I was talking about Minneapolis, not the suburbs. :thumb:

Amazing to me. I'd never heard of such a thing in all my years of bicycle commuting. With one exception, though, I've always worked in the bicycle industry, so that's probably why.

My co-workers know I'm addicted to cycling and most know that I'm very low in consumption of alcohol (a little beer and wine occasionally) to that may contribute too.

Now people who see me riding my folder, or see my on the Metro might think that, but no one has ever said anything to that (DWI) effect.

Rick / OCRR

I guess the closet that I've come is while at the First Friday concert in downtown St. Pete having someone talking their friend think that I was homeless. Until his friend started "dissecting" my bicycle, i.e. saying:

See those pedals (Crank Brother Eggbeaters)? He ain't homeless.
See those pannier bags? He ain't homeless.
See the bike he's riding? He ain't homeless.
See the kit that he's wearing? He ain't homeless.

The next was I was talking with one of the rent-a-cops at my complex and he told me that the first few times that he saw me that he thought I was coming to buy drugs. Like someone seeking drugs would have multiple lights on their bike, ride wearing a vest and a kit. . .

Here in CA, I know of plenty of coworkers who have no car; just a bike. And they do NOT live in SF, they live in the 'burbs. Tons of people bike to work. But then the average age of the employees in high tech is probably 25. And it's CA.

I hadn't given the idea people might think I had a DUI when they see me commuting by bike much thought, I do think they might be thinking I was some pink-o tree hugger! But, I must confess that when I see a guy in work clothes riding an old bike, usually too small for him, sometimes smoking, I do think DUI.

I kinda don't have an issue with the tree hugger thing.

Unless someone comes up with some good alternative, wait 'till gas goes up to $20/gallon, and even the US might turn into Holland ;-)

I like to see the astounded look on peoples' faces every time I answer the DUI/why I bike question, when I say that I have a valid driver's license, no DUIs, a newer reliable and fully operational car, and that I really prefer to ride a bike than drive.

There are a lot of guys in my city (it's a pretty rough city in general) that ride bikes because they have DUI's. I'm sure I get thrown into that category as well. I think if people actually watched me bike compared to the DUI guys they'd see some clear differences. Such as, I don't ride a bike that's been spray pained 15 times (a new color for each time one of the DUI riders stole it from another), I don't ride on the sidewalk, and I ride in a straight line. :p

99% of the people out there won't notice any of that. The thought process goes - adult on a bike, not wearing skin-tight clothes with logos plastered all over it? Drug/DWI/homeless, end of story.

Actually, what will happen is that there will be revolution. I think Americans would rather resort to violence in the streets than ride a bike.

It never happened to me, but it's NYC, lots of people ride bikes here. I also dress up in cycling clothes and my bike is equipped with all kinds of gear that probably makes people thing I ride on purpose.

Only once a guy in a car yelled at me "get a car!", but that was a long time ago and I explained to him that I probably make several times as much money as he does, I'm 1/4 of his size, a lot healthier, smarter and generally don't give a sh*t about what what dumbass fatty thinks and rode away.

Being a consultant, I'm frequently changing where I'm physically working. A few months ago I showed up for the second day of a new assignment. The temps were in the single digits and there was plenty of snow on the ground. I locked my bike to a light pole (no rack available) and walked to the door of the building. A guy working inside saw me coming, didn't recognize me and met me at the door. It took me a minute to convince him I wasn't a homeless guy trying to get inside and that I was actually contracted to work there.

I thought it was funny. Every day after that when I'd see him I'd say, "the homeless guy is here!"

I don't worry too much what people think. People who matter don't care, and people who care don't matter.

I'm sure some people think that about me, but I've noticed the stereotype doesn't translate over to women as much.

I do assume that the dudes on tiny BMX bikes with rusty, sagging chains, dark clothes on, salmoning up the sidewalk, with a case of beer balanced on their handlebars have DWI's, though.

Sadly, this is probably true.

Would likely have to do both as they couldn't afford the gas ;)

We've always called these, as well as mopeds, drunkcycles.

Until I passed them in a -10* first snow of winter and beat them to work by nearly an hour with only 2-3 miles to go, or until they tried to catch up with me in traffic to offer me a ride home on a rainy day, or until they saw me climb the 8-step concrete staircase leading into our building at speed, or until they found out what my bikes cost, or until the first time I showed up at work wearing shorts..... :D

Nobody questions it anymore.

I wouldn't dream of cycling after drinking. It's hard enough avoiding cars, dogs, bad cyclists, pedestrians and other hazards when you're sober. I would never risk my health and my family's financial security by riding while inebriated.

I don't know about Canada but they give out DUIs to people on bikes here just the same as they do for cars.

When I was a kid we called 'em "Bum Bars". The bums would flip 'em like that, and you could hang plastic bags off the upside down brake levers and still work the levers.

i can't say weather people have had this thought about me or not, not that i'd care any way. to be fair though, i do have a full beard and don't own a scrap of cycling clothing... so it's entirely possible.

Sorry, kid, so was I. I work in Minneapolis. Don't have to live there--just a short ride over the river to civilization.

To be fair, both of my cretinous former coworkers were from the exurbs, and complained bitterly every time gas got over $2.50 a gallon.

Now we might get into semantics with regards to "use" vs. "abuse" but the whole bicycles and beer theme that is heavily promoted makes me doubt the "cyclists don't abuse alcohol" bit. And by heavily promoted I mean they put a cap lifter on damn near anything bike related. I've got a front rack with a cap lifter. I see tools with cap lifters, and then there are even dropouts designed for use as a cap lifter. As someone who doesn't drink beer, it starts to get annoying, seeing all the bicycles and beer promoted. And then I saw this just the other day: http://www.outsideonline.com/adventu...-Cyclists.html

Now granted, those cap lifters can be used for other beverages, but it seems that beer is the only one that gets mentioned.

Don't get me wrong, I much prefer drunken cyclists to drunken motor vehicle operators, but don't tell me that "cyclists don't abuse alcohol". There are alcoholics in every group, bicyclists included.

And then what? A skateboard? :D

Couple years ago on a musicians forum I frequent somebody posted the question "What do you think when you see an adult riding a bicycle?".

The vast majority responded "DUI".

I had no idea.

Unbelievable, but here's an interesting twist. Years ago, I ran a very successful bicycle recycling program in my town and just about everybody knew me as "The Bicycle Guy." In those days, I would ride the streets on all kinds of bikes, trikes, prototypes, and what-have-you, and I never even gave a thought to passersby thinking anything other than "Oh, there goes The Bike Guy." Now that the program has been over for some time and the newer folks in my community don't even know it (or I) ever existed, I am suddenly worried that people are looking at me on a bike and thinking NEGATIVE thoughts rather than positive ones. The truth is, the average person can only hold a thought as long as it takes for the next text message to pop up anyway, so this is probably mostly in my head. Perhaps we all need to just screw 'em all and keep enjoying the wind in our faces...

I haven't had to deal with the DUI question for a couple years now; nobody at all seems to comment -- though I see a few looks from strangers. . . meh.

About 3-1/2 years ago, I transferred to another location within the company for my job; it was the other side of town. I found out later, when I transferred BACK, that one of the co-workers there had been talking sh** about me while I was gone, claiming I had admitted to her that I was an alcoholic with a DUI, that's why I rode. Three other co-workers told me about it, and I know them well, they wouldn't lie about it.

To this day, I barely talk to the sh**-talker.

Bunch of garbage; like a DUI 'convict' would be rolling a $2K bike....

Well, I guess I got it coming...
When I stop & pick up a six pack of IPA, & stow it in my trunk bag. :beer:

Cheers,

Kelly

Ya think there might be a reason most trunk bags are shaped just like a 6-pk?