Originally posted by stewartp
10. have shopping bags dangling from the handle bars
Paper or plastic? And yes, I have done plastic although I started getting wiser and began to use panniers and backpacks.
11. wear cycle clips around the pants cuff of your long trousers
Actually I used to do this back in college when I was commuting between classes. I had a pair of ankle reflectors that runners used (that is if they ever did really use them... I dunno... got 'em as a gift one year even though I wasn't really a runner) and that's what kept my trouser cuffs from getting eaten by my chainrings.
12. Put a wicker basket in front of your mangensium cinelli bars.
How about a milk crate? I once strapped a picnic basket to the trunk rack mounted to a CF seatpost though.
On my last Audax ride there was aguy with a Litespeed Titanium bike. First thing he told me was how much it cost, and how my Airborne was only Russian titanium etc.
I have a standing rule never to talk about the price of my bike (especially to other cyclists) unless someone explicitly asks me... and only if they're asking for purposes of price comparison research. It's not that it's an expensive or inexpensive bike, it's just that it doesn't matter.
He couldn't cycle worth **** tho'.
My constant fear is that my cycling skills are worth **** tho' which of course motivates me to ride and try to be better.
And I was thinking what a waste of money. On the other hand, so what. Its his money to spend.
True... If in cycling, it's not about the bike; then in life, it's not about the money.
Proofs of my snobbishness:
1. I ALWAYS check out a road bike, but I lump all MTBs together mentally. I can't tell one from another.
I tend to have the opposite problem... having come from a mostly MTB past. Unless frame geometry and design are much different from the typical roadbike double-diamond, I have a harder time telling what make and model of roadbike from a distance. Upon closer inspection, I can now usually distinguish a De Rosa from a Look pretty easily though. But I still have trouble with frames that don't have many unique and distinguishing features. Even on high-end roadbikes, other than by looking at the labels, how does one distinguish at a distance between a Colnago CT1 and a Lightspeed Ultimate?
This is not to say that all MTBs look different either. Many are copycats of one another. And of course all the dept. store bike producers have been trying to copy the look of the old Trek Y-bikes and Cannondale V-bikes for many years now just because they "look cool". It's gotten to the point where I'll just about assume from a distance those frame types are *-Mart bikes.
2. if I see a racing bike that doesn't have aero brakes I think "Oh - its old", and don't look any further. (unless its REALLY old - 30yrs plus coz then it might have some classy or unusual frame setup & welds)
It works the opposite for me here. If I see an older looking bike (any bike), I get this "remember the days when..." thought going through my head and it only makes me more interested.
3. Likewise if the bike has those "cow horn" brake levers.
Do you mean brake lever extensions designed to allow you to brake from the tops that were so popular with low-end dept. store bikes? If so, I cringe when I see them. Those things are so dangerous. My wife doesn't like riding the drops or the hoods and remembers riding her old 10-speed when she was a kid with the brake lever extensions and asked that I find her a roadbike with them so she could brake from the tops. I told her there was no way I'd get her a bike with lever extensions so I'm now looking at roadbikes with flatbars for her instead.
4. If I see a racing bike that's not campag I don't rate it (even tho it might be Ultegra or Dura Ace and WAY superior to my mid-range groupset)
Although I ride Shimano, Campy does more easily catch my eye... especially if it's Campy Record just because I've been constantly toying with the idea of moving to Campy. I'm still on the fence. Luckily my components are pretty new so I can justify putting off my decision for a few years.
5. If I see a bike with Look type pedals rather than SPD I assume the rider is clued-up, (even tho I have SPD!)
What if they're riding Speedplays, Coombs, Eggbeaters, ATACs, etc? I guess I live the alternative pedal lifestyle. |8^)
I've never thought of pedal models themselves as a generalisation of cycling skill. Although I admit that I do base my initial impressions on type.
The quill/trap/platforms (unless seen on a downhill/hucker/freeride rig and then I judge the quality of the pedals) are in the occasional/recreational round-the-neighborhood no-more than 5 miles category. Straps and cages into the newbie/just-started category. And "automatic" (as the literature for my ATACs refers to them) into the enthusiast/more-experienced category.
Mind you, this is all just initial impressions without knowing the cyclist, their type of riding, etc and is such really is nothing more than the cover of the book. Bike equipment can be such a personal thing that it's often hard to judge the level and quality of the cyclist based on what he/she is riding and wearing. And I guess that answers my initial question. |8^)