Originally Posted by monk

I've always found it curious that "bike riders" aren't necessarily frowned upon by most people but "cyclists" are. If a housewife wearing bermuda shorts, a t-shirt and no helmet had run into the dog, I bet the dog owner would have been mortified and you certainly wouldn't have him saying it was the bike riders fault. However, as "cyclists" with our expensive bikes, bright-colored lycra and helmets, we're considered to be more of a nusiance for some reason. For example, a guy in jeans and a baseball hat plodding alongside the rode on a bike carrying a grocery bag would rarely be yelled or honked at by motorists like we are on a routine basis. Why is this?