An open letter to all condescending male chauvinist cyclists

[Wobblers]

[QUOTE 4762851, member: 43827"]



Care to explain without the condescending sigh?[/QUOTE]

There's been example after example of how women are patronised, condescended to and generally put down: your reply was to come up with the one rather weak example of how you perceive yourself to be wronged in a similar manner. It's as if the last 30 odd pages never existed. Do you really think that anyone who's been at the sharp end of such experiences wants to hear your anecdote, especially when it's the exception rather than the rule?

 

[Wobblers]

Not only. There's also a secondary effect of the problem. It seems women complaining about rude daffodils get some support, some dismissals.

FFS, how's about looking at just who's dishing out the dismissals? Or, more accurately, the gender of those dishing out the dismissals.

 

[jonny jeez]

You think too much

you should try it sometime.

 

[Justinslow]

you should try it sometime.

Maybe I should but I don't go round trying to tell people what to do.
Too many people on this thread wasting too much time worrying about what other people say IMO.
Anyone ever heard the phrase "sticks and stones"?
Life's too short.
Do whatever, everyone's different.

 

[Ian H]

Is it just me imagining it, or do some blokes feel terribly threatened by the idea that women might disagree with them, not require their help, be capable of independent existence, and even not regard men as central to their lives?

 

[david k]

Dear male cyclists,
A wee note to inform you that your attitude is rattling our mudguards.
From you, Hi-Vized to the extreme on a bright day, helmeted on the segregated path, riding on a shared pavement at 20mph, we don't want to hear comments about our cycling.
We don't want you to join us uninvited then commenting on our lack of helmets, we don't want you to tell us not to practice riding no handed on a deserted cycle route, we don't want you to teach us how to use our gears, we don't want you to coach us on how to coast to a stop when our chain comes off, we don't want you to lash out if we get in the way of your Strava segment, we also don't want you to assume we are new to cycling.
In fact, most of us are trained ride leader and year round commuters.
Regards,
The Glasgow Belles on Bikes.

In your experience is this generational? IME it is usually more mature men who are condescending, but I'm a man and therefore may not see it
I also find some cyclist arrogant obnoxious idiots, often offering me advice, more than once I've been told I'm too big to be a cyclist, get bigger tyres, do you not ride often? When cycling slow to them etc. Etc. I'm not convinced this behaviour is unique to females, again I may have a biased opinion. I have found many riders very smug and elitist, I've come to realise this is just human nature, as we cycle we associate it with cycling but it goes on everywhere I suspect

 

[david k]

Could do it without thinking when a kid. Definitely a lost skill.

Yes I could ride round corners without touching the handle bars, now I struggle, is it simply balance? I guess so

 

[Markymark]

Yes I could ride round corners without touching the handle bars, now I struggle, is it simply balance? I guess so

Dunno. I was definitely less breakable and less of a scaredy cat.

 

[Pat "5mph"]

But not all are, in my example, some are genuine in their advice, they know I am.a strong rider and dont want to see a small bump in performance compromise my overall experience, they recognise that I am struggling in the moment and want me to be back on pace, showing them...motivating them...inspiring them.

For the umpteen time (again! selective reading on this thread ) "they" don't know me or my group from Adam, "they" are not even riding with us!
"They" don't want to encourage us, they just want to correct us ... just because they think we need correcting.

In your experience is this generational?

Not really.
Once a youngish guy though "what, girls, no helmet, no hi-viz" would get hoim a date - he later found one of the group on our site wanting to chat.
Another time, a young chap "I'm a bike mechanic, don'tcha know" insisted in adjusting my front mech, after I asked him not to, because I knew my chain dropped because of a rough gear change, my fault.
Of course he messed it up, I lost the use of my granny ring on the ride, had to fix it myself later at home.
Another, hilarious episode, was when we had a seat post clamp failure, in the middle of nowhere on the canal path.
Lucky, we had with us the head bike mechanic (a woman) of a local cycling hub.
After failing to fix it with materials to hand (I broke into a building site to get her a piece of wire she needed ) she devised a towing system so that the rider of the broken bike could be towed back to base half standing on the pedals, half crouched on the frame.
I think I wrote on here about this mishap, with lots of pictures, hehe.
Anyhow, we had towed Michelle for over 10 miles already, obviously we had to stay on the canal path, when this young chap (again "I'm a bike mechanic with so and so, don'tcha know??" rode towards us, looked, then started to give us a lecture on seat posts and seat post clamps, what we should have done, how the towing wasn't going to work, blah, blah, blah.
The looks he got back could have barbecued your Easter lamb.
Aha, here I found the link to the story, complete of picture of the chap, as you can see he's young.

 

[Dayvo]

Pat! If ALL else fails, 'F*CK OFF', usually works. Add a 'please' if you think it's necessary.

 

[growingvegetables]

The looks he got back could have barbecued your Easter lamb.

For those of us who like the sound of barbecued lamb. .

 

[Slick]

For the umpteen time (again! selective reading on this thread ) "they" don't know me or my group from Adam, "they" are not even riding with us!
"They" don't want to encourage us, they just want to correct us ... just because they think we need correcting.


Not really.
Once a youngish guy though "what, girls, no helmet, no hi-viz" would get hoim a date - he later found one of the group on our site wanting to chat.
Another time, a young chap "I'm a bike mechanic, don'tcha know" insisted in adjusting my front mech, after I asked him not to, because I knew my chain dropped because of a rough gear change, my fault.
Of course he messed it up, I lost the use of my granny ring on the ride, had to fix it myself later at home.
Another, hilarious episode, was when we had a seat post clamp failure, in the middle of nowhere on the canal path.
Lucky, we had with us the head bike mechanic (a woman) of a local cycling hub.
After failing to fix it with materials to hand (I broke into a building site to get her a piece of wire she needed ) she devised a towing system so that the rider of the broken bike could be towed back to base half standing on the pedals, half crouched on the frame.
I think I wrote on here about this mishap, with lots of pictures, hehe.
Anyhow, we had towed Michelle for over 10 miles already, obviously we had to stay on the canal path, when this young chap (again "I'm a bike mechanic with so and so, don'tcha know??" rode towards us, looked, then started to give us a lecture on seat posts and seat post clamps, what we should have done, how the towing wasn't going to work, blah, blah, blah.
The looks he got back could have barbecued your Easter lamb.
Aha, here I found the link to the story, complete of picture of the chap, as you can see he's young.

Wow, great story Pat, although I'm not entirely sure anyone else read it.

 

[jefmcg]

[QUOTE 4763867, member: 43827"]If I come across a man explaining sexism to women I'll ask them the same question.[/QUOTE]

You could start with ... um ... let me see ... someone who tells women that they shouldn't complain about casual sexism unless they believe it is as bad a FGM.

[QUOTE 4763004, member: 43827"]There have been threads on violence to women, FGM, female slavery, exploitation in the sex trade. There is undoubted sexism in career opportunities, working conditions etc. Apologies for any I have missed out. All of these are, in my opinion, much more damaging to women, and much bigger problems, but if you, as a woman, tell me they are not and that all acts of male sexism are equally bad, then I will apologise unreservedly to you and all the women on this forum for the highlighted section of my post and accept that I have a lot to learn on the effects of male chauvinism.[/QUOTE]

 

[ufkacbln]

Yes I could ride round corners without touching the handle bars, now I struggle, is it simply balance? I guess so

IIRC the peak of your coordination is about 24 years old, it is all downhill from there!!!!!!

 

[RedRider]

For the umpteen time (again! selective reading on this thread ) "they" don't know me or my group from Adam, "they" are not even riding with us!
"They" don't want to encourage us, they just want to correct us ... just because they think we need correcting.


Not really.
Once a youngish guy though "what, girls, no helmet, no hi-viz" would get hoim a date - he later found one of the group on our site wanting to chat.
Another time, a young chap "I'm a bike mechanic, don'tcha know" insisted in adjusting my front mech, after I asked him not to, because I knew my chain dropped because of a rough gear change, my fault.
Of course he messed it up, I lost the use of my granny ring on the ride, had to fix it myself later at home.
Another, hilarious episode, was when we had a seat post clamp failure, in the middle of nowhere on the canal path.
Lucky, we had with us the head bike mechanic (a woman) of a local cycling hub.
After failing to fix it with materials to hand (I broke into a building site to get her a piece of wire she needed ) she devised a towing system so that the rider of the broken bike could be towed back to base half standing on the pedals, half crouched on the frame.
I think I wrote on here about this mishap, with lots of pictures, hehe.
Anyhow, we had towed Michelle for over 10 miles already, obviously we had to stay on the canal path, when this young chap (again "I'm a bike mechanic with so and so, don'tcha know??" rode towards us, looked, then started to give us a lecture on seat posts and seat post clamps, what we should have done, how the towing wasn't going to work, blah, blah, blah.
The looks he got back could have barbecued your Easter lamb.
Aha, here I found the link to the story, complete of picture of the chap, as you can see he's young.

Look, Pat... After 33 pages of blokes patiently explaining why you're wrong and giving impartial advice about sticks and stones off a duck's back can you not just accept that men are not patronising ?