Originally Posted by
BikeAnon
That said... if you live in a large city, with bad weather... and you go to the places with the lowest incomes, you'll find a greater percentage of people who ride bikes in bad weather. Those people are likely "tougher" than us. And not because they ride bikes.
Agreed. My library is in one of the tougher sections of town. I see a lot of folks who make me look candy-ass instead of bad-ass.
Originally Posted by
BikeAnon
Want to define "tough on a bike"? How about riding a $2,000+ plus bike while wearing spandex through those neighborhoods I mentioned. Even in good weather. THAT is tougher than riding a commuter with fenders to work in the rain/snow.
I do both. Lemme tell ya, my full Dura-Ace Litespeed is invisible. Not flashy enough. They recognize the brand on the Trek, and think the cobalt blue is nice on the Ribble. But the Litespeed just doesn't exist.
As for the hi-viz and lycra, it seems to send a signal that I'm just passing through--no threat. I'm clearly not a cop, and I'm not there to buy anything either--both of which would make me a target. And without a white shirt, tie and MTB, I'm clearly not a missionary either.
In fact the only comment I've ever had on my attire was just after the last winter Olympics when I was wearing my AmFib winter tights. Dude told me I looked bad-ass, just like those guys in the Olympics. And he didn't seem to looking for anything on the down-low, if you get my drift.