Bike Club Curmudgeons

"NYC XYZ" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Whew, so I went on a few club rides, and here are some of the perennial
characters I've met:

The Hallway Monitor -- he likes telling pedestrians to stay off the
bike lane, likes telling passing bicyclists they should wear their
helmets, likes telling fellow riders not to get ahead of the point man.
Sometimes tells off motorists, too, about the environment.

The Fat Guy in A Rubber Suit -- old, sagging, wrapped in spandex and a
jersey like a supermarket turkey at Thanksgiving. Even wears
sunglasses on a cloudy day!

The Careful Old Lady -- rides real slow and proper, with mirrors on
each end of her handlebars. Very pleasant personality, usually a widow
or divorcee.

The Single Woman -- not fugly, but she's already in her thirties and
you do wonder why people recommend meeting women this way!

The Raconteur -- is this a bike ride or an airplane trip?!?! Good God,
get me some marshmellows and start a campfire!

The Loner -- somebody always shows up who basically sticks to himself.
Hmmm.

The Advisor -- someone always likes to point out every little thing on
the road, from potholes to glass to roadkill. Does anyone look
anymore, or is this the Special Olympics ride?

None of this is not a complaint, mind you. The only real complaint I
have -- aside from the asinine insistence on helmets, no matter that
they're worn improperly over half the time -- is the point-drop-sweep
system. It feels like those who "keep up" are "penalized," while the
slow pokes who are forever behind never have to serve. After a while,
the group really stretches out, up to ten minutes between the point and
the sweep!

All club rides are an abomination. They are just chock full of jerks and
[censored]. Do a proper week long organized supported tour and you will meet a
far finer group of folks. I think you might actually enjoy Ragbrai. It is
way too crowded for me, but that is because I am a loner.

Regards,

Ed Dolan the Great - Minnesota
aka
Saint Edward the Great - Order of the Perpetual Sorrows - Minnesota

NYC XYZ said:

Whew, so I went on a few club rides, and here are some of the perennial
characters I've met:

Quoted message said:

None of this is not a complaint, mind you. The only real complaint I
have -- aside from the asinine insistence on helmets, no matter that
they're worn improperly over half the time -- is the point-drop-sweep
system. It feels like those who "keep up" are "penalized," while the
slow pokes who are forever behind never have to serve. After a while,
the group really stretches out, up to ten minutes between the point and
the sweep!

Some years ago I rode with a local club four or five times before I had
enough. With a few exceptions, the overwhelming number of riders
where, as Ed put it, [censored]! As the lone recumbent rider I loved how
irritated many were on early climbs with how "SLOW" the recumbent
was.... Later as I settled into my pace and as the same folks shot
their wad, I would hear how the recumbent was unfairly advantaged
because of wider gearing and an aero advantage. Then I would proceed
to drop each one! Eventually it hit me.... Why bother? Even with
upright riding friends, it's difficult. I ride faster on the flat and
downhill runs. They ride faster on steep climbs. It just doesn't
work.

Jim

"Edward Dolan" <[email hidden]> wrote in
news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

All club rides are an abomination. They are just chock full of jerks
and [censored].

Maybe the recumbent and New York crowds are different, but in California,
most club riders (men and women) are nice to talk to and have decent bike
handling skills. There are a few jerks in every crowd, but I see more of
those at work than in the bike club.

"stratrider" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Some years ago I rode with a local club four or five times before I had
enough. With a few exceptions, the overwhelming number of riders
where, as Ed put it, [censored]! As the lone recumbent rider I loved how
irritated many were on early climbs with how "SLOW" the recumbent
was.... Later as I settled into my pace and as the same folks shot
their wad, I would hear how the recumbent was unfairly advantaged
because of wider gearing and an aero advantage. Then I would proceed
to drop each one! Eventually it hit me.... Why bother? Even with
upright riding friends, it's difficult. I ride faster on the flat and
downhill runs. They ride faster on steep climbs. It just doesn't
work.

We ride a tandem, same deal, a tad faster on flat and downhills, a tad
slower on climbs. But we do ride with friends on singles, and they put up
with our slowness on the uphills as long as we pull them on the downhillls.

NYC XYZ wrote:

<snip>

Quoted message said:

None of this is not a complaint, mind you. The only real complaint I
have -- aside from the asinine insistence on helmets, no matter that
they're worn improperly over half the time -- is the point-drop-sweep
system. It feels like those who "keep up" are "penalized," while the
slow pokes who are forever behind never have to serve. After a while,
the group really stretches out, up to ten minutes between the point and
the sweep!

I used to ride on a multi-use trail where a ramp that went under a road
had signs that said "walk bike on ramp." These were advisory signs,
probably for some sort of liability, as the ramps were very long, and
not steep at all. Basically everyone rode their bikes on the ramps, and
later the city added maze gates to make it more difficult and to slow
people down, but it still wasn't hard to navigate the maze gates (except
with a trailer or tandem).

I would often be riding there when a local club had a ride that went
through there. They all walked their bikes. That was fine, but then they
yelled at everyone else, not on their ride, to walk their bikes.

As to helmets, I can tell you that it is a very contentious issue in
clubs. You've got the "let's pass more laws to make everything safe for
everybody" crowd that lobbies for a helmet requirement on all rides, and
you've got the libertarians that believe that each person should be able
to choose the risk level that they are comfortable with, and that is
should be up to the ride leader as to whether helmets are required or not.

In the club I was in, we fought the helmet requirement for many years.
However, when we changed insurance companies, there was a huge cost
benefit in, at the time, the LAW insurance, which required that helmets
be required on all rides. So don't think that all the club riders
necessarily are in favor of helmets all the time.

I'm a cross between the rubber suit guy and the loner - hmm, could
there be a connection?

Funny thread!

Ken

"NYC XYZ" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Whew, so I went on a few club rides, and here are some of the
perennial
characters I've met:

The Hallway Monitor -- he likes telling pedestrians to stay off the
bike lane, likes telling passing bicyclists they should wear their
helmets, likes telling fellow riders not to get ahead of the point
man.
Sometimes tells off motorists, too, about the environment.

The Fat Guy in A Rubber Suit -- old, sagging, wrapped in spandex and
a
jersey like a supermarket turkey at Thanksgiving. Even wears
sunglasses on a cloudy day!

The Careful Old Lady -- rides real slow and proper, with mirrors on
each end of her handlebars. Very pleasant personality, usually a
widow
or divorcee.

The Single Woman -- not fugly, but she's already in her thirties and
you do wonder why people recommend meeting women this way!

The Raconteur -- is this a bike ride or an airplane trip?!?! Good
God,
get me some marshmellows and start a campfire!

The Loner -- somebody always shows up who basically sticks to
himself.
Hmmm.

The Advisor -- someone always likes to point out every little thing
on
the road, from potholes to glass to roadkill. Does anyone look
anymore, or is this the Special Olympics ride?

None of this is not a complaint, mind you. The only real complaint
I
have -- aside from the asinine insistence on helmets, no matter that
they're worn improperly over half the time -- is the
point-drop-sweep
system. It feels like those who "keep up" are "penalized," while
the
slow pokes who are forever behind never have to serve. After a
while,
the group really stretches out, up to ten minutes between the point
and
the sweep!

NYC XYZ said:

Whew, so I went on a few club rides, and here are some of the perennial
characters I've met:

The Hallway Monitor -- he likes telling pedestrians to stay off the
bike lane, likes telling passing bicyclists they should wear their
helmets, likes telling fellow riders not to get ahead of the point man.
Sometimes tells off motorists, too, about the environment.

Yeah, we have one of those guys. He has been riding for 30+ years so
he thinks he knows it all,

Quoted message said:

The Fat Guy in A Rubber Suit -- old, sagging, wrapped in spandex and a
jersey like a supermarket turkey at Thanksgiving. Even wears
sunglasses on a cloudy day!

I do NOT wear sunglasses!

Quoted message said:

The Single Woman -- not fugly, but she's already in her thirties and
you do wonder why people recommend meeting women this way!

We have a lot of middle aged divorced ladies in our club who seem to be
looking for their next husband on the club ride. It doesn't seem to
matter if he is currently married or not.

Quoted message said:

The Loner -- somebody always shows up who basically sticks to himself.
Hmmm.

There is a guy who shows up at every ride in an incredibly dirty
jersey. He never speaks to anyone.

Quoted message said:

The Advisor -- someone always likes to point out every little thing on
the road, from potholes to glass to roadkill.

Our Advisor like to scold those of us who don't point out every pebble
in the road.

Quoted message said:

None of this is not a complaint, mind you. The only real complaint I
have -- aside from the asinine insistence on helmets, no matter that
they're worn improperly over half the time -- is the point-drop-sweep
system. It feels like those who "keep up" are "penalized," while the
slow pokes who are forever behind never have to serve. After a while,
the group really stretches out, up to ten minutes between the point and
the sweep!

Our club rides are set up so that fast riders are free to go at their
own speed. If they want to pretend it's a race they are free to do so.
The ride leader rides sweep and is only responsible for making sure
that the slowest rider is not left on the road.

[censored] Durbin

In article <[email hidden]>,
[email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

NYC XYZ said:

Whew, so I went on a few club rides, and here are some of the perennial
characters I've met:

The Hallway Monitor -- he likes telling pedestrians to stay off the
bike lane, likes telling passing bicyclists they should wear their
helmets, likes telling fellow riders not to get ahead of the point man.
Sometimes tells off motorists, too, about the environment.

Yeah, we have one of those guys. He has been riding for 30+ years so
he thinks he knows it all,

Quoted message said:

The Fat Guy in A Rubber Suit -- old, sagging, wrapped in spandex and a
jersey like a supermarket turkey at Thanksgiving. Even wears
sunglasses on a cloudy day!

I do NOT wear sunglasses!

Quoted message said:

The Single Woman -- not fugly, but she's already in her thirties and
you do wonder why people recommend meeting women this way!

We have a lot of middle aged divorced ladies in our club who seem to be
looking for their next husband on the club ride. It doesn't seem to
matter if he is currently married or not.

Quoted message said:

The Loner -- somebody always shows up who basically sticks to himself.
Hmmm.

There is a guy who shows up at every ride in an incredibly dirty
jersey. He never speaks to anyone.

Quoted message said:

The Advisor -- someone always likes to point out every little thing on
the road, from potholes to glass to roadkill.

Our Advisor like to scold those of us who don't point out every pebble
in the road.

Quoted message said:

None of this is not a complaint, mind you. The only real complaint I
have -- aside from the asinine insistence on helmets, no matter that
they're worn improperly over half the time -- is the point-drop-sweep
system. It feels like those who "keep up" are "penalized," while the
slow pokes who are forever behind never have to serve. After a while,
the group really stretches out, up to ten minutes between the point and
the sweep!

Our club rides are set up so that fast riders are free to go at their
own speed. If they want to pretend it's a race they are free to do so.
The ride leader rides sweep and is only responsible for making sure
that the slowest rider is not left on the road.

Ours, too. People are free to go off the front if they want, but we try
to be sure nobody is lost off the back. Especially since the slower
ones also tend to be less-experienced at handling breakdowns, flats,
etc. Not always, but more often than not; I am sometimes the tail-end
charlie, but I carry enough [censored] with me to practically rebuild my bike
on the side of the road <grin>, and have the knowledge to do so, so I
tell the sweep not to wait for me if I'm dragging.

--
Remove the ns_ from if replying by e-mail (but keep posts in the
newsgroups if possible).

NYC XYZ said:

Quoted message said:

The Fat Guy in A Rubber Suit -- old, sagging, wrapped in spandex and a

jersey like a supermarket turkey at Thanksgiving. Even wears
sunglasses on a cloudy day!

I always wear glasses while riding; sometimes you get bugs or stones
from passing vehicles bouncing off the lens, once I was cut off at
speed, went over the bars and landed on my face; the deep gouges on the
lens of my brikos are a strong testament to the rationale of wearing
glasses while riding.

Quoted message said:

NYC XYZ said:

Quoted message said:

The Fat Guy in A Rubber Suit -- old, sagging, wrapped in spandex and a

jersey like a supermarket turkey at Thanksgiving. Even wears
sunglasses on a cloudy day!

Quoted message said:

I always wear glasses while riding; sometimes you get bugs or stones
from passing vehicles bouncing off the lens, once I was cut off at
speed, went over the bars and landed on my face; the deep gouges on the
lens of my brikos are a strong testament to the rationale of wearing
glasses while riding.

Thobut he said "sunglasses", not "glasses". If you're out on a dull day
and want to keep the flies/cold/whatever out then wearing clear lenses
makes more sense than shades.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

Quoted message said:

None of this is not a complaint, mind you. The only real complaint I
have -- aside from the asinine insistence on helmets, no matter that
they're worn improperly over half the time -- is the point-drop-sweep
system. It feels like those who "keep up" are "penalized," while the
slow pokes who are forever behind never have to serve. After a while,
the group really stretches out, up to ten minutes between the point and
the sweep!

Finding a bike club is like going on a bunch of blind dates. Different
clubs, and different groups within a single club, can have wildly different
characters.

We've recently moved to a new area and are still getting our feet wet in the
local cycling scene.

The local club seems to have many rides which are not unlike what you've
described, but we simply avoid these rides since we wouldn't enjoy them.

We've fallen in with a sub-group which are a little more hard-core and
closer to our riding style.

Our perfect group would be a "race style" training ride, but their just
isn't the density of riders to make this a reality.

Chris Neary
[email hidden]

"Science, freedom, beauty, adventure: what more could
you ask of life? Bicycling combined all the elements I
loved" - Adapted from a quotation by Charles Lindbergh

Olebiker said:

NYC XYZ said:

Whew, so I went on a few club rides, and here are some of the
perennial characters I've met:

The Hallway Monitor -- he likes telling pedestrians to stay off the
bike lane, likes telling passing bicyclists they should wear their
helmets, likes telling fellow riders not to get ahead of the point
man. Sometimes tells off motorists, too, about the environment.

Quoted message said:

Yeah, we have one of those guys. He has been riding for 30+ years so
he thinks he knows it all,

Jobst is in your club? <eg>

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

The Fat Guy in A Rubber Suit -- old, sagging, wrapped in spandex and
a jersey like a supermarket turkey at Thanksgiving. Even wears
sunglasses on a cloudy day!

Quoted message said:

I do NOT wear sunglasses!

Just call 'em "eye protection" -- then you can look like Roy Orbison if you
want.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

The Single Woman -- not fugly, but she's already in her thirties and
you do wonder why people recommend meeting women this way!

Quoted message said:

We have a lot of middle aged divorced ladies in our club who seem to
be looking for their next husband on the club ride. It doesn't seem
to matter if he is currently married or not.

Um, WHERE is this club again?!?

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

The Loner -- somebody always shows up who basically sticks to
himself. Hmmm.

Quoted message said:

There is a guy who shows up at every ride in an incredibly dirty
jersey. He never speaks to anyone.

We already covered JB.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

The Advisor -- someone always likes to point out every little thing
on the road, from potholes to glass to roadkill.

Quoted message said:

Our Advisor like to scold those of us who don't point out every pebble
in the road.

I think every club goes out and HIRES one of these guys, just to make the
other members look like good people in comparison.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

None of this is not a complaint, mind you. The only real complaint I
have -- aside from the asinine insistence on helmets, no matter that
they're worn improperly over half the time -- is the point-drop-sweep
system. It feels like those who "keep up" are "penalized," while the
slow pokes who are forever behind never have to serve. After a
while, the group really stretches out, up to ten minutes between the
point and the sweep!

Quoted message said:

Our club rides are set up so that fast riders are free to go at their
own speed. If they want to pretend it's a race they are free to do
so. The ride leader rides sweep and is only responsible for making
sure that the slowest rider is not left on the road.

And I appreciate it!

Old Fat Slow Tired Beat-up Bill (ready to go get 'em, obviously! Need more
coffee...)

Peter Clinch said:

Quoted message said:

NYC XYZ said:

> The Fat Guy in A Rubber Suit -- old, sagging, wrapped in spandex
> and a
jersey like a supermarket turkey at Thanksgiving. Even wears
sunglasses on a cloudy day!

Quoted message said:

I always wear glasses while riding; sometimes you get bugs or stones
from passing vehicles bouncing off the lens, once I was cut off at
speed, went over the bars and landed on my face; the deep gouges on
the lens of my brikos are a strong testament to the rationale of
wearing glasses while riding.

Thobut he said "sunglasses", not "glasses". If you're out on a dull
day and want to keep the flies/cold/whatever out then wearing clear
lenses makes more sense than shades.

Nah. Pitch-black mirrored lenses. Scowl constantly, too.

Bill Sornson said:

Peter Clinch said:

[email hidden] wrote:

Thobut he said "sunglasses", not "glasses". If you're out on a dull
day and want to keep the flies/cold/whatever out then wearing clear
lenses makes more sense than shades.

Nah. Pitch-black mirrored lenses. Scowl constantly, too.

Yea but..... scowling all the time just don't work on a recumbent.... ???

Peter Clinch said:

Quoted message said:

NYC XYZ said:

> The Fat Guy in A Rubber Suit -- old, sagging, wrapped in spandex and a
jersey like a supermarket turkey at Thanksgiving. Even wears
sunglasses on a cloudy day!

Quoted message said:

I always wear glasses while riding; sometimes you get bugs or stones
from passing vehicles bouncing off the lens, once I was cut off at
speed, went over the bars and landed on my face; the deep gouges on the
lens of my brikos are a strong testament to the rationale of wearing
glasses while riding.

Thobut he said "sunglasses", not "glasses". If you're out on a dull day
and want to keep the flies/cold/whatever out then wearing clear lenses
makes more sense than shades.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

well unless it is dark out I do ride with my shades on. ( my clear
lenses got destroyed long ago)

Olebiker said:

NYC XYZ said:

Whew, so I went on a few club rides, and here are some of the perennial
characters I've met:

The Hallway Monitor -- he likes telling pedestrians to stay off the
bike lane, likes telling passing bicyclists they should wear their
helmets, likes telling fellow riders not to get ahead of the point man.
Sometimes tells off motorists, too, about the environment.

Yeah, we have one of those guys. He has been riding for 30+ years so
he thinks he knows it all,

Maybe he does.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

The Single Woman -- not fugly, but she's already in her thirties and
you do wonder why people recommend meeting women this way!

We have a lot of middle aged divorced ladies in our club who seem to be
looking for their next husband on the club ride. It doesn't seem to
matter if he is currently married or not.

I have never run into one of these. Oh, well.

--

David L. Johnson

__o | Let's not escape into mathematics. Let's stay with reality. --
_`\(,_ | Michael Crichton
(_)/ (_) |

Quoted message said:

Peter Clinch said:

Quoted message said:

NYC XYZ wrote:
>> The Fat Guy in A Rubber Suit -- old, sagging, wrapped in spandex and a
> jersey like a supermarket turkey at Thanksgiving. Even wears
> sunglasses on a cloudy day!
I always wear glasses while riding; sometimes you get bugs or stones
from passing vehicles bouncing off the lens, once I was cut off at
speed, went over the bars and landed on my face; the deep gouges on the
lens of my brikos are a strong testament to the rationale of wearing
glasses while riding.

Thobut he said "sunglasses", not "glasses". If you're out on a dull day
and want to keep the flies/cold/whatever out then wearing clear lenses
makes more sense than shades.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

well unless it is dark out I do ride with my shades on. ( my clear
lenses got destroyed long ago)

I wear shades all the time. The UV that kills your eyes over time goes
right through cloud cover. Of course at night I got pulled over once and
the cop shined the light in my eyes to see if I was stoned. Bored cop
and I went to for for sundown but needed the shades due to big bugs.
Bill Baka

Bill said:

I wear shades all the time. The UV that kills your eyes over time goes
right through cloud cover.

Except the tinting does not stop the UV. Only if you pay extra for UV
protection, and that protection can be added to non-tinted glasses. The
problem with tinted glasses is they dilate your eyes, and that lets in more
UV.

Don <www.donwiss.com> (e-mail link at home page bottom).

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

>The only real complaint I have -- aside from the asinine insistence on
>helmets, no matter that they're worn improperly over half the
>time....<<<<

Whoa, buddy! It sounds like you're being a bit curmudgeonly yourself!
🙁 I say leave everybody alone and just be grateful to have people to
ride with.

"NYC XYZ" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Whew, so I went on a few club rides, and here are some of the perennial
characters I've met:

The Hallway Monitor -- he likes telling pedestrians to stay off the
bike lane, likes telling passing bicyclists they should wear their
helmets, likes telling fellow riders not to get ahead of the point man.
Sometimes tells off motorists, too, about the environment.

The Fat Guy in A Rubber Suit -- old, sagging, wrapped in spandex and a
jersey like a supermarket turkey at Thanksgiving. Even wears
sunglasses on a cloudy day!

The Careful Old Lady -- rides real slow and proper, with mirrors on
each end of her handlebars. Very pleasant personality, usually a widow
or divorcee.

The Single Woman -- not fugly, but she's already in her thirties and
you do wonder why people recommend meeting women this way!

The Raconteur -- is this a bike ride or an airplane trip?!?! Good God,
get me some marshmellows and start a campfire!

The Loner -- somebody always shows up who basically sticks to himself.
Hmmm.

The Advisor -- someone always likes to point out every little thing on
the road, from potholes to glass to roadkill. Does anyone look
anymore, or is this the Special Olympics ride?

None of this is not a complaint, mind you. The only real complaint I
have -- aside from the asinine insistence on helmets, no matter that
they're worn improperly over half the time -- is the point-drop-sweep
system. It feels like those who "keep up" are "penalized," while the
slow pokes who are forever behind never have to serve. After a while,
the group really stretches out, up to ten minutes between the point and
the sweep!