Bekologist

Ha! one of those cycling hypocricies, driving to the ride.

That's one of the things that totally turns me off to 'organized' cycling events.

Cyclists hanging out at coffeeshops should be out biking, regardless of how many SUVs are in the parking lot.

heckflosse

Funny you should mention that
Isn't Lance Armstrong the spokes person for Subaru USA, you know, that evil SUV producing company (do they even make a 2WD?). Maybe he uses his Subaru Forester to cart his Trek around?
Who'd have thought the all mighty Lance was a SUV driver

heckflosse

For those wondering it's a leather clad, air conditioned, alloy wheeled, four wheel drive, SUV, Subaru Forester 2.5 XT.

https://www.subaru.com/microsites/lance/lance.swf

bernmart

Having been born and raised in Brooklyn, where the people hanging out at local candy stores (the 50's equivalent of Starbuck's, I suppose) were some scary and nasty dudes, this letter makes me chuckle. I did a weekend ride to Seal Beach, on the southern California coast, last Saturday, and the trendy breakfast places were indeed jammed up with cyclists--upscale people with expensive bikes and matching kit, sipping coffee and checking out each other's bikes. In short, customers--well-behaved, pleasant, gracefully-aging yuppies. Exactly the type that places like Starbucks have built their business upon.

Immer Treue

J Klein is part of the problem in this country. Everything is micromanaged. Get there earlier! Sorry that you are inconvienienced. Find another cause to gripe about. I can't wait til Winter so that you and all the other amateurs stay inside.

Happy Trails

littledog

I can't even afford an old beater to carry my bike in to go to a cycling event. And I can't ride there-or rather choose not to- because the roads are 4 lanes with no shoulders filled full of trucks,buses SUVs,huge pickups and such who do not tolerate bicyclists slowing them down. And the side streets are all the winding,confusing suburban layouts sandwiched in between the highways. So I remain an urban biker for the most part.
littledog

And I cannot afford coffee shops.

PWRDbyTRD

You're kidding me about this right? It'd be OK for a bunch of friends to DRIVE to starbucks, but god forbid they ride bikes...

billwatson58

Here's a reply published in the paper today, written by one of the offenders who has articles published in the paper once month or so (the paper is a weekly). His articles are usually cycling related.

[by Jack Crowe]

This is serious. In last week's Viewpoints section of the Wednesday Journal a self-described "caffeine deprived Oak Parker" wrote complaining about cyclists - yes cyclists - monopolizing the outside chairs at Starbucks on Lake Street both Saturday and Sunday mornings after long group rides.

The writer described a "pandemic" of "bicyclists flood[ing] the street, taking over the sidewalk and road." According to the writer, they then "move to the chairs outside Starbucks, where they remain for quite some time." She is right. I personally have observed up to 25 cyclists, coffee in hand, hogging the outdoor chairs at Starbucks and that is not all.

She accuses the bikers of taking "nearly every one of the seats outdoors for at least an hour" forcing others "to take their beverages elsewhere."

This is very serious. This is a "nuisance for the residents of Oak Park" as well as "tourists" who are forced to look elsewhere for java before heading to the Home and Studio.

She forgot to mention that these too-proud cyclists also wear brightly colored spandex shorts and jerseys, dew rags around their heads and wrap-around sunglasses. By looks alone these largely middle-aged men are an intimidating crowd.

She did not mention that this boisterous early morning crowd of cyclists is even more annoying because they talk endlessly of bike frames, seat adjustments, bike lights, and who should be buying a new bike.

They crow about who pulled the peleton the most during the morning ride and mock those who got dropped from the group. These ruffians do not deserve a seat at Starbucks. They should slink off to their cycling homes and eat bird seed or whatever it is cyclists eat.

It is pure gall for them to act in such a loud and annoying manner.

Worse yet, like swarms of starlings, these coffee cyclists draw more cyclists. Some are not even from Oak Park. They also come from River Forest, Berwyn, Riverside and Elmwood Park.

To top it off, cycling groups from Chicago (did I mention the growing cycling gang affiliation problem?) sometimes pass through Oak Park and stop at Starbucks on their way to Waterfall Glenn in the Southwest suburbs. You can cut the tension with a knife as these two disparate groups of cyclists size up one another's bikes.

But there is more, and I have a confession to make. I am one of those shameless post-ride cyclists who takes up the Starbucks chairs while I drink my coffee and I am in full agreement with the complaining writer. Something must be done.

Lord knows, I have tried to get our group to give up Starbucks for a coffee shop that is more cycling-friendly. But after a 40 mile ride, these cyclists refuse to go to a funkier coffee shop like Buzz Café. They will not sit outside at Cosi's and drink joe.

Only when the cold weather forces them will they retreat to Caribou Coffee on Harlem. And let me tell you, during the winter months they are just as loud - albeit in smaller numbers - than during summer at Starbucks.

I will not even respond to the snide responses of my cycling cohorts to this important letter regarding the Starbucks coffee crisis. Among the suggestions: she should ride with the group if she wants a Starbucks chair; she should get up earlier - the cyclists do not arrive at Starbucks until about 8:30 a.m.

The only solution I can see is for government to regulate this "nuisance." The Village should ban cyclists from associating in hoards. The law should be that cyclists should not be allowed to drink coffee in groups of more than four. Then we can all drink our cup in peace.

Placid Casual

We can't even stop for coffee? Sheesh, dude, you're like my old Phys Ed teacher.

Bekologist

no lollygagging with leisure lattes in lala land.

stopping for long amounts of time in the middle of a ride is dumb regardless of the reason- pie, coffee, whatever. like riding to a Starbucks so you can hang out for an hour posturing your new jersey in the middle of a 20 mile city ride.

Hanging out at coffee shops while you could be out biking is just stupid.

dopios injested standing at a coffee cart are probably okay.

jyossarian

Would the paper publish either letter if the word "black" or "latino" were substituted for "bicyclist"?

DCCommuter

Being a cyclist is a choice.

jabowker

I like Jack Crowe's style..

PurpleK

Okay, so what if we substitute "black cyclists" for "cyclists?"

The logic escapes me here. As it relates to this situation, what is the difference between one's chosen lifestyle versus race? Is it acceptable to publish the letter because the people in question choose to ride their bikes? It would not be acceptable to publish a letter if the people in question are of a particular race they had no control over? Does that mean it would be acceptable to publish a letter about cyclists, but not about black cyclists? I don't see where it being a choice or nonchoice by the perpetrators makes any difference in this situation.

And yes, they would have published the letter even if it had been black or latinos instead of cyclists. The paper is in business to sell papers, and the more controversy they can stir up sells more papers. In fact, they probably wish the letter WAS directed against a minority group.

caloso

Jack Crowe is a genius. Mods, time to close this thread; there's nothing left to say.

Niten

Jew? Catholic? Atheist? Intellectual? Redneck?

I ran the letter through a search-and-replace with a couple of different nouns. It was enlightening and amusing (kinda).

Bekologist

I thought bicyclists are a minority.

Cromulent

Hey! I like Mad-Libs too. Replace cyclists with 'poodles', and Starbucks with 'my pants'. That's hilarious.

The point is that the cyclists are paying customers. And as such, they have every right to sit at Starbucks and enjoy their lattes. They got there first. There are other coffee shops in the area. Jen can give them her business. Done, done, and done.

heckflosse

Okay, who just nicked the last two posts?
I swear I've just seen two posts from the aledged article writer.

genec

Saw them too... don't worry it was not just an illusion.

Really I think her whole problem is she simply needs to get up earlier.

recursive

I'm guessing it was removed because there was an email address given, but I'm not positive, given that the user account that posted it seems to be gone. Curious. I think the poster does have some reasonable points. People making assumptions about her really are being unfair.

Brian

You guys are all missing the obvious. It's those damn lycra wearing, skinny-tire road bike freaks that are causing the trouble. If they were a group of mountain bike riders, they'd be at a Mexican restaurant instead.

These cyclists are at the same Starbucks at the same time every week? She's figured that much out, but can't find another Starbucks? No hoper, indeed.

Yeah, some of us are. But I suspect a lot of these comments can be attributed to the same mob mentality that causes riots and looting. Most of us would probably just write off this whiner as just that, and forget about her. Instead, the internet brought us together as a group of jerks.

roadfix

C) I run upwards of seven miles everyday. When I run, I don't take the seats of every single person in my town either.

Then what if there were one hundred of you?

trayer350

You guys are public relations geniuses for cyclists. Go en masse into someone else's town and strut around in uniforms and take over every available seat and block entry ways with your bicycles. You should send away to Germany for some brown shirts. So some woman voiced an opinion. What are you going to do, beat her up?

Brian

I/we/they already have.