Elitism and Snobbery

[Cuchilo]

Clubbies, say no more. Ignore them, they are knobbers.

I thought you where a ride leader for BC ?

 

[Vapin' Joe]

I paid £1000 pounds for my carbon Planet X.What attracted me to it bwas the old school gear and brake cables.

Bearings in the wheels and bottom bracket that don’t need special tolls to remove the other than the Shimano BB tool.The price puts the bike in what the bike magazines as entry level
Perhaps I should buy a pair of wheels that cost as much as the bike. Can’t do with these bike snobs

Any so called journalist who comes out with that irritating description should be tied to a tree and kicked in the bollocks.

 

[Reynard]

Shoes will probably be the next thing! I’ll no doubt need to spend a grand to save me 22g of weight!

I don’t know where all this has suddenly come from......come to think of it actually I do. One of the “elitists” has just lately made a lot of references to “marginal gains”.

That’s all well and good, but I’m recreational not competitive!

Going back to the hen party reference, I read this article on the bbc website the other night. In spite of the difference of situation (cycling as opposed to hen parties) there appear to be a fair few parallels...

https://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcthree/article/224edd0e-e93e-407a-8642-323b61e2d648

 

[Venod]

That’s all well and good, but I’m recreational not competitive!

I was the same with drugs, a bit of weed, a tab of acid, non of that steroid or speed stuff.

 

[ianrauk]

To wear a freebie is OK, we support inverted snobbery
View attachment 414639

A Yorkshire Tea jersey? I have a very dear friend who happens to work for Taylors of Harrogate who make said product. I’m on the case......

I was manning a control on an Audax a couple of weeks ago. A cyclist turned up with that exact shirt.
I'm not one for red, or Yorkshire Tea for that matter, but I did like the shirt.

 

[Drago]

Best way to stick it to the cycling snobs is to end each ride with a bigger smile than theirs.

 

[pawl]

Any so called journalist who comes out with that irritating description should be tied to a tree and kicked in the bollocks.

Just make sure your not wearing £900 Cycling shoes.probably to light to have any effect.

 

[MikeG]

Ok, so I’m a recreational cyclist like I would imagine close to 100% of us are on here, and for a long time I’ve always ridden solo be it on trails or road. I cycle purely for enjoyment-it’s my escape from life’s ups and downs, if only for a short time.

Some lads at work who follow my strava and mates of theirs added me in to their group chat and invited me on a few weekly socials which I happily accepted (and still do). They’re a fantastic bunch of lads every single one of them. A little cliquey, maybe, but they’ve ridden together for a while so I don’t let that bother me.

But a couple of chaps in the group like to have the best of everything be it clothing or tech or whatever and it’s becoming like a “Keep Up With The Joneses” with all the others following suit and then they scoff and sneer at me because I don’t. They’re quite passive aggressive with it I find at times as well. The latest one is all matching Rapha clobber for next year’s trip to Spain, once I expressed doubt on this (for no other reason than cost as I have other bits to fork out for) it’s like I’ve been an afterthought in the group, feeling a little shut out.

The way I look at it is I enjoy riding my bike-pure and simple. Should it matter that I only wear certain branded attire or don’t have the latest gadget?

I really enjoy riding with these fellas as it’s benefited me no end and we have a good laugh but the elitism and snobbery is driving me crazy!

What experiences (if any) have you had with elitist snobs in cycling and how did you deal with it?

Love to hear the feedback.

Sorry, but I'm not seeing any elitism or snobbery in any of the actions you describe. Put blokes into a group and a herd mentality will develop, and maybe they just want you to enjoy that herd thing as much as they are doing. I recently went through Stanstead at the same time as a couple of hen parties and a stag do. They had all dressed up in carefully designed matching kit.........so maybe this uniform thing is a bit of a current "thing", and your riding companions just don't get it when someone doesn't want to join in. I'd rub along with them for a while, and if the banter became too much I'd just turn down the odd ride or give up on them altogether.

 

[13 rider]

By the way @Chris Doyle it's white 3 inch length socks on Sunday .

 

[Noodle Legs]

By the way @Chris Doyle it's white 3 inch length socks on Sunday .

Check!

 

[Serge]

By the way @Chris Doyle it's white 3 inch length socks on Sunday .

Only if they have the blue and red stripe around the top.

 

[Levo-Lon]

I can lend you a Specialized S-works and some Rapha clothing if it helps


Cant be doing with individuals who dont fit in with the clique ..

 

[Racing roadkill]

I thought you where a ride leader for BC ?

The antithesis of clubby knobbers.

 

[Cuchilo]

The antithesis of clubby knobbers.

Yet you're calling every one in a club a knobber

 

[derrick]

You dont have to be in a club to be a knobber.