Originally Posted by stegosaupus
Thanks for the hugs. I'm staying on my bike because I love it (I'm already gearing up for winter riding, hehe), but I think it was just a shock of cognitive dissonance from how I felt about riding to how other people would perceive it. I'm twelve years out of high school, with great friends and a good career, and it was enough to smush me back into feeling like a weirdo highschool loser. I'm happy letting my bike be comfy and functional instead of bling-blingy (if anything, I'd be more likely to turn it into an art-bike for my own delight than to get status-enhancing gear and upgrades), but... I got kicked in my self-image, and it hurt.
I know exactly how you feel, I just turned 30 a few months after getting rid of my car. I also moved out of my hometown within the last year. Every once and a while I ride back to see my friends and parents, and I will meet someone from school or wherever. I proudly saw I am car free, and I get this look of horror like I just kicked a dog. I truly believe some people are completely ignorant that it is possible to be happy without a huge SUV, a big house in the suburbs, 2.5 kids, and on and on and on. I also think there are people who are starting to question do I really need all this stuff? When they see someone they know, and we do not play the silly status game, the become afraid. You are the person they want to be, but they are afraid of what someone else will think, so they lash out with insults. It took me awhile, but now the people that pick on me no longer make me angry, I feel sorry for them.