gregf83 

I used to play ice hockey in a league in suburb of Vancouver. During the winter there are about 80-90 teams with 15-20 players/team. Their website has standings and stats for the past 15 years. There are probably a dozen similar venues around Vancouver.

I suspect similar organizations exist for most adult rec league sports like baseball, soccer etc.

PanoramicPixel

I don't see a ton of athlete imitating roadies at my LBS. They help riders of all types. I see people that like mountain biking, touring, bmx, commuting, recumbent, etc. They treated me and my bike with kindness when I rode a dicks sporting goods hybrid for years. I recently bought a bike from them and they were more than happy to help by showing me all the bikes in my price range including the lower priced ones. Perhaps my experience is unusual.

Jarrett2

There are also hobbies.

Maybe its the data collection piece of cycling that is different. When I used to play tennis, there wasn't an app that I looked at after. I didn't have stats on whether I hit a PR on racket velocity after the fact. Or if my playing partner took my ad court serve KOM away from me during the game. I just decided if I enjoyed playing that day or not.

With cycling, after riding, even just as a hobby, there is a data trail. At least if you use a cycling computer or phone app, which many do. I guess if data has been collected, it can be then correlated and analyzed with comparisons drawn.

mcours2006

The 41 does have some of that elitist snobbery. I hang out more at the Commuting Forum. We tend to have a more utilitarian attitude.

I don't disagree with you.

PepeM

None of that is mandatory.

PepeM

When I wanted a road bike two years ago I, too, came here. Read some threads and whatnot. Ended up with an aluminum, Sora equipped road bike. I guess I got lucky that the 105 carbon mafia didn't get to me quickly enough. Maybe they were out riding.

gregf83 

Most cyclists don't collect or look at their data. Nor do they read BF for that matter.

PepeM

Good point. To use this forum as a representation of everyone who rides a bicycle would be extremely ill-advised.

PanoramicPixel

I only recently started using strava. Simply to count my miles because I'm preparing for my first century. That's it. I know I'm slow but I'm not competing with anyone. I see the fun in pushing yourself. So if anyone pushing to be a faster sprinter or climber has fun by going all out and "training" then more power to them. When I first started riding to work I was out of shape and it took all my might to get to and from work. Pushing myself to be physically better was part of the fun.

Jarrett2

Those are smart people.

badger1

Correct. And your original post above, as per your usual practice, and many of the posts already made on your latest little thread, are perfect examples of that.

Always strikes me as amusing that those on here most inclined to tell other cyclists how to have or not to have "fun" appear such a joyless bunch. Always have their merino wool undies in a twist about something or other.

mcours2006

Jarrett2

Dropping each other in a joyless grind.

mcours2006

I don't think most, if not all, people here care what you ride, buy, wear, etc. It doesn't affect them one iota what someone else hundreds of miles away does. People come here seeking advice. People chime in an give it based on their own personal experience and coloured by what they've read/heard etc. That's all. No one here is making 'thou shalt' statements, and if someone is making them you should have enough sense to ignore him.

Ride, don't ride. I don't care. Wear lycra or don't. Buy this. Buy that. I don't care. But if you ask me what I like I'll gladly tell you.

rgconner

Fun is Mandatory!

Cyclist0108

From what I have seen lately, most new posters are getting a reply like "why don't you ask the manufacturer instead of posting a question on the internet" types of responses.

So I guess no advice might be better than bad advice!

Chukbacca

Greetings all...I think one needs to ask are they Cycling as an activity, sport, or transportation.

Personally I ride a dinged up 30 year old mountain bike I bought on the cheap; I wear jeans, a flannel shirt and a fishing hat. I do my best to stay out of the way of traffic, be it pedestrian, vehicular, or other cyclists.

I ride because I enjoy riding, it is an activity I enjoy participating solo or with my family; it's also a mode of transportation if I have a quick grocery trip.

I appreciate this board as there is a great braintrust of knowledge. The beginner may struggle, but short of them finding a local mentor, they would most likely struggle regardless. How many folks have been taken (or know of people that have been taken) by a car salesman? How many people are driving cars they can't afford because that's what they think they 'need?'...or because that's what they were sold, or because it was the right brand, color, etc.
Many folks ride the wrong bike because that's what they could afford, that's what they were sold, or it's what they believe they 'need.'...or in the case of my daughter... because it's pink.

I appreciate the OP, many of us do not have any desire to compete with others...or ourselves. We just want to ride, enjoy the day, enjoy our company, enjoy the wind in our hair, etc. That is in no way saying that those who choose to wear logos, etc are not enjoying yourselves... you're just spending more doing so

Gresp15C

Music. The bulk of "professional" quality musical instruments and gear are bought by amateurs, including myself. On web forums, there's a remarkable amount of posturing from people who are quick to declare rules that seem intended to frighten beginners away.

Our Strava is our gig count: How many paying gigs did you play last year?

In my view, the Web has been around for enough decades, that most people have a pragmatic attitude about what can actually be learned from a web forum. I've learned to filter the people whose opinions are worth considering, and ignore the posturing and "pro" wannabees. It's noticeable on BF that there are a few members who obviously have extensive competitive or utilitarian experience, or who have wrenched professionally, yet show an abundance of concern for mainstream and casual cyclists getting the most out of cycling.

Google is a good way to use Web forums, just include the forum name in your search string. This avoids getting beaten down for asking a question... just find where someone else has gotten beaten down for asking the same question.

I don't wear "kit," but I also don't sweat very much. For this reason, I avoid the discussion of clothing, simply because my experience has no practical use for most people.

badger1

Of course they don't. Why would they? That was rather my point. There are a few, though, who do like to issue commandments -- repeatedly. As I said, mildly amusing in context.

Lars Honeytoast

The road bikers around where I live are a funny sort. Expensive bike, expensive jerseys with huge logos on them all matching colors, bike, helmet, sunglasses, lycra. If your not riding an aero frame, deep wheels state of the art machine they wont even talk to you. I like the looks they give my steel frames.

The other day as I was coming home from work on my normal commute (on my fixie in normal clothes with a small messenger bag) one of these guys came up behind me while slowing down to cross the street, we set off and he stood up to get around me but I took off too. He stayed on my wheel for little then tried to get around me. still couldn't do it, got back in the draft and switched gears, I could hear the tires on the road as he put more power into the pedals and pulled out to the side, so I tucked down even more and kept spinning. He never was able to get around me. Finally as the bike path ended I took the normal route through town and he turned off to go a different way. I like to think in frustration that he couldn't pass a steel frame.

jefnvk

Nah, the actual disconnect was I was asking people who rode at a much higher/different level than I was aspiring to, and they were applying their situation to the advice they were giving me. It wasn't bad advice, it was just bad advice for my situation. It just so happened that I got a couple in a row that gave me similar advice that I just accepted it and moved on.

You are effectively arguing that beginners should do their own research to disprove bad advice given to them, without realizing much of the research material isn't all that objective. I'm all for being an informed consumer, the reality is there isn't a whole lot of factual data on how a Tourney differs from a Sora differs from an Ultegra, just price points and people insisting the level that works for them is what you need. In reality, me trying to be an informed consumer is what wound up giving me pretty bad advice to begin with. Probably should have just bought the dang Bikes Direct bike I was looking at before asking the opinion of a bike shop or friends who compete regularly.

mcours2006

FIFY.

What other options do you have? You could, of course, just trust the judgment of strangers on the internet. What harm could that do?!

dwing

I disagree with OP's premise because it seems to me the majority of first time posts go something like... "Hi, I'm new to biking, I don't know much about different models of bikes, etc.. please help me with which bike I should buy , what other related things I should buy, and where should I go biking?"

Thus, at their request, they are told... what kind of bike to buy, which model they should ride, which is groupset is best bang for buck, what kit they should buy,etc.. etc...lol.

mcours2006

People also ask what type riding they expect to do, what their budget is, etc.

DrIsotope

How many times can you rehash hash before it isn't hash anymore?

Doesn't mean it isn't entertaining, though. Who doesn't love fruitless e-bickering?