>>>>Second, that riding a bicycle, period, is seen as weird, and is actually getting more and more weird as time goes by. <<<<<<

This thread has started to reach that point where people are attacking each other, so I just want to pop in again and comment that I'm aware I'm bringing some of my own baggage to the discussion...the way many people do. I am guilty of using the term "spandex" a little too liberally to generalize everything I see as a hindrance to the advancement of cycling's popularity. For this, I apologize to the manufacturers of Spandex and to the people who wear it and who find that it makes riding more pleasant. And for what it's worth, I suppose the padded underwear I wear beneath my cargo shorts is probably Spandex, too, huh?

Anyway, to address the comment above, I am strongly convinced that the main reason my co-workers think I am "weird" for biking three miles to work is that they still aren't convinced that I don't stop somewhere just outside the office to change into some kind of Super Spandexman suit, complete with goggles, toe-clips, and a Go-Pro camera on my helmet. They simply cannot buy that not all cyclists wear nipple-tight Tour DeFrance jerseys and shave their legs. So grolby, I agree with a lot of what you're saying, but I think the "weirdness" people perceive about bicycling has a lot more to do with "spandex" than people who wear spandex care to admit.