Living Car Free - roadies are snobs

why is it that when i pass a roadie on the road they look at me like i am a bag a **** on my cheap hybrid bicycle. but more often than not when i pass someone on a cheap bicycle they are eager to give me a wave hello?
roadies seem to race fast and look at bikes just as a form of fitness/exercise,whereas people on cheap bicycles use bikes for financial reasons and function.
what kind of jobs do these yuppies have anyway that they can afford to spend 2000 or more for a bike and not to mention the high priced fashion designer bike clothes they wear, just for recreational use?

Probably because you passed them. They can't stand that.

Roadies sometimes take life too seriously, but spending $2K+ on a good bike that's going see frequent use and last a good few years seems perfectly reasonable.

http://www.hoogie.co.nz/misc/j_foam.jpg

you sound like a 12 year old whining about not having ice cream.

my bike is 100% for fitness/fun I try and wave at just about everyone, but if they don't wave I don't lose sleep over it...who freaking cares.

Chad

Like IslandHopper said, they take it seriously. (good cartoon too, by the way) I think they take it too seriously, but if they see it otherwise I can grudgingly respect that.

It brings up another question; is it even possible for a Fred to be a snob?

Eh, if a rider in full kit doesn't acknowledge me if I wave, no problem, I'll still wave, if anything, to keep in practice for the many other riders that do wave back.

I don't think most roadies are snobs. However, many of them are focused on a particular purpose when they are riding, and they may not be paying attention to secondary things like riders going in the other direction. If they are pushing themselves in some way like climbing a hill or riding fast it may be unsafe to take a hand off the handlebar.

Most if not all the roadies I've ever encountered on the road seem to be in better physical condition than me. I have never actually passed one going in the same direction. They are dressed sharper and their bikes look better. This subconsciously translates first into a certain feeling at the reptilian level of being lower on some kind of cycling pecking order, then into the fanciful notion that the other rider is a snob. That's an instinctual feeling from the lizard part of our brains, but it ain't necessarily so.

Roadies, MTBers, mom and dad out for a ride with the kids, DUI cases, heck, NO ONE waves back around here. The roadies I come across are usually just acting as rudely as everyone else. That's why I don't bother waving or saying "hi" to anyone anymore.

I don't have a problem with the snobbery. Around here they seem to respect skill and speed. Years ago I got in good shape by riding daily during the week and taking very long day rides on Saturday and Sunday. Roadies started talking to me and one even asked if I was interested in joining a team. Back then I also had a squeeky $25.00 garage sale 3 speed. It was fun to pass the fake racers on that old rust bucket.

what kind of jobs do these yuppies have anyway that they can afford to spend 2000 or more for a bike and not to mention the high priced fashion designer bike clothes they wear, just for recreational use?

Read your own words and ask yourself who's being snobbish. Different strokes for different folks. We're all on 2 (or 3) wheels, right? I don't ride my bike so I can go out and wave to people, and I'm not offended when someone doesn't take notice of me regardless of what bike I'm on.

I am both a roadie and a commuter. When on a serious ride, I'm focused on what I am doing and do not bother waving at anyone, nor do I have an obligation to wave. One the other hand, if I'm just riding along leisurely or commuting I generally wave at cyclists (or wish them a good morning/afternoon if passing). Most other roadies I know are similar. Roadies identify with other roadies and therefore wave at each other but not necessarily other cyclists. Its the same reason why Harley people will wave at other Harley people but not wave to other motorcyclists. Believe it or not, this is normal human social behavior and has nothing to do with being an arrogant conceited snob.



These threads pop up all the time. Generally, it indicates that the OP has insecurity issues.

you don't think we are snobbish here on the LCF? I think we can be quite often. Notice I included myself on that.

You think roadies are snobbish towards non roadies? You should see how they behave towards each other :eek:

Oh, and they tend to be caught up in a dream, especially the slow ones. Passing them really interferes with their Tour De Frantasy, especially if your bike is "not as good" as theirs... Just laugh and pedal on.

I commute on a road bike and anyone that passes me has instant respect :).

Ed

Every pasttime has its snobs. And not every roadie is necessarily a snob.

Harley riders seldom wave back to me on my motorcycle because I'm on a jap bike.
Crotch-rockets seldom wave back because I'm riding with the front wheel on the ground.
Guys on steel frames don't bother because I look like a noob on my carbon-aluminum Felt.
Girls on bikes don't because they assume I'm another horn-dog on the prowl. (Which isn't completely untrue.)
Trekkies are insufferable snobs because they all know so much more about Star Trek trivia than you.
Long-boarders look down on short-boarders and vice-versa. They both look down on kayakers.

But it still doesn't cost you anything to wave. Once I was riding with my dog on Pacific Coast Highway and waved to a couple on a Harley Road King. The wife/passenger waved back, but her husband ~slapped her hand down~! :lol: (Guess someone forgot to hold a pre-flight briefing on waving etiquette.)

If I'm in a concentration mode (the 'zone'?), you could have parade complete with elephants and marching band and I'd never notice.

CE


In the fuzzy no-coffe morning driving commute to work one time, the Oscar Meyer weinermobile drove past us in the opposite lane. I never saw it until my girlfriend mentioned it (I didn't believe her) and I looked in the rear view mirror.:roflmao2:

I've got a commuter and a road bike. I only wave when riding my road bike to other roadies because half of the bike traffic here on non road bikes are tourists.

Are you kidding?

Roadies are out there for exercise. God forbid. Get over yourself.

Because unlike you, they have a car to get them to most places so cant spend as much time making themselves stronger. So when you pass them, they're coolness evaporates and it makes them look dumb.

There are snobs in almost every genre of biking, it's not exclusive to road bikes. I stoppped biking in one of the best mountain biking spots in New England, after ten years of blissful riding, due to the location getting overrun by D-bags on mountain bikes.

Thank you Mountain bike magazine and your "10 best places to ride in..." articles!

Roadies identify with other roadies and therefore wave at each other but not necessarily other cyclists.


Excellent point. I definitely do get more waves and greetings from other road bike riders when I'm on my road bike vs. when I'm riding my hybrid.

I've had someone even go out of his way while driving in order to give my a thumbs up while I was riding in the rain.

I've gotten flak and nonsense from the Team Poseur bunch on line, but I must say in real life out on the actual highways and roads the road cyclists have been totally cool. Of course there ain't no way I am passing them with a BOB full of stuff from th' Costco. Maybe downhill. But they're real friendly.

In the winter we're all pretty friendly with each other and give a nod. Fast or slow if you're out there at fifteen below in a blizzard you deserve respect.

I had a roadie that rode up to me once and we chatted for 5 mins before him leaving me in his 700c wheel dust. It's alright with me. Usually when I ride, I have this stupid smile on my face while roadies tend to be sulking. And they sulk more when they are trying to maintain a 90 cadence and see a fella riding with a stupid grin on his face on a mtb.

I've gotten flak and nonsense from the Team Poseur bunch on line, but I must say in real life out on the actual highways and roads the road cyclists have been totally cool. Of course there ain't no way I am passing them with a BOB full of stuff from th' Costco. Maybe downhill. But they're real friendly.

In the winter we're all pretty friendly with each other and give a nod. Fast or slow if you're out there at fifteen below in a blizzard you deserve respect.

The Road cycling section of these forums is a pretty unforgiving place at times. Whilst UK winters don't really match up those of Alaska, it seems to have a similar improvement on the sociability of cyclists. Rain does the same thing in California...

This is a summer problem. There are just too many cyclists on the road to greet each one.

You almost never see roadies {or anybody on bike for that matter..** in the winter, but when you do, they just always wave... probably to keep warm.

I guess being a roadie is like a Jeep owner and their saying..

"It's a Jeep thing, you wouldn't understand."

Never understand that til I bought a Wrangler 2 years ago.. and started realizing other Jeep owners waving at me as I drove by..

But it still doesn't cost you anything to wave. Once I was riding with my dog on Pacific Coast Highway and waved to a couple on a Harley Road King. The wife/passenger waved back, but her husband ~slapped her hand down~! :lol: (Guess someone forgot to hold a pre-flight briefing on waving etiquette.)

This reminds me of the time I was touring on my recumbent through Quebec. The Sunday Harley crowd was super friendly.

I'm not much of a waver myself, I wave at people I know or at cagers when they honk and yell.

why is it that when i pass a roadie on the road they look at me like i am a bag a **** on my cheap hybrid bicycle. but more often than not when i pass someone on a cheap bicycle they are eager to give me a wave hello?
roadies seem to race fast and look at bikes just as a form of fitness/exercise,whereas people on cheap bicycles use bikes for financial reasons and function.
what kind of jobs do these yuppies have anyway that they can afford to spend 2000 or more for a bike and not to mention the high priced fashion designer bike clothes they wear, just for recreational use?

http://www.2404.org/smull/clive.gif

You're all the same people.

Any encounter with another human being that you can walk away from is a good encounter.

Any encounter with another human being that you can walk away from is a good encounter.

:roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao:

Snobbish behavior is often just a reflection of your own insecurities. You seem to be pretty judgmental yourself there.

Any encounter with another human being that you can ride away from is a good encounter.

Fixed!

I rock an '86 Centurion LeMans and I get no acknowledgment even with a road bike. Maybe I'm not matchy-matchy enough. Eh, I ride for me. Some people don't want the camaraderie that comes with riding on two wheels. They can't be helped. It's not all roadies.

I had a guy sporting a full kit on a $3k+ Cervelo get a** hurt cause I passed him. So he shifts down and shoots passed me not realizing that the path was about to narrow. He overshoots a curve and wrecks into a ditch. What do I do? I stop and help him out and make sure he's alright. It doesn't matter what you ride. It's the fact THAT you ride.

why is it that when i pass a roadie on the road they look at me like i am a bag a **** on my cheap hybrid bicycle...?
This is what those in the field of psychology might call pro-ject-ion.
What does living car-free have to do with bike choices?
Last I heard, 40% of inner city Torontonians lived in a car free household. A lot of wealthy people.
Are they all supposed to ride clunkers?

Acorn, you've got to focus more on the road and learn to love yourself a little better.
Anger is nothing more than an outward expression of hurt, fear and frustration.
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e247/dexart/dr_phil.jpg

If I have the hammer down I am on a singular mission to go fast and being social does not enter into the equation.

Catch me on my old roadster and I give everyone a nod or a wave or sometimes just ring my bell.

Read your own words and ask yourself who's being snobbish. Different strokes for different folks. We're all on 2 (or 3) wheels, right? I don't ride my bike so I can go out and wave to people, and I'm not offended when someone doesn't take notice of me regardless of what bike I'm on.

Truer words were never spoken. I also have to wonder about the motivation of the "He's an ******* for not waving back at me" crowd. It's almost as if they think that getting someone to wave back to them is the only reason to give a wave in the first place. I wonder who's really being snobbish and anti-social in that situation.

Truer words were never spoken. I also have to wonder about the motivation of the "He's an ******* for not waving back at me" crowd. It's almost as if they think that getting someone to wave back to them is the only reason to give a wave in the first place. I wonder who's really being snobbish and anti-social in that situation.

I was thinking about this waving thing while riding this morning. I don't see people waving at each other around here. The recumbent guys wave at each other and I wave at people I know. No one waves at me unless they know me. The boaters wave at each other out on the Potomac. My arm would get tired waving at every cyclist- especially when a roadie club ride goes by. I wouldn't expect even five guys in a tight paceline to even pay attention to anything that won't cause a crash.

I ride for myself, and I like to go fast and when you're going fast, waving at everyone isn't quite the wisest idea. though some people are getting used to see me and started noding at me and I nod back, quite a weird feeling to get people to acknowledge you even if they dont know you xD

If someone waves/nods then I wave back otherwise I'm just focusing on riding which I do for exercise and not just to cruise around. I also commute but use that for training as well, and sometimes you can't wave back because you're doing intervals. What I'm more interested in is why people take such exception to others not waving, we're all out riding and that's what matters.

If I am hurting after a hard ride, chances are I am staring at my front tire behind my glasses and waiting to jump in a hot shower to get rid of the cramps. So I am sorry if I was not quick enough to wave back at you.
Otherwise, I'd totally wave back. :D

Nice stereotyping. I'm both a roadie and commuter so I've seen it from both sides (riding in road gear on a road bike and in reg. clothes on a commuter bike) and I've found that the roadies have actually acknowledged me with a wave or nod at a higher percentage than otherwise but I'm sure that's just statistically random. It's probably *gasp* the same.

And there's not ONE reason why people don't acknowledge you. while I nod or wave at 99% of the people there actually have been a few instances where I haven't because I'm either hitting some pot holes or I didn't notice them in time or whatever, and those people may, like you, think I'm a jerk because they only saw one out of 100 times I did not wave.

I don't care if they wave or not. I know it can be hard to see other cyclists when you're concentrating, or when you've got your head up your ass or something. But If I see roadies at a store, all of us off our bikes, it bugs me a bit when they don't even acknowledge my friendly, "How's the ride?" When they just stare at you with their Oakleys, like you don't exist....

If someone waves/nods then I wave back otherwise I'm just focusing on riding which I do for exercise and not just to cruise around. I also commute but use that for training as well, and sometimes you can't wave back because you're doing intervals. What I'm more interested in is why people take such exception to others not waving, we're all out riding and that's what matters.

Couldn't you nod your head? That's a pretty common greeting for riders around here.

If I have the hammer down I am on a singular mission to go fast and being social does not enter into the equation.

Catch me on my old roadster and I give everyone a nod or a wave or sometimes just ring my bell.

Perhaps if we outfitted those high-end, carbon fiber Treks with bells, things would be different.

Oh jeez, someone uses a bike for a different purpose than you do. You mad? I have a mountain bike, a road bike, and a "get around" bike and most roadies I know have other bikes as well, so don't generalize.

I'm a roadie, I used to nod to or wave at other people but as my rides got longer, I just didn't have a desire to wave anymore. I just got tired of doing so.

The more hours a week you ride, the less you'll wave to others. If you do keep waving, it's because you really like waving, I guess.

Oh jeez, someone uses a bike for a different purpose than you do. You mad? I have a mountain bike, a road bike, and a "get around" bike and most roadies I know have other bikes as well, so don't generalize.

To paraphrase a fairly well-known roadie: It's not about the bike. It's about the quality of the human being who's riding it. Some folks have the quality of friendliness, and some folks don't--no matter what kind of bike they ride.

I'm a roadie, I used to nod to or wave at other people but as my rides got longer, I just didn't have a desire to wave anymore. I just got tired of doing so.

The more hours a week you ride, the less you'll wave to others. If you do keep waving, it's because you really like waving, I guess.

What, you get too tired to nod your head at somebody who's being kind to you? You must really be pounding it!

To paraphrase a fairly well-known roadie: It's not about the bike. It's about the quality of the human being who's riding it. Some folks have the quality of friendliness, and some folks don't--no matter what kind of bike they ride.

Hear hear! top bloke, that Geroge Hincapie.

I'm more of a James Dean head nod type guy anyway.. :D

I personally don't have a problem with roadies. In the city I can usually keep up or pass them on my fixie. We seemto have this fiendly competition thing going. I remember one time I was riding overa big pedestrian bridge. It involved several steep back and forth ramps then went over a six track railway. I was riding down the other side, and decided to practice skidding down theother side.As I rounded a bend, continuing my skid, a roadie climbing starting cheering me on like a frat boy, kinda cool.