Originally Posted by loky1179 (Post 17910345)

Why do you even bother to ride? It appears you could just use the Transporter!!

Originally Posted by jfowler85 (Post 17915379)

Nobody runs fenders so they stay dry in rain, that's just silly. Fenders keep the crap off of you when the roads are wet, salty, grimy, etc. When you see a fender'd commuter riding through a downpour, he/she is not expecting those fenders to keep him/her dry, it is because once the fenders are on, they stay on for the season.

Originally Posted by I-Like-To-Bike (Post 17910991)

That's the commuting vehicle for "the rest of us." Of course that is not to imply that anyone who is not "one of us" is less worthy. :)

Originally Posted by PatrickGSR94 (Post 17908454)

I run front AND rear lights 24/7.

Originally Posted by mgw4jc (Post 17918327)

I'd recommend turning them off when you're not riding. Better for battery longevity, light pollution, etc. :P

Originally Posted by velocity (Post 17883493)

Have backpack will travel.
Yah this and a Six13 and if it rains that's when I get a Dave Scott Ironman out to commute.

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=457182

Originally Posted by grolby (Post 17916040)

You aren't being ostracized at all. I've been on BF for a while now, and in that time the commuting forum has really morphed from being a place where roadies talked about how they rode to work
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I see this thread as just a place where the more sportfully-minded commuters are talking about what they do. I suppose it could have been better titled, although mostly because it provided too easy an opportunity for Defender Of The People ILTB to fly in here and go through his usual routine of accusing anyone who doesn't ride like he does of being Smug Serious Cyclists. Not that a better title would have stopped him but whatever.
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My point was more that people make such a big deal about fenders, and how miserable those without them must be, that you would think that they have magical water-repelling qualities. With any luck I will one day have a more dedicated commuter bike (still a road bike, though), and that bike will certainly have full fenders. In the meantime, I do without or preferably with clip-on fenders, and it's really not so bad. That's in good measure because, yeah, I'm wearing spandex for my commute right now.

Originally Posted by caloso (Post 17917983)

Appropriate for this thread: http://offthebackistan.tumblr.com/post/107367922007/there-seems-to-be-this-idea-among-some-bike

Originally Posted by spivonious (Post 17905366)

This whole thread smells. Why am I ostracized for not wanting a sweaty back, wanting to be easily seen at a distance, and not wanting to be in an aero tuck during my commute? I definitely don't pedal at a relaxed pace on my 7 mile commute, despite my riding a 40lb city bike. Average heart rate of 150bpm.

Do you drive a Ferrari to the supermarket? No, you take the hatchback.

Originally Posted by spare_wheel (Post 17918810)

Actually, I drive a Nissan Leaf. It has disc brakes and high-tech alloy wheels -- kinda like my 19 lb plastic commuter.

Originally Posted by I-Like-To-Bike (Post 17918633)

But the OP and your post and this thread indicate that there are still those posters who are roadies talking about how they ride and like to think of themselves as being something special because of their bicycling equipment; ya know -"the rest of us."

Thanks for thinking about me.

BTW, it doesn't take "luck" to have a have a more dedicated commuter bike, or a bike with full fenders, or any other type of desired bicycling equipment.

Originally Posted by scroca (Post 17919541)

I think I'm special. My mom does too.

Originally Posted by tjspiel (Post 17919509)

Seriously, what implies that anyone thinks of themselves as something special? The phrase "the rest of us"?

Originally Posted by I-Like-To-Bike (Post 17918633)

But the OP and your post and this thread indicate that there are still those posters who are roadies talking about how they ride and like to think of themselves as being something special because of their bicycling equipment; ya know -"the rest of us."

Thanks for thinking about me.

BTW, it doesn't take "luck" to have a have a more dedicated commuter bike, or a bike with full fenders, or any other type of desired bicycling equipment.

Originally Posted by tjspiel (Post 17919509)

Seriously, what implies that anyone thinks of themselves as something special? The phrase "the rest of us"?

Taken at face value, and I'm not sure why you'd take it any other way, it simply means that some of us commute on bikes other than the stereotypical commuter bike.

What do you mean by "roadie"? Is that anyone who ever rides a road bike? Track bikes included? Someone who races road bikes? Are you only a roadie if you're riding a road bike at the time? Or perhaps it's a state of mind and it doesn't matter what you ride?

To be honest, I do take a little pride in commuting by bike. Should I not? It's not always the easy choice but I do it anyway for my health and environmental concerns.

When I was actively competing in triathlons, I was also proud of what I was able to do and the level of fitness I achieved, though I wish I were a lot better than I was. I'm sure my choice of commuting bikes are influenced by my recreational cycling activities (past and present). So what? It's what I like. It may or may not be different in 10 years.

Originally Posted by alan s (Post 17919703)

What the OP is trying to say is that if you ride a track bike to work, you will be mistreated and shunned by real bike commuters. Probably true. I often conspire with other "real" commuters to do just that. All it takes is a quick nod of the head and we're off. We work together to either drop the offender, or make him do all the work up front. We intentionally lean our "real" commuter bikes against the offender's bike in the rack, without regard to scratching his paint job. Derisive, rude and mocking comments and sneering at stoplights are all too common. You're just going to have to get used to it.

Originally Posted by kickstart (Post 17919977)

I'm all confused, lately I've been commuting on a drop bar road bike.....that has fenders and a rack.....and weights 40 odd pounds.

I don't know where I fit in.....I need a hug. :cry:

Originally Posted by grolby (Post 17919929)

But it is a major plank of the ILTB platform that anyone who takes any pride in their riding or has any interest in riding past going down to the corner to get a gallon of milk is morally suspect if they don't feel sufficiently ashamed of themselves. Heck, you don't even have to indicate that you think you're special - all you have to do to get the Scarlet S is admit that you sometimes like riding a bike for fun.

Originally Posted by grolby (Post 17919940)

Boy you've sure skewered those stupid things that the OP didn't say.

Originally Posted by I-Like-To-Bike (Post 17918884)

Does that mean you own/drive a car like the "rest of us" or are you something special because of the type of equipment you use?

Originally Posted by kickstart (Post 17919977)

I'm all confused, lately I've been commuting on a drop bar road bike.....that has fenders and a rack.....and weights 40 odd pounds.
I don't know where I fit in.....I need a hug. :cry:

Originally Posted by spare_wheel (Post 17921020)

You fit in fine because there are dozens of threads singing praises of this style of bike without a single critical comment (the surly cc thread is one massive example). Meanwhile, a single thread singing the praises of lighter bikes attracts a motherload of butthurt from people who simply cannot accept that some commuters prefer sporty rides.

Originally Posted by I-Like-To-Bike (Post 17921101)

I don't think anybody, including myself, find fault with anybody's preference for this or that kind of bicycle equipment. The issue here is that the OP did not sing praise for the kind of bike equipment he likes but rather chose to start off by establishing his (and the rest of us) bona fides by spouting derision at those who use equipment different than that he and "the rest of us" do not prefer; i.e. his desire to establish the special status of "The commuters who don't run fenders or racks, no panniers, no Dynamo hubs, no milk crates bungeed onto a DIY fender made from recycled milk jugs, no high viz green safety vests, no internally geared hubs, etc."

Originally Posted by tjspiel (Post 17921194)

Originally Posted by grolby (Post 17919940)

Boy you've sure skewered those stupid things that the OP didn't say.

Originally Posted by San Pedro (Post 17921383)

Less arguing more pictures of gorgeous Felt (and other) road bikes please :p.