I've been at my present job for 5 years now, everybody knows I only have bicycles and motorcycles, yet some still ask me if I rode in when the weather is bad.........So I tell them.....
"no, its too nasty to ride my bike so I rode my bike".

Once someone asked me if I was going to ride home in the rain.......I said "no, I'm going to carry it home".

America does not have the monopoly on obesity . I am the only fit and slim person on my block . I can not get this idea out of my head that people would drive one block to convenience store instead of either walk or cycle .

When I worked at Zenith Data Systems in St Joseph MI, I thought myself lucky to get an apartment in a complex *literally* next door. There was a fence separating the parking lots of ZDS and the apartments, with an open gate between the two. It was really cool being able to just walk home for lunch!

A woman I worked with lived in the same complex. Every morning she went out to her car, started it, drove it through the gate, then parked it again about 150' from where she had started. Yes, she was obese.

No way... I just can't fathom someone being that lazy. Poor car... that thing won't last long with that short of a commute.

If you're the only bike commuter in your area, it means you'll soon be considered the person who did it first, before the big wave of bike commuting came. The times, they are a-changin'. Now, here in NYC, we have Wall St types elegantly dressed, riding bikes. We have pretty young women riding bikes. We have old people riding bikes and super-obese people riding bikes. Tourists rent and ride bikes here. It's a big change over the years, but when I think about it, more trips are still done by car than by bike, so we still have a long way to go.

So no, I don't get weird looks for being on a bike. In my neighborhood, a few bike commuters go by every minute. Poverty and DUI are not the first assumptions.

In the past 40 years commuting in 7 different municipalities, I've heard all sorts of stupid stuff. It all relates to the conceit most people have over the car they have financed along with their job's value and credit rating. It's really an attempt to validate their own social worth with their car.

Marc

This is a factor for some people, but it's entirely unfair to say it's the only reason for all people.

We moved from the suburbs (back) to the city last year. I'm still taking in impressions. In the city, people put up with a lot more discomfort. We walk in the rain. We walk a long way to the supermarket and carry stuff by hand. We stand up for long periods on mass transit. I'm sure this is correlated with lower obesity rates in the city than in suburbs. In the suburbs, people asked me why I didn't drive distances of a mile or two, when I was walking. They considered it punishing to walk distances like that. And I also fell into the trap sometimes, not wanting to walk when driving a mile was just so easy. Since it is the default way to get around, doing anything else is bound to bring up questions.

I work as a mechanic but most of my customers think it's pretty cool I ride 3 or more times a week to work. They do all think it's really something to ride a bike a whole 8 miles! "Wow" they say "that's really far". I do have a couple customers into bikes and they like to see which one I rode to work today. I still have some toy cars, motorcycles, snowmobiles. Maybe I SHOULD downsize?

[QUOTE=Booger1;17399218I own an automotive machine shop and build cars and toys for a living.Try explaining why I ride a bike to those folks...[/QUOTE]

You just need a ride to fit your image better:


Personally, I just like the funny looks when I ride up to the gas pumps to fill the lawnmower can.

" the conceit most people have over the car they have financed along with their job's value and credit rating." There are no absolutes here, but most people have swallowed the Madison Avenue pill and buy cars to reflect a social position not to provide transportation.

Marc

Then they arrange their lives such that a car is necessary. They do this without thinking. Then not taking a car looks wrong.

I've been ask by a supervisor if I carried my cell. She was concerned I might have a medical emergency while riding to work.

I once had a neighbor who lived in a house across the street, which had a driveway about two to three times longer than a standard suburban drive. On a number of occasions, I would watch their garage door open up, then see them back their car out and down the driveway, just to drive maybe 50 yards to the community mailbox, get their mail, and then drive back up their driveway, park the car, and close the garage door. It was utterly baffling to me every time I saw it.

That's at least a legitimate concern. I always have my phone with me in case of a wreck, a stolen bike, or any other such emergency.

Couldn't agree more, in the suburbs where some of my family lives, they go in the car from a Trader Joes to a Lowes which are opposite to each other in the same freeking parking lot! If you say you are walking they look at you in a weird way. I truly love the inconveniences of NYC.

For the most part, I haven't received any sort of negative feedback from my coworkers, other than the few that think me a little insane and/or hardcore for riding when the weather is less than ideal. A lot of the people that I work with are college age, and are simply more in that mode themselves.

And some people even believe the gross stereotypes and psychobabble they spout is true just because they believe it and it fits their simplified view of reality.

Or, he might just be making a failing attempt at being sociable.

At my new job, people are impressed and pleased I ride my bike. This is my third week, and I have only ridden in one day each week. They seem to hope I do it more often, which is my goal.

This is an interesting notion. I couldn't say what was true one way or the other. I did find this:
"Most Americans are spending far more than they can truly afford on their vehicles."
and
"A lifetime of advertising has turned this purchase into an emotional decision that tells the world how successful we've been or how hip we are. Every salesperson knows how to profit from that by touting the priciest possible models."

See article here: Build financial security with a truly affordable car - Interest.com

But it's still a leap in logic to say that those who overspend do so to enhance their social status, right? I don't doubt for a minute that is a reason for some. But could it not be due in some cases to the consumer being no match for the salesperson? Even the article above suggests this. And some people just have financial management issues, so they run out and overspend for whatever reason. Then there's just plain ignorance, as in ignorance of what is truly necessary. And I'm sure there are other reasons as well.

I'll wager there's a lot of people who do the same kind of foolish things with bicycle purchases.

As I said, it's an interesting assertion, but I am having trouble with the idea that it is "most Americans" rather than most Americans who overspend.

Part of why I ride is that indeed, the cost of vehicles and the maintenance, fees, gas, etc. required for them is too large of a percentage of my income that I am willing to spend. Owning and operating a car requires a financial sacrifice that some see as a necessity, and for many it may very well be. I'm not one of those people. I can afford a car, but I value the money I earn, and would rather spend it on what I deem as priorities over vehicle ownership/maintenance. When I try to explain this to those that ask about my choice of being car free, I am met with reactions that vary from epiphany to pity. I do own a car, a nice Jeep, that's paid off and I've kept in great shape. Sometimes folks that have never seen me drive a car find out that I have one parked in my driveway at home and exclaim "wow, you actually own a car?!?" and it does leave me with the feeling that they figured I ride a bike because I have to, not because I want to.

Mostly, though...riding a bike is just a more fun way to get around.

Used to be a TV show with Art Linkletter and another by Bill Cosby, Kids Say the Darndest Things. It turns out not just Kids make some pretty wacky statements but that is What People Say isn't it?

no one, and I mean NO ONE is going to get away with making sweeping generalizations when I-L-T-B is around.

No one has ever indicated that they think I ride a bike because I'm poor. If you'd ever seen me on the bike you'd understand why. I'm on a bright red, Dutch-style bike. I'm usually in a dress and heels. I'm grinning ear to ear.

They don't think I'm poor. They think I'm batty.

There may be a fool who gets by making sweeping generalizations, but I try not to discriminate when pointing out People Who Say the Darndest Things, no matter race, creed, sexual orientation, or bicycling/motoring status.

Very noble of you.