As a guy who laughed at spandex for years in my knee pads and long hair at the skatepark while polishing off a super gulp I've come a long way.

I succumbed to a freewheel in 1996. Good coaster brake parts were just getting harder to find. I chuckled at clipless pedals. I now run speedplays on a Trek T1. Even as of last year I had "one" wicking shirt and wore it only on days where it was about 25c or hotter. I rarely wear cotton on the bike these days.

I find myself buying a LOT of cycling specific clothing and looking at Castelli jerseys/jackets planning on riding deeper into fall and winter than I have before.

Surely there are some of you younger guys in here that have a few pairs of well worn skinny jeans that are forming some kind of roadie tendencies...watching what you eat a bit more. Buying a bike computer, maybe buying an aluminum bike etc.

Hipster ------------- me ---- Roadie

Have you been looking at the brightly coloured side of the fence as well?

I actually have, I've been looking at MEC's jerseys and shorts and such cycling kits. I am, however, too poor for it, I'm just some kid trying to have a fun time on my bike. I've been thinking getting a computer to monitor my pace and distance and such, but again, too poor. Until I have a stable income, I don't think I will be purchasing a large amount of cycling related products or kits.

This, exactly.

Rapha softshell and smartwool NTS to go with my descente shorts and pretty soon i've spent thousands of dollars that i don't have. Which is why I stick to my decente shorts and i won't buy anything else.

however, padded shorts and clipless pedals do make me feel pretty roadie. I have a road bike though, so it makes sense. i also have three jerseys but i only wear them on long dedicated rides.

Vixtor, you can get a computer for like 10-15 dorrah. But as for the OP, yeah I'm totally closer to the roadie side. I have 3 bib kits, ride clipless, ride year round, have rollers to ride when it's too cold/dark/rainy/windy, have a computer/HRM, eat consciously, ride over mountains… It was only a couple years ago that I was wearing Dickies and riding with clips and straps. Well, I still wear Dickies both on and off the bike, but if I'm just going for a ride without a destination (not quite training) I certainly prefer the bibs. I guess I've just added the roadie side, and kept my posenger/commuter side intact. The roadie part of me certainly racks up more miles than I used to. I don't think I ever really had a hipster side.

goddamn it this site hates chrome.

^What the echo? Nevermind, saw the added info...

Thanks LoRok, I've been looking at the cheaper computers for the basic functions and might purchase one soon. Also, one thing that I really want is a proper bike fit, I think this is somewhat overlooked in the fixed gear scene. Who else would also like a bike fit or are you guys really nicely fitted to your bike?

I did the online measure yourself for 30 minutes fit and it was an eye opener. I'm still conservative on saddle height but switching from a 58 to a 54 (same frame) was a REALLY smart move. Bike fit and comfort is easily overcoming my fashion tendencies. Case in point my Deda Pista bars. Took them off and put the stock Trek bars on and was so very impressed to go 40kms with no numbness.

Vixtor - Mecca has a $15 Filzer computer that works just fine and I just spent $41 on the VDO wireless one. That's only a couple beers or an old set of pedals on CL.

That's actually the one I want to get, fairly good reviews too and I think I will get that one. Also looking at their shorts and jerseys.

Because there are only 2 types of cyclists, roadies and hipsters.

No, because it's easier to split fixed gear riders into two groups. Left and right.

I could name the freds, the single speed tourers, the broke my derailleur and shortened the chain types etc but I think we can agree that many fixed riders fall into these two groups.

I don't drink PBR nor do I shave my legs.

I just ride a ****ty hi-ten bike wherever I need to go. I have a fancy roadie helmet. Whatev.

Kudos on 1K posts.
Hip hip...

Ridiculous. I'm just a guy who rides bikes.

I guess look and ride however you want. The road scene needs new blood (and urine for that matter) - to replace the stuff they have right before mandatory testing. It has been a long time since roadies had any respect. This is due to their behavior - both professional and wish-they-were-professionals. Regular folks who just happen to ride road bikes are cool. Roadies have by their own hand destroyed one of the most wonderful activities and sports ever devised. If they were all thrown off a bridge today (professional and wish-they-were-professionals) it would be a decade before anyone anywhere would give a rats ass about road cycling. It's that damaged. So, when you ride around on 10k worth of carbon fiber and dress like an overstuffed sausage wearing ridiculously priced outfits that is what you represent. The sad, unremarkable, drug addled destroyers of something I love. Pathetic to be. More pathetic to emulate.

Since most of use ride our fixed-gear road bikes on the road, I think it makes sense. People increase their fitness and start going for longer rides, and suddenly Dickies don't cut it for 40 miles of rolling hills in the heat of August (at least, I wouldn't try it). I always explain it like this: Would we willingly wear clothing that looks like that if it weren't really effective? For most of us, no. The fact that so many serious cyclists wear it is a tribute to just how effective it is.

Having ridden road with groups from a few areas over the last few years, I'd argue this could be a (very real and unfortunate) five-percenter problem. Most of the people I've ridden with are friendly, level-headed, and drug free. It's just that the bad ones are the ones you remember.

Indeed sir. I find you to be dead on. I'm painting with a very big brush. I do not consider any current professional cyclist to be worth any respect. I know I'm catching a few good ones in that big net but I am by far and away correct in that thinking. Cycling does not get watched at my home. If I want to see chemistry in action I'll go to a science museum. Among regular cyclists I find the few "roadies" to spoil the barrel for me. I stay away. It's better for everyone that way. I love meeting people on the road. I simply have no memory of a "roadie" saying anything to me - even at a red light. They look down at my "grouppo". That's what matters. Again, I'd rather be alone.

I started off as a roadie long before I ever had a fg bike, and I'm still pretty roadieish. But man do I love riding track bikes on the street.

Around Austin, there is a pretty big group of guys who are similar to me in that they are roadies but ride FG bikes a lot of the time. It's not uncommon to see one of us riding FG bikes dressed in a full kit w/ clipless pedals, etc. A lot of these guys race road bikes, too. It's pretty cool b/c it makes training a bit more fun.

I do! I want a fit. I feel like my bike fits me pretty well but then again, it's all based off the net and I really want to make sure

Anywho.. on the clothing subject, I only have 1 jersey and lycra shorts that I wear on rides over 40mi. I have clipless on one bike, and I have a computer on my commuter. Not that roadie yet but a little tendency showing

First came the gloves/mitts.

Then ditching the messenger bag.

Then the helmet.

Then the glasses.

Then the jersey.

Now the shoes/pedals.

Soon the shorts (I'm a bit hesitant about this one so I might just go with liner shorts).

Maybe a hydration pack soon (though this is more of a mountain-biking thing).

Getting there.

And I've never owned a road bike in my life!

Once you realize that all of the "roadie" gear is designed to help you ride better, longer, and faster you will begin to use them. They are tools. Pick the right tools for the job.

Riding 50 miles in blue jeans with a thick seam located right on your perineum is not a good idea. Fighting wind in water-absorbing, floppy cotton Tshirts isn't a good idea either.

FG riders have more in common with road cyclists than not.

You nailed it Carleton.

Carelton,

Absolutely. Although I tend to pimp the last couple pair of my Large Hardware (greatest stuff ever made) shorts and beyond bright yellow with reflective tape synthetic shirt (purchased at those industrial shops that cater to road workers). In the end, it does come down to style. But, you do have to admit that the "full get-ups" people wear look damn silly. On the other hand, I'm all about the guys who ride wool shorts and Molteni jerseys (double bonus points if that's also wool).

I don't wear Molteni jerseys, I just cover myself in sausage.

I bought clipless pedals and from there it just escalated