I don't care if someone called me a avid cyclist. I generally don't ride for the sake of riding. However, I wonder how "good for the cause" avid cyclists are. Basically, I'm talking about the folks all decked out on their expensive bikes, road or mtb. Not that I'm really criticizing them, but I think that sort of rider simply reinforces the notion of bicycles being only recreational toys. And a bit of a uppity recreation, at that. The vast majority of bicycling commuters I see ride very cheap *mart bikes, and do so because they have no choice. Once in a while, I see a commuter who could probably afford a car (and probabaly has one), but chooses bike. But these folks are definitely a minority.

Basically, I think the serious biking community speaks out of both sides of it's mouth. On the one hand it wants bicycling taken more seriously. At the same time, it still treats biking as a largely recreational luxury activity/conspicuous consumption activity. I suspect all those bicycling commuters on *mart bikes are working hard to not be in any part of a bicycling community.