Why is road cycling so political and middle class?
 

Not to sure where to post this subject but here seems like the right place.

I am 29 now, and have been riding bikes since I was 9. Kids mountain bikes you get as a first bike to get around the local towns, bmx from 10 years of age till present day, fixed gear and track bikes since 19 and road bikes and road cycling since I was 22. So have spent a lot of time behind bars.

I don't really wear all 'the gear' when I go on road rides, you know the latest in cycling jerseys, the best footwear/pedal combos... The most expensive bikes (£3000+) and all the other stuff.

I am safe with lights and helmet (most of the time). I used to ride in cotton jogger pants and stiff souled vans shoes with no straps or clip ins.. just simply liked to ride my bike and go explore on the road with friends, only recently am I starting to wear more cycling based clothing (from a practical sense as I really want to start pushing my cycling performance that bit more now).

There's a lot of snobbery when it comes to certain riders. Walking or cycling in the country, we all know what it is, that nod, or that quick glance and a show of awareness or appreciation, but I found that if I wasn't wearing, lets say all the typical cycling gear, basically if I didn't 'look' like a cyclist there was no nod or 'hello' or whatever.. If I was wearing a jersey or proper gear you get the nod.

Why can't cycling be less political. The other day we stopped at a cafe in Yorkshire, England, wearing my stiff souled Vans with straps on the pedals, the amount of looks I got as I pulled away was intense, whole group of cyclist just staring down at the pedals in disbelief.

It's just cycling!

Hate to say it, but the term 'all the gear, no idea' comes to mind with a lot of people. Simply put I have not had too much money to invest in 'all the gear' as I have other financial commitments, doesn't mean I can't enjoy a country ride though, nor should anyone else.

Just thought I would get this out there, be good to see if others feel this.

Oh look ... the first "they didn't wave at me" thread of the season!! :lol:


The imagination is an amazing thing.

Focus on your own ride ... stop imagining what people are thinking of you. Most of the time no one sees you ... no one notices you ... no one is paying any attention to you at all ... no one cares.

Good post. I'm not quite sure what you mean by "political" but certainly there is a certain amount of snobbery that sometimes goes on. Hard to imagine people going out on a hike acting the same way when it comes to gear and the like.

I actually agree with this as well even it cuts against what I said earlier. Cyclists and their gear can be a bit intimidating and a newbie might see this as snobbery.

Still, the point that the OP made about the contrast with hiking is a good one. Hiking can be very low key and low cost; cycling can be as well but it can also be uber expensive as well and that leads to the observations the OP made.

I am not so bothered what people might think, as I know when I am riding it's enjoyable and I have my own reasons that I am fulfilling. It's just an observation I have made and one that I can see putting a lot of would be riders off from giving it a go. I know proper cycling gear has it's value in comfort and performance, I just don't think it should be a card to 'pass go' and collect £200.

You know what they say, 'If life gives you lemons..'

This.

No one cares if you're not on a bike. Being on a bike doesn't change that.

Or more accurately theres lots of snobbery when it comes to people in general and some of them ride bikes.

Sums it up.

And if a cyclist happens to stare at another cyclist, it could be just curiosity. When we do notice each other, it is often to have a look at the bicycle and equipment ... to see what others are using. In the Randonneuring world, we all stare at each other's bicycles and equipment because just about everyone does something different. It's not meant as a negative thing at all, it's just curiosity ... and, of course, wondering if we might be able to use that idea ourselves.



Hiking can be high-tech and expensive when it comes to the gear too. We're just getting into it, and yes, there are lots of sidelong glances between hikers kitting up for the next hike. But again, I suspect that it is the same curiosity that one cyclist has when looking at another cyclist's equipment ... what kind of backpack is that? How much room does it have? What kind of boots are those? What kind of jacket is that? Etc. Etc.

Yeah good point

As a road cyclist, it is my duty to be smug, and unrepentantly pursue the "pro" state of being, and exceed that to a degree at the hobbyist level which rewrites the book on casual road cycling. With a dedicated spirit and lust for the goal, coupled with contempt in my heart, I can attain a state of being so pro that it exceeds pro peloton levels; oh to be more "pro" than an actual professional. Then just maybe, if the cosmos aligns, I can be out there, gasping for air on a cat-5 climb, gasping for air at sub-1000', a pro might drive by in a car and think, "I wonder if I know that guy, he looks pro?" Then, although I'll be ignorant to the ebb-and flow of energy, the whims of the great magnet, I will have obtained a degree of fitness that exceeds the potentials of fitness and strength, I will "look pro".

You too can be "pro". It doesn't take a $10k bicycles, Campagnolo (it sure helps), nor does it require Rapha (but seriously, lol @ troglodytes riding on SRAM). It takes is an unrelenting respect for the rules and the commitment that holds you to standards which exceed them.

So I hope I've enlightened you and eased the burden of course attitudes you have toward cycling and that you've now realized that anyone with a smug attitude and a saddle bag or mismatched components should be immediately disarmed by the rules. I also hope that you have learned that although speed and endurance are paramount, the strongest cyclist in the pack is no greater than the depraved chi of his bicycle affixed with a saddle bag.

Also, if you drink espresso and tell people you ride in the rain, they will immediately respect you.

I think it's the same as other sports / clubs, etc. same car or motorcycle gets similar nods.

Heh. Try riding a recumbent. I've had people lean out of windows snapping pictures of me, and people walking on bike paths burst out laughing.

But you are right.

The answer is that it is human nature and it is universal. I am told by a lady who knits that arguments over what type of needle to use can get so heated that the forum has to be shut down from time to time to let people cool down.

There's a C.K. Chesterton quote in there somewhere, but I'm not going to touch it because some will get really nervous.

I would totally nod at you.

Why do people deliberately crash commercial jets into the ocean?
Why does a crew entrusted with the lives of its passengers tell them to stay put in their quarters when the boat starts to roll over?

OP...you need to look at the bigger picture and get a second job so you can buy more bike schwag. :)

Bikes are toys. They should stay on the sidewalk.

you wouldn't be worried about what people think of you if you knew how seldom they actually do.

If you believe this, don't worry about what the other guys wear and ride. They really aren't spending much time worrying about what you might be wearing or riding. Just ride.

+1

And this is very freeing. :)

II was expecting this thread to be a liberal v. conservative rant, but came to find it is just waving thread. Well played.

FWIW, don't get caught up in reverse snobbery, either. The guy riding a $10K wunderbike, full Rapha team kit, and $300 helmet probably didn't pick that gear to impress you or make you feel inferior. If you believe in live and let live, then live and let live.

Being in lycra/spandex whatever and all the gear kind of makes us in a club doesn't it? And you always nod and wave to people in your club, the first rule of bike club! :roflmao2:

My experience is that people that aren't all geared up won't wave or nod anyway, but I'll make the effort regardless. Of course on the MUP you've got yahoos all over the place and if I waved to everyone I'd get carpal tunnel in my wrist.

@Machka, good job.

OP
Get over yourself, you are both invisible & inconsequential, as are we all.

-Bandera

+1 ^ This!

Most people are egotistical. Most of us can't wait to dress up in our finest so that we may show others how good we look, or how successful we are, or how cool we are...

Hey, look at me driving my brand new Mercedes, while you're only driving that ten year old jalopy!

Hey, look at me cycling on my brand new Trek Madone 6.5, while you're only riding on that ole Schwinn Varsity from the 70's.

I've got a PHD, while you only have a HS diploma. I've got a Master's degree, while you are a HS dropout.

I've got a Filet Mignon steak dinner, while you only have a happy meal.

Hey! I live in a mansion, while you are only a homeless POS! :(

It just goes on and on and on...:rolleyes:

We humans are such a pathetic lot! :D

Not sure what you mean about "political", but as for "middle-class" (and I really think it tends towards the higher end of that) it's because it's not a cheap hobby. Like golf, or polo. Unlike running.