Flimflam

Pretty common thread on the commuting forum...

Unspoken races happen all the time for me though, I can't help but race toward the next 'goal' if I see bikes in front of me, I'm finding more and more this year that are holding pretty good speeds too, which makes it even more fun

Try dropping people when pulling a kid-loaded trailer, that'll really piss them off

My biggest adversary on the road is my clock though, I've recently been putting more effort into my training regime and have been knocking the minutes off my commutes slowly but surely... Pretty hard to do with traffic lights getting in the way sometimes, but it all adds up (I relish lights now for intervals/rest stops, too).

single&fixed

I am a die-hard roadie, spandex, beer jerseys, blah,blah - I love riding anything with two wheels. This year I have done 4 double centuries, ridden into Yosemite Valley and finished my first Deathride, (129 miles w/16,000 ft of climbing) sub 12 hours - The thing I am MOST proud of? Doing the Delta Century on my FIXIE one week after fliping my wheel around to the fixed side. I can't stand to see a Carbon Bike in front of me - I crank up my Windsor and run down what ever I can. I don't catch much but I give a shot. Why not? It is ALL about rolling. First, last who cares. In 2009 me and my friend are going to do the Delta Century on Fixed Beach cruisers with aero bars in Aloha shirts and nickers....And we will hunt down plastic every chance we get! S&F

Judge_Posner

I have a pretty short commute so i basically sprint the whole thing every day. I'd never been passed until about a month ago, when i was biking up a sizeable hill in west philly and look over to see a carbon aero dude drafting a van at 35mph up the hill. He was gone, fading into the distance, before i could even figure out what the hell just happened.

But its OK... i keep my ego intact by telling myself he was skitching the van, not drafting it.

peabodypride

shapelike

That your average Hypebeast hipster-kit outfit costs just as much?

sfcrossrider

In all fairness to my jean waring brothers/sisters (I commute in em too)... the weekend warrior (translation: I spend a lot more than I ride) on the 10K TREK is just as annoying as the fake messenger when they "try" and catch you on a long climb when you're out on your touring bike. They see an old, steel touring bike and they assume they can drop you. I prefer to do my climbing on a heavier bike, so when I'm on my race bike (also steel) it's like I took a ten pound *****.

Usually when I see shaved (ok, optional), tan, EXTREMELY muscular legs on a rider I know they can hammer regardless of what they're on.

single&fixed

SF Cross: Right On - I am not that strong of a rider and I don't mind people spending 10K on a bike - If I could I would - hell I would commute in a JAG XJS with 12 open pipes rolling on 24" rims if I could afford it - It is just the "elitist attitude" that some "spend rather than ride" cyclists emanate that makes you want to attack. I agree -beware the the riders with the P.W. Herman upper body and legs that look like they belong on Gov. Arnold. Shaved legs optional? I thought so....until a HOT Austrian cycling/racer gal said my legs would look "Marvelous" de-furred - no turning back now...S&F

joetotale

Since most of the people out there are slower than I am (and I don't really mean that to sound like a boast, but when you think about it, it's true), when I find somebody going comparably fast, I just try to draft them as long as I can. "Unspoken races" are for the birds.