i hope one day the karma train punches those elitists in the mouth. don't sweat it. take off your racks and fenders if you want. also, i'm sure people have mentioned, but are there any recreational riding clubs in your area as opposed to the competitive ones? and to make you feel better, my friend in san fran did group rides on a single speed geared at 44/16 and SMOKED riders who were riding 5, 6, and even 22K custom bikes. of course his engine is more efficient.