What's a cycling dork?

I agree with you conpletely. I had a ten year lay off from cycling and now realize how awsome it is just to go on a thirty mile ride. If you had a time machine and took your Trek 1000 back to the early 80's it would be the best machine there. The real dorks are more worried about there appearance and their superiority to other bicyclists. THe thing that even the top racer doesn't realize is that almost all of the noncycling world consider cyclists dorks. Anyway just keep cycling.

 

I agree with you conpletely. I had a ten year lay off from cycling and now realize how awsome it is just to go on a thirty mile ride. If you had a time machine and took your Trek 1000 back to the early 80's it would be the best machine there. The real dorks are more worried about there appearance and their superiority to other bicyclists. THe thing that even the top racer doesn't realize is that almost all of the noncycling world consider cyclists dorks. Anyway just keep cycling.

 

My father has been riding his bike since I can remember,me mothers been driving the car.
He owns these bikes.
Red Peugeot that cost $169 in 1977 new.
Viking track Bike that cost 25 pounds in 1965.
Flash Racing Frame that cost $100 in 1980,he built the rest up.
Cycles Gitane Lady's that cost $5 from a RedCross sale.
Apollo Kosciusko Mountain Bike that cost $500
Trident Road Bike - Elizabeth Star Special for free.
21 Sprint 10 Cyclops Roadbike that cost $5 from the markets.
Custom Built Twinspinner Tandem for $140 secondhand.
Dad rides to work in all conditions. He averages 150kms per week at the age of 57 years old.
His shed is full of old tyres and bike parts, orange Flags!! included. Never does he put them out for rubbish day.
All the grandchildren have bikes in the shed also. Bikes bikes bikes all over the place.
He has even glued a Rubber Duck on the front of his Roadbike for laughs and an old Battery casing on the back for storage.
He used to ride against the pro's in his day and gave them a hard time breaking away from him in 100km races.
I think there is no such thing as a cycling dork.
Maybe some people have there heads in the clouds.
Jim's ride

 

A cycling dork is someone who rides their bike more than once a day

 

How many miles each time will it qualify as a dork?

 

This is one heck of a funny thread. I used to be an elitist, and will still stifle a giggle at a fred!!

An elitist is usually someone that is totally focused on their passion. Yeah, when you eat, breath, and crap cycling it's hard not to develop an attitue. However, my giggles are more along the thinking lines of "wow, that guy is going to get a big laugh looking back at himself next year"

Freds are what make the cycling world go round. Most start out as a fred and move up. hahahah

If you like tall white socks with color stripes at the top go for it!!

Be a fred or a dork and keep riding. The bottom line is there are always going to be snobs and there will always be dorks. It's part of the fun.

So from a once elitists who now has no shame being a fred, GO RIDE!!! Stop worrying about what other people think, cause they're going to think it no matter what you say...

 

Good point.

I usually cycle in street clothes and get criticized for doing it by my fellow cyclist. Other than good shorts, what do I really need that the expensive cycle/billboard/strange clothes offer? I can't afford the stuff anyway.

 

A cycling dork is a know it all, with anal retentive personality disorder, who has so much tunnel vision regarding what cycling should be about, intolerant of other opinions, absolutely no sense of humor, disrespectfull towards those who have ridden longer than they have been on earth, and if we had a draft, pukish, PETA loving draft dodgers who equate service to country as a day at the mall spending mama's money, thinking they are contributing to the national trust...I call them asswipes.

 

Wow, Alnamvet, how do you really feel?

 

Woowwwwwwww....I feel good, dododododododo. like I knew I could, dodododododod....I feel fine, dodododododod, like sugar and wine, dododododododo...SO GOOD, dan dan, SO GOOD, I feel good....dan dan dan dan dan dan dan daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaannnnn

 

I find this very reassuring. I've always been a keen cyclist but it's only now in my 30s that I'm belatedly getting into knowing how a bike actually works and considering things like riding technique, proper equipment/clothing, learning about maintenance and all that stuff.

So I recently invested in a pair of bib tights and I've found it has made a huge difference to my riding comfort and pleasure in the current wintry climate, and I don't care if I look completely ridiculous. And when I've just cleaned my bike and made it look shiny and new it just makes me feel warm inside. If that makes me a cycling dork, I'm happy to be one.

I probably should add that my bike is a ten-speed Raleigh Royal that I bought second-hand in 1989 for £250 - it must be going on 20 years old but the frame feels as solid as ever (hand-built Reynolds 531). I've had to replace the cassette because the original one wore out so now I'm riding on a 14-28 cassette with the original 52-42 chainwheel. The rear derailleur was replaced some years ago with the cheapest I could find at the time, and the wheels are chunky old lumps of steel that don't even have qr hubs. The gear levers are mounted on the downtube, and that alone makes it look like a museum piece. But I love the old thing.

 

I saw an old fella the other day and he must have been about 65 years old...he was trekking down the road in his walking shorts, black socks and sandals...riding what looks like a 60 year old antique rusty bike.
I mean you could literally see all the rust from the wheels to the frame from miles far away. It creaks as it passed me by standing there staring at him. No, he wasn't a homeless or anything, as a matter of fact he just looks like someone normal who was enjoying his retirement and wanted to take his old steed out for a ride.

That bike, you may have to give someone money for them to take it away. But I admire that!!! and yes to may others he looks like a cycling dork. But, talk about value and a piece of machine that just kept on turning the wheels as long as you keep on pedaling it.

 

I get a laugh out of cycle touring groups with weird arab head scarves, K-Mart helmets with caps underneath, long sleeve flouro yellow/green jerseys riding in a lounge chair position.

But, if that's they're thing at least they're on a bike. I'm sure they're thinking 'what a wanker'.

A dork is some-one on a $8000 bike, carbon all over the place, $500 shoes and gets dropped on every climb.

 

At last! A Kindred spirit! I thought I was the only one who used the f**K, f**K, f**K mantra - Unfortunately no hills where I'm staying but we do have a roaring South-Easter that must be only a knot or two short of a hurricane...After 20km of riding into that the mantra is alive and well! Of course "weeeeeeeeeeeee" is appropriate when it's at your back

 

I race one of those bikes

But other riders are inspired to work harder when I go to the front of the peloton, and winning is more satisfying

Brian

 

I'm in my early 50s and have been riding seriously since my teens.
Refuse to wear 'team clothing' preferring a plain Descente or Assos jersey in the winter or a white Patagonia Capilene shirt in summer(reflects sun - keeps me cool)/Assos bib shorts - knickers in winter (it's not too cold here in Socal)
If someone paid me to wear their 'colors', I would be happy to do so. Otherwise, I don't feel a need to 'belong'.
Ride a Serotta Legend Ti w/chorus gruppo
(don't own a mtn bike - I threw my last one in a creek in 1990)
Use Tufo tubular clinchers
Use Heartrate monitor
Wear a helmet
prefer to train alone
ride time trials

One more thing:
Use a Camelback on a roadbike

There - I'm a dork.

 

I ride a bike store branded bike and I have bar ends on my riser bars.
I'm a MTB dork.

 

Don't forget, to the rest of the (non cycling) World we're ALL dorks.

 

I"m thinking of the term Cycling Dork from the point of view of non-cyclists.

Some people think of me as a cycling dork becuase....

1.) My cycling clothes are newer and better than my regular clothes.
2.) I wear cycling shorts, shoes, and tights just about everywhere.
3.) I have a helmet with a Nightrider headlight and tail light mounted, with wires that run down my back to a battery in a fanny pack.
4.) I've been known to walk around a supermarket, forgetting to turn the tail-light off.

Cycling Dork and Proud!!

 

Doug- I want to ride with you man- you kick ass