Originally Posted by
Jose Mandez
What views do you all have of the cyclist subculture? Do you feel that we are a group that is truly different from those around us (e.g. motorists, and the like)? Are there certain elements of the cycling subculture that you don't necessarily buy into? In what ways is that subculture helpful/unhelpful? Again, I am not looking for the objective, end-all answer to this question, but just for your own personal opinions on the topic. I know that many people may not agree with my outlook, which is fine. I just wanted to hear what you all think.
If you asked five people to find you a hippie, they'd probably bring you back five pretty different examples. I'd find you a smelly person who hasn't seen a shower in weeks, is high, and listens to awful music. Someone else would bring you a political liberal. A third test subject would bring you a lazy person who's always looking for a handout and won't lift a finger for any reason. Etc.
And so it goes with bike subculture. There's a gradient from someone who's been on a bike before and you'd never know it, to a homeless-looking person on a steel frame with lots of over-stuffed panniers who wants to outlaw parking.