Originally Posted by schiiism

I don’t want to sound pretentious, but what’s being said here about “European commuters” is the same way I rode when I was new to biking and knew nothing about it. (I literally learned to ride a bike at 21, so no preformed habits.) This was also before I rode for more than five miles at a time, and before having to ride up and down freeway overpass bridges. Without those additions to my commute, I wouldn’t have made any changes.

But since I DO go up and down steep hills and don’t like waking up any earlier than I have to, I naturally progressed to a road bike (faster/versatile), cycling clothes (cooler and more flexible), and just last week I went clipless (my shoes kept getting chewed up by my pedals). While everyone has their own preferences, I don’t see anything wrong with using gear that makes the most sense. At the same time there is no need to have a superior attitude for making those changes; I wouldn’t expect kids riding half a mile to school to ride like I do because it wouldn’t be efficient.

And maybe this is just a woman thing, but I don’t get heckled at all for wearing cycling gear or riding my bike. Drivers are actually very friendly to me, a lot of them roll down their windows to talk to me at stoplights. Maybe because I smile and look happy when I ride? I’ve noticed that a lot of cyclists act like horses with blinders and pretend like there are no cars beside them, and I think that gives people a bad impression of cycling.

Also, I saw some comments about cycling not being a workout. One of the most common quips I get from drivers is, “Getting your exercise in?” It’s not just a different perception that Americans have because I have gotten way more in shape since I started commuting (as in dropping from 25% BF to 17% BF, along with gym time of course). It’s one of the best ways for people with injuries to exercise as well since it’s so low impact. Cycling turns your body into an engine, why WOULDN’T it be burning energy?