2manybikes

Very true. Why can't I like all bikes?

I was in a magazine store reading a road bike magazine and a guy looked over my shoulder and said
"Are you a roadie too?" I then held up the Mountain Bike magazine in the other hand and did not say anything. He just walked away looking confused. ???

Patriot

I'm not a roadie snob. I'm not, I'm not, I'm not!!!!!

Nor am I a poseur!!!

Wait, where's my matching socks? Has anyone seen my matching socks? You now, the ones that match my blue jersey, blue helmet, blue shoes, and blue bike?

2manybikes

YOU'RE OK...everything is fine......your socks are right under you blue matching gloves and blue lens glasses !!

Take two blue anodized aluminum chainring bolts and call me in the morning.








Don't put any of your stuff on the table in my house, I will think it's mine.

Noah Scape

Everybody get in a circle and hold hands... we're all in this together. It takes all kinds to make a community. Love makes your wheels go 'round! I don't completely understand the "racer" mentality (I rode a schwinn continental to work today)... but live and let live. Remember, it’s the cars we've got to watch out for!

lotek 

Someone's crying lord, KUMBAHYAH. . . . .
I'm A roadie Lord, I RIDE FAH
I'm no snobbie lord, GOT NO CAH
Drinking Beeh my lawd IN A BAH
Now I'm puking larhgh UHMPHAYAH

2manybikes

I love my Schwinn Continental, even if it does match Patriot's accessories !!

Now do I have to stop liking my car?

Is this going to be on the final exam? I need to study more!

catatonic

Yeah some folks are just pricks.

If you ever see me, I'm usually more worried about the road ahead...so I respond later than expected....or I'm too tired to talk, this happens often since beer bellys are not exactly aerodynamic and Florida winds are kicking my butt


On the other side, roadies in general don't talk to me...doesn't matter...my bike might not be high end, but it's good enough, and I may not be moving fast at the moment...but if I can muster up a sprint...I'm sure their opinions will change.

...well the sprints gotta wait till I get off my butt and get those new tires....I was a bad monkey and bought more computer parts instead....

lisitsa

On your bike, you are in your own sort of world, and even with me, believing heavily that you should be nice to other cyclists, I sometimes see someone wave, and then 3 seconds later it registers, and I realise that me not waving back could have been interpreted as snobbiness

Its not always snobiness, rather because bikes go so fast, its reaction time.

MrCjolsen

I will say that since my $540 bike is brushed aluminum, I have a very hard time letting anything near it that is not silver or black. This definitely had an impact on my choice of Camelbak.

alanbikehouston

There may be "snobs" hiding in every corner of the cycling world. Yesterday, I was riding down the bike trail, and I saw a guy riding toward me on a tricycle. He was the only person I have ever seen on that trail who is older than I am, fatter than I am, and slower than I am. I thought "here is my long-last brother...he and I can be founding members of the "Old, Fat, Slow Bikers of Houston Club" (OFSBHC for short).

So, I gave him a big smile, a wave, said "how ya doing this fine day"....he stared past me, pretending I was just an insect that had wandered onto the bike trail.

I can handle being ignored by 130 pound roadies, with their $500 "Look Like Lance" costumes, riding a $3,000 bike. But, being ignored by a guy on a tricycle....well, it stings a bit.

cyclezealot

I suspect San Diego is snobbery heaven for roadies..Like Khuron, maybe I just am immune to this snobbery..
One time I did get a sense of it...Going along the Coastal Highway a beautiful female Tri athlete type had a flat tire...Her fellow tri athletes did not stop to help her..She was a little unprepared to fix her flat tire...
Two of us touring types helped her as her roadies flew off into the distance..as we completed the job, told her; she rode with touring types she would not get dropped..(right word.)...I would never abandon this well crafted Venus goddess...!
Snobbines...Could be jealousy by non-roadie types or it could be real.. Seems a $5,000 bike...the owner might be sort of similiar in attitude to lets say a Mercedes owner..Fussy...
To me it does not matter anyway...Let them go they are not important enough to loose sleep about. we all do our own thing and a heart rate of 90% does not encourage conversation
To me racing...My fondest memories is when you connect with fellow cyclist and share your love of the bike...One time in France I connected with a limited English speaker cruising through the Burgundy wine country...It slowed our pace down, sharing our limited vocublary and talking bikes and touring...Yet, that exchange is far more memorable than any time my HRM said I was working close to exhaustion...and with that 100 mile day, I still got enough exercise....
signed a wanna be roadie..

karesz3

I reluctantly got my super expensive road machine. Before that, I rode a more affordable bike that did the job just as well. There are some hopeless idiots on the road, and they behave the same way in their cars or on their bikes. I’m sure geographical location makes a huge difference and certain parts of the country maybe friendlier than others. I’m fortunate enough to ride year round in warm Florida sunshine, but some drivers make me feel like I’m navigating though the “Triangle of Death” in Iraq. The RPGs are replaced with huge Lincolns driven by geriatric NY cab drivers. There are some interesting personalities on the road, and not all cyclists are angles. However, the vast majority of riders are much friendlier than the general population. We all fell victims to the media and manufacturing campaigns that constantly remind us of how much better we could be on a 5000$ bike vs. a 1200$ one. Do you ever see a bad review on any of the famous sites about high end equipment? We waste so much energy on trying to figure out who has the better stuff that we totally loose sight of the true meaning of this sport. This is not unique to cycling. Look at the cars/SUV’s we drive, homes we live in. Our neighborhoods and schools are totally segregated by income, and now this nonsense carries over to cycling as well. Our weekends should be a safe place to escape, blow some steam, exercise and socialize. For a real roadie or MTB-er, cycling is the closest thing to religion. Nobody has a reason to be a prick on the bike, weekend warrior, neo pro or just a casual rider. This thread could take off in many different directions, but I guess my main point is that the *******s on the road are not unique to some segment of the cycling community. Secondly, I’m totally sick of hearing about expensive equipment being an issue.

Cheers

operator

Hey i've gotten waved to by people in much nicer bikes than mine.

Me: step through blue road bike frame from the 70's with a rack, panniers and street clothes with ultra dorky ankle straps.

Never had a wave not returned.

Noah Scape

Do you think this discussion is happening in Delhi, Amsterdam or even Davis, CA? If there were more of us on the roads – going to work, the store, to visit friends – we’d probably feel less compelled to analyze our fellow cyclists’ thoughts and intentions. Our attitudes, both motorists and cyclists, regarding cycling need to mature a bit in much of the US. I'm remarking generally here... it is not my intent to impugn anyone's post. Let’s make the roads more welcoming for all cyclists – whatever their ilk. Okay… sorry for being preachy. The pic is just????

cyclezealot

Noah has a good point..In Europe and more often on US college campus' there are so many cyclists; we think not a thing of it...
But in the US hinterland, there are so few of us, analysis seems necessary.. Biked six blocks to a college class in order to avoid car park hassles , you would question someone wearing lycra..
Of course, some commuters to that same college class might commute 20 miles, in which case Docker pants might come unraveld along with ones' crotch...

Gangrel

college commuters are about the only time i get elitist, but mostly because many of them are rude and unsafe around pedestrians

operator

I resent that

Gangrel

*shrug*
at my college, and when i went to UT, i had to deal with them constantly

neither i, nor anyone else, enjoys being buzzed by someone with no warning from behind on the way to class

CommuterRun

This is one of the reasons, even though I have plenty of opportunities to ride with one group or another, very nearly all my rides are solo. But if I do see another bike, whether I'm on one of the bikes or in my Land Cruiser, I'll always smile and wave or give a thumbs up.

st. nicks

hahaha. that's ****ing awesome.

zelah

hahaha

that movie was fantastic

1955

Definition of "pedant" - a person who pays more attention to formal rules and book learning than they merit.

Huh?

operator

You need to look up the definition of snobby, combine the two, look at the context and you'll get it.