Triathletes and runners are way nicer. Swimmers not so much. I can't speak for others.

Yup. This is what kills me about that and the "southern charm" thing. Give me NY directness.

I rode 65 miles and climbed 6,000'' yesterday in the Santa Monica Mountains where lots of experienced roadies go. I waive to passing cyclists most, but not all, of the time. I won't necessarily waive on a steep climb if I'm concentrating on my breathing, or on a descent if I'm going fast. I can't say that I came across a single cyclist that came across as snotty or arrogant, and I probably encountered hundreds. I find the vast majority out there are friendly, but like anywhere you go, not everybody wants to socialize.

I wave/nod/generally smile at everyone on a bike. Yeah, the lycra-clad, carbon riding athletes rarely return the favor.... I just figure they are "in the zone", and just keep pedaling.

That's odd, because where I am almost everyone waves. C, Ti, Fe, Al, doesn't matter.

Never understood the obsession with 'waving' here on teh Biek Forms, but I long ago solved the problem by affixing this to my bars.


https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...9f8715bb38.gif

Many return my head nod or two finger wave, but those that don't are often filthy casuals.

Actually I grew up partly in MN, and most of my family is still out there... I know what's what and meant it a bit tongue in cheek.
Never cycled much there though except as a teenager getting to a job, so can't speak to the cyclist culture.

Maybe they are just shy?

When I'm crank'n away I wave at everyone coming the other way. Skate board, roller blade, cyclist, e-bike or anyone else.

I find cyclists to be the friendliest, kindest, nicest people you'd ever want to meet, and that goes especially for the few elites I know.. Some people have a problem with that, i.e. that such people exist messes up their worldview. And I say, whatever. Riding with, hanging with, doing anything with cyclists is more fun than a person ought to be able to have.

I've actually found that while most roadies are fairly cool there is a bit more pretentiousness among them then other aspects of the sport. Actually had a conversation with a guy (spouse of a friend) who asked if I like to ride bikes, told him sure, he response was "but do you really ride a bike" not certain what he meant I told him yeah, whatever kind of riding I'm in. "yeah but can you ride a road bike?" My only mental thought was that I only have 2 of those in my dozen+ collection before answering yes. Honestly a cool guy but road is everything. Working in shops roadies could often be the biggest hassle; those who saw me at the group rides on a regular basis were typically chill and easy to help but a good number who didn't know I rode road often seemed like they needed to be judgemental over if a repair would be good enough or if I knew what I was doing. Only other group that seemed to be as freaky over the quality of their repairs were the DHers though they're the group that probably should be and from them I get it. There's also the MUP roadies who really have a complete attitude over anyone who might be in the way or that they have to slow down for or who aren't perfectly on their side; I know there's proper etiquette but don't expect it from a 7yo who's parent is trying to deal with a 5yo with training wheels, it's multi-use for a reason, slow down and go around and move on without a nasty comment.
Road is my favorite aspect of the sport but I think the reputation for snobbery or arrogance isn't completely unearned; though as others have mentioned others can also be over sensative when a wave or a nod isn't returned because you're too busy trying to set a personal best or up your speed to notice and that's a part of what makes cycling fun.

Agreed

MUP Racers are the worst.

Does cycling have its shares of ******s who think they are Lance? Of course it does. Road cycling is the race-oriented segment and so it attracts its share of wannabes - those who think they are superior to non-racers, the MUP racers, etc. But I challenge you to find any subset of sports which doesnt have a small percentage of people who are not dicks. From personal experience of sports that i have played, I know jujitsu, MMA, hockey, triathlon and squash all have their share. I can also vouch for the fact that golf, tennis and running also have their own share of a-holes. Outside of sports - try hobbies. You'll always have guys who are snobs about gear. And the more gear intensive a sport, the more gear-focused people tend to be.

As far as riding on tarmac goes, road cycling probably requires the greatest commitment to the sport and so also has the people with the most active involvement in other aspects - gear, training, etc. Most hybrid riders I know have a very passing knowledge about their bike - OTOH, most roadies are probably more intimate with their bikes than their wives. And with that commitment comes greater involvement. Eg, if i was taking my Venge to a bike shop I didnt know, I'd probably fuss a little more about the mechanic as well, compared to dropping off my Surly touring bike.

(As an aside - i do not wave when i ride. I'd like to think that i am a pretty easy-going person off the bike, but I am not particularly big on inane small-talk or its equivalent, and waving to strangers falls in that category for me - at most, i will acknowledge another rider if i pass them with thumbs up. But i dont really believe that just because another guy is on a bike, he and i are part of some brotherhood and so need to bond. Arrogance? No. More like indifference.)

No one is denying that cycling doesnt have its share of ******s. What I am challenging is the rather casual assumption that this percentage is higher than in other sports - or among humans in general. Road cycling has the same personality quirks that you get with any sports as you more towards the more competitive edge of the spectrum.

Try motorcycling, boating, RVing, classic car collecting, divorce.

I think you see it on all levels in different sports/activities. People think whatever they do is the best, the hardest, the most suffering, the most mentally demanding, etc, etc, blah, blah, blah. I have a friend who was a wrestler in the Big 8 when the Big 8 was the top collegiate conference.(if it is no longer the top conference) He said he quit wrestling and moved to the school's cycling team because it was a lot less demanding on his body and he could eat anything he wanted. After that, he became a triathlete doing a couple of full IMs per year. Said it was still a lot easier that wrestling. But to hear the average roadie speak, it begins and end with cycling, and nothing else comes close.

Higher then among other sports or the population in general, nope, I'll agree. Just seems that more of them congregate to certain aspects of the sport, that's the only part I was going along with. I am a person who tends to nod by nature but not always and I have no expectation of a reply, I wouldn't call it arrogance or indifference, sometimes there's nothing wrong with just wanting to focus on what you want to be doing.

Are you listing divorce as a sport or hobby? Either way that would be an interesting outlook on it; and the commentators would have to be from MST3K

I wrestled in school and it's very intense but it doesn't last very long and you're not miles from home when you're exhausted. I did weight training for 10 hours per week and had a hard time getting enough calories as I got near 250#. If he had to make weight that is a problem heavyweights don't have.

I think it was sport for the wife. She had a lot more fun with it than I did. I was just thinking of expensive things I had done.

I asked the guy about the level of competition. He said they had 2 meets a week. He said one week he was wrestling the current olympic gold medal holder at his weight division in the first meet. In the 2nd meet, he was wrestling the guy who had just defeated said medal holder! He was 5'7" and said his tri racing weight was 150lbs. I played basketball collegiately. I'm 5'8" and played around 173-175lbs. I asked him what weight division he wrestled in. He said it was the 118lb(I think) division. I'm looking at the guy and can't imagine how he could be that light. He must have been skin and bones and not much else.

It amazes me the weight guys can fight or wrestle at. A friend boxed at middleweight, 160 pounds. Walking around he looked 175, at least.

​​​​​​Sig worthy.

I’ve got some bad new for you - apparently you’re a narcissist with psychopathic tendencies ........😟

It's funny, I only look at touring cyclists as serious cyclists. Racers are just hobbyists.