Cycling these days .... rise of the clones?

[DCLane]

I enjoy the sight of lean, tanned cyclists in smart, snug-fitting gear; it reassures me that there are a few citizens around who care about their appearance and their health and it's easy on the eye.

Oh, and my view is 'wear what you want'. I wear club kit on club runs, other kit on commutes/other rides, anything and everything on short trips.

The 'clones' will be around for a few years, then move onto something else. That's good for the bikes that'll be sold but not good for the 'economy of scale' which we're now enjoying.

Finally, like the SCR I passed yesterday on his new Cervelo in full Garmin-Sharp kit, having all the gear doesn't mean you're quick

 

[Fnaar]

I might, at first glance , look like a MAMIL when out on my roadie, but close inspection will reveal that my bikes and my clothing are towards the 'budget' end of the market, as befits my spare cash situation... so I'm a 'some of the gear and some idea' type of chap. I'm happy with that.

I have also (as I've posted before) been known to wear (albeit 'ironically') a Campag shirt on my Shim-equipped bikes I quite enjoy doing that.

 

[Globalti]

This thread is actually becoming a clone of all the pub, clubhouse and internet arguments over the years amongst folk who think they are the originals and are upset because their chosen sport or hobby is becoming overcrowded with amateurs. Sport cycling is popular and will continue to be so as bikes become cheaper, lighter, more comfortable and easier to ride. Too bad that you luddites suffered for years with bendy steel frames, killer saddles, painful handlebars, downtube shifters, overgeared tranmissions and only ten gears; go and test ride a plastic bike and you'll be even more naffed off when you realise what you're missing.

 

[roadrash]

if somebody starts cycling and throws all there spare cash into it , and sticks at it.... i couldnt give a sh!t


if somebody starts cycling and throws all there spare cash into it , and doesnt stick at it.... i couldnt give a sh!t


if somebody starts cycling on a bso , i couldnt give a sh!t

if somebody doesnt like what im wearing or riding , i couldnt gi ....... oh well you know what i mean

ive more things to worry about,

do what you enjoy and enjoy what your doing,.... simple

 

[Brandane]

The holding the bikes chap - in full Sky kit - decided to hold forth on the fact that I was wearing a tee shirt instead of 'proper clothing' and that I wasn't doing my bike justice.

I hope you told this nobber that he wasn't doing his Sky clone uniform justice.
This golf convert is the very type I was referring to with my previous throw away remark about wishing they would go back to their golf courses and Pringle jumpers.

 

[Brandane]

This thread is actually becoming a clone of all the pub, clubhouse and internet arguments over the years amongst folk who think they are the originals and are upset because their chosen sport or hobby is becoming overcrowded with amateurs. Sport cycling is popular and will continue to be so as bikes become cheaper, lighter, more comfortable and easier to ride. Too bad that you luddites suffered for years with bendy steel frames, killer saddles, painful handlebars, downtube shifters, overgeared tranmissions and only ten gears; go and test ride a plastic bike and you'll be even more naffed off when you realise what you're missing.

Nah; for the ones at whom the criticism is being aimed, cycling is nothing more than a fashionable craze; something to be seen to be doing while it is "cool". Give it 5 years and they won't be able to fit into their lycra, and the bike will be in the garage beside the Audi, gathering dust.

 

[User169]

Why? The more that do the greater the infrastructure we'll end up getting and the greater the status on the roads.

Cars in central London now seem much better at looking out for cyclists as they're everywhere.

Depends what you mean by infrastructure of course, but whilst appealing to some utility cyclists, it's often not much help to sports riders. Most of my sport riding has to be done on separated cycle lanes and it can be a bit dire to be honest. In any event, isn't bike infrastructure about getting rider off roads?

 

[Ansome]

This thread is actually becoming a clone of all the pub, clubhouse and internet arguments over the years amongst folk who think they are the originals and are upset because their chosen sport or hobby is becoming overcrowded with amateurs. Sport cycling is popular and will continue to be so as bikes become cheaper, lighter, more comfortable and easier to ride. Too bad that you luddites suffered for years with bendy steel frames, killer saddles, painful handlebars, downtube shifters, overgeared tranmissions and only ten gears; go and test ride a plastic bike and you'll be even more naffed off when you realise what you're missing.

Oh dear. No, I think the point is not the equipment used but the bandwagon following of a certain type. You know, the sort that thinks everything is now better than it used to be without any knowledge of how it used to be and without being there themselves. Of course, those that find it's enjoyable to cycle without squashing a PB (I hate it when I squash my Peanut Butter sandwich) will hopefully carry on and become a luddite later on, tutting the new generation.

 

[tyred]

This thread is actually becoming a clone of all the pub, clubhouse and internet arguments over the years amongst folk who think they are the originals and are upset because their chosen sport or hobby is becoming overcrowded with amateurs. Sport cycling is popular and will continue to be so as bikes become cheaper, lighter, more comfortable and easier to ride. Too bad that you luddites suffered for years with bendy steel frames, killer saddles, painful handlebars, downtube shifters, overgeared tranmissions and only ten gears; go and test ride a plastic bike and you'll be even more naffed off when you realise what you're missing.

I have test ridden modern bikes and I prefer my old steel frames thank you very much. Much more comfortable, more durable, nicer looking and they were designed to have mudguards and racks fitted and the number of gears is irrelevant for most people's needs. If it's difficult to climb hills, you need a smaller chainring or a larger rear sprocket. It is true that modern gear systems are easier to use but they also wear out faster and mastering a friction gear change was hardly rocket science.

 

[Markymark]

In any event, isn't bike infrastructure about getting rider off roads?

No

 

[MarkF]

Especially recently, I have had a snigger (or 100) at Sky kitted out mamils, but all in all, I am happy for them to be out cycling, the more the merrier for me. The demand provides filter down technical benefits, like pursuading me to part with measly amount of cash for a Triban 3 and getting a disproportionate amount of pleasure back from it. Bronze, Silver, Gold & Platinum services? Nah, they can keep all that bollox for themselves.

I do feel like it's me who's often the oddball though, out for spin on my road bike in normal clothes, it shouldn't be something you have to get dressed up for...........surely? Do they ever go for a "spin", alone, sans kit?

 

[Fab Foodie]

Isn't thinking something was better before it was popular a hipster trait?

... bu99err .....
Oh hang-on, It was better before hipster, you know, long before hipsters were err .... cool ...ummmm

 

[Crackle]

Once helmets and sunglasses arrived it became impossible to recognise anyone. I had someone wave frantically as I stared blankly back. Like how are you supposed to tell one helmeted sunglassed head from another. This was 20 years ago, it hasn't changed much since.

It may be co-incidence but everyone who passed me today on the shared use path, riding slowly in ordinary clothes wished me a cheery hello. Everyone in lycra glided past silently, busy going nowhere fast.

 

[Fab Foodie]

This thread is actually becoming a clone of all the pub, clubhouse and internet arguments over the years amongst folk who think they are the originals and are upset because their chosen sport or hobby is becoming overcrowded with amateurs. Sport cycling is popular and will continue to be so as bikes become cheaper, lighter, more comfortable and easier to ride. Too bad that you luddites suffered for years with bendy steel frames, killer saddles, painful handlebars, downtube shifters, overgeared tranmissions and only ten gears; go and test ride a plastic bike and you'll be even more naffed off when you realise what you're missing.

No it's not, nor is it intended to be ....
It's about sharing views of how cycling is expanding developing and how it impacts upon people/us and how we're seen and portrayed., what the view is from where you sit/ride. It's not about snobbery, maybe it's about tribalism, belonging, the individual, the herd, how we view others of our ilk.

 

[Fab Foodie]

. The holding the bikes chap - in full Sky kit - decided to hold forth on the fact that I was wearing a tee shirt instead of 'proper clothing' and that I wasn't doing my bike justice. He enquired as to how much my bike cost as he prefers a 'proper brand' that he'd heard off (He had a rather nice, shiney Spesh), didn't give me a cnance to tell him to MYOB but started bunnying on about how many strava segments he had with a lot of 'yah' ing going on. I just looked a little bemused and carried on with my cake. Personally I thought, if he had been a proper Sky fanboy, that he should have had a Pinarello

.

Now if that had been my local Waitrose I'd have known exactly who you were talking about ....
BTW, liking Waitrose is OK.