i have been trying to figure this full-kit roadie thing out for the last couple of months.....i don't get it....i can be simply crusing along, ride along side a road bike, about to say hey whatsup or someting, next thing you know all i hear are gears dropping, which no matter how tired i am or how many sprints or hills i have done....gives me extra fuel in the tank...
This makes you a player. So what if a roadie drops his chain to a harder gear...why be so concerned about his insecurities.
but some of these guys, (never has happened with women....ever) really seem pissed when they can't drop me, or heaven forbid i grab the drops and get busy and dump em on a climb. there is this group that with my work schedule and their ride schedule every saturday morning on my way into work we meet, last week they turned off the bike route on cue when they saw me at the light...so i stopped and waited...then they looped back...still remember the look on their faces when i was still there ( i waited through a couple of lights)....i just laughed, then blew through the light so they wouldn't have to try anything else...guess they didn't want to play again....
So, you basically stalked them to challenge them on your commute...maybe, they just didn't want to deal with your nonsense.
Maybe they were hammerheads, maybe they were a**holes, maybe they were just out for a group ride and didn't want to be messed with. And maybe I'm being overly critical, but just let it go and ride.
And as far as wearing a full-kit, how is that any different than wearing a customized messenger bag on your back (or wearing the full "posenger" kit of cut-offs with appropriate hip tee-shirt, chain around the waist and cycling cap) ...there does seem to be a double-standard here.
I wear full-kits on some of my rides for various reasons: comfort, fit, practicality, and I like to support the clothing manufacturers and corporate sponsors that fund professional cycling. Its trickle down theory...where would recreational cycling be if none of these companies invested their money in the sport. We don't live or ride in a vacuum.
I ride with friends, ride alone, and sometimes I hook-up with strangers along 9W or in CP. Its all good. For the most part, people don't give a damn what you're riding or wearing, or at least that's been the case in my experience.
I only ride a fixed gear bike because it's a total chick magnet.
And finally the truth comes out!