NotSoProjectPat

i ride to work and sometimes to school-- both are about a 3 mile trip, but people i work with act like i climb mt. everest 5 times a week... and some people in particular seem to think riding a bike is like a thing only a hobo or a 10 yr. old would do and they talk **** about it like its a bad thing. i'm like "ok i have a car... i ride my bike for fun." and nobody seems to be able to get over that

just wondering if anybody else experienced this??

Ride Among Us

No.

NotSoProjectPat

lol ok

icknayvon

I usually get a bunch of "You crazy!" "How many miles?!" "In this weather?!" things like that.

Nobody has ever talked to me in a negative way.

joetronic

I get that too. Even at the Bar. "you rode your bike here? How are you gonna get home" i always answer with a "not driving drunk, at least I can walk my ride home, have fun pushing your car home"

People seem that the only way to get somewhere is driving. One of the bar tenders at the bar I tend at part time drives to work, he lives 2 blocks away, no kidding. I ride about 6 miles one way, and I still get there before him... People are lazy, and would rather make fun of someone then admit it.

Yaktizzle417

Yeah same here, lol. I get some funny responses myself.

1fluffhead

People will always make comments about you being a cyclist. It is hard for some people to understand that there are better ways to get around than in a vehicle. I usually just shrug them off.

If the comments really get under my skin, I say I don't want to look fat like them. I tell them when they are ready to lose some weight and worry more about what they are doing and less about what I am doing then I will help them get a bike.

helloamerican

well
i would laugh along with them then slash their tires anonymously at a later time.

fender1

Yes. I rode to an office job (14 miles each way) for a couple of years and my riding seemed to annoy people. I got a lot of "your crazy" and "riding a bike is dangerous" BS from co-workers. I never asked anyone to ride or spouted any "pro-riding" nonsense unless directly asked. Even then, my reply as to "why" was because I liked it and that I needed the exercise. Who knows why people do what they do?

betaZenji

Most of the comments I get from friends and co-workers are pretty funny. Exaggerating my exploits on the bicycle, making fun of my skinny-ness and so on. I have perpetuated rumors of my favorite "second" hobby which is smelling bicycle seats on my off days just to off-set their kind words.

ianjk

"Get a car"

Funny because I own 4 (albeit crappy) cars and 2 motorcycles.

J B Bell

I don't get overtly negative stuff. It can be a bit of a chore putting up with people acting like I just completed the Iditarod naked when I just biked 7 km into work in the rain. The most annoying thing I get is one guy's very paternalistic abjurations to be safe every day I leave, but even that isn't really all that bad, and he wants me to be safe, which is nice.

The thing that tends to actually get to me is the "pre-emptive excuse" where someone finds out I bike to work and immediately needs to tell me all the reasons they "could never do that." It's not like I'm sitting in my cube all day writing my poop-list of people to put up against the wall when the revolution comes. OK, maybe I am. But they have no real reason to think that.

667

I'll snicker when I see full kits on the fat man.

Pell

The problem I find with this community is everyone is insecure and care only what people think of them and want to fit in. I see people making fun of gorgeous bikes which leaves me confused on what they don't like about it.

I am obviously no expert and new to this forum but I am compelled to say "who gives a **** what people think". You enjoy it that's all that matters.

Sorry for being a ***** myself.

joetronic

I also get the "why do you need so many bikes" thing, then a glazed over look when you try to explain that each bike has its purpose and what that purpose is.

generate

As it gets progressively colder I get the "damn, you're still riding your bike to work? You're crazy!". No one at my job understands, and they always ask me when I'm getting a car. I sold both my cars before I moved to NYC, and I have no plan on buying one anytime soon.

mackerel

Wow - that's kind of sad.
I never do from either friends or co-workers.

Perhaps you hang and work with the wrong crowd.
Perhaps it's because you are in Florida.

jhaber

Being a university student in a university town biking is pretty accepted. I assume people think I don't have a car or if they know I do have one they know what a junker it really is. I think people wonder about one guy owning three bikes but when I explain how they are for different things they seem to get it and accept it. I don't really have anyone being critical of my biking.

Biking is perhaps one of the most accepted hobbies I have. Try being seriously into footbag (hacky sack) or bodybuilding and see what kinds of looks/questions/disbelief people will present you with.

ZiP0082

yes, same here. I get a lot of "I really should be biking too" from coworkers. They're very good about riding a lot in the summer, but as soon as it gets a tiny bit chilly, they hang them up for the winter.

Re-Cycle

Welcome to cycling in most of north America

Scotland Yard

ooooh, palm beach county, must be lovely to ride between the months of november thru march. (I spend my childhood there), but I would not want to be anywhere near you any other time of the year after a ride I would put in the slowest three miles ever to avoid sweating bullets, but in florida you sometimes break a sweat getting your mail.

I think if you live anywhere in the burbs though or where public transit sucks, you're gonna get a lot of weird looks. I ride to school when its nice out, or when I don't have a lot of heavy stuff to bring (laptop, books etc...). Its just shy of 8 miles and I usually spend it not riding leisurely but trying to break my personal best everytime. If its cold, I don't come in too sweaty, but if its a bit warmer I always have a change of clothes. I could care less if people look at me and make comments, because I undoubtedly had more fun then they did coming in . I may be a little bit dirty etc... but honestly a fast ride to school wakes you up much better than several cups of coffee, and I go thru out my day feeling great. Its also a lot of fun riding in the suburbs where ppl have no concept of bicycle commuting, I get honked at because ppl think I shouldn't be in the road, but its my legal right and It's always fun getting looks while track standing in a line of cars cos no one has a f uck ing clue what your doing.

uke

This.

Truth.

NotSoProjectPat

many interesting points... there are a lot of people here into biking (mostly road cyclists) but i don't see too many work/school commuters

NotSoProjectPat

also, its not that it bothers me... i bike because i want to not to impress people... i was just wondering if everybody else got this same vibe from people

jpod999

Most of my friends make fun of me for riding fixed. They don't really seem to understand that it is much more fun to ride for me than the hardtail I had before this.

My whole group of friends are into cars, including me, and that's how I got around before I started riding. Now I only use my car to get back home from college on the weekends. They still don't get it.