Originally Posted by
rando
that's a good point.
undulating -1 serious point
inexpensive bike -5 serious points
wrong gear choice -5 serious points
sidewalk rider -10 serious points.
poor guy doesn't have a chance in hell of getting to the serious level. not without some classes and some serious upgrades.
I'd have to rework the wording a little bit to fit my own evaluation system.
Points one and three are basically the same problem, which I'd call "lack of skill in operating the
equipment". "inexpensive bike" I'd have to change to "non-roadworthy bike". I've gotten good used bikes for less than fifty dollars. I'll leave "sidewalk rider" as is. The sidewalk is a pedestrian facility. It isn't intended for vehicular transportation.
As for his chances of becoming serious, rather than lunch hour entertainment for me, that depends on whether the community of cyclists does what it's supposed to be doing as a self-sustaining community, and teaches him how to choose a bike and operate it properly (and of course whether he wants and is able to do it. The ride I observed may have given him heart failure).