Cycling Snobbery
- Thread starter Clairelouise84
- Start date
Just as long as those legs are shaved: )jhuskey said:
I acutally, i thought Merckx taught us to say "Shut up, legs!"
Some people just don't understand the difference between providing advice and being snobs. Probably mostly because they launch into "advice" well before you ever wanted to ask for it.
I have lived in many different countries in the world, but I have only ever encountered snobbery in places where people don't depend on their bikes and mainly ride it for pleasure or athletic purposes. I currently live in Colombia, where the majority of people don't have a car. They mainly ride scooters and bicycles around here. Also, many people have carts attached to their bikes in which they transport around virtually everything, including people and animals. In this country it wouldn't occur to anyone to adopt a snobbish attitude towards other cyclists. Many people here literally depend on their bikes to make a living.Clairelouise84 said:
Merckx mumbled some gibberish like some sweaty foreigner after races. It was Jens that finally spoke the mantra "shut up legs."NJAgent020 said:
We had a masseuse that did our legs back in the day. Apparently the only real benefit was that shaved legs were easier on her hands. She had nice hands I was an impressionable and very appreciative young lad. My legs were shaved and stayed that away. As fun as she was she could fix pretty much anything bar a shattered femur and cracked hip in a single visit. To this day it pains me to know that ailments can be fixed quick but masseurs/masseuses just drag their treatment out because either they want the money and figure you know no better or they're just useless.
I couldn't give two ***** whether I looked the part or whether I had hairs in my gravel and cow **** encrusted road rash if I fell off in the roads of North West England. People who complain about hairs in road rash need to ride faster and get bigger and deeper road rash - that and carry a big squeezy bottle of clean water with mild antiseptic and a soft brush to clean that out with when you get back to the car.
These days I love it when some skinny kid on a Campag equipped bike trolls on about the virtues and history of the company and then my fat ass keeps up with him on the hills as I tell him that their new stuff is made in a licorice factory in Romania and back in the 80's and 90's I rode the last of the real Campag equipment that was made in Italy. You pay $eleventy million for Campag equipped bikes when a Dura Ace version comes in at 34 cents more than the bare frame itself. Even Nibali doesn't ride Campag cranks, or anything with bearings in...
On the subject of shaving though:
One occasion when my pain threshold is definitely lower-than-average is when something is pulling at my body hair.
I've been known to turn down early opportunities of being bandaged, preferring to wait until I've had time to shave(a quick pass with a trimmer will usually do) the areas where the sticky patches go first.
I've tried the fast rips, and don't find them much of an improvement.
One occasion when my pain threshold is definitely lower-than-average is when something is pulling at my body hair.
I've been known to turn down early opportunities of being bandaged, preferring to wait until I've had time to shave(a quick pass with a trimmer will usually do) the areas where the sticky patches go first.
I've tried the fast rips, and don't find them much of an improvement.
That is exactly how it felt, well put, I felt like I was not in the cool kids gang, I agree it is not limited to cycling, no matter what you are doing, someone will always be condescending towards you. And I know people that have been riding a long time will know better, and I would appreciate any advice when I do ask for it, but some of them seem to have such an attitude problem.ABNPFDR said:
That is very interesting, I suppose when it is necessary, people will not adopt a bad attitude about it, do people ever get angry with other cyclists on the roads as car drivers do with other drivers in other countries? Just curious if road rage can apply to bicycles.Dora M said:
Well said! I would appreciate any advice that I do ask for, totally, I know if anyone has been riding for a long time they will know better than me! But they don't have to be a snob about it like you said.Zif said:
Ha ha maybe you spooked them when you waved at them? Elitist is definitely the most appropriate word I have heard for it. I know I should let it go a bit more but I just think "what has MY riding got to do with you?" But I think I just need to relax more!Weatherby said:
I'm an old man (66) and former racer. I've also competed in x-country ski racing and, unfortunately, distance running. In every sport there are folks that are more focused on the persona of being an athlete or the equipment they believe will improve their performance than the joy of being a capable cyclist. And yes, there is a degree of snobbery and more than a few poseurs; riding a $5,000 bike or having a power meter does not make you a superior cyclist.
However, there is a big difference from my perspective between riding a bicycle and cycling as a sport. You will never see me dawdling along sitting upright on a tractor seat with my knees splayed and my seat lowered to my top tube. I happily lift a hand and wave to those folks, but they are simply riding a bike. It's like anything else - learning three chords on a guitar and strumming does not make you a guitarist any more than knocking a few pieces of wood together make you a carpenter. When I see some folks ride, I know that they do not take cycling seriously or have a passion for the sport - they are simply enjoying a bike ride. It's not about the clothes or the bike, but about their level of commitment and seriousness.
Unfortunately, like many cyclists my passion for the sport can, at times, make me an annoying dinner companion - akin to a religious fundamentalist. I really try to restrain myself, but I do love it.
However, there is a big difference from my perspective between riding a bicycle and cycling as a sport. You will never see me dawdling along sitting upright on a tractor seat with my knees splayed and my seat lowered to my top tube. I happily lift a hand and wave to those folks, but they are simply riding a bike. It's like anything else - learning three chords on a guitar and strumming does not make you a guitarist any more than knocking a few pieces of wood together make you a carpenter. When I see some folks ride, I know that they do not take cycling seriously or have a passion for the sport - they are simply enjoying a bike ride. It's not about the clothes or the bike, but about their level of commitment and seriousness.
Unfortunately, like many cyclists my passion for the sport can, at times, make me an annoying dinner companion - akin to a religious fundamentalist. I really try to restrain myself, but I do love it.
Well I admit it, I'm like that to some degree - I enjoy talking with others interested in the sport, it's been a learning experience and I know so much more now than I did three seasons ago - and I also know exactly how ignorant I am about so many aspects of it, too.
I admit too that I am somewhat of a wanna-be, because for as much as I've done with this sport, it's not nearly at the level I wish it could be, for health reasons, because of time constraints, and because of aspirations that exceed my abilities. If I keep working at it ...
I know where I want to go - but getting there is hard. Keep working at it ...
The people who ride their bikes around town for 2 miles once ever couple of weeks with no safety gear annoy me - and I know they shouldn't because they are "recreational riders" - but it really pisses me off when I see people riding at night with no lights and dark clothing. And no helmet. And riding against traffic etc.
I like looking the part, buying the gear, etc. I do draw the line at shaving my legs though - for years I had lost most of the hair below my knees due to grade 5 circulatory issues - riding, other exercise, diet, weight loss, supplements and it has now grown back quite a bit which is a good sign of much better circulation. Oh yeah, the six surgeries in 16 months probably helped too. so the hair stays.
I admit too that I am somewhat of a wanna-be, because for as much as I've done with this sport, it's not nearly at the level I wish it could be, for health reasons, because of time constraints, and because of aspirations that exceed my abilities. If I keep working at it ...
I know where I want to go - but getting there is hard. Keep working at it ...
The people who ride their bikes around town for 2 miles once ever couple of weeks with no safety gear annoy me - and I know they shouldn't because they are "recreational riders" - but it really pisses me off when I see people riding at night with no lights and dark clothing. And no helmet. And riding against traffic etc.
I like looking the part, buying the gear, etc. I do draw the line at shaving my legs though - for years I had lost most of the hair below my knees due to grade 5 circulatory issues - riding, other exercise, diet, weight loss, supplements and it has now grown back quite a bit which is a good sign of much better circulation. Oh yeah, the six surgeries in 16 months probably helped too. so the hair stays.
Well I admit it, I'm like that to some degree - I enjoy talking with others interested in the sport, it's been a learning experience and I know so much more now than I did three seasons ago - and I also know exactly how ignorant I am about so many aspects of it, too.
I admit too that I am somewhat of a wanna-be, because for as much as I've done with this sport, it's not nearly at the level I wish it could be, for health reasons, because of time constraints, and because of aspirations that exceed my abilities. If I keep working at it ...
I know where I want to go - but getting there is hard. Keep working at it ...
The people who ride their bikes around town for 2 miles once ever couple of weeks with no safety gear annoy me - and I know they shouldn't because they are "recreational riders" - but it really pisses me off when I see people riding at night with no lights and dark clothing. And no helmet. And riding against traffic etc.
I like looking the part, buying the gear, etc. I do draw the line at shaving my legs though - for years I had lost most of the hair below my knees due to grade 5 circulatory issues - riding, other exercise, diet, weight loss, supplements and it has now grown back quite a bit which is a good sign of much better circulation. Oh yeah, the six surgeries in 16 months probably helped too. so the hair stays.
I admit too that I am somewhat of a wanna-be, because for as much as I've done with this sport, it's not nearly at the level I wish it could be, for health reasons, because of time constraints, and because of aspirations that exceed my abilities. If I keep working at it ...
I know where I want to go - but getting there is hard. Keep working at it ...
The people who ride their bikes around town for 2 miles once ever couple of weeks with no safety gear annoy me - and I know they shouldn't because they are "recreational riders" - but it really pisses me off when I see people riding at night with no lights and dark clothing. And no helmet. And riding against traffic etc.
I like looking the part, buying the gear, etc. I do draw the line at shaving my legs though - for years I had lost most of the hair below my knees due to grade 5 circulatory issues - riding, other exercise, diet, weight loss, supplements and it has now grown back quite a bit which is a good sign of much better circulation. Oh yeah, the six surgeries in 16 months probably helped too. so the hair stays.
Welcome to the world of expensive hobby. Anytime a hobby involves some sort of sport activity that requires a large investment to participate you get snobbery and cycling and auto racing is huge in this, golf use to be but it's settled down over the years as the corporate people have migrated to cycling.Clairelouise84 said:
Even back when I race bicycles in the mid 70's to the mid 80's snobbery was huge, if you didn't ride an Italian steed you were looked down on and even ignored! why? because the Italian steeds were more money than the Japanese bikes I ( and a few others) would buy and thus we must have been from the wrong side of the tracks and shouldn't even be racing not alone allowed to mix with such well heeled people. The movie Breaking Away wasn't too far off the fiction path, I've actually had well heeled racers try to sabotage our bikes by flatting our tires when we weren't looking, some would bump us in hopes we would crash out and then yell sorry while laughing if we did. Never had a anything really serious like a pump jammed into our wheels while riding to make us seriously crash and destroy bikes like in the movie but never the less some of us did crash due to this bumping activity. We actually had an Italian crowd and a Japanese crowd and we stayed out of each others camps! When I say Italian and Japanese not talking about actual people but rather the bikes of course. By the time the mid 80's came around some of that Italian thing had faded because Japanese bikes were superior and the Italian crowd was slowly and quietly switching but then it came to matter how much you spent on your stuff.
The other form of snobbery was your performance, if you were a lower performing cyclist the higher performing guys just ignored you even if you were in the same CAT level.
I found snobbery at my local LBS for quite a few years after I moved here. I would bring in one of my vintage bikes I was riding that day to buy something and the comments would fly, comments like "when are you going to get rid of that antique and get something new?" as well as a slew of other snide comments. I even wrote a complaint e-mail to the owner which didn't do any good. Then one day I came in with one of my older bikes and the sales rep said sort of loudly in a crowded spring sale day: "let me guess something is broken and you want me to fix it?", to which I replied even louder for a good part of the store to hear: "no, my bike doesn't break like your pieces of junk you sell made in China!". The owner must have overheard that because since then I've gotten great friendly service!
So be prepared, there will be snobbery but those people are just small people who think they're big, don't let them make you small like them.
Quote by Viking:
"Unfortunately, like many cyclists my passion for the sport can, at times, make me an annoying dinner companion - akin to a religious fundamentalist. I really try to restrain myself, but I do love it."
You've earned the right.
"Unfortunately, like many cyclists my passion for the sport can, at times, make me an annoying dinner companion - akin to a religious fundamentalist. I really try to restrain myself, but I do love it."
You've earned the right.
Quote by Froze:
"why? because the Italian steeds were more money than the Japanese bikes..."
Back in the '70's and '80's Italian Components and frames were, as a rule (there were some exceptions; I.E. a very few Jap frames), exceptional and superior in every aspect and attribute that made a road racing bike the pinnacle machine among all bicycles.
Money was never the issue. Even an impoverished college undergrad could afford a Campy Record equipped racer. Hell, an American union labor-built Schwinn Paramount full house Campy Record P-13-9 was only $350 in 1971. I was all in. A Bottechia with Gran Sport and sew-ups was almost a give-away.
In the 80's a San Rensho with Durable-Ass cost as much as a Cinelli, thanks to the Yen going all whacktarded.
It was NOT about the money for the enthusiast of even average means. It was about good taste, innate mechanical aptitude, an eye for design and a passion for the sport. You simply can not buy that and you can not put a price tag on it.
"why? because the Italian steeds were more money than the Japanese bikes..."
Back in the '70's and '80's Italian Components and frames were, as a rule (there were some exceptions; I.E. a very few Jap frames), exceptional and superior in every aspect and attribute that made a road racing bike the pinnacle machine among all bicycles.
Money was never the issue. Even an impoverished college undergrad could afford a Campy Record equipped racer. Hell, an American union labor-built Schwinn Paramount full house Campy Record P-13-9 was only $350 in 1971. I was all in. A Bottechia with Gran Sport and sew-ups was almost a give-away.
In the 80's a San Rensho with Durable-Ass cost as much as a Cinelli, thanks to the Yen going all whacktarded.
It was NOT about the money for the enthusiast of even average means. It was about good taste, innate mechanical aptitude, an eye for design and a passion for the sport. You simply can not buy that and you can not put a price tag on it.
Back in the day...as Schwinn was fading from the pages of American industrial glory...we bike snobs used to look down our pointy noses at TREK's and call them, "bikes for the masses!".
Some of their early 531 frames were very good. They proved to be a worthy successor to the Chicago Gang. Who knew that just like the last days of Schwinn, TREK would also become a spec house for Chicom labor? That Emonda I bought back in December had a cheap, gold/black MADE IN CHINA sticker on the bottom of the head tube.
I peeled it off, not to hide the fact that like every damned thing we buy these days is produced by commie labor, but to keep me from throwing up every time I looked at it.
BTW, I almost went down to the big auction in the Mississippi factory auction when the last of the Schwinn tooling and production machinery was sold off. I think that was somewhere around 1994 when they finally got around to dispersing the assets of what was once a great company.
Some of their early 531 frames were very good. They proved to be a worthy successor to the Chicago Gang. Who knew that just like the last days of Schwinn, TREK would also become a spec house for Chicom labor? That Emonda I bought back in December had a cheap, gold/black MADE IN CHINA sticker on the bottom of the head tube.
I peeled it off, not to hide the fact that like every damned thing we buy these days is produced by commie labor, but to keep me from throwing up every time I looked at it.
BTW, I almost went down to the big auction in the Mississippi factory auction when the last of the Schwinn tooling and production machinery was sold off. I think that was somewhere around 1994 when they finally got around to dispersing the assets of what was once a great company.
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