Clarkson's latest.......Mid-Life Crisis cyclists

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y2blade

Senior Member
Location
The Shire
http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/...he-purchase-of-cycling-equipment-201009303131

WHILE previous generations favoured red cars, alcohol and affairs, modern men are increasingly limiting their mid-life madness to buying bikes they don’t really want, it has emerged.

The Institute for Studies found that 43% of professional men aged 35-50 have spent more than £500 on a bike without really knowing why.

Professor Henry Brubaker said: “Historically, men of a certain age have spent their disposable incomes on small fibreglass sports cars that the man in the shop described as a ‘fanny magnet’.

“This would be combined with pointy shoes, brown leather clothing and a hip flask – the objective being an overall sense of virility that would impress ‘dolly birds’.

“So it’s interesting that today’s middle-aged man is choosing instead to spend the disposable income generated by the job he hates on a Tungusku 9000 super-lightweight racing bike made from sort sort of space carbon and weighing less than a grape.

“And then riding around on top of it. Wearing spandex. And a plastic hat.

“Like a total bell-end.”

He added: “Clearly these are not the actions of a sexual predator. Perhaps the bicycle fad expresses a suicidal urge to get flattened by a lorry before becoming fat and impotent.”

Roy Hobbs, 41, who spent almost a grand on cycling equipment without having the faintest idea why, said: “I bought the bike, the clothes, and some sort of bottle in a holster.

“I dressed myself in the gear and looked at myself in the mirror and thought, ‘What have I become?’ I looked like a chunky wasp.

“Maybe I will take the bike into the garden tomorrow and smash it with a mallet, while weeping.”
 

winjim

Straddle the line, discord and rhyme
You do know Jeremy Clarkson didn't write this...

Poe's law?
 
Well, the lanes were heaving with such people round my way yesterday.
At least I assume they were such people. They were mostly riding Halfords-supplied Boardmans etc and wearing loose fitting Lycra.
My point is that these purchases are being ridden.
 

glasgowcyclist

Charming but somewhat feckless
Location
Scotland
[QUOTE 3155787, member: 259"]To be fair, it's often indistinguishable from the Daily Mail.[/QUOTE]

You know, that was my first thought - that the OP had mistaken it for that.

GC
 

winjim

Straddle the line, discord and rhyme
Interesting that they seem to think a grand is a lot to spend on a bike :laugh:
 
[QUOTE 3155787, member: 259"]To be fair, it's often indistinguishable from the Daily Mail.[/QUOTE]

Perhaps a bit more reliable for accurate reporting.

I was once approached by a Daily Mail reporter for a story. I gave him both barrels about the shoddy inaccurate reporting, playing on people's fears and massaging the readers' prejudices. "I agree with every word you say, mate," he replied. I gave him his story, and to be fair it was reported OK.
 

winjim

Straddle the line, discord and rhyme
A lot of cyclists do also..
Please don't think I'm not acknowledging that £1000 is an awful lot of money. It's just that in the mid-life crisis MAMIL scheme of things, it's not out of the ordinary for people to spend several times that figure.
 

w00hoo_kent

One of the 64K
I consider myself as 'dabbling' because I'm unwilling to spend more than £1k (within the cycle scheme tolerances) on a bike. If I was 'hooked' then £2500 seems to be considered 'entry level'.
 
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