Originally Posted by Ben Cousins
So, let me get this straight - lycra is BAD, but little bits of cardboard in your spokes is GOOD?
Are there any aspects of this subculture that aren't completely arbitrary? Is somone going to decide that riding around with a banana taped to your face is cool next?
It's not arbitrary, it's just absurd. Spoke cards are part of the subculture because they stem from alleycats, which is decidedly non-roadie. Lycra is obviously the epitome of roadism, and thus, the diamteric opposite of the distinction necessary to be part of the subculture of fixed-gear.
A minority tribe needs to distinguish itself from the dominant cultural tribe, otherwise it won't have the subculture appeal.