At this small scenic overlook rest area at the Red Rock Canyon -which is the highest elevation of a 13 mile "time-trial" route I ride as part of my speed/climbing training- there are frequently groups of cyclists taking a bathroom break and motorcyclists taking a smoke break . I can't help but overhear conversations from the two groups and one thing I noticed:

Motorbikers are mega -gearheads and are always talking about each other's rides, how nice they are, how much they spent to pimp it out -it's always about the chopper .

Cyclists for the most part talk about work and other lifestuff and they don't fawn and slobber over each other's gear for the most part. They talk more about the ride.
$0.02

Lots of cyclists are gearheads as well...

True. That's why us degenerates are at this forum . But even at the Century Ride last weekend at the big picnic afterward, everybody stashed there bikes and just chilled out.

My dad is an avid motorcyclist and he used to take me on these road rallies on his massive 1200cc Honda Goldwing and there would be a zillion motorbikes and everybody was staring and talking about each other's bike like they were at an art gallery and that's understandable- they are more complex machines after all and Hell Angels/ Rec motorheads have no interest in heart rates and cadence, right?

Most of the time when I'm shooting the breeze with other cyclists, it's about places we've ridden, good riding spots around town, what group rides are coming up, what our childhood bikes were, what our first "grown-up" bikes were, where we'd go for a riding vacation, what races and events we've gone to, what hacks we've come up with for common cycling problems. My god, we talk about bikes and biking a LOT.

And food. I've had informal reviews of pretty much every pizza joint in the city. And what makes a good pre-ride breakfast, and which energy bars are grossest, and what's the most palatable energy drink, and how good a bottle of water can taste on a hot day, even if the water is hot and has been in the bottle since 6:00 a.m. and it's now 8:00 p.m.

Then there are the onedownmanship chats. Where we've wrecked, and how and why, and what scars, if applicable. What crucial tools and/or supplies left home left us stranded where. What cager encounters, legal brushes, and cussing matches.

Pretty much the typical conversations we get here on Bike Forums I've either participated in or eavesdropped on in real life.