Cycling Snobs

[gouldina]

Lidl here - jacket, sunglasses, panniers, polypropylene inner, padded shorts.

Just bought a new set if panners from Lidl as well. £15 and seem pretty well made. If they last the three years that my existing Lidl panniers have done (and still going strong despite abuse) I'll be well pleased!

I bought some Lidl cycling tops recently. They're ace and super cheap.

 

[Armegatron]

Lidl here - jacket, sunglasses, panniers, polypropylene inner, padded shorts.

Just bought a new set if panners from Lidl as well. £15 and seem pretty well made. If they last the three years that my existing Lidl panniers have done (and still going strong despite abuse) I'll be well pleased!

Oooh yes, I forgot I have the panniers

 

[Black Sheep]

to be honest, surely there is just two types of cyclist

cyclist and sport cyclist

cyclists use their bikes as trasnport, sports cyclists use them for leisure, sport, competition etc.

within both there are disciplines, utility cyclists using them for work, eg bakefiets. sports cyclists disciplines are well known, cyclo, track, tri, mountain etc.

not sure where recumbents fit in so I'm just gonna make a seperate catagories for speed freaks / nutters

 

[GrasB]

black sheep, you've missed a whole class of rider though... I'm a sports rider who uses his bike for commuting & utility runs (less so now I'm doing a weekend group ride). So where does that put me?

 

[Fab Foodie]

black sheep, you've missed a whole class of rider though... I'm a sports rider who uses his bike for commuting & utility runs (less so now I'm doing a weekend group ride). So where does that put me?

Err... near Cambridge perchance?

 

[Arch]

Peddle? Only notes of love for you, my sweet!

Thank you CycleChat for the gift of the Edit function, less so for the ability to quote

Ah, you don't dig Chest hair, well at least that's one expense (of time and money) that I can forgo, all the more for Afternoon tea

Very sensible, battenberg over chest hair anytime.

Oh no, that sounds too sticky...

Black Sheep: recumbent riders? Comfort seeking fun lovers!

Also, the trike has a major advantage. When I stop for a picnic, I have a chair!

 

[chap]

Cycling is a brilliant pursuit, hobby, means of transport, cargo... i.e. it is very versatile and multi-faceted. The sooner we stop seeing ourselves as one homogenised group the better we shall be. If one wishes to sport Lycra, by a feather-light bike and in general look ridiculous, then they have no right to look down upon another who wishes to dress sensibly on their commute (racing bike or no racing bike.)

Then again, snobbery is a human trait that is hard to quell, people love to feel good about their-selves; those lacking esteem, motivation, or discipline generally prefer to feel good at the expense of others, and usually from something which is merely coincidental or loosely associated. This is a perfect launch-board for snobbery.

Ultimately, the snob has little to be snooty about, or proud of.

 

[Debian]

I bought some Lidl cycling tops recently. They're ace and super cheap.

Generally quite good quality stuff from Lidl I find.

 

[chap]

Very sensible, battenberg over chest hair anytime.

My kinda gal

 

[barney magrew]

I am giving my age away but Alf Tupper is one of my heros the tough of the track,basic gear never done him any harm showed the snobs up for what they are posers.

 

[GrasB]

If one wishes to sport Lycra, by a feather-light bike and in general look ridiculous, then they have no right to look down upon another who wishes to dress sensibly on their commute (racing bike or no racing bike.)

It's your choice to wear lycra or not & either camp has no real justification for looking down on the other camp, but I also find that a lot of people who are into cycling in a big way but don't wear lycra see it at some kind of status symbol that they're not, this in it's own way is snobbery.

I personally find it interesting that everyone I know who rides a reasonable distance in non-lycra clothes always complains about the bad weather & being cold, getting wet etc. not only that but they also have to change into their work clothes anyway once they reach their destination anyway. Where as everyone I know who doesn't wear 'sensible clothes', ie lycra & other cycling specific clothing, tends to say there's no real problem with it being wet, cold or well much else unless they miss-judge the weather. So I would argue in lycra being the right temp, comfortable & able to ride faster for the same effort level that I'm in the sensible cloths & those in their civvies are the ones who are dressed inappropriately for their task.

 

[Arch]

I rode 5 miles yesterday in the following:

Craghopper trousers, waterproof overtrousers, tee shirt, aldi long sleeved top, fleece top, waterproof coat, fleece hat, two pairs of socks, steel toed boots, wool magic gloves and heavy duty rubber work gloves over them.

That's just normal workear, and I was riding the company Maximus.

Today, I'll take my hack out round town, in jeans and tee shirt and fleece.

Tomorrow, if it's not tipping it down, I'll don the full kit, and take the trike for a spin... Que sera, sera, vive la difference etc...

 

[al78]

I rode 5 miles yesterday in the following:

Craghopper trousers, waterproof overtrousers, tee shirt, aldi long sleeved top, fleece top, waterproof coat, fleece hat, two pairs of socks, steel toed boots, wool magic gloves and heavy duty rubber work gloves over them.

That's just normal workear, and I was riding the company Maximus.

Today, I'll take my hack out round town, in jeans and tee shirt and fleece.

Tomorrow, if it's not tipping it down, I'll don the full kit, and take the trike for a spin... Que sera, sera, vive la difference etc...

Wow, I'd melt if I wore all that.

If it is below 4C I will wear an ordinary pair of trousers one pair of socks, short sleeved base layer, sweatshirt, cycling jacket, fleece hat and a pair of gloves. Even then I will often arrive at work sweating if it is above freezing.

I do tend to generate a lot of heat when I cycle (not necessarily because I am pushing hard).

 

[Debian]

Wow, I'd melt if I wore all that.

If it is below 4C I will wear an ordinary pair of trousers one pair of socks, short sleeved base layer, sweatshirt, cycling jacket, fleece hat and a pair of gloves. Even then I will often arrive at work sweating if it is above freezing.

I do tend to generate a lot of heat when I cycle (not necessarily because I am pushing hard).

+1

I too tend to get very warm when cycling. During the coldest bits of the last few weeks I wore the following on my commute:

T-shirt
Fleece
Thin jacket
Reflective vest

Baggy shorts over padded pants.
"football" socks
trainers

Thin Thinsulate cap
Thinsulate gloves
Helmet

Inevitably, even at -6 C or whatever it was at it's coldest I would arrive sweaty and with soaking wet hair due to the cap. Just too cold around the ears to do without it though.

As soon as it got up to zero C I ditched the cap and jacket and reverted to ankle socks.

 

[mikeitup]

I use my bike for commuting, going down the pub and everything in between. I've never given too much thought to the technical side of things or buying the 'appropriate gear'. I ride a GT zum hybrid which suits my needs and isn't too heavy. Even in cold windy weather I'll have my padded shorts on and a windbreaker of sorts (i'm anything but stylish). I'm in my early 40s and love my cycling mostly for the freedom involved but also for the obvious health benefits. If anything I feel fitter now than I did in my early 20s. I couldn't give 2 hoots as to how I may look or what make or style of bike I have.
Strangely in the past few weeks I have become aware of cycling snobbery. I stopped for some water from my rucksack (old and battered but waterproof) the other day before going up a rather steep gradient. About ten lycra clad Lance Armstrong wannabees pulled up next to me. Cue energy drinks and high protein bars being passed around etc. I got talking to them only to be almost disdainfully dismissed by these preposterous looking clones for not being a 'serious' cyclist and not having a 'proper' bike! I have to say I laughed at first but the crazy thing is that these guys really were so far up their own ar*es it struck me as quite unbelievable and certainly put me off joining a club as a friend had suggested.
I had another similar 'incident' only this morning but got talking to the guy. I politely explained to him that my bicycle is my principal mode of transport i.e. much more than a hobby and that I routinely do anything from 100-150 miles per week. The bike suits my needs and I'm not out to prove anything to anyone else on the road as regards having the best equipment and gear etc. plus at my age I'm not looking at entering the Tour de France anytime soon. The chap turned out to be ok despite the initial impression I had of him but did say he wouldn't be seen dead on anything but his high end road bike.
I'm curious as to whether anyone else on here has had similar experiences or indeed if there are cycling snobs about who might like to educate me. Now I can accept abuse from motorists but find the attitude of some cyclists to be, if anything, worse.

I go for loads of rides in the summer. Last year a group of about 10 club riders passed me and we had a nice chat. they were really pleasant and all had carbon roadies. I was on my battered mtb/commuter.

I have been dissed by some roadies too but I don't take it too heart as they are probably twats anyway.