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?

The DUI notion probably happens. I don't care. I do it, because I'm broke. I'm glad that happened, because I probably would've never gotten into riding. If I'm receiving good income, I will continue riding. No one thinks I'm poor. I am. For some reason, everyone, at least the ones that have talked to me concerning cost, think my $500 bike cost thousands of dollars... whatever. I'm not wearing lycra nor sporting high-end components.

Perhaps some of you just so happen to look like a bum. I just don't look like one. I don't know what you people look like, or what you're doing to make people think that you're bums. Fat people are often poor, so if you're a huge pig tootling on the bike, maybe that's it. Sometimes I wonder what the chicks are thinking of me. Maybe I should strike conversations with them at the lights. How else am I going to find out?

DUI is just one of, but it seems to be the most prevalent assumption people have. It really boils down to the idea that non-cyclists look upon transportation cycling as a hardship. They have to find a reason to excuse this strange behavior. A DUI is a handy excuse, the others follow; exercise, environment, economics, etc. etc. You either are a spandex hamster out socializing, suffering some hardship, or making a sacrifice. The non cycling public sees no other motivation for riding a bike. Fun is a word never spoken in these conversations.

Marc

I think it has a lot to do with outward appereance. If you are wearing spandex and riding a racing bike most people think of you as some rich guy on a recreational training ride. But if you are wearing "non cycling" clothes and riding a commuter bike then everybody thinks of you as some DUI or poor guy who can't afford to drive a car. Adults who ride bikes for transportation= social stigma, sad but true.

Wow, I think this *really* depends on where you live. Around here (Seattle Eastside area in particular), if someone sees you on a bike during rush hour they assume you're commuting by choice, and if you're really spandexed out on a nice bike they assume you're on a training ride. Of course, they assume you're doing it to save the environment most likely. Show up to work on a bike and you mostly hear people say they wish they were in good enough shape to do the same.

My answer would have been "No, I just don't want to get fat."

I bike to work because I have big balls.

Ha! My boss' boss asked him if I was I was "in the country legally" because he told her that I didn't have a license. He laughed nervously because both he and I are latino. ;)

I frequently tell people it's a fat-mitigation option for me. I've lost plenty of fat and put on muscle due to bike commuting, but I don't want to change my diet. =)

You can get a DUI in California on a bike, also. It's a $250 penalty (plus all your county and city fees) may only be a misdemeanor.

I know a guy in Georgia that got 4 DUIs on a riding lawn mower. But that's another thread and probably a different forum. HAHaHAhhaa

+1, except I own a Norrona softshell jacket. No one ever says "DUI?" to me, but I am sure they think it if I tell them I don't have a driver's license (never have).

Hmm, maybe it's time for some "Yes, I have a license, thank you very much!" stickers. ;)