jp173

Can someone please explain to me the mentality of riding??

A few days ago, I went up to the LBS to get a new pair of gloves. The LBS is about six miles from the house, so I rode my bike.

The LBS was full, as was the parking lot. With lots and lots and lots of cars, all with bicycle racks, and most with bicycles in the bike racks.

And just about every last one of them could not believe that I had actually ridden to the LBS. Lots and lots of comments and questions from people. Shocked and amazed comments. Disbelief. Comments about my sanity.

At least five of them were people in my bike club.

here and there

It seems like everytime I go to the LBS (about 3 miles away) there is someone riding in (usually a regular). Most other bike shops I've visited have people riding in all the time. If you ask me your experience seems more like an exception than the norm.

farrellcollie

I carry my bike on car if I think I am going to have to leave it there for mechanics.

bmclaughlin807

Your LBS has RACKS**********? You mean, a place where you can park YOUR bike, not just see what the store has for sale???

Seriously... of the 5 bike stores I've been to around here, only two had racks available to park your bike.

Bikes are, for the most part, considered 'recreation' .... not 'transportation'

I took my bike in to a shop for the first time, and the guy wanted to keep it overnight and tension the wheel for me.... When I told him I lived over 8 miles away and had stopped in on my way home, he looked pretty surprised.

Welcome to the world of bikes as 'toys' ... that perception is likely a large part of why a lot of motorists think bikes don't belong on the road, I mean c'mon... who ever heard of riding a bike to actually GET anywhere, right?

slowandsteady

Well if you are gonna buy a bike rack for $1000, you had better use it.

Stor Mand

I will guess their amazement was likely due to the high temperatures we are experiencing in the NE. Not everyone has the heat tolerence of others .. I myself am a heat sissy. I don't even ride my motorcycle in this heat let alone pedal in 90+ degree temps.

ken cummings

Maybe a time for a new lbs? And a new club?

kf5nd

Let's see... southwestern Connecticut... rich, privileged, spoiled types who are into cycling because of style considerations, not because they want to be role models for social change?

slowandsteady

So now cycling is a moral issue? All of SW Connecticut is rich and spoiled? Perhaps we can start in on some Texas stereotypes....

iluvfreebeer

I know what you mean, My closest LBS is about a 16 mile ride. I RIDE there several times a month as it's on a convenient route, and gives me the chance to refill bottles, buy some cytomax, shoot the bull with the crew, whatever . . . but I'm usually the ONLY one there ON a bike.
Curious!

goaliedad30

My LBS has lots of folks that ride in, but it's difficult for me to do that. To get there from my house would be 10 miles minimum, about half of that on a VERY busy expressway. Technically legal to ride on it, but the cars are typically moving almost 60 mph. Just not worth the risk ...

Also, much of the time I'm actually taking my bike there, it's got to stay ...

caloso

I agree that if you're dropping off your bike for service, it would make the most sense to drive it there.

kf5nd

And you'd be mostly correct...

kf5nd

You can always do the ride with a riderless bike to the bike shop thing! It's fun to do! (once)

jp173

Nonononono

The cars all had bike racks. The store doesn't have any bike racks.

And I understand if you're bringing your bike in to be fixed and will have to leave it. Hell, I take it by car in that case too.

My "problem" was how amazed people were that I would actually ride my bike to the bike store. The fact that these people were all stating their amazement. Shocked "this is some sort of nut job maybe we ought to call a psychiatrist (or three)" kind of amazement.

As if a bicycle isn't really for transportation but only for recreational riding after dragging it around on the back of an incredibly expensive SUV.

And, interestingly, I got something of a similar reaction from some members of my riding club the other day when I rode my bike to the start of a group ride. It's only 3 miles from my house, so why not ride the bike?? They all thought I was pretty weird for doing that. "But that means you're doing an additional 6 miles of riding...". But I like to ride, why would I object to doing an additional 6 miles of riding**********

DataJunkie

I only get that when I ride my bike in when it is snowing and 20F.

I think I must be the only one looking forward to winter.

smellygary

Doesn't make sense, does it? Load your bike on the car and drive it to the LBS, or the bike trail. Its like driving to the gym to do a workout or a spin class. Huh?

Sometimes people go out to a remote location on a day off to ride in a different place, and it might take them all day just to get there on a bike seeing th same scenery they see every day, so they drive instead. Maybe they're stopping in at the LBS to get a few things on the way to their ride starting point.

Olebiker

Let's see, I should drive past the bike shop on my way home from work, get my bike and ride ten miles back to the shop. Whoops, the shop would be closed by the time I got there. Would it be OK if I park at the bar down the street and walk a couple of blocks to the bike shop?

maximusvt

If you live too far away to bike to work, then no it doesn't make sense.

Bike shops like the one the OP mentioned and mentalities like this exist for people who don't appreciate the concept of cycling as a means of transportation. The only time I ever drive to the shop is when my bike needs work... In fact, my auto ins company offered me a free rental vehicle while my car was being repaired. I only took them up on the rental offer when I needed something to drive my bike to the shop with.

I'm not saying this gives me any moral high ground or anything but I definitely don't feel right driving my car somewhere just so I can bike somewhere else. Reading the blog of my LBS last week, one of the mechs there voiced the same sentiment and it made me like that shop that much more. I think the people who "drive-to-ride" see both driving and biking as leisure activities but don't have any problem using the car as a tool to maximize the leisure of riding the bike. I wonder how many people have ridden their bike to an auto dealership or to the auto mech while their car was being fixed?

The roads that take us to the bike store, all of our infrastructure, is designed with the motorist in mind. Americans are just conditioned to behave as if they're fat and lazy, period. Even if they're roadies in good shape. Biking is a compartmentalized leisure activity for them just like watching a movie or going to the Olive Garden, and those compartments are separated by leisurely air conditioned trips in the car. It's downright pathetic what we've let the auto do to our society.

MarkS

++1

drmain

I would NEVER ride my bike to the bike shop. Why? Because I'll never ride around traffic because there are way too many idiots out there who don't pay attention when they are driving. It's all bike trails for me.

caloso

I'm doing a triathlon for Team in Training. A few weeks ago we did a sprint distance tri as a tune-up. One of my teammates was absolutely terrified at the prospect of riding her bike on the road -- WITH CARS!!!!! I thought she was jokinng but she was dead serious. She had never ridden her bike on anything but the bike path.

Amazing. But then I guess there are people who have never swum in anything but a chlorinated pool.