I don’t usually post long philosophical pieces on my blog. It’s not because I’m shallow or anything like that, it’s really because I’m a terrible two finger typist. Composing a longer piece is a painfully slow process. If we ever ride together, I’ll talk your ear off since I love to talk. I often joke around and tell my students that I get paid by the word when I’m teaching them how to use SAP at work.
Here goes: Every cycler need to lighten up a little. I’ve done a fair bit of riding. From my first Spalding MTB purchased at Sears, to my aluminum Trek 1200 which I though was just the best bike ever and was replaced two years later by a carbon Trek 5200 because it was ‘stiffer and lighter’ to my current steel and ti bikes. I’ve gone from riding a shitty MTB on a century to riding an entry level road bike to what was essentially a full-on racing machine, and I’ve enjoyed it all. I’ve commuted, raced a little (poorly), toured and mostly just ridden. I was infatuated with the latest and greatest gee-whiz bits, and I still love the technology. But it’s like the arms race, it will never end and though I sometimes lust after C-Record carbon everything, I doubt I’ll ever buy it.
There are just too many schisms among cyclists. Guys in racing clubs want to look down their noses at ‘tourists.’ Members of recreational clubs, usually middle class college educated white collar folks riding their bikes on weeknights and weekends look down their noses at folks out putzing around on their hybrids. MTBers and roadies clash. The retro guys sneer at the modern guys who call them luddites in return. The car-free folks alienate as many people as they convert. A less strident approach might help.
Racers, brevet riders, and fast tourists: go for a ride on a 3 speed with rubber pedals wearing cut-offs, a t-shirt and sneakers. Stop every two miles or so. Eat doughnuts.
Retro, down-tube shifters, lugged steel, car-free, and thrift shop bike riders: beg, borrow or steal some clipless pedals, shoes, lycra and bug-eye sunglasses. Sprint for town limit signs. Ride a paceline.
See? It’s all good. A rising tide lifts all boats. Why the hate? I just don’t get it.
15 comments:
It's the old "We and Them" (unsure if you phrase it like that in english) thing. People feel good and strong when they belong to a group. Sometimes the group exploits the fact that looking down on others not belonging to the group makes them even stronger.
It's sad and i look upon the "strong" people belonging to these groups as weak and insecure.
They are followers and their leaders are bad to the bone.
I'm with you on this completely. If you're riding a bike, you're one of mine. Bring on the doughnuts!
Yes, Johan, we say "We and Them" or "Us and Them." We might focus on the wys in which we are similar, not different.
Donuts? Did somebody say DONUTS?????
George (The Bike Riding Donut Guy)
PS- You're right on about cycling. Cycling should be fun.
Everybody should buy a chopper:-)
Amen.
Except for the donuts.
Ice cream, on the other hand....
I just lost my previous comment after having written it. Please feel free to delete it, or not, if I come up twice.
I agree with you. However, many people who have read my blog think I am a major snob on these matters. I would disagree. It is my fervent belief that most of the bikes that are on the market are unsuitable, or at least less than optimum, for the riding most people do (or would do if the bikes weren't intimidating). Neglecting mountain bikes to simplify matters, look at the variety of road bikes in the bike shops. Either you can have a racy little number or a clunky hybrid. Those are the choices, with few exceptions. The racy little number is fast and nimble, but it is difficult to fender and rack and, therefore, makes for a suboptimal commuting bike. The hybrid is easy to fender and rack, but is heavy and awkward, even for moderate distance commutes. Is it just me, or should there be more middle ground? If I can liken it to the market for cars, it would be the equivalent of having all cars be either 2-seater Corvettes or pickup trucks, with no sedans. Those of us who really like bikes have chosen between the two extremes or have different bikes for different rides or have spent thousands of dollars to get a do-anything semi- or full-custom bike with the features we want. I had a conversation with another bike blogger recently where she said that I was down on people riding road bikes to commute. This is odd since I ride road bikes everyday to commute. It's just that my road bikes are different, in that one is a Rivendell and the other is 30 years old, and both have many desirable features that their modern mass-produced counterparts lack. So I hope it will still be possible to criticize the bike industry, which is dumb most of the time, without offending cyclers who ride these bikes.
I think that there is a far greater variety of road bikes available now that ever. Jim, that "vast majority of road bikes sold don't take fat tires, racks or fenders" was well articulated by Grant Petersen ten years ago (that's how long I've been a Riv member).While it was true to a degree in 1995, it's just not the case now. There have always been touring bikes, cross bikes are hugely popular, and plenty of manufacturers are building road bikes that use long reach brakes and are easily fender-able and rack ready.
I'm not sure I completely agree. While I'm quite happy with the cross-bike trend you mention, touring bikes are not as readily available as you portray. As I just mentioned on another blog, I frequent several local Trek dealers and have yet to see a 520 in person (not that I'm looking for one). And I don't know much about that other widely available tourer made by Cannondale. Are there others from the big guys? None that come to my mind off hand. I guess I take your word that "plenty of manufacturers are building road bikes that use long reach brakes and are easily fender-able and rack ready", but I'm not sure which manufacturers those are aside from Surly maybe. Seems to me that most of the bikes with those qualities are relaxed geometry hybrids best suited to the old and overweight bike path types (nothing wrong with that, except it isn't me anymore). Anyway, I guess I do agree that the variety is improving (as is the general bike business coincidentally) - I just wish racing wasn't the dominant influence I see at the bike shops or on the road. It's fine for legit racers, but many of us, the majority I'd argue, would be better served if the industry moved in other directions.
The reason that manufacturers sell racing bikes is simple. It's like the NASCAR guys: "Race on Sunday, sell on Monday." They see Lance, they wanna be like Lance. A certain percentage will move on and maybe expand their cycling horizons. But y'know what? Even if they are fair weather riders who go out with the club on Staurday and Sunday and ride one century a year, that is still one less asshole to worry about since I hope that they'll be a little enlightened when they gte back behid the wheel.
I'm not even completely convinced that anbody needs a road bike to commute on. For city dwellers, something like a fully equipped Breezer for $600 or so should do it, right out of the box.
Jim, at least a couple of dealers here in Stockholm sell Kona's Touring Bike "Sutra". If you haven't heard about it check it out here
I'm sure when Lance wins a Tour, the Trek dealers can't keep his bike in stock. You are exactly correct on that one. I think another component is that racers don't buy just the bike. They buy clothes and gels and shoes and training books and all manner of accessories that trhe casual rider or commuter wouldn't necessarily buy. I'm happy that people get into cycling via racing, no need to convince me that some ghood can come from it.
We're likewise in agreement on the Breezers and similar bikes for commuting. I recommended those bikes for a middle aged female reader of my site just yesterday. My own commute is just under 10 miles each way, and I like to scoot along at a decent clip. It makes a difference for me to ride my Atlantis or Trek road bike instead of my Specialized Hybrid. And I use my commuting bikes for long recreational rides too, where the Breezer wouldn't be as well suited.
Thanks for the Kona tip Johan. Good to know.
mmmm, donuts AND ice cream...
But yeah - bikes is bikes, and not everyone can have a garagefull. My biggest gripe has been the complete and total demise of the department store 10-speed. The biggest downfall of bike tech is that it reached the point of diminishing returns about 15 years ago when MTBs combined shifters and brake levers so you didn't have to move your hands to change gears.
The industry has two choices - either get chumps like us to upgrade (which I willingly do), or recruit new riders, which all of us need to do more of. We should all be following Fixedgear's example and leading rides, especially gentle ones, to get folks out. And don't underestimate the value of loaning out a spare bike.
I really appreciated this post and wanted to let you know. I'm still new to the whole "cycling" thing, but I do so love it dearly. I can see myself doing this for the rest of my life. I may not race, I may not do much touring, I may never go mountain biking. If I just putz around on my yard sale road bike and participate in a few events per year, am I any less of a cyclist? Do I love the sport any less? The answer is "no". We all have so much in common. Why is it there always has to be a fight about the differences?
Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to jump on my bike and get in a short ride today while the sun is still shining. It won't be at top speeds. It won't be with fancy technical gear and gadgets. It will be just me and my bike and the road and Mother Nature. Just the way I like it.
Wow, I just read this post and it captures a bunch of things I've been feeling lately, but didn't know how to express.
I've been in love with bikes and cycling for 35 years. A couple of years ago I joined the CR list because of my continuing interest in the bikes of my younger years. Over the last 6 months I have found my finger hovering over the "unsubscribe" button on several occasions. The reason is the animosity that goes on between the members. It's just plain awful. And these are folks who share a common interest.
Now I've started reading blogs, and doing one of my own. The blogs I've been reading lean toward the "carfree" end of the spectrum, and you are right, they alienate me far more than draw me in. And I LOVE bicycles!! What reaction would be elicited from someone who has little or no interest in bikes. And please don't respond to this with a comment about how they already have their minds made up. My point is that we should be trying to convert these people, not chase them away. Last night I deleted a couple of the "carfree" blogs from my personal bookmarks. Reading them just depressed me.
I started thinking about all this today, trying to remember how I felt when I was younger. I know that I believed that the bike was the answer to many of society's problems. And I was also afflicted with that damned self-righteous, I-know-what's-right, enthusiasm of the young adult. But guess what? It never happened. The government didn't support cycling as a healthy, envirinmentally sound means of transportation. Not the Democrats or the Republicans. In fact, things just got worse. Whatever.
I just want to love my bikes, ride them when I can, and not feel all this damn anxiety over whether I'm riding enough, or wrapping my handlebars or building my wheels the "right" way.
I guess bicycles have become like religion. Or farts. Yours are okay, but everyone else's stink.
Sorry for the rant.
Well done Greg!
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