Dang, you better watch it in the tuck with that tie!



Olds

my faves are those "i'm better than the 'serious roadie' in lycra because i wear cutoff and sneakers" elitists.

I'm not an elitist, in fact I was going to name you in the above post but didn't. But here we are People are NOT seperated into elitists or poseurs. That's a view only elitists would take.

Hmm… So here are the proper cycling etiquette rules for road riding.

Speed is the fundamental determinant for rating road riders. All other considerations are meaningless.
Only the top 10% of the riders in any group should ride bikes costing more than $2500 in value.
Riders who can stay within the pack led by any of the top 10% may exceed the cost limits with the approval of the lead riders.
New riders or beginners should not exceed $1500 in any circumstance.
New riders may not wear any team apparel.
Riders who are within the first 10% to the top of climbs are to be treated with the utmost respect. Do not speak to these individuals unless they address you first.
All upgrades to components should be to at least Ultegra level. Dura Ace is preferable.
New riders should not attempt to join conversations with elite riders.
If a rider shall have the strength to join the leaders on a ride without having a bike of reasonable value, they shall not attempt to pass riders on more expensive equipment if those riders are accepted members of the lead group.
Never wave or gesture to approved road riders wearing team apparel.
Any riders seen on the road not a part of the group shall be ignored. If those riders appear to be overweight or slow they shall be the focus of immediate ridicule within the group. Any rider that does not join in the ridicule shall be subject to sanction or fine.
No rider of the group shall invite a new rider without the prior consent of the lead riders.
NO encouragement will be offered to any rider who has difficulty in maintaining the pace set by the leaders.


It's funny, I have a two friends that I ride with regularly. Between these two gentlemen they own close to 100 bicycles. They have ridden countless 1000s of mile over their cycling lives. Neither of them is obsessed with speed or are particularly fast riders compared to racer types. But, I'll bet both would be labled wannabe's or posers by some here. Both have a vast knowledge of cycling equipment and history. Both men are very approachable and will gladly talk bikes or offer advice to anyone who asks. In 20 years, both will be quitely pedaling along being passed by "real" riders. They will just be glad to be up on two wheels and riding. The people with the most self-confidence are the calm ones with nothing to prove.

Thank you. That was probably the best post in this entire thread.

I think the point is that there ARE posers out there. I go on a weekly club ride and I often get funny stares as I take down my "teal" (my wife says that's the color) '00 Trek 2000 w/ the hot pink labeling. This is fine since I myself kind of laughed a bit when I first got it off of eBay. On the other hand, on occassion I have overhead or witnessed action combined with stares that made it obvious some thought I was a newbie. At the end of an 18mph 40-mile ride when they were sucking wind on their $3,000 Colnago and I was feeling a pleasantly tired (for lack of a better word), but by no means exhausted, I knew who the poser was. It has nothing to do with your equipment or your fitness level. It has to do with your attitude level. If your attitude is the type that stands beside your $3,000 bike and thinks everyone looks at you in awe, and then on the ride you huff and puff the whole way, you're a poser. I don't ride as much as I'd like and, so far, only manage 2.5k miles a year. When I show up, I try to maintain a bit of humility (the bike helps a LOT ) since I know there are guys and gals there who regularly put in 5k or morewhich deserves a lot of respect IMHO. Some just can't seem to do that.

So yes, if you sink $3,000 into your bike, ride it 3 days during July, have only 200 miles on it, and then show up with a "Look at the guy on the old Trek. *snicker*", you're a poser and I will enjoy trashing you on the ride. I think that might be the point of many of the posts on this thread. That and there ARE serious cyclists who look down on others if they don't have the newest and best equipment. I see it regularly on my club ride. As long as they back the attitude up with good performance, s'ok by me

it's true that no one wants to be interrupted by a newbie when they're in the middle of a focused training routine, and an inexperienced rider joining a fast double paceline is just flat-out dangerous to the other riders, but i've found that the serious riders on expensive, tuned, custom bikes who have refined training and racing agendas are often the most outgoing riders out there.

there's much to discuss, much to share, and it seems that everyone i ride with has questions about the other guys gear or training routines.

Actually, when I had my Honda CRX I'd get honked and waved at by other CRX drivers all the time. It's also true for older VW drivers.

So the answer is yes.

I guess if you drive or ride something that is in anyway a community or cult-ish than you will get recognized by other members. My bike is my primary vehicle, and I've found others that are in that status (who are also riding beater/clunkers) are far more courteous and are more likely to lend a helping hand than someone riding a $4000 bike with his little camelpak and spandex.

Vincent

I guess we need to seperate the ones training for racing and the ones just riding. I think if everybody knew who was doing which,that would help everybody understand.

this reminds me a lot of surfers, atleast a lot of the younger ones. you're taking up space in their ocean or on their roads and should just get out. forget the fact that both sports are really kind of beautiful and a lot of fun whether your any good or not.

How about t-shirts or something?




I can add these to my other idea:

When I see these people, I look at their BIKE in awe. I'm probably what you would consider a poser. 2k bike, bright yellow jersey & the bike shorts & significantly overweight. I average 16-17 mph. However, I don't look down on others no matter what or how they ride. They ride for them and their own reasons, I ride for me because its fun and a good way to lose weight and improve my health. I think my general thought when I see someone with a nice bike is "Nice Bike." If I destroy them on the friendly group ride, big deal. Does anyone even care? If they destroy me I sure don't care.

I guess my attitude in general feeling is that I think people should ride what they want, where they want (if its legal), when they want and how they want. If I see them, I'll wave or give a nod.

People can spend their money on whatever they want. If a guy who can barely hold 15 mph spends $6k on a Pinarello Dogma, so what? Good luck to him, it would be great to have a bike like that. If he also insists on being an ass, then I agree that's annoying. But calling someone a poseur just because they have nice equipment is plain jealousy.

Agreed. But when they act like an ass and can't back it up, then they're a poseur. You're a poseur until it can no longer be said that "your ego's writing checks your body can't cash" (to quote "Top Gun"). As long as you keep your mouth shut, you're not a poseur. If you walk up and eye me or my bike andcarry on like we're inferior because the jersey is Performance and the bike is 5 years old, and then suck wind when I set a moderate pace, youre a poseur. Those who can, do. Those who can't, but act like they can, are poseurs...

Wow, some of you sound like a bunch of bratty highschool skateboarders.

"Dude, you.. are... such a poseur."

Speaking of which, I was a TOTAL (skateboard) poseur for 6 months of junior high. hehehe

Vincent

Not going to debate chain lube> What are you, some kind of freak?

As I already said, that's annoying so I don't see where the point of contention is. It happens all the time, but the funny thing is, it isn't the "poseurs"' that are getting upset they're blissfully ignorant while the "real" riders get all fumed up over it! After all is said and done, who cares ... really? I drive 100 miles a day to and from my job. I see the same attitudes on the road all the time. If I let it get to me I'd have to quit my job. Is it so hard to ignore? I'm not trying to be Holier Than Thou ... it just doesn't bother me that much. If one of them caused damage to either me or my bike because of their attitude, well that's another story.

Whats a poseur?
Whats a "real rider"?

People play nice! Crush? Yeah that fits in with the orginator's comment. Insecure people are all that. Here's what I've heard just in the last few weeks!

*You invited Joe? He's just got a "store-name" bike*
*She can't keep up, she only rides once a month*
*I don't ride with anyone who averages less than [fill in]mph*
*Hey if he doesn't keep up, we'll drop him*


BTW: I don't care, my bike is a used 5200 that's painted 2-tone purple and silver. It's clean looking and it performs.

Well, that's rather my point. Hence the use of quotes.

I think that anyone who gets all worked up about posers and finds people that are snobs have a bit of that in theirself as well. If you mind your own business and do your own thing then you don't even see those people any more and only those who find you interesting will approach you and you only approach those that you find interesting. It makes me laugh to think that any one would waste their time getting all worked about what some one looks like or acts like.

You make it sound like the people who do this but CAN ride are just fine in your book. I think I would have written your paragraph as follows: "Agreed. But when they act like an ass they are an ass."

In the early 70's, when I started riding in San Bernardino/Riverside area of Southern Cal, cycling was about as popular as pole vaulting. I think all of us waved at each other because it so seldom occurred that we would actually encounter another cyclist on the road!

Somewhere, around the late 80's, early 90's, the road/mountain bike schism was born, some of it fueled by journalists writing for either side in an attempt to define one or the other as being "cooler' than the other.

Zapata Espinoza of Mountain Bike Action in particular liked to turn the whole thing into a sort of class warfare, wherein the yuppie element was largely the roadie crowd and the mountain biker was the underdog forever fighting to get the respect he deserved. Sorta like the Cars vs. the Harley crowd (when the Harley crowd was mostly outlaw!). At any rate, it sold magazines and some (roadies and mountain bikers both) cloaked themselves in the mantle of self-righteousness and stopped acknowledging those not readily identifiable as being part of their own tribe.

For my own part, riding always makes me feel good and part of this includes waving at any cyclist I happen to see. The best part is, I see a lot more than I did in the 70's!

Happens on boats a lot too -- regardless of the model you're riding on.

A boat? Dude, you are a such a poseur. (Kidding! Couldn't resist.)