Are other cyclist's hating on us

[RoubaixCube]

Ive experienced the same behaviour but more to do with casuals on rusty bikes probably dug out of the shed just for a one off ride down to the pub with no roadcraft or etiquette call me out as "All the gear, no idea" when they cant even hold a straight line for me to safely overtake, then proceed to jump multiple red lights in a row (i say multiple because i keep catching them up, overtaking them then they ride past me when im stopped at the next set of lights)

I havent had a full on lycra clad 'cyclist' be condescending towards me yet which either means my disguise is holding up pretty well or im not worth the effort!! Either way, lifes too short to be hung up over other what other people think. So long as you are enjoying yourself, having fun and not hurting anyone, then there is no reason for you to look to them for any sort of validation.

You ride, They ride, We ride, Some casually ride, Some seriously ride, Some are fast, Some are slow (like me!)

 

[12boy]

I love riding my Brompton more than my other bikes, but they can come close, especially when riding on snow and ice on bikes made for it. It is my fond hope that motorists find it non threatening and curious and are less likely to hit me because they notice it.

 

[Gravity Aided]

My Fuji folding bicycle probably needs to be built up, so it can inspire jealousy and hatred among the rigid framed crowd.

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

(* Caveat: Except Skippy of course, he quite possibly loathes anyone who has spent more than 16 pounds 70 pence on a bike 😄).

I'll have you know my average bike purchase spend is over £25!

I don't like the way Bromptons handle, and consider them overpriced for a gas pipe frame, but I don't have a problem with Brompton riders. I know two personally, and one of them goes touring on a Dawes Galaxy, which couldn't be more different. He owns the Brompton purely because it's small enough to fold up and get on the bus with if he doesn't feel like riding home on (or rather has consumed too much beer).

 

[Mike_P]

If anything it's probably a wider issue; that of many on road bikes to only acknowledge other cyclists when they are on road bikes. Having strained an achilles tendon I have not been on any bike since last weekend and thinking of starting some light training this afternoon by using the Dutch Roadster ebike with a least minimum assist on apart from downhill and I can guarantee the number of acknowledgements will be negligible.

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

If anything it's probably a wider issue; that of many on road bikes to only acknowledge other cyclists when they are on road bikes.

I think it's true a lot of roadies on modern stuff only acknowledge their own tribe, and TBH when I'm trundling along on one of my old steel jobs I also tend to ignore them, unless they wave or speaks first.
Vintage riders seem a bit less cliqey about bike genre so long as the other rider is also on something not modern. I've had riders of old steel tourers and racers wave at me, even if I've been on one of my MTB's or a 3-speed. Likewise I will acknowledge them if they are on a different type of bike to what I'm on, so long as it is not a modern plastic one.
I don't bother with the obvious BSO's and cheapo suspension bikes. Most of the people who ride those are not cycling through choice, and they are rarely sociable.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

I was quite impressed by the speed a Brompton rider was going up a hill last Sunday, i was going down it so avoided that overtake

On my Brompton with just three gears and lowest around 42” I’ll often overtake roadies uphill. There’s no choice but to stand up and keep the cadence high enough. If you have suitably low gearing, nearly everyone slows down on hills more than necessary.

 

[Dwn]

I, like others here, found people interested rather than condescending when I rode my Brompton outside London. In London, they were so common as to be unremarkable.

My early experience with small wheel bikes in Glasgow was less positive. I borrowed one for my commute for about a week in the 90’s and was glad to get my own bike back from the lbs at the end of that week. The abuse and mocking from drivers and teenagers was astonishing. I got more aggro in that week that in the rest of the year on my hybrid. I suppose anything uncommon attracts negative comment from idiots.

Fwiw I’ve also generally found people on road bikes perfectly friendly in most cases. If they are blasting along, head down, it’s hard to condemn them for not giving a cheery wave - they are probably concentrating hard on what they are doing.

 

[Justified_Sinner]

My early experience with small wheel bikes in Glasgow was less positive.

That's Glasgow. I lived there for years. It is truly the most unpleasant, aggressive place if you "don't fit in". Moving to Birmingham was a revelation: strangers talk to you!
Having said all that, I always found the other cyclists in Glasgow to be sound.

 

[Dwn]

That's Glasgow. I lived there for years. It is truly the most unpleasant, aggressive place if you "don't fit in". Moving to Birmingham was a revelation: strangers talk to you!
Having said all that, I always found the other cyclists in Glasgow to be sound.

I guess we all experience these things differently, but I’ve lived in London, Edinburgh, York, Nottingham, Manchester, and Glasgow (born and bred). With the exception of Edinburgh (possibly just because the two cities have a long standing antipathy) I found people in all these places pretty friendly, but only Manchester equalled Glasgow for the ‘strangers taking to you’ thing.

I think some of the aggressive behaviour is about poverty; you are more likely to come across it in poor areas of the city, but Glasgow is hardly unique in that.

Anyway, jeering at small wheels is now a thing of the past in out lovely city.

 

[Justified_Sinner]

Anyway, jeering at small wheels is now a thing of the past in out lovely city.

To be fair, I did leave just after the Commonwealth games and things were definitely improving. It is still the only place in the world where I've been physically assaulted for wearing a kilt, however!

 

[Justified_Sinner]

Ive experienced the same behaviour but more to do with casuals on rusty bikes probably dug out of the shed just for a one off ride down to the pub with no roadcraft or etiquette call me out as "All the gear, no idea" when they cant even hold a straight line for me to safely overtake, then proceed to jump multiple red lights in a row

I was pretty condescending to the Uber Eats 'rider' who came up behind me while I was stopped at a red light, shouted something, proceeded to try to squeeze past, knocking me off and clipping the mirror of the yellow Fiat I was next to. He kept riding. I, too, caught up...

 

[RoubaixCube]

I was pretty condescending to the Uber Eats 'rider' who came up behind me while I was stopped at a red light, shouted something, proceeded to try to squeeze past, knocking me off and clipping the mirror of the yellow Fiat I was next to. He kept riding. I, too, caught up...

I mean some sub set of cyclists deserve the abuse because they ride like dicks but riders for services like those exist in their own little category

 

[Kell]

I’d just like to add to my previous comment that there is definitely some elitism in cycling. And it does seem to come from the high-end road bike brigade

It has become the new golf, in that belonging to the right club, and having the most expensive kit seems to be a gauge of your wealth and therefore worth. (For them at least.)

Particularly in and around west London and Richmond Park.

We recently bought an electric bike for my wife from one of the big independents. I’ve had no problem with them in the past when buying online, but the pick up was the single worst customer experience I’ve ever had.

I left them a scathing review on trust pilot To their credit, they got in touch to try and resolve the issue, but it was too late.

It felt like we weren’t worth their time.

Considering in the past year, we’ve spent £3,000 with them, £2,000 of which was on this bike, the handover should have been an exciting experience, their attitude absolutely stank. At one point the manageress aggressively asked if she should just cancel the whole transaction before walking off. If that bike was available anywhere else, then we would have done.

we deliberately chose them over and above Halfords or Tredz because they were an independent. But I wish we hadn’t bothered.

But then their display bikes were mostly £5,000 and up. Several were £10,000-£12,000. And that’s who they cater for. The moneyed and the privileged. Anyone spending ‘just’ £2,000 on a bike would definitely be better served elsewhere.

All that said, it’s rare to experience this elitism in my experience. And I think it’s more about that type of person than the fact that they are cyclists. I can almost guarantee that they’re exactly the same about the car they drive, they house they own and the postcode it’s in.

 

[Justified_Sinner]

All that said, it’s rare to experience this elitism in my experience. And I think it’s more about that type of person than the fact that they are cyclists. I can almost guarantee that they’re exactly the same about the car they drive, they house they own and the postcode it’s in.

I think that is the key point here, really.