General Cycling Discussion - Why isn't cycling popular in America?

This was in our comics section of our local Sunday newspaper. This guy gets cycling spot on.

http://img328.exs.cx/img328/5738/frazz20050721494942je.jpg

Snicker! Gaffaw! RLMFAO! Fall outta my chair 'cause my sides hurt from laughing... :roflmao: :roflmao: :beer: :beer: :beer:

And the only reason why people even know anything about cycling is lance armstrong.
We'll see how much media coverage cycling gets next year.

"May 6th, 2006

Shocking the entire cycling community, Lance Armstrong surprises everyone by announcing he has changed his mind and will go for an eighth Tour de France victory!"

:D

Spectator sports and activity sports are different. Popularity of those two don't necessarily go hand in hand.

Soccer is by far the most populary activity sports in the US, just go to school play ground in Sunday morning, and see what they are doing. On tv, there is no regular coverage of soccer unless it's a Spanish station.

When you look at cycling, it's not near top of the list in neither spectator nor activity sports. I would doubt that even if the popularity of cycling as a spectator sports increases, it will encourage people to use their bike more often.

I do believe when people start seeing their neighbors use their bike more often, like just use it to go to the convenient store around the corner to get something, that's when they start thinking about pulling their old bike out of the garage and actually use it. For most people, it's just too much work to get dressed for cycling and to feel obligated to ride 30 miles each time they go out.

As long as people are concerned about who get dressed better like real pro racers or who have the better components on their bike, it'll never be the populary activity sports nor part of their life activity.

Edit: I do apologize for turning a funny thread into more serious tone.

I think the reason cycling/bicycle riding is not as popular in the US as it should be is because of the easy access to automobiles-

The youth of our great country would much rather get their license as soon as possible and borrow the family car and go cruising with their friends-Some of these licenses can be had at 16-Once license is in hand, say goodbye to bicycles-

Look around and see how many kids, young kids have their own cars!-Just ain't cool to chase the chicks on a two wheeler when your buddy has 200 horse power-

I know this for a fact because I was one of those lucky kids with his own car back in 1959-

It took me 45 years to get back to bike ridin'-Just my .02

Regards-Bob

Soccer is by far the most populary activity sports in the US, just go to school play ground in Sunday morning, and see what they are doing.

Around here? Basketball or dealing drugs. Usually both.

Around here? Basketball or dealing drugs. Usually both.

Around here, drug dealers sleep in Sunday morning, and won't get up till late in the afternoon. :D

I think what makes cycling (TdF-style) less appealing than other sports, is the fact that, up until the last couple of kilometres, most of the competitors actually co-operate! The take turns riding first, and generally are a nice bunch until the final sprint.
So, you're essentially watching, what looks like, a group training for 3-4 hours, and then there's a bit of action the last minute or two.
Doesn't sound like a great recipe for a spectator sport, does it?

Around here, drug dealers sleep in Sunday morning, and won't get up till late in the afternoon. :D

Oh right... sunday morning. Who do I see on the playground on sunday morning? NOBODY :p

I think what makes cycling (TdF-style) less appealing than other sports, is the fact that, up until the last couple of kilometres, most of the competitors actually co-operate! The take turns riding first, and generally are a nice bunch until the final sprint.
So, you're essentially watching, what looks like, a group training for 3-4 hours, and then there's a bit of action the last minute or two.
Doesn't sound like a great recipe for a spectator sport, does it?

True, plus people's attention spans aren't that long. That's another problem.

Because people would like to spend 2.22 per gallon, then complain about it, rather then use their own power to get to the location for free.

well its not really free, your energy is coming from the food you eat, and the food you eat cost money. With that said the cycling is still way cheaper and considering the side affects of driving (pollution, gas money) cycling is definitely the better choice :)

Many people eat enough excess food every day to power them through a couple of hours of pretty hard riding.

Cycling is very popular in the United States. It just isn't marketed for some reason. It could be very successful. If you can sell NASCAR, golf and Allstar wrestling, you could certainly sell a road race up the Rocky Mountains. Now that would be cool. Or you could do Mountain biking. I could see that as being very entertaining. The money is out there. Just attend a club ride with say, twenty riders. How much have they invested in bikes, clothing, tools, bike racks, etc. These are real people spending real money. Do you think they would follow a road race series sponsered by Trek, Giant, maybe Decent, or Pearl izumi. You bet your spd's they would. Lets not forget about Suburu and other yuppie mobiles. It could be done, it could be successfull, all the pieces are there.

Jim

I think cycling probably has more active participants than any other physical activity except for running/jogging in this country. Seriously, how often do you see neighbors playing football, baseball, ect. Maybe a couple times a year if even that much. I do see some of my neighbors jogging and cycling quite often.

I don't think you will see much cycling on television anytime in the near future. I just don't think the majority of the couch potatos view it as a serious sport in this country or a sport that is interesting to watch.

Around here? Basketball or dealing drugs. Usually both.

Around here it's jacking deer and fiddlehead huntin.

Around here it's jacking deer and fiddlehead huntin.

I actually don't understand what you just said at all.


It's all football here, all the time. Soccer is for guys that are just waiting for their broken arms to heal so they can play football again.

I actually don't understand what you just said at all.

Jacking deer - Poaching, shooting deer illegally.

Fiddleheads - Certain ferns are harvested just as they begin to sprout in the Spring. Nothing tastes quite like a good fiddlehead salad.

Well about the spectator sport thing...
I know people who are fanatical about NASCAR, i tried watching a race with them and its just cars going around and around 100+ times.....
gets old after hte first 2

I wonder if with gas prices on the rise, cycling will increase in interest. Or perhaps more people will choose to commute on bicycle, not necessarily wear the clipless+spandex

Spectator sports are a paradox in their own right.
Hockey, which i consider the best spectator sport, is less watched in the usa than poker.

I think its more about marketing.

"Why isn't cycling popular in America?"

Because generally, 'Murcun's "don't have enough time" to get into the sport from working too many hours chasing the Almighty Buck, too tired from having to work the long hours, or they're too overweight and lazy to want to ride.

Well about the spectator sport thing...
I know people who are fanatical about NASCAR, i tried watching a race with them and its just cars going around and around 100+ times.....
gets old after hte first 2

I wonder if with gas prices on the rise, cycling will increase in interest. Or perhaps more people will choose to commute on bicycle, not necessarily wear the clipless+spandex

I like the crashes...

I don't view cycling as sport at all, but rather as transportation. All the focus on the TdF and cycling as 'sport' actually detracts from advancing cycling as basic transportation, IMO.

I don't view cycling as sport at all, but rather as transportation. All the focus on the TdF and cycling as 'sport' actually detracts from advancing cycling as basic transportation, IMO.

My feet are basic transportation. My bike is anything but.

My feet are basic transportation. My bike is anything but.
Now you're splitting hairs. Many people view their motor vehicle as 'basic' transportation. If you want to take the complexity of the machine involved into account, neither a bicycle nor a motor vehicle is 'basic', but a bicycle is more basic than a motor vehicle, IMO. ;)

The thing that I love about cycling is that it quite handily can be competitive sport, transportation, recreation, and it's good for your health, too.

I reckon cycling isn't considered that big of a deal here in the US because most people still consider a bicycle a kids' toy.

I ride daily, to work and back, and I ride recreationally, and I might start riding competitively next year. Everyone who knows me knows I'm a bike nut, but most people I know say the same thing pretty often, that being, "Man, I haven't been on a bike since I was like 12." Kids start thinking they're too grown for riding bikes right about the time they hit puberty, right about the time they could actually start having way more fun with it. Right when they're getting bigger and stronger, when they could start getting a LOT faster and riding much nicer bikes, they decide that bikes are just kid stuff.

I never went through that phase, myself...I just graduated from my old banana-seat bike to my mom's old 10-speed that was hanging around the garage, but I never cared that much about popular opinion, anyway.

But I think cycling would be more popular overall if it could be pitched to the average Joe as a lifetime activity, that it's not just for elementary school kids, and that older kids and adults can have a good time, and kids who don't have the physical makeup for basketball and football might just have what it takes for one or another competitive bicycling discipline.

Many people eat enough excess food every day to power them through a couple of hours of pretty hard riding.

This is so true. They would rather just prefer to wear it around their middle instead of riding.

Kids are just so lazy anymore. They have to be driven eveywhere. When my daughter was in high school, and wanted to ride her bike to school, there wasn't even a bike rack available at the school. It was looked at by her peers as so "un-cool" to bike. It was something just for nerds, in their eyes. The kids just emulate the laziness shown by their parents.

I also believe that winter weather up north tends to kill some of the positive interest that many people new to the activity may have had during the warmer months. People may ride a few times during the summer, but the interest in cycling fades when the weather turns colder. They then put their bikes in storage, and may not dig them out again for a couple of years, or more.

Every year I watch the TDF and love it, yet I also wish we had something similar in the state. When I lived in Northeastern PA, I thought, "wow what a great place to have a race like the TDF". Now I live in Northeastern NY (Adirondacks area) and again I think "Wow, what a great location for a TDF type of race" We have mountains, flats, lakes, great roads, etc. Lake Placid already has a yearly Ironman competition, why not a great bike race?

Here is something to ponder
The American public (as a whole) likes to travel way to far to fast.They like to go hundreds and hundreds of miles to "get away".on a bike ya just can't do it quick enouph.The American public has always been fasinated with the automobile.
As the general concensis goes people think most bicyclists are nuts.Just look at the comments made
What are you doing way out here on that?You road how far?How long does it take?Don't the hills just kill ya?
We as a hole are just to lazy and gotta get there to fast to make cycling a way of life.(now I don't mean the people in this forum either just in general)
that is my .02 worth.
Rick G

How do you define "popular"? About half of adults (age 25 to age 50) ride a bike from time to time. A Sunday afternoon in June. About 10 % of adults ride at least once or twice a week during good weather. Around 20 million or 30 million people. And, around two million or so Americans are fanatics. Ride almost every day.

Now, compare that to other sports. Are there twenty million American adults playing football, hockey, or baseball on a regular basis? I doubt it.

It is a darned shame that every adult is not out riding every day. But, cycling ranks close to walking, jogging, and BBQ as America's favorite outdoor activity. Rather "popular", I think.

All sports in the US are driven by two things. STATISTICS (everyone knows how many home runs henry aaron has, 755) and GAMBLING do you think that if there wasn't gambling that the NFL would be as popular?

there aren't easily definable stat's in bicycling racing and can you gamble on the events?

I think cycling is the 3rd most popular activity after walking and swimming, just above bowling. Something like 49 million participants. I remember a time before soccer was big in the US. About 10 years ago a Soccer advocacy group pumped a lot of cash into starting the local soccer clubs/organizations. Now 10 years later soccer is booming. The aging population of the US might explain why cycling is not more popular. Only 1.7 million commute to work, (1% of all commuters). Most people commute less than 6 miles one way, (all commmuters). I guess people like pumping that cash into black tea.

Now you're splitting hairs. Many people view their motor vehicle as 'basic' transportation. If you want to take the complexity of the machine involved into account, neither a bicycle nor a motor vehicle is 'basic', but a bicycle is more basic than a motor vehicle, IMO. ;)

Considering the fact that I knew what you meant, yes, I was.

The less "popular" cycling is, the happier I am. I don' wanna have to ride behind all the chub-oes I have to stand behind in the line at the grocery store. Let 'em play basketball, watch football, or whatever suits them best.

As for me, I'll just keep on voting Republican, commuting in my SUV, playing with our dogs, and riding my bike for exercise and fun.

As for me, I'll just keep on voting Republican,...

What's that - the criminals leading the blind, or should I say the blind & ignorant empowering the criminals??

Sounds like you've got your nice fantasy world all set up....

The less "popular" cycling is, the happier I am. I don' wanna have to ride behind all the chub-oes I have to stand behind in the line at the grocery store. Let 'em play basketball, watch football, or whatever suits them best.

Wow. :mad:

In all the time I've spent at this forum, reading posts, no one has quite boiled down the animosity quite like that.

If anyone TRULY wants to know why cycling isn't as popular as it could be, THIS IS THE REASON WHY. How many posts have you seen that are rants about oil and suvs? Or fat, lazy Americans in front of the television? And now, this "chub-oes" nonsense.

Not everybody wants to be part of some elitest group. Especially one full of venomous people who feel like they have something to prove to society at large.

Duck22, I see from your post that you live in Virginia. This chub-oe, who bikes everyday and gave up his truck, is more than happy to annoy you by biking too.

I love riding, but of the many recreational activities/sports I've participated in, cyclists and runners tend to be the snobbiest, most elitist bunch of jackholes I've ever encountered. Many are equipment weenies, and look down on you are not wearing/riding with the "right gear".

I've met some great individuals while cycling, but most of the people I've met on my rides are just plain arseholes. And I'm not even going to talk about group riders.

Paradoxically I also participate in rowing and sailing, sports that have the reputation of being full of snobs and elitists, yet the participants in those sports very welcoming and friendly.

When different parts of the country and mentioning that "I am from out of town", I've never been invited to "go along for a ride" when visiting the local bike shop, yet when I stop by the boathouses or marinas, I have always been invited to row with one of the local clubs or invitited to help crew a sailboat.

well its not really free, your energy is coming from the food you eat, and the food you eat cost money. With that said the cycling is still way cheaper and considering the side affects of driving (pollution, gas money) cycling is definitely the better choice :)

Most people eat too much anyway.

I don't view cycling as sport at all, but rather as transportation. All the focus on the TdF and cycling as 'sport' actually detracts from advancing cycling as basic transportation, IMO.

I disagree.

All the new equiptment developed is for racing and that eventually becomes part of your basic transportation cycling.

The less "popular" cycling is, the happier I am. I don' wanna have to ride behind all the chub-oes I have to stand behind in the line at the grocery store. Let 'em play basketball, watch football, or whatever suits them best.

As for me, I'll just keep on voting Republican, commuting in my SUV, playing with our dogs, and riding my bike for exercise and fun.

Where's that "Compassionate Conservatism" your master tried to sell us? Apparently your forgot to pay attention when he spouted that line of garbage. But enough of P&R. That's for another thread in the forum at the bottom of the page.

Who says that Cycling is not popular?

The world has 2 kinds of sport. The first kind is "your eyes sport and their bodies sport". The second kind is "your ownself sport". Soccer, basket, football, ... are "your eyes sport and their bodies sport". That is why you always see these kinds of sport on TV for your eyes to sport. Cycling is your ownself sport. That is why you hardly see that on TV.

I'm sure more people can ride bikes that to know how to play other kinds of sport. You probably spent less money on soccer, football, basketball than on cycling, sailing, ... But you hardly see cycling, sailing, ... on TV.

The popularity on TV has nothing to do with popularity of participating in the sport.

Cycling is very popular in the United States. It just isn't marketed for some reason. It could be very successful. If you can sell NASCAR, golf and Allstar wrestling, you could certainly sell a road race up the Rocky Mountains. Now that would be cool. Or you could do Mountain biking. I could see that as being very entertaining. The money is out there. Just attend a club ride with say, twenty riders. How much have they invested in bikes, clothing, tools, bike racks, etc. These are real people spending real money. Do you think they would follow a road race series sponsered by Trek, Giant, maybe Decent, or Pearl izumi. You bet your spd's they would. Lets not forget about Suburu and other yuppie mobiles. It could be done, it could be successfull, all the pieces are there.
Jim

Not all forms of motor racing sell well on TV. Formula get almost very little exposure in the U.S. yet Nascar is everywhere. Golf sells well in the U.S but European golf does not. Bottom line. People in the U.S. will buy a product but you'll have to fill the field with Americans.

Who says that Cycling is not popular?

The world has 2 kinds of sport. The first kind is "your eyes sport and their bodies sport". The second kind is "your ownself sport". Soccer, basket, football, ... are "your eyes sport and their bodies sport". That is why you always see these kinds of sport on TV for your eyes to sport. Cycling is your ownself sport. That is why you hardly see that on TV.

I'm sure more people can ride bikes that to know how to play other kinds of sport. You probably spent less money on soccer, football, basketball than on cycling, sailing, ... But you hardly see cycling, sailing, ... on TV.

The popularity on TV has nothing to do with popularity of participating in the sport.


...And thats the reason that the Los Angeles Area lost 2 NFL teams. This area is a hub of obscure sports. Most of the population in this area are participants rather than spectators (plus this area is a hub of transplants who still have loyalties to there "home team")

a couple of thoughts:

I basically think it all comes down to how much they can sell in advertising. What I don't understand is how a company like Shimano which also makes high end fishing gear, won't invest in advertising on a cycling show, that could run in the evening.

I would bet that there are almost as many cyclists with expendable incomes that would trump the crack-eating redneck that can afford to buy a $40,000 bass boat, and few thousand dollars in tackle.

What I really don't understand is how people are able to sit on their asses and watch poker and fishing shows which somehow are red hot commodities on SportsTV.

I disagree.

All the new equiptment developed is for racing and that eventually becomes part of your basic transportation cycling.

Yeah, without racing transportational cyclists wouldn't have anything they need. Like panniers, lights, fenders, racks, internally geared hubs, etc.

:D Just kidding, I understand your point, but not all technology is developed for racing. Lighter frames, smoother bearings, better brake pads, and the like are all valuable and all have applications for racing, but most of the actual useful stuff does not.

Not all forms of motor racing sell well on TV. Formula get almost very little exposure in the U.S. yet Nascar is everywhere. Part of that probably has to do with the fact there is not a single American in F1, and only one Canadian (I think only one). Any American that shows any racing talent at all will end up in NASCAR, that's where the money is in this country unfortunately. That being said, the German F1 race was on TV this weekend, probably because it didn't conflict with a NASCAR timeslot. :rolleyes:


I love riding, but of the many recreational activities/sports I've participated in, cyclists and runners tend to be the snobbiest, most elitist bunch of jackholes I've ever encountered. Gotta agree with this. I see it a lot on this forum, even in this thread the impression I get from the cycling community is this: "Anyone who doesn't ride is a fat, lazy, SUV driving, couch potato hell bent on destroying the environment one gas tank at a time." Well guess what, the cycling lifestyle is not for everyone. Neither is the bike-commuting lifestyle, it will simply never be practical for a vast majority of Americans, myself included.

Why can't people just let other people choose their own path without judgement?

(P.S. I am not an SUV driving Republican.) :rolleyes:

Neither is the bike-commuting lifestyle, it will simply never be practical for a vast majority of Americans, myself included.
:rolleyes:

Only problem I ever had with bike commuting, is the lack of facilties for showering when you get to the office - and I think that is the biggest deterent to bike commuting.

And even if they did have showering facilities, how many of you would be comfortable seeing your coworkers nekkid?)

Cycling's got a way to go for this auto-holic society we live in. Growing up I loved riding all the time. After high school I was told I ride too much. My dad - "your riding so much you could get another job". Now that I am older and have a real job, I can't ride enough. Over the years I have influenced people into riding. Some just recreational ride, while a few actually commute form time to time. The TDF and Lance help make it aware to some that cycling is FUN, not just for kids. However it takes each of us to be stewards of the bike. Be it role models for your friend and family. The A**holes, and other non desirables are going to be out there riding... it part of life. Cycling has its meaning for everyone, be it fitness, fun, transportation alternative, part of your being, etc.etc. Cycling is just going to be one of those, niche sports for now, but its more fun than Curling or shuffle board.

Oh and here is an outsider's point of view on Lance and in it you can see where he feels cycling sits. http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=bayless/050725

I don't view cycling as sport at all, but rather as transportation.


I agree.

I hate that Poker is in ESPN. There's that guy that always seems to wear a baseball cap and sun glasses. Shieeet.. If I were on one of those Poker TV shows, I'd be wearing a fully functional Boba Fett costume.

Only problem I ever had with bike commuting, is the lack of facilties for showering when you get to the office - and I think that is the biggest deterent to bike commuting.

And even if they did have showering facilities, how many of you would be comfortable seeing your coworkers nekkid?)The lack of showering facilities would certainly be an issue for most people, here's specifically why commuting won't work for me. I'm a Field Engineer for a health imaging products company. I carry a laptop and tool/equipment bag daily, I routinely have to carry computer parts and monitors. Think they make panniers big enough to lug 4 diagnostic quality CRT monitors around? They weigh about 50 pounds each. Thankfully LCD monitors are now becoming the norm!!

Because I work in the field I don't know which customer site I'm going to be at day to day, one hospital in the morning, over to this imaging center after that, finish up the day at another hospital. I also have required on-site response times. And finally my commute if I only go to one site, is nearly 50 miles a day.

Would I like to bike-commute? HELL YEA!! But it's not practical and never will be for this type of work.

As for the nekkid thing, nothing could be worse than the horrors of the men's locker room at the local YMCA!! :eek: :D