Originally Posted by
Saving Hawaii
I don't disagree. My data set is atypical but it is my local community and it does have a lot of bike commuters. Of 20 employees at my workplace about 4 commute, none of whom are using backpacks or saddle bags to carry clothes. That's pretty typical here. I think some of you live in communities that are more difficult to commute in. Longer trips, more challenging terrain, lots of bad drivers (not that drivers here don't suck but they're very used to cyclists), inclement weather, etc. A "long" commute here is doing a 3-mile ride on flat ground...
There are probably different cues that can be employed depending on where you are at, time of day, size of group, etc.
If I see 10 riders on the Greenway all wearing matching kit at 7:00 pm in the evening, they probably aren't commuters. A single rider wearing lycra and a backpack near downtown at around 7:30 am probably is, and so is the guy wearing business casual clothes with no backpack or panniers. Take the backpack away from the guy wearing lycra and it's more of judgement call.