maybe it's because i live in the socially liberal bubble of a big city like chicago, but when i tell family, friends, acquaintances, etc. that i'm a daily bike commuter, the overwhelming response is "cool!", normally followed up with a "no way?" when i tell them how far i ride every day. now, perhaps in their own minds some of those people are thinking "loser" when they say "cool!", but that's not the socially acceptable attitude to have towards bike commuting where i live. maybe it's partly a generational thing too, as i'm still relatively young at age 34, and i most often have contact with people within my own age group.