General Cycling Discussion - What makes a "serious" cyclists

I see comments of how "serious" a cyclist is. It occurred to me that I judge the
skill of the rider on a strange scale. Bike expense doesn't directly (or dramatically)
sway the overall score. Technique and how the bike is outfitted does.
If I see a guy on a cheap bike, with slicks, good form and fit scores higher than
an expensive bike with a rider that wobbles in traffic, rusty chain, low tires, bobbing
head, etc

Shouldn't there be a "Serious" scoring guide?
Like:
Good fit 10pts
Good maintenance 10pts
Designs and builds own frame 500pts
Wobbles -10pts

I'd just like to know how you score yourself and others.
Feel free to add a points system.
Additional sets for roadies, mtb'ers, and commuters are also encouraged.

CE

I became a "serious" cyclist when I started riding regularly ... when I consciously adopted this sport as something I wanted to devote some time and energy to.

This is a great question. I think a "serious" cyclist is one who sees it as a lifestyle, not just an occasional ride. For instance, someone who watches what they eat, drink, sleep and takes care of his/her health. It's someone who can balance all their life commitments (family, religion, job, fun).It's someone who spends time learning about the sport and techniques. While it is someone who rides, that person does not have to: be fast; own a "high end" bike and equipment; hammer in a group ride; be a snob and ignore others that are learning; and think they are a know-it-all.

I think a serious cyclist is someone who rides around with a frown... I try not to do that. :D

A minimum requirement as far as I'm concerned - helmet. Anyone who rides without a helmet can never be a serious cyclist in my book.

A minimum requirement as far as I'm concerned - helmet. Anyone who rides without a helmet can never be a serious cyclist in my book.

I guess that would make those thousands and thousands of commuters in the Netherlands not serious cyclist. Also, all the people here in Costa Rica who depend on bikes for transportation are just playing around I guess.

I know the USA is obsessed about helmets, but most of the world isn't.

Of course "serious" might mean obsessed, instead of just viewing it as a means of transportation.

I would have to agree that a serious cyclist is someone that rides regularly. A cyclist could own a cheap bicycle and use street clothes and still be a serious cyclist. Alternatively, a person could own a $4000 road bike and a full kit and not be a serious cyclist if they only ride once a month or so. Of course, there are many serious cyclists that own expensive gear.

I do have to admit, I view the commuters that ride all year around in any weather condition as being the most serious cyclists.

Tee Hee. What a loaded/trollish question! Brought me out!

Already brought out a dandy response from a Hysterical Helmet Safety Nanny. I'm sure there will be more self-anointed Real Cyclists rising for the chum in order to disparage those low life cyclists who don't meet their own "serious" profile.

Short answer: Anyone who considers his riding more "serious" (or "real") than other's in order to feel superior is way too serious about himself.

So Im new here but, when I think of a serious cyclist I think of someone who rides good, respectful to the traffic and rides no matter what snow rain sleet or w/e

I used to ride motorcycles and (the way I feel about it), they would be like O im a true rider and only ride during the summer when I would ride year long no matter what... To me I didnt think they were a true serious rider...

Just my thoguhts tho =P

Someone who knows how to adjust & repair nearly everything on their bike.

Well, that's a theory, anyway. I figure that if someone spends enough time riding, they'll probably do it from home, and want to keep their gear operational without having to carry it to a shop. So, they'll find out how to adjust the shifters and brakes, raise or lower the saddle, change tires & tubes, etc.

I was serious about bicycles at age 8. I used to pull them apart and tinker with them. Had lots of sleepless nights thinking where to mount the horn, cabled speedometer, headlight, what color to throw on the frame, etc...
45 years later, I still think about bikes in the middle of the night......:p :D

I think I'm a serious cyclist. I like to pose. :D

Wasn't meant to be troll bait. Just looking for different points of view.

CE

Ignore him. He's serious about b*tching over any use of the word "serious".

Ignore him. He's serious about b*tching over any use of the word "serious".

Well, good. Sometimes I need someone to keep me from taking myself too seriously.

Well, good. Sometimes I need someone to keep me from taking myself too seriously.

Well, yeah, but they don't have to be sniping with derogatory remarks every chance they get.

Such huge amounts of hate-filled speech spew from the keyboard of someone who "likes to bike". :rolleyes:

Well, yeah, but they don't have to be sniping with derogatory remarks every chance they get.

Such huge amounts of hate-filled speech spew from the keyboard of someone who "likes to bike". :rolleyes:

Sounds like you have a bit of pent up anger there. Just do what I (and I'm sure several others) do and put ILTB on your ignore list.

Sounds like you have a bit of pent up anger there. Just do what I (and I'm sure several others) do and put ILTB on your ignore list.

Don't worry; every version of him already ends up on my ignore list. I see the blocked post and just know that he's complaining again.

A "serious" cyclist, or a "real" cyclist?

A serious cyclist is somebody who really needs to lighten up! Or is possibly pressed to win that next stage in order to stay in the pack.

A real cyclist?

I simply consider it to be a person who carries a passion for cycling. It doesn't necessarily have to be a person who rides their bike all the time.

There are many people out there who really love building bikes, customizing them, participating in events as support or volunteer staff, advocating for improvements, building trails, promoting the sport whatever it may be!

These guys are just as passionate about cycling as anyone else.

Don't worry; every version of him already ends up on my ignore list. I see the blocked post and just know that he's complaining again.
OK, I see. :)

Wasn't meant to be troll bait. Just looking for different points of view.

CE

Understood; a new person to BF/Internet chatter on bicycling may not be aware of the use of the term "Serious" on BF by some self described "serious cyclists."

The term Serious Cyclist/Serious Cycling as well as the modifiers Real and True Cyclist/Cycling is sometimes (usually?) used on this forum as well as elsewhere as a buzz/code word for disparagement of cyclists who don't meet the profile of the self-styled/self described Serious Cyclist.

So what if another cyclist wobbles or his bike squeaks, or he chooses to let someone else do the maintenance? Or the horror -doesn't wear a helmet? What makes the efficient and outfitted bicyclist mechanic better or more "serious" in any dang way?

Perhaps "obsessed," "cultish" and in some cases, not necessarily the OP's, "snobbish" may be a more accurate modifier than "serious" when describing cyclists who like to feel their "serious" cycling method, style or equipment makes them superior to others.

Ignore him. He's serious about b*tching over any use of the word "serious".


Well, yeah, but they don't have to be sniping with derogatory remarks every chance they get.

Such huge amounts of hate-filled speech spew from the keyboard of someone who "likes to bike". :rolleyes:


Don't worry; every version of him already ends up on my ignore list. I see the blocked post and just know that he's complaining again.

What would you know Jack? Ain't you ignoring my comments and their context? You are displaying Serious stupidity IMO to keep sniping away at my comments that you haven't read and claim to ignore.

If you sleep with your bike I assume you are in a serious relationship... :rolleyes:

Just teasing folks, perhaps something other than serious. I put on a serious amount of kilometers but I don't think of myself as a serious cyclist. I am not dedicated, I don't dream of bike parts, but I do enjoy riding and I probably ride as much, if not more, than many people who think of themselves as serious. I don't rebuild bikes - and I don't have a garage full of them - but I have a nice one that I have had to replace a lot of parts because I wear them out.

A minimum requirement as far as I'm concerned - helmet. Anyone who rides without a helmet can never be a serious cyclist in my book.

Well I been riding for over 40 years and commuting for over 30 without a helmet...so I guess I am not serious in your little book...shucky darn. :rolleyes:

I see comments of how "serious" a cyclist is. It occurred to me that I judge the
skill of the rider on a strange scale. Bike expense doesn't directly (or dramatically)
sway the overall score. Technique and how the bike is outfitted does.
If I see a guy on a cheap bike, with slicks, good form and fit scores higher than
an expensive bike with a rider that wobbles in traffic, rusty chain, low tires, bobbing
head, etc

Shouldn't there be a "Serious" scoring guide?
Like:
Good fit 10pts
Good maintenance 10pts
Designs and builds own frame 500pts
Wobbles -10pts

I'd just like to know how you score yourself and others.
Feel free to add a points system.
Additional sets for roadies, mtb'ers, and commuters are also encouraged.

CE

If you gotta keep score, you're way too serious.

I think a serious cyclist is someone who rides around with a frown... I try not to do that. :D

You and me both...well cept when I am on the road bike wearing roadie kit...then I am expected to be an arrogant prick - and I try hard to live up to expectations! :D

Serious cyclists do their own wrenching. It's a threshold thing. bk

If you gotta keep score, you're way too serious.

Yeah, "keeping score" is one of the ends of a multi-level spectrum, tiresome to some folks.

Bottom line, a serious cyclist is one for which bikes are integral to the lifestyle. An unambiguous way to test this is to observe the level of anxiety develops if you're denied cycling for a while.

OK, I see. :)

No, actually you don't. ILTB is good people, some folks just can't get past the fact that he calls em like he sees em and don't sugar-coat it for a possible warm shower and Kumbuya session later. I respect him for his straightforwardness and I consider him a friend.

No, actually you don't. ILTB is good people, some folks just can't get past the fact that he calls em like he sees em and don't sugar-coat it for a possible warm shower and Kumbuya session later. I respect him for his straightforwardness and I consider him a friend.

And the man has good tastes in bikes.

No, actually you don't. ILTB is good people, some folks just can't get past the fact that he calls em like he sees em and don't sugar-coat it for a possible warm shower and Kumbuya session later. I respect him for his straightforwardness and I consider him a friend.

There's a difference between "straightforward" and "dickhead".

You and me both...well cept when I am on the road bike wearing roadie kit...then I am expected to be an arrogant prick - and I try hard to live up to expectations! :D

I think the serious look while having a full kit on is to discourage snide remarks.

Yeah, "keeping score" is one of the ends of a multi-level spectrum, tiresome to some folks.

Bottom line, a serious cyclist is one for which bikes are integral to the lifestyle. An unambiguous way to test this is to observe the level of anxiety develops if you're denied cycling for a while.

Touch my bike and I will crush your car with my backhoe. Does that make me serious?

I don't think there IS a good answer.

I check in on the Clydes forum since I qualify there. A lot of the people there aren't "fit". In fact, that's why they're bicycling, trying to get fit. And they're serious about it, too. So you can't just put that in as a qualification.

If someone who has a lot of money and has never cycled decides to take up the sport, they may ask around on the internet, ask at bike stores, etc., as to the best bike, best gear, etc. And they'll be out there wobbling on their $4,000 carbon fiber bike wearing $800 worth of biking clothes. There's nothing wrong with that. They may or may not be "serious". But in that kind of case, their bike and gear isn't really an indicator at all. Give 'em a year, and they may be much improved, or the bike may be on Craigslist- there's no telling.

Working on your own bicycle is sort of like working on your own car. If you have the time, the tools, the knowledge, and sort of halfway enjoy it, you'll do it. But that's not really a sign of a serious cyclist, that's a sign of a tinkerer. How many semi drivers work on their own rigs? I'm sure some do, some don't. Ditto with race car drivers, etc.

Even the issue of "fit" is not much of an indicator. The guys riding around on the BMX type bikes may spend their lives on them, and their knees are nearly touching their chins when they ride. That doesn't mean they're not serious about it. On a road-type bicycle, you expect the bike to be fit to the person, but road-type bicycles are a minority of bikes, too.

If you look in the roadie forum, the implication is that true bicycling = racing; therefore, anyone not racing or trying to get there isn't a true cyclist. And that's just not the case; no more so than saying car drivers who don't care about racing aren't serious drivers.

No, actually you don't. ILTB is good people, some folks just can't get past the fact that he calls em like he sees em and don't sugar-coat it for a possible warm shower and Kumbuya session later. I respect him for his straightforwardness and I consider him a friend.

And the man has good tastes in bikes.


There's a difference between "straightforward" and "dickhead".

Thank You Allen G. and my Buckeye pal Chipcom.

As far as an Ignoramus making Ignorant and insulting comments about posts which he brags about Ignoring and not reading - I predicted accurately that any thread inquiry/troll that seeks to define the special qualities of serious cyclists invariably brings out the serious attitude problem often reflected by serious Jackasses who take themselves and their brand of cycling way too seriously.

And that's just not the case; no more so than saying car drivers who don't care about racing aren't serious drivers.
According to the logic and smugness of some of our serious biking pals, anyone who doesn't do his own mechanical work on his automobile presumably is not a serious motorist. :rolleyes:

Just a comment on the word "serious" ... according to the dictionary it means: of great consequence (in other words, it matters); concerned with work or important matters rather than play or trivialities (in other words it is important); thought provoking; dedicated to something; likely to succeed; substantial (rather than trivial) ... among several other things.

http://www.onelook.com/?w=serious&ls=a
http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/features/dictionary/DictionaryResults.aspx?refid=1861718024

So ... when cycling became something that mattered to me, and something I wanted to become dedicated to ... that's when I became a "serious" cyclist. IMO things like equipment, riding preferences (races, tours, long distances, commutes, etc.), or even talent of some sort in riding don't define how serious a cyclist is or not. Nor can one person say, "I'm a serious cyclist because I do this and that ... and so-and-so is not a serious cyclist because he/she doesn't do this and that." We're all different, and different aspects of this sport matter more to one person than another. Yet we can all be dedicated to it. :)

No, actually you don't. ILTB is good people, some folks just can't get past the fact that he calls em like he sees em and don't sugar-coat it for a possible warm shower and Kumbuya session later. I respect him for his straightforwardness and I consider him a friend.


And the man has good tastes in bikes.

chipcom, I sent you a PM.

ILTB, after writing chipcom, and thinking back to why it was I put you on my ignore list in the first place, I actually took you off my ignore list. Though I can understand where BarracksSI is coming from, I still sense quite a bit of unneeded anger...who knows, maybe you like that. But you do have a point, it is not fair for us to attack you based on posts we haven't 'read' (though, I find I still read yours anyway, hence taking you off the ignore list). So consider this my apology if I ever rubbed you wrong :o. Your ways are unconventional, but your points are most valid.

Regarding the OP:

I think a serious cyclist is someone who rides around with a frown... I try not to do that. :D

What he said. Why does it matter? Just get out and ride!:D

if a bike is your only mode of transportation and you don't think anything of it.

congratulations you're serious.

I figured it out (while walking to the grocery store) --

If you're on your bike and aren't saying, "Man, I wish I were driving instead," you're probably a "serious" cyclist.

I see comments of how "serious" a cyclist is. It occurred to me that I judge the skill of the rider on a strange scale. ...

Shouldn't there be a "Serious" scoring guide?
Like:
Good fit 10pts
Good maintenance 10pts
Designs and builds own frame 500pts
Wobbles -10pts

I'd just like to know how you score yourself and others.
Feel free to add a points system.
Additional sets for roadies, mtb'ers, and commuters are also encouraged.

CE
I moved most of the furniture out of my living room so I'd have more room to park bicycles. How much do I get?
~

For a male. When you act around bikes, sort of the way you do women. A really sexy carbon frame; bet a guy's pulse increases only somewhat less than when a beautiful woman passes by. Women, have to ask them. Don't have to have pro like abilities to be a serious cyclist. It's just cycling is such a major part of your life, if deprived of adequate bike time, you feel a sense of withdrawl.

For a male. When you act around bikes, sort of the way you do women. A really sexy carbon frame; bet a guy's pulse increases only somewhat less than when a beautiful woman passes by. Women, have to ask them.

This is a SERIOUS condition for a healthy male.;)

Yeah. But it has to be the bike of one's dreams. Maybe a new Bianchi all carbon frame. With its celeste paint job. And at least a 5 K price tag.

Just a comment on the word "serious" ... according to the dictionary it means: of great consequence (in other words, it matters...

So ... when cycling became something that mattered to me, and something I wanted to become dedicated to ... that's when I became a "serious" cyclist. IMO things like equipment, riding preferences (races, tours, long distances, commutes, etc.), or even talent of some sort in riding don't define how serious a cyclist is or not. Nor can one person say, "I'm a serious cyclist because I do this and that ... and so-and-so is not a serious cyclist because he/she doesn't do this and that." We're all different, and different aspects of this sport matter more to one person than another. Yet we can all be dedicated to it. :)


Great answer! I had this topic book-marked because I wanted to add comment after my weekend riding, and I find that you've pretty much said what I wanted to say.

Anybody who hops onto a bike is a 'cyclist'. The transition from that to 'serious cyclist' is only a change in attitude. The activities it entails can only relate to the type of rides the person does.

We all have accounts on bikeforums.net

We are all serious cyclists.

The inability to laugh at how idiotic I look in lycra makes me a serious cyclist.

The inability to laugh at how idiotic I look in lycra makes me a serious cyclist.

An inability to notice when others laugh at you would make you even more serious...

Yeah. But it has to be the bike of one's dreams. Maybe a new Bianchi all carbon frame. With its celeste paint job. And at least a 5 K price tag.

These are the bikes of my dreams. One dream is when I still bike just like I did when I was a kid - I still ride just like in the dream. The other dream is a different type and remains just a dream.

Note: The Raleigh ad was lifted from Sheldon Brown's site. I believe he was born in '53.

I commute 200+ miles a week to get to work. As far as I'm concerned, that's serious.

I guess I'm not serious.

I only ride because I realy enjoy it, I don't ride for health, I don't ride for fitness, I don't ride for training, I don't wear a helmet or lycra, and realy hate clip on pedals, so can't be serious.
I simply enjoy the feeling I get when I hit the end of a 100 mile ride.

Ken.

I consider myself more of a 'cereal' cyclist.

I ride as many miles as I can so I can eat more cereal each morning. :rolleyes: