Road Cycling - "***" bikes

Ok. I know the title isn't PC, but I felt that I needed to post this...

I'm a n00b at road bicycling, and have been test riding/researching my really soon to be 1st road bike(this weekend perhaps if I find the size). Anyhow, a few MTB buddies have just not let up on the "Road Bike ***" thing ever since I mentioned it. I mean, cmon. Is this kind of attitude typical out there? Sure, some roadies are all jersied up, tight shorts, bright colors, but hell, everyone is different, and I don't think it's a big deal. I've been given the advice to NOT get a road bike, at least get a cyclocross, I can't ride with you if you get a road, etc. I don't think it's in good fun at this point.
Can I expect this kind of behaivior forever? On the road? WTF!

Ok. I know the title isn't PC, but I felt that I needed to post this...

I'm a n00b at road bicycling, and have been test riding/researching my really soon to be 1st road bike(this weekend perhaps if I find the size). Anyhow, a few MTB buddies have just not let up on the "Road Bike ***" thing ever since I mentioned it. I mean, cmon. Is this kind of attitude typical out there? Sure, some roadies are all jersied up, tight shorts, bright colors, but hell, everyone is different, and I don't think it's a big deal. I've been given the advice to NOT get a road bike, at least get a cyclocross, I can't ride with you if you get a road, etc. I don't think it's in good fun at this point.
Can I expect this kind of behaivior forever? On the road? WTF!

Who cares? If you want to ride, ride.

Maybe they are just jealous that they will not be able to keep up with you on the road. I started out on MTB (and still hit the trails for a relaxing ride.) but the roadie is my true passion. (Yes, I wear shorts, jerseys, etc., but then again so do many serious MTB'ers.

Get what you want and dont let anyone influence you either way. You may want to consider looking at some road riding clubs in your area. (Or even some Road / MTB clubs.)

Matt

Ah those foolish mtbikers with their big floppy clothes that chafe, flap all over in the wind, get caught on everything around, are hot, and weigh three times as much, calling us ****. (I started on a mt. bike and still use it on occation [with road/XC clothes], but I like hauling as$ on the roadbike more)

All the pro crosscontry mt. bikers wear tight cycling shorts and jerseys because they stay in place, they don't catch on stuff, they keep yer nads in place, the wind zips right by for more speed, they allow better cooling through wicking and by letting the wind right up close, chicks oogle them (they don't admit to it or cat call, normally), they they don't flap around and inthe case of compression shorts power is somtimes increased by holding muscles in position.

As for the bike, paint some sculls on it or somthing spiffy like that and get the slightly wider tires (like 30-32mm) because they just work better for everything but racing. I think the extra skinny tires look kind of goofy and if you fill them both to the same pressure they will have about the same resistance (a bunch of physics that I posted somewhere else in these forums but yes I did figure it out) and even a 30 year old 30 pound rb will dust just about any mtb on the road and unless you go for super light wheels a rb will handle a good bit of trail riding(think similer to cyclocross).

Get your road bike and you'll never regret it. Your friends sound like jerks to me. Who cares what you ride. I have two road bike and a mountain bike. And I'll bet a lot of people have both.

Your friends sound like jerks to me.
Jackasses is more of the word I would choose.

Eh, since I've just recently gotten a "mountain" bike and have been reading the "Mountain Biking" forum here the mountain bikers are just as big of a group of bike snobs as the rest of us.

Don't worry about what anybody says about you or which activities you want to do, who are you out to please, them or you?

Andrew

sounds like your friends are just giving you a hard time. time to show'm who's boss, get your roadie, and smoke'm.

sd

They are not your friends. So are they the same people that run cyclists off the road because *** cyclists don't belong on the road? Sheese. Roadies are not all that bad my friend you'll see...

They are not your friends. So are they the same people that run cyclists off the road because *** cyclists don't belong on the road? Sheese. Roadies are not all that bad my friend you'll see...

Wear pink, lots of pink...just tell 'em you're "really, really, really gay" and then ride faster then they can. Oh and don't tell them you aren't "really, really, really gay"...it's funnier that way.

Get the roadbike. Ride consistently for 3 months then go back out for a MTB ride with your buddies. When you pass them on a steep climb like they are standing still ask "Who's the *** now?"

Get the roadbike. Ride consistently for 3 months then go back out for a MTB ride with your buddies. When you pass them on a steep climb like they are standing still ask "Who's the *** now?"

Yup, that's my advice also! :)

Sure, some roadies are all jersied up, tight shorts, bright colors...
You do realize you're just as bad as your friends, right?

At least we dont have a trick called "the bunny hop" cute.

i actually do 'bunny hops' on my road bike quite often. we have a bridge here that every 30-35 feet has a steel plate. after getting a flat hitting those on a decent once, i figured it was just easier to bunny hop them. it's pretty fun actually.

You do realize you're just as bad as your friends, right?

All I meant by that is not all road bikers wear custom/rare cycle jerseys with Citron adds and rancing numbers on them (when no race is going on), crazy colors, etc. I find nothing wrong with lycra/wicking tights...I wore them under my fencing uniform for years, and on my MTB. The GF loves the friggin things...sorry if I ofended.

I don't get it...I used to wear (and still do) wear full primal gear clothing when I mountain bike...(lycra shorts that match included)...

Does that make me gay? Interesting :rolleyes:

Chad

All I meant by that is not all road bikers wear custom/rare cycle jerseys with Citron adds and rancing numbers on them (when no race is going on), crazy colors, etc. I find nothing wrong with lycra/wicking tights...I wore them under my fencing uniform for years, and on my MTB. The GF loves the friggin things...sorry if I ofended.

Pink, I'm telling you...pink...it's like putting a target on your back for insecure SUV drivers...

All I meant by that is not all road bikers wear custom/rare cycle jerseys with Citron adds and rancing numbers on them (when no race is going on), crazy colors, etc. I find nothing wrong with lycra/wicking tights...
But you do think it's wrong to wear coordinated race gear when no racing is going on?

Your friends sound like teenagers, probably no older than about 17. Am I correct?

If they are so simple minded as to equate road-bike with "***" then they are probably the type of poser "mountain bikers" that think the best time to be had while mountain biking is sloshing through (rather than avoiding) mud puddles and chasing squirrels. Then they probably go home and watch pro wrestling (fat men in tights).

Do any of your "friends" ever get dates?

I don't get it...I used to wear (and still do) wear full primal gear clothing when I mountain bike...(lycra shorts that match included)...

Does that make me gay?

Only to the fixie crowd. If you don't look exactly like them (camo vs. lycra - messenger bag vs. Camelbak) ... you're a conformist, and obviously gay. :eek:

The solution is simple... get new bike, get new friends.

Go find a road racing club and make new friends. I've got still got friends that I met over 10 years ago through my club.

tell 'em road biking doesn't make you a ***...having sex with dudes does.

also doesn't playing in the mud w/other guys sound a little...****-erotic. j/k
jeff

Personally I think Mtn biking is boring compared to mixing it up with urban traffic on a road bike

Road bike is just simple, elegant, and the true test of speed and strenght. When you ride on the road, there are no trees to shield you from the wind. When you climb hills, there are no rocks or obstacles to give you the excuse to ride slow.

Anyhow, a few MTB buddies have just not let up on the "Road Bike ***" thing ever since I mentioned it.

Let me get this right....... you and your buddies all live in the Bay area??????

I do believe The Fixer's on to something ;) :D

ROFLOL! Oh man the replies...

OK. My buddies are unmarried 30 somethings with NO dates...MTB only types...and the crap I'm getting I think is in response to wanting to road bike. I don't actually believe they think road bikers are "homosexual"...they just have a problem with "something" about it...the lycra and colors or something. Actually it's probably from being dropped on the paved trails on their MTB or on SF streets now that I think about it. I am looking forward to doing this myself now...in PINK BABY!

No I don,t have a problem with coordinated race gear...

My boss rides over the golden gate most days in his old Deutsche Telekom colours complete with pink-sidewalled tyres and matching water bottles. It's a sight to behold.

The few times I've ridden at China Camp or over the Marin Headlands the vast majority seem to be in lycra shorts and a slightly looser fitting shirt just as colourful as most road shirts.

yer friends sound like A-holes... I'd get a roadie.. crank like a mutha... smoke them on the hills, and say "How you like that, BIAAAAATCH?!"

word

jeff

Would one of the sites fine moderators please do us all a favor and shut this thread down.

Would one of the sites fine moderators please do us all a favor and shut this thread down.

man, it was just getting funny...I like the idea that somebody would be afraid that they were going to be called "***" for the rest of their life by "friends" if they got a road bike. Most of the replies have been on the kind-mocking side...in favor of finding new friends and loving the ride.

and anyway, it's supposed to be spelled "B-Y-Atch"....

And the whole pink thing...well that's just my helmet talking

I think you need new friends.

Unfortunately many north american hetero men seem to have some sort of mental illness triggered by a confused sexual identity when hot roadies speed by. Oh well.

Unfortunately many north american hetero men seem to have some sort of mental illness triggered by a confused sexual identity when hot roadies speed by. Oh well.

When I stop for a drink at the turn around place...a kind of out there coffee shop/ gas station...young women look at me in ways that make an old man proud...then again, maybe it's just pity

Really? I'll be honest... when I first got started last year, I was in workout shorts and a t-shirt. I was the one looking out of place on fast rides.. once I started wearing the Jerseys and the Shorts... shoot.... no flapping, and extra padding... there was no going back. You'll get over it real quick.

But now I look like everyone else... so I have lost the 'shock' factor that a guy in toe clips and a t-shirt can keep up with the fast group.

(Excuse this shallow girl moment) Mmm...roadies. Sleek and sexy. Baggy shorts, helmet visors, and 70psi don't do it for me. Have you any idea what a strong pair of legs in lycra shorts can do to a girl? I knew a guy who was an amateur boxer and his buddies gave him **** over the lycra. Anyway, he would wrestle them down and say "Tell your friends you got your ass beat by a pansy in bike shorts." I definitely agree that you should let your speed do the talking though.

(Excuse this shallow girl moment) Mmm...roadies. Sleek and sexy. Baggy shorts, helmet visors, and 70psi don't do it for me. Have you any idea what a strong pair of legs in lycra shorts can do to a girl? I knew a guy who was an amateur boxer and his buddies gave him **** over the lycra. Anyway, he would wrestle them down and say "Tell your friends you got your ass beat by a pansy in bike shorts." I definitely agree that you should let your speed do the talking though.

Thanks...I knew there was a reason I worked out for 30 years in a row

When I stop for a drink at the turn around place...a kind of out there coffee shop/ gas station...young women look at me in ways that make an old man proud...then again, maybe it's just pity

Nah they're thinking, "I hope my man looks that HAWT when he's a little older" or no better yet they think your actually in your twenties because you have that nice sleek look that only tight spandex and pounding out tons of mileage can give you. Or NO WAIT!, "Check out the Package on him!!!"

At least that what I tell myself. :D

Dude, this is such a great opportunity. I guarantee you, if you get a road bike, you ride it around all the time, and your friends see you on it, it won't be long before they're lining up to get one for themselves. Guaranteed.

How many times have any of you given a friend **** for something new he/she buys, then got turned onto it? HDTV? Cell phone? Car? Computer? Bike? This happens a lot among those of us into electronics and gadgets.

Get the road bike.

you freinds are idiots. kickem in da nuts!!

wear what ya want, ride what ya want, do waht ya want. you can't be too happy if you're to always be a follower, and you can't worry about what others think so much if you are to not be a follower.

Don't forget to shave.......the legs. :D

Dude, this is such a great opportunity. I guarantee you, if you get a road bike, you ride it around all the time, and your friends see you on it, it won't be long before they're lining up to get one for themselves. Guaranteed.

How many times have any of you given a friend **** for something new he/she buys, then got turned onto it? HDTV? Cell phone? Car? Computer? Bike? This happens a lot among those of us into electronics and gadgets.

Get the road bike.

Thanks gcasillo! That pretty much hits it on the head...

Theres a sign in the window of Outback Bikes in Atlanta that says it all, " Ride What You Dig!"

Talk about a spandex moment....I have gotten so used to running errands to the grocery, Wal-Mart, etc after a ride that I dont think much of going into stores like that.

Well, I finally found a place I felt out of place in my spandex. Ran into Home Depot...you should have seen the looks I was getting. Good thing my wife was in there dressed the same or I may have gotten drug out back and buried in a bag of redimix. <G>

Wear what / ride what you like and to heck with everyone else.

Well, I finally found a place I felt out of place in my spandex. Ran into Home Depot...you should have seen the looks I was getting. Good thing my wife was in there dressed the same or I may have gotten drug out back and buried in a bag of redimix. <G>

Maybe it was what you were buying. I went into Home Depot in my lycra and stood in line with a rake and a large pair of hedge clippers. I'm sure people were thinking more about how I was transporting that stuff home than the revealing nature of my clothes. Around here, people walk into all types of establishment in cycling clothes. My favourite places to end up: pubs.

http://www.neebu.net/~khuon/albums/mukilteo-monroe/PICT0020.jpg
http://www.neebu.net/~khuon/albums/kitsap_penn-20030824/PICT0093.jpg

Ok. I know the title isn't PC, but I felt that I needed to post this...

I'm a n00b at road bicycling, and have been test riding/researching my really soon to be 1st road bike(this weekend perhaps if I find the size). Anyhow, a few MTB buddies have just not let up on the "Road Bike ***" thing ever since I mentioned it. I mean, cmon. Is this kind of attitude typical out there? Sure, some roadies are all jersied up, tight shorts, bright colors, but hell, everyone is different, and I don't think it's a big deal. I've been given the advice to NOT get a road bike, at least get a cyclocross, I can't ride with you if you get a road, etc. I don't think it's in good fun at this point.
Can I expect this kind of behaivior forever? On the road? WTF!


As our esteemed Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld once said "If you try to please everybody,
somebody won't like it."

Ride what you like, wear what you want...

Only to the fixie crowd. If you don't look exactly like them (camo vs. lycra - messenger bag vs. Camelbak) ... you're a conformist, and obviously gay. :eek:

We don't think you're gay. Just funny lookin and spending way too much on your bikes and clothing :)

The ironic thing is that my "GAY" friends would not be caught dead in the stuff I wear on the bike! And I dress conservatively. Of course, they are not into cycling either.

I have gotten so used to running errands to the grocery, Wal-Mart, etc after a ride that I dont think much of going into stores like that.



I went w/my girlfriend to a casual cafe for lunch after my Sunday ride. No opportunity to change clothes, so I was there sweaty, dirty, and full lycra. Gawd...I felt self conscious. Even with a cute chick hanging on my arm, it still got a tad awkward.

Oh, then I had to take her to her nail appointment, which lasted like 12 hours, so I was stuck either walking around a shopping center in lycra or sitting in 110 degree weather in my car. I finally found a sporting goods store and bought some athletic shorts.

But I digress...