OP, could you feel the wattage blaring off of his guads as he blew by? Were his calves rattling like a revving 2-stroke motor?

It sounds like you got passed by someone who was in the middle of a prescribed workout, that's all. Some people are using their commutes as training time. I don't think there's a cyclist here who doesn't roll the occasional stop light.

<--- owns spandex, jeans, carharts, and camo. I can be a sissy, joe lunchbox, and a redneck all in one day.

I'm a poseur. But a friendly poseur. Last night on my trek home I spot another roadie ahead of me a bit. I kick it in to "not-as-slow-as-normal" speed to catch him.

He gives me "The Look" and as soon as I was on him to say, "Hello," he turns left onto a main road. But it was like he did it on purpose. Like, "Oh, snap. A dimwit trying to blow by me with his team kit and special little racer bike. The jerk. I'll turn here so I won't have to talk to him."

He kept peering over his shoulder with the "hairy eyeball."

Just because I race, have the kit, have the bike, doesn't mean I'm an unfriendly jerk. I hope people understand that. I love seeing others on the road.

27 posts and nobody has called troll yet . . . . on the most inciting topic on the Commuting Forum.

I wish this was the biggest thing I had to worry about today.

WTF? I just want my immediate environment of 6 inches to not have anyone else in it who I didn't invite. If you see that as unresonable 'conditions,' stay on the track and off the road.

I'm kinda with the OP on this one. I commute on a hardtail with slicks and while every demographic - walkers, joggers, rollerbladers, cyclists, etc... - on the multi-use trail has their annoying faction, the roadies seem to give the least consideration. Very rarely will one warn me before passing, and I'm sorry, but I'm not wearing lycra so 4" is too damn close. How do you know I'm not going to randomly clip out? Despite what you may think, you're not going much faster than I am so I will be able to hear you say "on your left."

/feels better now

I also hate the silent roadies who blow by me with no warning and inches to spare, usually at night (and of course they don't have a front light either). And no, unless they shift, I never hear them coming over the car traffic.

On the other hand, I had a perfectly lovely interaction with two kit-clad roadies this morning. They caught up with me at a stoplight, we exchanged pleasantries, and they even let me start out ahead of them. Of course they blew by me about a block later, but were kind enough to chat with me for a bit as they passed. I and my loaded pannier carrying old school cheap steel roadbike managed to stay with them for about a block and a half, but that wasn't a pace I could sustain and still be able to walk at work. Sadly, they were probably in the cool down part of their ride.

I just knew there was some roadie-bashing going on in this thread. I can almost smell it. It ought to be legal to hunt roadies for their colorful spandex pelts.

Aren't roadies supposed to slap their @ss when passing a commuter?

Dude. You got scorched. Deal with it.

summary:

1. notify with bell or voice when passing
2. not all roadies are chumps or posers

next!

In my experience (as a lycra-clad roadie poser), giving warning to a clunky workbooted rider usually causes him to swerve left and into my path. Better to just slide on by and give a friendly wave.

Maybe he saw your workboots and made the same assumption i would: you're a DUI inspired commuter.

But can you combine it into one ensemble and be all of them at once?



/really wants Carhartt camo stretchpant jeans now...

That registered about a 93% rating on my probability meter.

Funny, I saw this topic and thought of the 'poser' roadies I pass on my commute. I regularily pass two or three people all spandexed up in what look like team outfits some with big fat asses pedaling madly and only going like 15mph, I'm not sure if they know that they have more than the granny gear... Now I too have a big fat ass but I wear 'normal' clothes so as to not blind people.

The 'real' roadie I see on my ride home will give me a wave as he passes me while I'm doing 25mph.

Everyone has to start somewhere. At least they are out there riding.
I give a big thumbs up with to any heavy person dressed in lycra (not literally). Mainly because in the good old U.S. of A we seem to do a splendid job at producing citizens who are positively miserable in their own skins. Someone who is comfortable with themselves may have an easier time loosing weight IMHO. Plus, it may be more enjoyable. God knows it was not for me.

One of YOU, since we are segregating the community here, could have been in exact same situation.

What he/she said.... cry baby.

I see every kind of rider on my commute and I could be riding anything from one of my road bikes, one of the mountain bikes, one of the fixies, or something vintage. I could be wearing spandex but usually wear my baggy riding shorts, a lycra shirt, and a shell jacket and/or my fleece. I blow by most folks no matter what I'm riding and I would not consider anyone who smoked me to be a poser... if they passed me at close quarters without a warning I would consider them to be an inconsiderate and reckless dick.

Being an inconsiderate and reckless dick is not the sole domain of "roadies".

I am, quite frequently, that poser you speak of.

That would be awesome! A kit in Predator Fall Grey and a bow rack. Oooooooooooo yeeeeeeaaaaaaaaahhhhh. I would think the chamois would help during those long sits in a tree.

The OP has conflicting ideas:

Complaining about posers is hipocritical. If the roadie changed his gear and bike to match what you think is right, that would be asking him to pose like someone he isn't!

Whether or not it was a safe pass depends on additional conditions that were not provided... lane width, traffic volume, cross traffic etc.

And entirely at the discretion of the overtaker.

Hundreds of cars pass me every day and not one yells on 'yer left, or rings a bell. It's his job to give you clearance, and your job not to "suddenly swerve left" in front of overtaking vehicles.

What is it about riding a bike that turns half of BF into a bunch of whiny twits? Inquiring minds want to know.