The club and the upward spiral of tech prices

[DCLane]

I can't recall that happening in the clubs I've been in. People have taken the piss out of people for riding dirty bikes which I think is fair enough.

Dirty or squeaky bikes is fair game. It doesn't matter how expensive they are.

I still get mentioned for having a squeaky pedal on a 200-mile ride about six years ago on a new Wilier Izoard full carbon set-up. Squeak - squeak - squeak for almost all the 200 miles

 

[matticus]

I can't recall that happening in the clubs I've been in.

Thus proving that people vary. As will collections of people (such as clubs).

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Well you posted about hitting riders with hammers. I didn't really see that as a serious - let alone constructive - response.

Is this what it means to “put the hammer 🔨 down” when a rider tries to get on your wheel without asking?

 

[iandg]

No. And if someone were to hit a rider with a hammer, screaming "Take that! That's for your horrible rim brakes!" that would not be imagination. If it ever happened.

Off topic anecdote - I once worked with a guy who had hit his wife with a hammer and killed her. He was back in the workplace having served his time at her majesty's pleasure. He cycled to work (as did I) and was complaining about cars cutting him up. I suggested that we get a tandem. When he passed my house he could leave his bike and we would ride tandem the final 8 miles to work. I suggested he piloted and I stoked and that I could have a hammer to bang cars that cut us up. He suggested that he'd go on the back as I was the better bike handler. I told him to f*** off, I wasn't having him sit behind me with a hammer. 😄

 

[Alex321]

What I meant was, was my post not clear:

View attachment 653733

Your post was perfectly clear, but appeared to be hypothetical, not a report of it actually happening.

 

[Alex321]

You appear to live in cloud cuckoo land. But to be fair, it does sound as if it works very pleasantly for you so well done, I am very happy for you.

I think most of us probably live in what you think of as "cloud cuckoo land".

I can't really relate it to cycling clubs because I've never been a member of any (keep thinking about it, but have never actually got round to trying any), but his comments seem to apply to general life just as much.

 

[matticus]

Off topic anecdote - I once worked with a guy who had hit his wife with a hammer and killed her. He was back in the workplace having served his time at her majesty's pleasure. He cycled to work (as did I) and was complaining about cars cutting him up. I suggested that we get a tandem. When he passed my house he could leave his bike and we would ride tandem the final 8 miles to work. I suggested he piloted and I stoked and that I could have a hammer to bang cars that cut us up. He suggested that he'd go on the back as I was the better bike handler. I told him to f*** off, I wasn't having him sit behind me with a hammer. 😄

Now THAT is bantz.

 

[matticus]

Your post was perfectly clear, but appeared to be hypothetical, not a report of it actually happening.

Ah. Thanks, clearly I was NOT clear then! This has ACTUALLY happened.

 

[Sallar55]

I can't recall that happening in the clubs I've been in. People have taken the piss out of people for riding dirty bikes which I think is fair enough.

I think those days are over, having a winter bike is long gone in most cycling clubs. We used to have dirty bike competitions, cleaning the bike was riding in the rain. A plus was not needing to carry a lock for cafe stops. Happy days.

 

[DCLane]

@Sallar55 - I've got a winter bike . It's also my summer commuter.

And I've got a winter commuter.
Plus a 'bad weather' commuter.

I must be out of date ...

 

[Big T]

I’m currently doing club rides on a 2nd hand Specialized that cost £300. No matter how good your bike, you still have to pedal it. Our aging club captain bought a Carbon winter bike as he thought he’d be able to keep up on rides better. He was wrong, you can’t outride Old Father Time. We have another member who has a full Carbon top end TT rig with disc wheel and all. Must have cost at least 6k. He struggles to beat 30 minutes for a 10 mile TT on it.

Some people fall in to the trap of thinking Tech makes you faster. Riding more and training makes you faster.

We have a rule that if you come out in winter on a bike with no mudguards, then you have to ride at the back of the group.

 

[fossyant]

Dirty or squeaky bikes is fair game. It doesn't matter how expensive they are.

I still get mentioned for having a squeaky pedal on a 200-mile ride about six years ago on a new Wilier Izoard full carbon set-up. Squeak - squeak - squeak for almost all the 200 miles

I got nicknamed 'Marigold' in my club as my bikes were always spotless. They still are !

 

[matticus]

We have a rule that if you come out in winter on a bike with no mudguards, then you have to ride at the back of the group.

Great rule! 👍

(although unless it's enforced rigidly, the problems come because the faster riders do tend to also be the ones on bikes without guards - no, I don't know why - so want to ride up at the front all the time ... )

 

[Alex321]

I’m currently doing club rides on a 2nd hand Specialized that cost £300. No matter how good your bike, you still have to pedal it. Our aging club captain bought a Carbon winter bike as he thought he’d be able to keep up on rides better. He was wrong, you can’t outride Old Father Time. We have another member who has a full Carbon top end TT rig with disc wheel and all. Must have cost at least 6k. He struggles to beat 30 minutes for a 10 mile TT on it.

So would I - on any bike

Maybe if it was completely flat and no wind I could do it.

Some people fall in to the trap of thinking Tech makes you faster. Riding more and training makes you faster.

We have a rule that if you come out in winter on a bike with no mudguards, then you have to ride at the back of the group.

What is this concept of "no mudguards"?

My bike gets used in all weathers, and we don't have enough reliably dry days in Sout Wales to be worth the hassle of taking mudguards off.

 

[Big T]

So would I - on any bike

Maybe if it was completely flat and no wind I could do it.




What is this concept of "no mudguards"?

My bike gets used in all weathers, and we don't have enough reliably dry days in Sout Wales to be worth the hassle of taking mudguards off.

I have a summer bike, that has no mudguards and a winter bike which always has mudguards. I choose according to the weather, but the summer bike never gets ridden outside between October and March. It lives on the turbo trainer then. Even if it’s not actually raining in the winter, the roads are often damp/wet.