Fynn

Would you rather be called a janitor or a custodian? I think people tend to pick the one they believe has the least negative connotations.

lsberrios1 

I must be very naive, I don't see how any of those names can be derogatory or have negative connotations. Is it because a bike rider uses the bike as a mean of transportation because they can't afford a car? Don't get it. Most "cyclist" tend to be old rich doctors... Could that be the negative connotation?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47cGzu6-q40

Fynn

Well, as the poll indicates, everyone must have different experiences. I don't think it is that you are naive, but rather your experiences have probably been different. In my world, "bike riders" are kids or fat guys on Harley's. The bicycle is more of a toy to the average person than it is anything else.

You make a good point that there can be negative connotations to the word cyclist. I have observed some as well. As someone else noted, maybe "bicyclist" is a better term. I might start using that.

ThermionicScott 

"Bikie."

I-Like-To-Bike

How about "sanitation engineer", or maybe "bicycling traffic engineer"? Fancy sounding professional titles can be added to a business card without much effort.
Sometimes people pick a flowery title in order to impress the gullible.

prooftheory

"engine impaired"

wahoonc

Well the military has "petroleum transfer engineers" I pissed a couple off by calling them pump jockeys

I really don't care what you call me and will probably ignore you if I don't like it.

Aaron

jowilson

To further my reasoning for 'bike rider' sounding derogatory, I'll state a few of my philosophies about it.

1. The NEED vs. WANT situation.
I need to ride my bike because...my car is in the shop, I can't afford gas right now, my license was temporarily revoked, etc.

I want to ride my bike because...I like to ride bikes, I enjoy a ride every day, I'm training for an event, etc.

A cyclist wants to ride his/her bike because they simply enjoy it. They may have a car, but ultimately prefer cycling over driving. A bike rider is riding because they don't have any other form of transportation, and will likely purchase a car at the first opportunity to do so because they despise riding a bike.

2. Professionalization
Tour de France winners/competitors don't say "I rode my bike in the TdF", they say "I cycled in the TdF". Wouldn't you all agree that 'cyclist' sounds more professional?

3. As stated by @the sci guy, Level of Pretentiousness.
The vast majority of "bike riders" attending my high school ride on BSOs. Being the only one of about 50 or so that doesn't, I definitely feel I have a higher, if not, the highest, status among them. I can easily tell who cares for their bike by their chain, seat height, cleanliness of the bike itself, and overall mechanical condition of parts- Squeaky or not squeaky; too low out of a lack of knowledge of bike fitting; covered in grime or not covered in grime; untuned derailleurs, frayed cables, low tire pressure, wheel trueness.(Respectively). The list can go on. Anyone who falls under such conditions automatically is ranked, in my mind, at the bottom. Call that derogatory, but I don't bully them about it or even tell them what I think.

If you have differing opinions of my philosophies, I don't care. If I wanted your opinion, I would have asked for it.

Josh

work4bike

It's not that I take offense to any other term; rather, it's all about brevity. It just flows better in conversation, i.e. Cyclist vs. Bike rider or Cycle vs. Rode my Bike...

Like I said before, I'd perfer to call myself a biker, but that term is too confusing and would require explaining in many cases. Biker is more natural, sort of like: Hiker, Runner, Fisher, Hunter....Cycler -- Not

So we're stuck with Cyclist

Looigi

Drummer vs percussionist

I-Like-To-Bike

Your clarification raises two questions.

1. Why did you ask for anybody else's opinion, since you state that you don't care about any opinion other than your own?
2. Since you don't "bully" your classmates about it [your derogatory opinions about them and other bicyclists] or even tell them what you think, why "bully" the readers of this list with your derogatory statements about bicyclists who don't meet your lofty standards?

jowilson

I was referring to your opinions about my philosophies, not which name you preferred. I should have actually left that out to avoid such confusion.

I don't think I was bullying any cyclists on here, and no one doesn't meet my standards on here because I don't have standards. If you ride a bike, you're okay.

Garfield Cat

This reminds me of the difference between the "Beach Home" versus the "Home at the Beach". Interior decorator was hired to do up the expensive home and did it as a beach home but the customer said he wanted it done up as a home at the beach.

I would think it depends on the time spent per year on the bike, more important than the money spent.