Drillium Dude

This.

I know a woman who is a couple years younger than I (me: laaaaaate 50s), and she owns both road and mountain bikes. Single - has been her entire life, and says she's fine with it. Fit as hell - looks the same as when I knew her in HS; she's petite, but strong - in the endurance sense. Hikes, runs, plays pickle-ball, does 3 or 4 types of yoga - been seriously pushing me to get into it. Knows I'm totally into cycling since my HS years until today, and it's kept me fit as well as providing an education in bike maintenance.

Her day job is a practicing Nurse Practitioner. She has a side job she want to go mainstream with, thus leaving the medical field (after more than 35 years, she's about burned out). More on that shortly.

Both bikes have been standing on flats for three years. She always talks about taking them in for service and putting them to good use once again. Nice guy that I am, I've offered to get them running for her gratis, going as far as to explain my love of tinkering, and that exercise would be fun for me as well as beneficial for her. I even offered to show her how to do some of the basic maintenance. She hasn't taken me up on that, but okay. I've asked a few times - and provided practical reasons why any cyclist who may find themselves miles from home will likely, at some point, need to rely on basic maintenance skills in order to get home safely. In her case, she's even more vulnerable out there because she's a female. No judgement - it's just a simple fact that most men can overpower most women, therefor being self-sufficient enough to make basic repairs like fixing a tire on the road can mitigate that kind of risk. But she's adamant that she can't do it, though she's admitted she's never given it a try. At this point, it's clear to me that she'll never do so, and also clear that the bikes will likely never leave her garage again - unless they're wearing little price tags on the bars at her next garage sale.

The kicker? The side job she wants to turn to for her second and final career?

Life Coach.

SMDH.

FD: We're just friends, and it'll stay that way; I've no ulterior motives, and she is well aware of that fact.

DD

mosinglespeeder

good morning all: as I read through this post with a few of my 'snob' ideas, I realize that someone may also abhor snobbishly my procrastination for reading this thread and posting so late.

But nonetheless, I agree wholeheartedly and unapologetically admit I too am a snob. In fact, if we all self reflect honestly for a nanosecond, we all really are, that's exactly why we ride what we ride after all, and that is perfectly ok.

My wife and I have said something many times to the point, life is too short for bad food, bad shoes, and bad friends. She doesn't ride, but I have adopted much the same taste in my bikes.

I will offer what has not been so far as to not be redundant, as there are so many good points already

First, its in my genome, I am a snob and perhaps a skeptic, as I lament the advertising and marketing that perpetuates the current cycling culture, who receive it like a fish to a seal...clapping all the way. What do I mean? Like as mentioned by so many, carbon fiber, I've ridden it, many in fact and each leaves me with a sense of deadness, as compared to my Reparto Corse Boron steel Bianchi...which is lively, light and snappy. I scratch my head and ask...why CF? You'd think by the ads its the newest best, most perfect medium, but it is far from it. The corporate companies don't want to pay for the craft any more, like in so many other skills as well and simply said, the craft overall to make the steel bike is dying. Specialized et al brands, can make a mold, lay up the carbon, press it, and wala....you gotta frame. No skill, no finesse, no craft. Oh, yes, some quality guy comes by and looks at it...but that is in essence the process. So, yes, when some youngster comes by on their $12k Trek Domane SLR, eTap clad girl, I..on my trek 400..steel...which actually geometrically has the NEAR exact same specs...updated to my desires of course and fat tyres, is perhaps 3lb heavier....and 11,500k cheaper...I simply have to regard myself as discerning, and informed...yes, more than the ones who simply go in and yap like a seal at the marketing hype, and I do feel snobbish

Secondly, I love non disc bikes. My buddy, who on his Di2 GRX rig, outfitted with gravel hoops...and yes...hydraulic disc...asked why I still use long reach brakes...and cantis. I simply said...any brake that throws you over the bars...is enough brakes. Truthfully, the logic doesn't work for disc, again, the marketing has. The largest radius is the rim itself, the most stopping ability is the rim itself. The weight penalty, is something to think about, and the transference of the heat into the hub, and the potential for that failure over time, is largely not considered. The reality: I love rim brakes and am snobbish especially if they are dura ace and largely don't have any failures thus far.

Thirdly: I am a downtube snob. Point blank snob! Why...just why on earth did we exchange the simplicity out for the brifter conundrums?? Why??? Why did we exchange the beauty of the decorative levers out for oversized less comfortable hoods/brifters??? OK, I did it, because I was young, and silly and bought the hype when shimano 600 8 spd grouppo came out and it was both indexed and you could shift on the fly, out of the saddle and that was why I bought in. I told myself it was safer...and it may be still...but I gave up so much. And have for the past 3 decades. But...having recently revived my love of all things downtube, steel, and C&V, realized this superior point, of why? I never have to fish out a broken head/cable from the internals of a brifter, I never have to regularly maintain the internals, and never have to worry about cogs shearing and failing....forget the cost of $300-500 for replacement. The downtube is just superior in simplicity and is a pure pleasure to ride. And forget the whole Di2/eTap world....why?? What goes down when the battery isn't charged?? Forget replaced?? So, yes, please forgive my snobbish ways....as life is too short for stupid marketing/salesmanship, carbon fiber, disc brakes and electronic grouppos. I simply am a snob for what works.

stoneageyosh

Back in the dark ages, when doing tech support for Campagnolo, there was one year where we provided support for TOSRV, TOSRV West and the Great Western Bike Rally. The key thing was that, regardless of the type or quality of bike, whether they were by themselves or with friends and/or family in tow, they were there to have a good time on a bike. I don’t think that has changed over years.
The typical rider at those events was and probably still is not one to do their own maintenance. I felt sorry for the ones that said that they had their bikes serviced prior to the event where they found it had problems and was glad to be able help them have a good time.
All this is to say that, yeah, we can feel good about what we ride/own, but remember that just about everyone on a bike is doing it because they want to regardless of what they are riding. Who knows, some of them may evolve into C&V snobs as well.

stoneageyosh

If I recollect, it is a lower angle version of the easily recognizable salute used by a specific Social Democratic Party in the 1930’s and 40’s.

Bad Lag

How ironic - a video of snobs criticizing others as snobs. What a waste of time.

1989Pre

When I said I "...tip my hand forward", I meant at the wrist, not thrusting my arm forward in an upward angle with palm down. LOL

79pmooney

I guess I'm something of a snob. I won't do carbon fiber. 1) the failure mode of forks. Yes unlikely, but ... I've had a fork snap in similar fashion and paid the consequences. Once if a lifetime is plenty! (That's not really snobbery.) And 2) I see carbon fiber bikes as being like an addicting drug. If I stay away, the addiction can't happen.

So, for me - steel forks, steel or titanium frames. DT shifters - because they work. They are light, clean and easy to work on. They don't limit my wheel, derailleur and FW/cassette choices. I can shift them in my sleep. And the work in progress, the regression to tubulars for all my good bikes. Again, like that fork, I've had a clincher come off. Not nearly as bad a crash as the fork but still, ribs and collarbone. Downhills stopped being fun, with the "what if ..." always there. Now, Cycle Oregon chip seal so-so roads, 1000s of feet down, blind corners on Vittoria G+ tubbies - fun!!!

About to go for a 50-70 mile ride on my dinosaur, the 1979 Peter Mooney with its 28c tubulars but no DTs. Just a 17 and 18 screwed onto my fix gear hub.+

Drillium Dude

I agree - that's not snobbery, it's taking a lesson from a failure. Been there, done that!

I'm half-on/half-off the fence regarding CF. I've had a little experience with CF offerings from Selle Italia. Many folks here know they made a carbon-shelled version of the Flite called the Evolution, which interestingly enough went through at least three evolutions!

Less commonly known is the fact they also produced a seat post. It had a CF shaft to which a polished and anodized alloy head was epoxied; the post bolt was steel and threaded into a cylindrical steel bit which rested in a concave hollow in the center of the top rail clamp. The post was a beautiful, modern-looking example of Italian styling:



I bought one from Condor Cycles in London in 1994 and installed it on a lugged steel Gios Compact. Rode it for about a month until - just as with my initial Flite Evolution front rail anchor failure on the saddle over a year ago - I hit a good-sized bump while riding the nose (leather-covered Flite saddle). The sickening crack was like the report of a thing we're not supposed to talk about here. I pulled up immediately as my arse was off the back of the saddle - and nearly resting on the rear wheel!

What happened? Well, the rear of the seat lug came to a shallow point, and that point had concentrated the load directly to the CF shaft of the post, effectively emulating a can opener. Well over half the circumference of the shaft had been completely opened up, and the post and saddle was leaning drunkenly to the left. It was clear I wouldn't be able to finish my ride seated - as fortune had it, the failure occurred just 4 miles from home (vice the 15 miles I was obliged to ride when the Flite Evolution's forward rail anchor failed), and I arrived safely after standing on the pedals for the short duration of that eventful ride.

Now, this post would likely not have an issue if installed in a modern-ish seat tube with a separate clamping collar - steel, aluminum, or carbon. But a seat lug with points fore and aft and traditional binder bolt? Nope. I took it back to the shop where it was replaced under warranty, but I put the replacement aside and stored it away for more than a decade before selling it on Ebay for a tidy profit.

Now that I think about it, it's kinda funny that the two rides I had to finish standing on the pedals both involved CF items from the same company!

I still ride the Evolution. Why? Well, I fixed it - adding extra epoxy around the failed anchor, and IMHO making it better than new. It's still holding up over a year later, so I believe this is one CF component I can once again put my trust in.

DD

Murray Missile 

I've been called a vintage bike slob many times.
OH! "SNOB"
Never mind.

AdventureManCO 

Just to clarify, I would likely shellac some cloth bar tape for it to intentionally be seen as pretentious, snobby, and overkill. Then again I am not normal

Drillium Dude

Well, yeah - of course you would! But that just makes you an outlier on one or the other end of the spectrum - a provocateur of sorts.

The good sort

DD

iab

At least Bike Snob NYC was funny at one time. All I got from these 6 pages is to stay off yer lawns.

Sedgemop 

+1 I said the same to the screen when I was watching the vid.

quakerparrot67

good definition except for your use of the term 'social democratic'. not factual, in fact counter-factual,

nuf said
rob

Wildwood

I've been cycling enough decades and
thru scores of various bicycles
(Columbus, Reynolds, Tange, Ishiwata, Oria)
to have earned the title of:
Bike Snob

I don't wave, maybe you get a nod!
Younger than me = Better be faster
Carbon wheels, but can't (don't) ride the drops = Fail
Fatter and Flatter = take it to the Gravel
I only need a helmet, because you might take me out
Who cares about your data gathering & blathering, feed me pasta & good beer.
How many custom frames have you ordered? In carbon fiber? Zero = zero.
etc

I do kneel to riders sporting Campa 50th Anniversary grouppo. On a proper Italian frame.

Pass the pitcher this way please. Ride is over.

MooneyBloke

I agree with everything except the anti-brifter stance. I'm enough of a purist to think bicycles should be entirely human powered including shifting. I have two bikes built up with early 2000s ergo 10, and about the only complaint I have is occasionally grabbing a brake rather than the paddle when I'm tired. I remember too well a slipping Campag DT lever wired to a Suntour Cyclone RD. Got bitten by this in my first road race. My main issue with the brifters is parts availability. The Campagnolo of today, isn't the Campagnolo of yesterday where you could always get the little widgets when they broke. Maybe I should buy a cache of G springs.

Trakhak

You forgot to identify the material of your snapped fork. It was steel, as I recall from your previous posts.

Jeff Neese

100% agree. How many times do we hear "Oh yeah, I've got a bicycle - it's hanging up in the garage. I haven't ridden it in a few years because it has a flat tire."

I'll be a little misogynistic here and say that I'll excuse not changing their own tire, if it's a woman. There's hand strength, for one, and in all my life I've always been the one to maintain my girlfriends and now my wife's bicycles. My wife can't change a tire, or at least never has. But if you say you have to take it in, then take it in. Think about all of the bicycles in garages or attics, all across the world, that have been set aside simply because of a flat tire or other very simple problem.

But hey, that's good for us. Eventually these bikes show up on Craigslist or FB Marketplace.

El Chaba

Don’t just get the g springs, get the spring carrier as well. That is most often the part that wears/fails and they should be replaced together. I have a stash of 9/10 speed ergo parts as future-proof insurance.

El Chaba

I have never thought of myself as any sort of a bike snob. As a matter of fact, I could not give a damn about what any member of the uneducated, unwashed masses does…

embankmentlb

The general public views all cyclists as weird or odd. That view is not without reason.

52telecaster

What is going on there?

Hondo6

Might want to re-read the thread. 79pre 1989Pre wasn't the one who used that phrase when referring to that particular historical political party.

L134 

i stopped to rest. Lead guy pulled over to make sure i was ok and rest followed his lead. Sent to my brother-in-law motorcyclist telling him I pulled over to make sure they were ok.

smd4

Like who? Who even knows what that is?