After seeing someone who I know to be a very accomplished bicycler attacked in
another thread for the way he handles his commute I would say what makes 'experts'
lose credibility with me is thier steadfast refusal to believe different areas and
situations require different styles of riding. Anyone who has lived and ridden in
more than one type of environment knows that one philosophy simply cannot be
applicable to all situations. My commuting methodology in rural Vermont would
get me killed in South Carolina, for instance.
If you ride a bicycle daily and have figured out what it takes to survive from
point A to B in the sphere of your existance, you are an expert.