Why assume the SUV driver is overweight? Maybe they drive to the fitness club where they spend money on machines to make them tired?

If the cyclist and SUV driver have the same physique, the eye of the beholder might assume the SUV driver has more money than the utility cyclist. Alternatively, the eye of the beholder may assume the SUV driver cares less about community or environmental issues than the cyclist.

When I was single, I would have chosen the woman who cycles over the woman with the SUV because cycling is a common interest, and I wasn't concerned about how much money my mate had. However, as a low-income grad student without a car, I had a hard time attracting American women, and mostly dated foreign coeds who didn't think bicycling instead of motoring was weird.

Now at age 41, I notice that my age amplifies assumptions based on my travel mode and clothing. No matter how fit I am, if I show up at a store on a beater bike, sweaty in cargo shorts, many people look at me dismissively. I've even heard derogatory comments - once from a young woman. If I show up looking like a hard-core roadie, people smile and ask me about cycling. If I'm dressed up for a customer meeting, even 20 year old women give me a second glance. So I understand why some older men feel like they simply *must* drive an expensive car to feel successful and attractive, although I'd personally much rather spend the money on my family and on cycling. I'm very glad to be permanently out of the dating pool, with nothing to prove.