Originally Posted by
patentcad
But there's no Zen in that my little cuda. Where's the Self Loathing?
It comes when I've got 8 stitches in my leg and all I want to do is throw on my gear and go riding. Instead I'm barely able to walk for 3 days, limping for the next 3 days, and off the bike for 3 weeks.
Originally Posted by
Psimet2001
Missed the thread. Missed most of the discussion. been kind of busy lately and fallen out of the top 10 weekly posters on here....sad I know...but in general, as I have said time and time again before, road cycling is just this way.
Roadies have been less than affectionate to newcomers for as long as I have been around the sport (not a ton of time but up to 20 years now). You can say it's for all sorts of reasons - a feeling of fraternity, hazing, safety reasons (scare the squirrels aways), etc but in the end it's just part of the scene.
To expect a roadie based forum to be any different would be kind of silly and unrealistic at best.
Many of us do actually know how to welcome in new riders at the same time we're bustin their balls though.
I know recreational road cyclists, I know racers, I know ex-racers. The racers bust each other's balls and call each other names. But if there's a new guy in the group they either point them in the right direction (perhaps to a ride better suited to their ability) or give them some solid advise.
Guess you and pcad roll with a different sort of roadie group than some of the others here. Scaring off squirrly riders is one thing when you're in a group about to do a tight paceline at 25mph. Quite another when an obviously new rider (or a troll appearing as one) posts on an internet forum. They are not equal. If you want to bust someone's balls, choose the guy who's been on the forum for a few months. Not the guy who's post count is less than the number of spokes in your front wheel.
Originally Posted by
waytoomanybikes
This nonsense about the "roadie culture" is just that.
Nonsense, and a convenient excuse for people to act like idiots.
I started racing at the age of 14.
That was 35 years ago.
I have never in all my years been exposed to, or been around people who exhibit the types of personality or behaviour seen on this forum.
Rather, there is a quiet pride and respect and knowledge of things shared.
The behaviour and personalities that show on this forum, are inexcuseable, and would be in any day-care or kindergarten.
Shameful really.
"Roadie Culture" ? No. Childish, name calling sand box culture? Yes.
8 pages of nothing all because one kid had a skin thin as a saran wrap. Jeez people.
The problem is it's not just one kid. Its just the latest instance of a trend that has be on the increase for far too long. Who's to blame for letting it get to this point? I'd say we all have our piece of the blame. But we can also be a piece of the solution.
Originally Posted by
patentcad
And oddly, after 20 years around the NY Metro Area racing scene, I'd say BF is quite reflective of Road Culture (or the utter lack thereof) here in my area. On the other hand there aren't too many Ned Flanders types here in NY. It's the American Ahole Festival. I fit right in. We like it that way. And we don't care what anybody thinks about it. They can suck my friggin wheel if they don't like it.
I'm on other forums where any hint of incivility or ball busting is not tolerated. They are so boring I hardly frequent them. LIGHTEN THE F UP and you might actually have some fun. What a friggin concept. Is there some 11th Commandment against Fun in Flyover Land? I mean, that has to be it.
Nobody gets their balls busted more than me here. You don't see me wringing my hands, running to the mods, getting my racing bib in a twist or complaining about it. I fire back, have the occasional flame war and let the rest roll off my back. Why would I take anything here seriously? It's an Internet Forum for God's sake, not The Meaning of Life.
Pcad, you welcome the ball bustin, and thus people know you're game for it. And that's cool with me. We have tried to strike a balance between havin fun and being civil. In my honest opinion the line has gotten pushed too far in the "fun" direction to a point that other people are not having fun here any more. You may, and a few others may, because you feel it's your sandbox to throw sand in. When someone comes here looking for advice, they're not looking for fun. They are looking for answers to their question. The answers may be there, but sometimes the member may not get that far because someone else has decided to bust their balls for not looking at pictures of other bikes first.