A real cyclist?

[winjim]

Nope, no one does that. Ever.

I think with the right marketing it might catch on.

 

[simongt]

I said are you and the kids enjoying your cycling They loved it . I said in my opinion whatever type of bike you ride if you and the children enjoy themselves .As far as I’m concerned you are a cyclist.

Agree. There's been a lot of trend / bling culture attached to cycling in recent years; aero bikes, bars & rims, lycra etc., etc.. To some, if you're not 'correctly equipped and attired', you're not a 'cyclist'. Jog on. If you're happy with the bike, your kit and clothing, it matters not what others think.

 

[Dogtrousers]

Agree. There's been a lot of trend / bling culture attached to cycling in recent years; aero bikes, bars & rims, lycra etc., etc.. To some, if you're not 'correctly equipped and attired', you're not a 'cyclist'. Jog on. If you're happy with the bike, your kit and clothing, it matters not what others think.

We get a lot of that on Cyclechat. Such as ...

I was thinking this just recently while sitting in the car at the top of a local hill climb (Carlton Bank N.Yorks.) with a giant flask of tea and a box of egg sandwiches. (Always looked forward to, after any type of riding.) I watched a road cyclist slog his way to the top with a grin on his face, only to immediately turn about and belt back down. I bet to myself that he was on one of these utterly daft and boring Everest outings. Sure enough, by the time I'd exhausted the giant flask, and polished of the news and daily crossword, up he puffed again though this time with no grin on his face (it was hurting) only to belt back down again.

Now this, it seems to me, is the opposite to the sheer joy of riding a bike, and it is more of a self imposed repetitive and boring form of punishment. What on earth are they proving that couldn't be done in a more productive form? Whatever, suffering is a must for them!

I can't imagine that the guy doing hill reps felt the need to rush to the internet to bellyache that he'd seen someone Doing It All Wrong.

 

[Rusty Nails]

I'm a real cyclist...I fell off the bike again today.

Well, technically I didn't fall  off the bike, I landed on my side with the bike still between my legs.

AOK.

 

[Rain drops]

And there we have it!

Some confuse such as doing hill rep training (for what purpose?) whilst wallowing in their personal 'pain cave' with the freedom, joy, and pleasure of just going somewhere for the fun of it, on their two wheeled pedal powered magic carpet. That's what a mile munching bike is!

P.S. I don't have bellyache. I said I'm bemused!

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Nope, no one does that. Ever.

What goes outdoors to battle the elements ?

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Boy am I glad I don’t have this complex that means you have to critique and make fun what others are doing with their bikes.

 

[Juan Kog]

Boy am I glad I don’t have this complex that means you have to critique and make fun what others are doing with their bikes.

I agree I never criticise what others ride or how they have set there bikes up. ……………………………
🤔 Well apart from those low down folk who insist on riding those odd ”bikes” with there backsides nearly on the ground.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

🤔 Well apart from those low down folk who insist on riding those odd ”bikes” with there backsides nearly on the ground.

I know my place

 

[Dogtrousers]

doing hill rep training (for what purpose?)

What business is that of yours?

 

[HLaB]

It is most amusing. I conclude I simply can't be seen as a 'real' road cyclist. This, despite the fact that I ride every day in the hills of the Yorkshire Dales, and Yorkshire Moors (bike on car to get there) since I'm long since retired and have not a day to waste.

I conclude this for two reasons. 1) I don't obsess over gearing and drive train status. If it works, I just get on with it. All I demand is that I have a one to one bottom gear for the steep climbs ( 34/34 or 34/36 on the Rosedale Chimney bike) and a high top gear for downs and tail winds. Couldn't care less how many cogs between the two. (Nine speed one bike, eleven speed the newer one.) 2) I don't bother with 'proper' road bike clothing. A semi-breathable jacket, woolly type jersey, ordinary well ventilated shorts with cheap pad beneath if a long day in saddle, and trainers over pinned flat pedals and Tesco bundle socks.

It is interesting what reaction I sometimes get when I grin at passing others, but I'm too far into my mind set to burst out laughing at the funny side of life. (Each poor player frets and struts his hour upon the stage etc.)

I am confused what makes you think you are not a real cyclist, you ride a bike

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Just did an hour on the turbo. Hopefully someone’s mind will be blowing up with “for what purpose?”. Their mind will explode and their tea splurged out, when I say I went 18 miles…

 

[Bollo]

I think with the right marketing it might catch on.

And think of the money you’ll save!

 

[Venod]

Mr. Sheldon Brown appears to making an early start. so full marks!

From your statement it appears you don't know Sheldon Brown died in 2008, I therefore conclude you are not a proper cyclist.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

I'm convinced that this "snobbery" is, in the main, imagined and not real.

Someone who feels insecure sees some people riding what they think are "fancy" bikes and imagines that those people are judging them, and are laughing at them behind their backs. When in fact the supposed snobs may not even have noticed them.

People overestimate how much other people care.

This one looks down and laughs at other cyclists