I-Like-To-Bike

More babbling from the logic impaired. You, not me, made a claim unsupported by anything substantial. If your "facts" are really just personal opinions or impressions, or just silly talk for entertainment purpose, like your posted picture, you are right on target. Giving the impression that your opinion = the facts, as your frequent claims do, means that you don't know the difference.

You continue the with your guesswork/opinion-is-fact claim process with your vague references to the buying habits of undefined "upscale market of the everyday bike crowd" and the " 'smart-scale' portion of the market," presumably extrapolated from figments of your imagination or unreferenced factoids gleaned from the InterWebs.

the cyclops

Cant we all just get along? Wow,a simple statement of basically "commuting/utility bikes are becoming more popular" has turned so ugly...Well,me and my jamis commuter is going for a ride,and we will probably pass a few "serious cyclists" on the inclines...

Hippiebrian

Once again, no one here is in a helmet! My God, they are all going to die! The carnage, the carnage!

bragi

This article has implications that go way beyond bikes. Yuck. This is definitely a Marie Antoinette moment.

cooker

Great story but does he commute?

cooker

Here's the information you requested: https://nbda.com/articles/industry-ov...-2010-pg34.htm

This report from the National Bicycle Dealers Association says total annual bike sales have been fairly stable for the past few years, but there is a trend away from mountain bike towards road bikes which the dealers themselves attribute to consumers using bikes more avoid high gas costs, and there was also more service work in 2010, which the dealers said was due to people getting out old bikes and having them tuned up for the same reason. This fits with what Roody reported.

Smallwheels

When I was a little kid I painted my bicycles and chose the tires, wheels, seats, handlebar, and hand grips. Now I just move the handlebar and add my Thudbuster seat post. Adding a bell was all that was needed for one of my bicycles.

The main drive train modification I want to do to a bicycle is install a NuVinci hub. I haven't decided which one to do it on or if I'd rather start from scratch with a different bicycle. I just like the idea of infinite gears within a specific range.

If I ever move into an RV trailer I'll buy a small folding bicycle and put one on it. I won't be able to store two bicycles inside a small trailer with me living in it full time.

I-Like-To-Bike

"Road bikes" are sold equipped with fenders, racks, bags, lights and dyno hub? And are really just utility/commuter bikes by another name? Who woulda thunk it? Better not tell the Serious Cyclists on the Road Cycling List, they might pass out.

I-Like-To-Bike

Sure we can. Let's all join the Car-Free Solidarity Circle and march in lockstep with every factoid dished out by our would be cheerleaders.

I-Like-To-Bike

Are you serious?

Robert Foster

I do have paraphrase a concern from ILTB as to what makes a serious cyclists? I do utility cycling, recreational cycling and have commuted but I am not sure one is more serious than another.
The other day two friends and I decided we wanted to take a ride and have lunch together in a little town about 18 miles away. We hardly consider the 3600 foot climb to be insurmountable and just before noon we made it to the town and had lunch.
I have seen loaded touring bikes on that road but if we aren’t serious cyclists then serious cyclists don’t ride that road.

Hippiebrian

Don't trust me, I try not to take anything seriously! You never see people describe themselves as serious and smiling at the same time (unless, like me, they are making a joke!). Life's too short...

Robert Foster

Yes I should always wait a day or two before responding to many of these posts. I often get caught up in the concept of conversation and forget it isn't that kind of communication.

I-Like-To-Bike

Serious Cyclists All:

cooker

If you read the article you asked me to locate, you would see that they lumped bikes into only a handful of categories. "Road/700c" and "hybrid/cross" increased relative to "mountain" over the last 5 years. In the text of the article they explained that the dealers told them the increase in the "road/700c" category in the past year was due to people biking more to save gas. Anything else you would like me to explain to you?

cooker

Yes, I am absolutely serious. The OP posed the question:

"As a body of serious cyclists that use bikes for most if not all, of your transportation needs, is your bike(s) a result of intentional customization (like mine are), or just-off-the-shelf as is clones of everyone else'. ? Would you have it any other way?

You posted an admittedly inspirational but completely irrelevant item about a disabled racer. Try to stay on topic.

Or are you asking me if I am a "serious cyclist"? LOL

I-Like-To-Bike

My post was far more relevant to the thread topic of personalizing a bicycle, than 90% [estimated] of the posts on this list; Posts which are neither related to bicycling nor living car free nor living car light. Instead the posts are predominately anti car/ anti car owner/ counter culture political and economic rants that are far more appropriate to P&R , Foo, or Trollheim lists.

I did post something positive and inspirational about the good people of NYC supporting a bicyclist in need and helping him customize his body as well as his bike. And YOU raise a Red Flag of Relevancy? On this list? Yours is possibly the dumbest post I have ever read on BF, and that is quite an achievement.

Newspaperguy

I prefer to start with a carefully selected bike and then make some minor adjustments from there. If I look around I can find a bike to suit my needs. From there, any customization or modification is easy.

My main bike is a touring bike. I've added racks front and rear and when I'm riding in town, a rack trunk is a permanent fixture on the bike. I'll use panniers for hauling some items, although for short distances, I can also get by with a backpack and for smaller items, the rack trunk works.

Because of the road conditions in town, I prefer 700x32 tires for most of my riding rather than 700x28 tires which aren't quite as comfortable the broken pavement I'll encounter in some parts of town.

I've also added a bright headlight, a couple of rear blinkies and a bell.

The result is a bike which is a little heavier than stock, but able to handle my day-to-day needs. If I lived in a different area, I may have considered an entirely different bicycle. Out here, this works admirably.

the cyclops

cooker

90% (estimated) of the posts in this thread are not related to bicycling, never mind the thread topic? The questioned posed by the OP after she cited a couple of articles on personalized and/or customized bikes, was whether participants in this forum personalized their transportational bikes. Here's a quick count of how the responses addressed that:

Post #
1 Obviously on topic
2 on topic
3 on topic
4 on topic
5 on topic
6 on topic
7 partly on topic and partly your usual disdainful and grouchy rant
8 on topic
9 on topic
10 on topic
11 on topic
12 partly on topic and partly your usual disdainful and grouchy rant
13 on topic
14 off topic – me pointing out your grouchy rants
15 on topic
16 partly on topic and partly directed at you
17 off topic inspired by you
18 on topic
19 on topic
20 you agitating
21 partly off topic as you as you tried to demonstrate that the rest of us aren’t “serious” to your standards
22 on topic
23 off topic - you
24 off topic in response to you
25 on topic
26 off topic you
27 off topic in response to you
28 off topic in response to you
29 on topic
30 off topic in response to you
31 on topic
32 on topic
33 partly on topic and partly your usual disdainful and grouchy rant
34 off topic – you
35 off topic - you
36 partly off topic in response to you
37 off topic in response to a response to you
38 off topic in response to a response to you
39 off topic – you
40 on topic
41 off topic in response to you

So most of the posts addressed the OP's query, except where you inspired us to deviate. My post #14 was the only one that doesn't mention something to do with bicycling. That's over 97% that do have something to do with bicycling. So your estimate of 90% having nothing to do with bicycling was off by 187%.

Getting back on topic I commute on a used tour bike that came with a rack but I did add fenders. The fit is so tight there is a tiny whisper amount of tire rub that doesn't seem to hold me back. This is because nobody in town sells 27" X 1 1/8" tires so I have to go with 27" X 1 1/4".

bragi

I usually agree with your posts and often enjoy them, but this one gives me pause. I think you have way too much time on your hands, and would greatly benefit from a long ride with lots of big hills.

cooker

I was testifying in court this week so I guess I got into cross-examination mode. I just find ILTB is always accusing people of making unsubtantiated claims, so when he makes a ridiculous whopper himself, like 90% of the posts in this thread have nothing to do with biking (!!!) he needs to have the facts thrown back at him. Plus, I gave him the evidence he asked for that there is NEW demand for bikes for utility purposes and he dismissed it without apparently even reading it.

I-Like-To-Bike

Before you testify you should check your facts, Jack, before you make a fool of yourself in court too.

I wrote "90% [estimated] of the posts on this list; Posts which are neither related to bicyclingnor living car free nor living car light."

You went into your anal nitpicking routine and threw back stuff (like a monkey in the zoo) because your predetermined bias allowed you to misread and misquote it into "90% of the posts in this thread have nothing to do with biking (!!!).

I read the article and I read what it said, not what you would like it to have said. The article provided NO evidence of increased sales of bikes for utility purposes.

cooker

"List" eh? - How quaint.So...what? The dealers were lying when they said: "The increase is being attributed primarily to consumer reaction to high gas prices mid-year as they turned to the bicycle in order to use less fuel and save money"?

Anyway, I am done - help yourself to the last word.

folder fanatic

I am the original starter of this thread. Let us get back to what I really wanted all of you to do.....think about cycling. How it affects you. And about your bikes: what really drives your bikes and separates them from the pack. Chatting online here is what I like people to do....it inspires others to really think about-and enjoy-their bikes, no matter how far they are from me.

This thought really makes my day. And all of you that participated up to now, and in the future, a heartfelt thank you.