Commuting - Reactions to My Choice of Commuting Bike

While commuting with my sport/road bike I received passing glances and no mention from the students as I rolled the bike to and from my office and afterwards. As soon as I started riding the mountain bike, the students began acknowledging me as a bike rider, often commenting and making conversation about cycling, even students who were not in my classes. The crowd commenting about the mountain bike typically is 18 - 29, both genders. The few interested parties conversing about cycling while I was using the sport/road bike usually were staff members, 40 and over, both genders. I just thought this was an interesting observation to pass on.

Sounds generational, doesn't it? They grew up with Mtn bikes,
we grew up with real bikes :D Prob most of what they see on road
bikes is poor people and somewhat crazy looking racers.

Just wait til you start commuting on a fixed gear.... ;)

Just wait til you start commuting on a fixed gear.... ;)


Talk about an outcast. They'll start throwing things for sure. ;)

You know, it's funny. I've ridden around on my campus on two different bikes. One is my mid-80's touring bike - pretty normal looking older road bike, aero levers, downtube shifters, rack on the back. Literally dozens and dozens of bikes like it, with the only real difference being that most of those other old bikes have the old-style levers, with the cables coming out the tops, and that I take really good care of my bike. So it's, if not anything that stands out or anything, just a pretty respectable ride. It doesn't get any attention.

The other bike is a black Austrian Sears three-speed bicycle. It has rusted-up spokes and rims, a rear fender that is clearly held onto the stays by duct tape, and a front mudflap fashioned out of part of a plastic water bottle and lots and lots of duct tape. It's pretty much a complete piece of crap. Theft proof.

On each of these bikes, I get the exact same amount of attention and interest: zero. But there are literally thousands of bicycles on my campus, so this is not too shocking.

The other bike is a black Austrian Sears three-speed bicycle. It has rusted-up spokes and rims, a rear fender that is clearly held onto the stays by duct tape, and a front mudflap fashioned out of part of a plastic water bottle and lots and lots of duct tape. It's pretty much a complete piece of crap. Theft proof.

Where are you? UMASS? I'll take a ride up there with my camera just to get a picture of this :p I love bikes like that. Even better are the apocalyptic, Mad Max-looking bikes!

Where are you? UMASS? I'll take a ride up there with my camera just to get a picture of this :p I love bikes like that. Even better are the apocalyptic, Mad Max-looking bikes!
Take your camera to Philadelphia. Lots of good, practical commuting bikes on the street. I took these pictures on a short stroll downtown there last month. There were lots more.

I am at the 29 end of the 18-29 demographic and i have the exact opposite reaction. There are soooooo many cheap box store mountain bikes on campus, i usually dont give a mountain bike a second look, but if i actually see someone on road bike, actually riding it on the road instead of clogging the sidewalk i gotta check it it out.

I think the selection at Wal-Mart says it all. If road style bikes were what the masses were interested in, that's what they would sell. It's no coincidence that the vast majority of bikes going out the door are MTBs. Leaving out the fact that the bikes leave alot to be desired, it still is a good guage of what Americans are buying. I do wonder how that scenario would play out at the LBS. I'll have to talk to the local guys and see if they sell more MTBs or Roadbikes. As they attract a different customer base it would be interesting to see if these numbers hold up there as well.

Here in Calgary, all the street cred goes to the big-travel mtn bikes. You can see dudes cruising down sidewalks going to get a latte on their shiny $6k rides that might see dirt half a dozen times each year. I have a bad habit of blatantly checking out just about every bike I see. My wife originally thought I was checking out women on bikes, and more disconcertingly the men on bikes... I assured her that it was the bikes, not the riders I was interested in.

In terms of what bike gets the most attention, it varies. When I'm on my SS, it's couriers who check to see if I'm one of them. Nobody looks twice when I ride my HT MTB, and I get the most attention when I'm in the spandex cruising on the road bike in the summer. I'm always happier to hear "nice ass" instead of "git off the road".

With a brodie romax cyclocross bike I got the same amount of attention with either 35mm knobbies or 23mm slicks. Most comments are of the 'nice bike' type, and usually given by older teenagers. Course, my classmates also think the bike is pretty cool too, and cause I wear my cycling clothes to short classes sometimes they often call me Lance.

I get no respect at all ... old dude no old bike going way too fast. :D

Where are you? UMASS? I'll take a ride up there with my camera just to get a picture of this :p I love bikes like that. Even better are the apocalyptic, Mad Max-looking bikes!

Yep! I mean, if I were going to Amherst, they'd throw me out for riding a bike like that!

Anyway, I see a LOT of folks riding around campus on BMX bikes... mountain bikes... there's one kid that I see using a trials bike to get around! Very weird - I don't know how they stand it. Same with the guys riding around on full-suspension DH bikes. But hey, they're the cool ones around here...

I do wonder how that scenario would play out at the LBS. I'll have to talk to the local guys and see if they sell more MTBs or Roadbikes. As they attract a different customer base it would be interesting to see if these numbers hold up there as well.

when i was looking for one, the lbs heard out what i had in mind and offered to order me a 'commuter bike' for [insert insane amount of cash in this space]. i have no idea what they had in mind or thought i had in mind, but i was definitely getting pretty frustrated trying to find something that had not been built to ride up one side of a grizzly bear and down the other.

I'm 28 and old enough to have the first bike I aspired to own be a ten speed. A Murray Sebring to be exact. I think I was about 12. AT some point in High school I got my first mountain bike, but I always preferred the "10 speed" style.

I have a bad habit of blatantly checking out just about every bike I see. My wife originally thought I was checking out women on bikes, and more disconcertingly the men on bikes... I assured her that it was the bikes, not the riders I was interested in.

LOL! I had to explain the same thing to my wife too.

I'm surprised at the number of cool bike reactions I get on my commute. Both my fixed gear track bike with bullhorns and my road bike fixie conversion with bullhorns, fenders and a rack get similar reactions. I figured my road bike specially was the most the most uncool bike for the inner city youth who mostly ride BMX and MTB. The only bike that gets more reaction is my recumbent which gets one or two "cool bike"s a day instead of a 1-2 a week. I guess the kids just like something that is different.
Craig

I once got a compliment on my $80 walmart full suspension mnt bike. I thought it was funny. I dont think ive goten any compliments on my $600 hybrid :(

I love getting looks when I commute on my '85 Schwinn World Sport, modified to single speed, and complete wih a milk crate (and now flat bars with a riser quill and stem, although not pictured). Most people assume I'm not a serious cyclists, but the fact is, my "real" bike collection is probably costlier than most people's cars; I just don't want to bring out the "serious" bikes out for the commute. The bike is so practical and so ugly, nobody would ride it but me, and thats just fine! :D

Just wait til you start commuting on a fixed gear.... ;)
That would be the missing 30-40 year olds.

That would be the missing 30-40 year olds.

I was wondering how long before someone would mention them. :) I got virtually no reaction from this group. Those who are students are totally focused on their studies with little time for other things.

It's funny, but around here it seems the Trek shop is more road oriented, and the Cannondale shop is more into dirt. Not sure if it's just who works there or what. They both sell everything from kids bikes to high end road and dirt bikes, but the "feel" of the two shops seems different.

Mountain bikes with knobby tires are so ubiquitous at my school (even the campus police who do the occasional bike patrol have them) that I don't even take notice of them. I'm one of about 4 people on campus who ride a bike with skinny tires.

Nobody has made any comments so far (not even about the fact that I ride with a helmet and that I don't ride on the sidewalk). I've even walked across campus and into the student center in full kit with my good bike (flat tire) without any comments.

And finally, I must admit that I'm guilty of checking out the bikes that I encounter too. I primarily like to see/hear how well they clean/lube their drivetrain (too often, I'm disappointed).

I think the selection at Wal-Mart says it all. If road style bikes were what the masses were interested in, that's what they would sell.

You are right, if you had gone to Wal-Mart in the early-mid '80s, you would have seen the sales racks filled with multispeed road bikes, and some kiddie "stingray" style bikes. At least the quality is consistent.

Nice milk crate! How do you get it to stay on there? Zip ties, perhaps?

When I commute on my folder I get lots of comments from the kids.

"That bike is so gangster! That's so cool man!"

"Mommy, what is that?"

"Look at those tiny tires."

"Cool bike!"

When I commute on my road bike I get zero comments.

Just wait til you start commuting on a fixed gear.... ;)

The most fun I have is when people ask me about trying my bike. They barely get it to roll and they jump out of it like it is possessed or something.

Almost as much fun as giving peanut butter to a dog.