I've done that a few times and learned my leason. Catch someone,get next and say hows it going,no reaction. Look over,windy as alway,looks at me,smile,look back. Bye,pick up my cadence because he was going to slow but i would have stayed awhile just to talk. Another guy,get next to him,hows it going? OK. Takes off and pulls ahead about 100 yards so i maintain my speed and catch again and just pass. Maybe they just wanted to ride alone but i started to pay attention and this may mean nothing but i'm on a Fuji in a plain colored mtb jersy and 90% of these guys are riding a hell of alot nicer bikes and all the advertizing gear. Hell i can ride with anybody buy i would rather ride a bit slower mph and ride a higher cadence,above 95 for me@ 17-18 mph is high.

So I gotta ask...

If we all had to ride the same bike, would there be a thread 5 pages long?

Well, that would depend on the colour

It would turn out like, my seat height is more efficient than yours and my position is more aero than yours. I disrespect anybody who doesn't do 230492378942kph up a hill with 52% gradient etc. etc. etc.

I think a lot of the posts in this thead have proven my point more effectively than I could have dreamed.
In the end, it's just an example of people's pettiness. I do, however, find some of the attitudes disappointing. Look, people-this is a strange thing we all choose to do. Biking is looked down on by much of society. Biking can be hard work and often hurts. It's not a very fast way to get anywhere. In the end, few people understand the desire to immerse one's self in a world of their own, listening to the whir of the running gear, the rythm of breathing, the dull ache that settles in the legs, and above all pushing against one's own limits. I'd think that the fact that we all share this odd passion would make people more welcoming of new folks, or those without a ton of money. I am, I guess, wrong.

You are probably right.

This thread is a good way of keeping new people out of the sport of cycling.

Bottom line is if new people don't start cycling the sport dies. So why not be more friendly and encourage others to join. It just means more money spent on marketing and R&D by the bike companies, which in turn leads to better bikes for the $5000 club to buy.

Oh yeah and the poseurs play a role in there as well.

Great post.

Maybe it's the old punk attitude coming out-deep suspicion of image mongers and all that. Judging from some of your other posts, you know where I'm coming from on this.

We have 2 types of group rides down here, easy ones, and hard ones. With tuesday night being a particular bloodbath of a ride. We also have a training series with over 100 people signed up and participating, It is split into 4 groups, A, B, and C, and a Womens only, although there are women scattered about in the other groups as well.

We have eveything from guys who used to hold a USCF Pro license, to a 300lb guy who rides once a week. Because points are kept, and rankings published, there is no chance to really "Pose". Those with uber equipment can be humbled by those with equipment of much lesser value. So once you take the Posing out, it should be ok right?

Wrong, because we run it as a team format, it adds a whole different dimension for segregating. Instead of attitudes in regards to posing, it has become attitudes as to who the strongest is, who should work for who, etc... Guys in a break get mad because their GC leader has the rest of the team chase the break because it has a threat to the over-all in it. I know this is how the pro's do it, but that is little compensation for someone who is not getting paid to do a job. Guys are getting tired of being told to let breaks go up the road and having to race for 12th place every other week.

So the ego becomes a real problem on some teams. This is a training series, designed to make them all better USCF racers, and when we race as a team in the USCF events, team courtesey is the rule of the day. But for a lot of these guys, this is as big as it gets, they spend too much time worrying about their results in the series than becoming better riders/racers.

The guys that piss me off the most, and whom I consider to be the biggest poseurs of them all, are the sand baggers. We have a guy in the B division who has won the last 5 events in a row, easily. He complains about how he spent all race attacking, just trying to get rid of everyone, no one would pull through, and then makes statements about how no one can stay with him in the sprint. He needs to move up to the A Division, where he will learn a lot more about metering his efforts, and reading a race etc.... Believe me, we will be glad to teach him humility. But he refuses. He wants to stay in the B's and keep his points, and win the Overal B title this year, I guess thats OK, but when he was informed that he had to move up to the "A" division next year, he said that if that was the case, he would just not ride his bike with us. Which I think is pathetic. He said "why would I wan't to move up, when I can stay here and dominate" He'd rather feed his ego and beat up on the newbies, than race with us and become a faster/stronger/smarter/better rider. Factor in the Postal Trek, and Postal Gear, right down to the socks, and yeah.... I'd say thats a Poseur.

Thats what i've said before,most non-riders hate us. Thats why cycling seperates us form the rest and thats why it sad you cant get a nod,smile,lift of the finger in response. Its kinda like,i get enough negative crap from everyone else,i hate to get it from a fellow rider. I know,i know,just because i dont wave or smile back doesnt make it negative. Well it sounds like enough people on here kinda feels like it does. If your that "zoned in" to not notice another rider,then your dangerous.

This post is making me feel insecure (LOL) I ride a middle 80's Trek 1200 and same vintage Trek 7000 plus I just ordered two pair of Performance shorts (great price on their best I hope I like them) so poser I'm not (whatever). I ride all by myself in this area and never see any other cyclist on my routes, sounds like this could be a good thing in some cases. Sure would like to get new people into cycling in this area even if they are riding a balloon tired front basketed paper delivery special with optional "feed bag" hanging off to the side.

My faith in our community was restored yesterday on the ride home. I met a guy riding a nice red/white Cervelo and noted he had the new DA cranks on the bike. Just the cranks. I pulled up along side him and said, "nice cranks" and asked how he liked them. What ensued was a brief conversation about how easy it was to maintain them, how stiff they were and overall how much he really liked them. The whole time we paced each other at relatively easy pace talking back and forth. He was pretty friendly and I never once got the inclination that I should just "go away". I thanked him as we eventually headed in our different directions.

This thread cracks me up - who cares what everyone else thinks - buy the bike YOU want, wear what YOU want, and be nice to other ridres. Yeah, I wave/nod - most wave/nod back, and if they don't? So what!

Want to make fun of someone? Make fun of the people standing in line at the ice cream stand that you ride by on mile 75!

Looking for Poser clarification...
I commonly pass oncoming bikers that look at me funny and I don't know why. I sometimes can make out chuckles. I ride the Limited Edition yellow Lance Madone (no. 123 out of 500) and full blue postal gear (switching to yellow on days Lance has the Jersey). I only ride the 23 days of the Tour De France, then hang my bike in the garage to collect dust until the next July.
a).Does this make me a poser?
b).Why do you care?

I agree with many of the previous posters, I could care less what gear or bike somebody chooses to rock. Good for them for being able to afford it. Now, a rider with a bad attitude (whether they are on a litespeed or a big wheel), steams my teapot. As for my ride, I might of embellished a little, I pedal a yellow 00' Trek 1000, my mistake.

Why would I want to do that? There's not a lot better than an ice cream after a long ride

Agreed, but most of the people in those lines would be better off eating less ice cream and riding more!

Only if you act like you're Lance incarnate or better then those w/o the $7k bike. Some people buy the Madone because they *look* like they're serious which gives them an attitude/ego boost. THOSE people are poseurs (?posers?)...

The correct spelling is with the u as in poseur for Canada the americans can use poser.

so today a guy catches up to me on the hills with his mountain bike and says 'tough hill', i go yea its abit hard. we then chat about where we're from and about other parks.
its nice to talk to friendly riders.

So if a got a Madone,how much would i have to ride not to be a poser/poseur?

Depends on your attitude If you come acting like you're Lance incarnate, you better be able quite a bit. Attaching figures ain't easy, but I'd say if it's not over 2,000 a year, go home. If you're a decent person, I don't care. 5 miles is fine (though I'd cry that such a pretty bike is going to waste). For about the 4th time: it's the attitude, not the equipment so much. Your bike could cost $16k and as long as you're not cocky about it, I'm fine...

Yeah, It's so unusual, I don't know how to react

So if I was this great pro-peloton rider that rolled up to you on a $16k bike and acted all cocky to you, that'd be okay? An a$$ is an a$$ regardless of how talented he or she is or how much better bike he or she has and personally I don't want to associate with any of them.

Err... are there $16k bikes? I don't mean artifically inflating it's values by gluing diamonds and gold plating it or anything...

yea i was quite shocked too. i had to actually think of a responce instead of it coming natural