if I'm on a decades-old Marin or whatever. Perhaps I should have placed more emphasis, earlier, on how public image and reality differ.

Additionally, I feel that the likes of GCN are a mixed blessing for roadies. They do some good, informative videos but, equally, they peddle a very performance-oriented view of road riding. They could do more on touring, great scenic road rides, more on the health and well-being aspects of riding, more on safety . . . But no, there's a preponderance of videos about watts used and going faster, further, harder, all of which creates a very one-dimensional view of road cycling.

We have our fair share of yobs here too, wheelieing for extended amounts of time in totally inappropriate places seems to be very popular amoungst the disinfected yoof of tdy...