Are other cyclist's hating on us

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Venod

Eh up
Location
Yorkshire
I have a problem with the labels, I don't know my own genre, I ride a road bike, a MTB and CX bike, I ride them all in the same clothing, I don't have a Brompton but like the concept, a club mate bought one to do the Brompton race, he is a very fit road rider but also rides MTB, I would label him a cyclist.
 

T4tomo

Guru
Road, MTB, Gravel bike, Brompton, 3 vintage steel bikes which include a tourer, but I've never ridden in sandals. I did have a good chat with a chap on a Moulton I caught up on a ride one day.
 

Kell

Veteran
I'm not the quickest cyclist in the world, but I'm not bad. On the Brompton I will normally be +/- 18mph.

What I do tend to find is certain roadies (but not all) insist on overtaking me. And are then miffed when I either keep up or re-overtake them.

I had a huge argument with a bloke who put in a load of effort to get past me, then couldn't maintain his speed and had a go at me for being 'on his wheel'.

In my five years of ownership I've not felt 'hate' or anyone looking down, I think it's more surprise than anything.

During my normal commute, I add miles into it to get the exercise. When I tell people that I do this, they almost always say something like "On a Brompton???"

My normal response is that "It's still a bike" or "It's better exercise as it's harder to maintain speed"

ALl that said, when I hired one (before I bought mine) for an extended period, it was the bike that I've had the most comments about. But that's because the Brompton Dock bikes were all purple and pink. I'd normally hear "Nice Bike!! Huh huh" as I cycled off. Not from cyclist, but pedestrians.

I'm also sick of explaining that "No, just because it has small wheels doesn't mean I'm pedalling at 200RPM"

Unfortunately, some people are just dicks. There is definitely a level of elitism in Road Cyclists, but for the most part they don't turn that on Bromptons in my experience.
 

ianrauk

Tattooed Beat Messiah
Location
Rides Ti2
So,I find my fellow bikers tend to be a bit condescending towards me, and seem astounded that I cover vast amounts of ground. Roadies in particular tend to look down upon the Brompton. Is it a thing?

Got to say. Commuting in London on a Brompton for a year I never came across this.
 

Dan77

Senior Member
Location
Worcester
Folding bikes have never appealed to me but I can appreciate their use and Brompton appear to be well made. They’re particularly handy around a busy city. I’d actually love to bring my bike into my office and put it by my desk but prefer commuting on a road bike and bringing that into the office won’t be tolerated. If I was in a big city I would quite possibly go for it though.

I once went to visit family in Jersey and they have a well used service where people would drive their own cars for a meal/night out and then call up a company to come and drive you home. They’d turn up with a Brompton, either by riding it there or in the back of another vehicle. They would then put the Brompton in the boot and drive you home in your own car and presumably ride to the next job or back to base. I’m sure this operates in other places but it was very well used in Jersey where there is of course plenty of money.
 

annedonnelly

Girl from the North Country
Very much this @annedonnelly
A couple of other incidents: pre lockdown we were out on a casual Sunday ride and stopped for coffee and cake at a large M+S which had a café. We part folded the bikes and grabbed a table. There was a family with a bored teenage girl at an adjacent table who took a great interest in the mechanics of the folding process, ( and announced to her parents that she had to have one!)
The second was when I was passing a local skate park with a group of young lads performing various stunts on their bikes. A couple of them shouted “ nice bike “ ( I’m not sure if they were taking the p*ss ) I stopped my bike, climbed off and did a quick fold/unfold to which the response was “ Sick “ and “ how f**king cool is that” I was asked if I could show them again as they were fascinated by how it worked.
I could've sold tickets for the fold/unfold demo. Many times!!
 

annedonnelly

Girl from the North Country
Folding bikes have never appealed to me but I can appreciate their use and Brompton appear to be well made. They’re particularly handy around a busy city. I’d actually love to bring my bike into my office and put it by my desk but prefer commuting on a road bike and bringing that into the office won’t be tolerated. If I was in a big city I would quite possibly go for it though.

I once went to visit family in Jersey and they have a well used service where people would drive their own cars for a meal/night out and then call up a company to come and drive you home. They’d turn up with a Brompton, either by riding it there or in the back of another vehicle. They would then put the Brompton in the boot and drive you home in your own car and presumably ride to the next job or back to base. I’m sure this operates in other places but it was very well used in Jersey where there is of course plenty of money.
I met a chap on a train and his job was delivering cars. He had a couple of bikes, at least one a folder. He took the bike in the car, dropped off the car, cycled to the station and travelled to his next pick-up. When I saw him he'd dropped off a car in Darlington and was heading to Cramlington to collect the next.

I must admit I thought it was quite a nice job - apart from maybe having to get stuck in traffic during the driving part.
 

Tenkaykev

Guru
Location
Poole
Not my cup of tea, I think they look ridiculous, but don't look down on anyone for riding anything. I'm sure I look ridiculous to many.
What is it that they saying? I honestly have never heard of any cyclist looking down on*, or being condescending to a person whose bike is different to theirs, not seriously anyway. I've certainly made the odd groan worthy "joke" on here over the years (I've referred to Bromptons as clown / circus bikes more than once) but it's purely banter, and I do really like Bromptons. We all get joshed a bit, see "tourers / CTC members wear sandals", "carbon roadies never wave", "bent riders are all eccentric weirdos" and more. I'd be interested to hear what was / is said.

(* Caveat: Except Skippy of course, he quite possibly loathes anyone who has spent more than 16 pounds 70 pence on a bike 😄).
That would be sixteen pounds and fourteen shillings in real money 😁
 

mustang1

Guru
Location
London, UK
It's just a common human characteristic. Whatever the group (be it coffee drinkers, hi-fi buffs, motorists etc etc) there will be sub-groups who feel the need to be superior to others. Don't take it personally.
I need a sub-section on cycle chat where only the elite may troll. :smile:
I have a different tale to tell.
My wife and I were cycling down to the Park on a sunny summers evening last year. A “ proper roadie” zoomed past, lovely looking bike, shades, lycra, the full monty. As he overtook he started to brake and then circled back, he cycled alongside me and asked about the bike and complemented me on how great it looked.
Yeah i think he was having a laugh.... ^_^
 
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