What's a cycling dork?



Originally posted by Rudy
I, for one, thoroughly enjoy riding my old litespeed Catalyst. The feel of Ti bike and the lightness of it makes the work out so much more enjoyable.
I recently got fitted with an aerobar just to try it out. And right off, I gained anywhere from 3 to 5 mph while doing solo laps on a local neighborhood with bike lanes. This is my regular workout whenever time permitts. I also spend times in the gym to lift weights.
I know I'm not as fast or as strong as a lot of riders, but heck, I'm 40 and in great shape compare to many others at same age. I'm drooling at a P2K ...used bike from a LBS racing team. They're ready to sell these bikes at much reduced price after a year of racing on them. The thoughts of riding such a bike and experience it is...welll so tempting.
I've got fitted on TT bike a few days back and it seems that it's more comfortable to be in that position on a true TT bike than on a road bike with aerobars. Heck it's more comfy than road position even...maybe :)
All I can say is...if the bike is cheap/affordable enough...it would be quite an experience...dorky or not, I say.
It's funny that as early as 1990, the top riders in the world still didn't realize the value of a set of aerobars, as evident in the Tour de France. That year, Laurent Fignon lost the tour by an incredible 8 seconds as the American, Greg Lemond, overcame a 50 second margin in the last time trial, a 24 km event. Lemond used aero bars. Fignon didn't realize they made much difference. I don't think the other riders used them either.
 
perhaps the snobbery comes from the fact that the serious guys and gals ARE serious about cycling, they may be so focussed they just don't notice you.
 
hmm im a pretty serious cycler but mainly in the mountain bike arena. My MTB is ok, middle of the road and par for the course as a entry level racing bike goes. However given that i live miles from the track, my training focuese on my Road bike

I found my roadie out the front of my next door neihbours house ready for the junk heap. Its a no name brand i think " Bennet"??? and had buckled wheels, old heavy gear changers that didnt work, non existant pedals etc. All it took was a little TLC and now i have a bike that i love. I take it out to the Olypmics area at homebush in sydney and ride along with all the other pro cyclists and i really dont give a flying about what they think about my bike. Sure in a race they would eat me alive but on my free bike im having at least as much fun as they are and at the end of the day it more than serves its purpose as my training mule for my MTB.
 
Originally posted by hdtvkss
I found my roadie out the front of my next door neihbours house ready for the junk heap. Its a no name brand i think " Bennet"??? and had buckled wheels, old heavy gear changers that didnt work, non existant pedals etc. All it took was a little TLC and now i have a bike that i love. I take it out to the Olypmics area at homebush in sydney and ride along with all the other pro cyclists and i really dont give a flying about what they think about my bike. Sure in a race they would eat me alive but on my free bike im having at least as much fun as they are and at the end of the day it more than serves its purpose as my training mule for my MTB.


yippe, a kindred spirit. I got back into cycling in my late twenties via the local tip, bad lifestyle & a cruddy malvern star frame. Cycling dork? I've given up on the stereotypes, I don't know of any cycling chicks similar to me. Being a subset is fun, freewheeling down a hill on a bike that looks like a three-ring circus and yelling weeeeeeee is effing grand. I fully intend to become more serious about cycling & components etc in the future, but my intent will probably become sillier. Admire Lance, Jan, Stu etc, but my hero is a local bloke who must be at least in his 70's pedalling around on a old road frame with a Sturmey-Archer.
He the man.
 
I remember this one old man who was 95 and lived in Sacramento, California. He used to ride in the middle of two lanes on a major road: Folsom Blvd. He rode a non motorized three wheeler with a big basket in the rear, and he used to back traffic up for blocks. He was also hard of hearing. The horns didn't bother him much.
 
Originally posted by zaskar
it all depends on what your goals are, a heavy bike and
chuck taylors wont get you on the podium. i strated out
with a $400 bike and thought that was plenty good enough
but after getting stronger in faster i got a better bike and
so on, if you just wanna ride 50-100 miles a week a heavy
tank of a bike is ok, but you dont see compeitive cyclist
on cheap heavy bikes. its not about being a dork cuz
you ride a cheaper bike your just in another class.
its like if you have a corvette are you gonna admire
my pinto? or if you live in the foothills, are you gonna hang
with people in the ghetto? we all may be cyclist but
theres differant class of cyclist, guys who race and train
hard dont have much in common with the cyclist who
does it for excersise. why do most people on lower
end equip think there looked down on? thats probly
there insercurity or jelousy.

My goal is to improve myself within the real world limits that I have. I have the bike I have because it's what was in my price range.

For about six months now I have put in 80-100 miles each week on my heavy bike with my Chucks....

As I indicated I'd rather have better equipment... but for me right now this is what I can afford.... I'm hoping to get bike shoes and pedals for Christmas...

Since I'm riding in the outfit I have already described, I really think I'm insecure, and I really don't care what other cyclists think of me... At the same time, I just think it's a bit silly for "high end" guys to put someone down because they are just starting out and didn't shell out $2,500 for a ride.

I do know this... I went for a group ride with a local club.... about 60 people total....

I could not stay with the fastest group of guys... about 6 of them.... but I did stay with the second group... for 25 miles.... and frankly, I was the only guy in that group wearing street clothes and of course my Chucks.... I don't for a minute think that it makes me competitive... but it made me feel good....
 
Oh to still be riding at 95!
Great thread here, we are all different and all love / appreciate our rides for what they are.
Personally I reckon I must be a bit of a dork, and probably come over that way quite regularly.
My ride is a Raleigh Dualie (probably a rip-off) which I bought in the Middle East before the war, it is now minus all the stickers, I've replaced the the front 42 crankset with a shimano 52 for the road, she wears dunlop roadies and sports a bar-end rearview mirror, strapless pedal clips and even has uv flasher valve caps compliments of my daughters for father's day - besides, they keep me amused on those occasions when I find myself riding home after dark ( yep, I'm a commuter as well).
What do I wear? Fluoro yellow (King Gee) long sleeve polo, good for visibility in Sydney traffic and for UV protection, Stackhat is a Rosebank Summit with Visor, a pair of "shy shorts" now it's getting warmer, but I wore a pair of my wife's winter leotards all during winter (at least they were black)! And I carry the wet weather gear, lunch and spare socks and jocks in the Carribee streamline hydropack, which also wears a reflector belt.

Might look like adork, but I'm comfortable, get to work faster than drive and park, get some great exercise, have improved my health to the point where my BP is lower at 51 than it was twenty years ago, no cholestorol to worry about, and I have a good time to boot, and yep, I've been known to get carried away and pretend I was a kid again going downhills. WWEEEEEEEE!!!!

Long live the dorks!!!!!!!!

No-one will nbe able to say they didn't see me coming.
 
Everybody's a cycling dork (except Lance). The clothing is ridiculous. My wife still laughs at me when I come home from a ride.

In how many sport do you wear clothes that are very expensive, and they are nothing more than billboards. We look like Nascar automobiles. Why can't they come up with a decent looking jersey without brand names all over it?

Everytime we drive by somebody cycling, she states *There goes one of your brethren, aren't you going to wave?*

I enjoy it though, although I am a little self concious when I walk into the convenience store, clicking my heels on the floor and my package in plain view as prance around? Its almost as obnoxious as wearing a Speedo (nuthugger/bonesack) swimsuit.
 
Originally posted by surfnole
Everybody's a cycling dork (except Lance). The clothing is ridiculous. My wife still laughs at me when I come home from a ride.

In how many sport do you wear clothes that are very expensive, and they are nothing more than billboards. We look like Nascar automobiles. Why can't they come up with a decent looking jersey without brand names all over it?

Everytime we drive by somebody cycling, she states *There goes one of your brethren, aren't you going to wave?*

I enjoy it though, although I am a little self concious when I walk into the convenience store, clicking my heels on the floor and my package in plain view as prance around? Its almost as obnoxious as wearing a Speedo (nuthugger/bonesack) swimsuit.

LOL I don't wear cycling jersey...I do wear cycling shorts because of the padding..but for the top, I just wear nike's dry fit t-shirts...

Yea I wish they do something about helmets...lol ....it's hard to find a decent looking helmets on your head. They're so ugly...lol
 
Heh - I'm pretty new to riding competitively (and not very good yet (tm) ). I'm basically in it to have fun. I can definitely identify with the yelling "Wheeeee" on the downhills bit - I did that at a sprint triathlon this year after overtaking 3 other cyclists on a hill climb on the 2nd lap. I felt so good going over the hill that on the way down again I was whooping with joy :-D (They caught me again on the flat!).

I also tried a mountainbike race late this season - I felt like I really stood out as my bike was the only one without suspension! And I was using straps not cleats! The difference in quality showed as well as I finished 10 minutes after everyone else - but given thet I was there to have a "taster" of mountainbiking I really enjoyed myself. I learnt a lot (like I prefer road racing!) and had fun at the same time. I also got "thank-you's" from quite a few riders who I gave ample room to pass me on the singletrack sections. It was important to me not to hold anyone up.

Basically I'm in the "enthusiastic beginner" category of racing and fully intend to be able to hold my own a little better this coming season. I doubt I'll ever bother shaving my legs though and I can't see myself on a podium any time soon. So far I've not had any negative vibes from anyone.
 
i said before on a similar thread. look around people, we're all reading and posting on cycling forum, that's as dorky as it gets :)

my dorkiest things:
1.the shorts with vest attached (just because they were the best shorts honest!). looks a bit S&M, and doesn't leave much to the imagination.
2.the pleasure to be had out of cleaning gears, something about getting them gleaming that i love.


btw, saying "weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!" on the downhills should be compulsory, along with a mantra of "f**K, f**K, f**K, f**K, f**K, f**K, f**K, f**K, on the big hills. ;)
 
Originally posted by jacobxray
i said before on a similar thread. look around people, we're all reading and posting on cycling forum, that's as dorky as it gets :)

my dorkiest things:
1.the shorts with vest attached (just because they were the best shorts honest!). looks a bit S&M, and doesn't leave much to the imagination.
2.the pleasure to be had out of cleaning gears, something about getting them gleaming that i love.


btw, saying "weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!" on the downhills should be compulsory, along with a mantra of "f**K, f**K, f**K, f**K, f**K, f**K, f**K, f**K, on the big hills. ;)

True: cycling + computers = 7th circle of geekdom :D

Having said that I've just been out in my trusty automobile and spotted a serious-looking cyclist wearing a polka dot jersey. I always thought it was a bit dorky to wear yellow/green/rainbow etc. jerseys, am I wrong?? Anyone here make a habit of pretending to be Armstrong/Virenque et al?
 
Is it OK to to mix a jersey from one team with shorts from another? Does anyone notice?
I take longer dressing for my rides than O do to go to work!

I think dork is OK. at least, ppl see you - who cares what they say!


------
It's never too late, but you can't turn the clock back.
 
Originally posted by REBORN
Is it OK to to mix a jersey from one team with shorts from another? Does anyone notice?
I take longer dressing for my rides than O do to go to work!

I think dork is OK. at least, ppl see you - who cares what they say!


------
It's never too late, but you can't turn the clock back.

But does it make you look cool? if it does...then who cares
lol
 
Originally posted by pineapple
True: cycling + computers = 7th circle of geekdom :D

Having said that I've just been out in my trusty automobile and spotted a serious-looking cyclist wearing a polka dot jersey. I always thought it was a bit dorky to wear yellow/green/rainbow etc. jerseys, am I wrong?? Anyone here make a habit of pretending to be Armstrong/Virenque et al?

I must confess that my first cycling jersey was a polka dot one ( a gift). I thought it looked good as I had matching socks (also a gift)!!!!

It took me about 12 months before I realised it was the hill climbing jersey from the TdF. No wonder people were looking at me strangely - why you ask...................................

......Let me put you in the picture a little clearer. I am 6'3" and about 260lbs (ex rugby/football player). I am definately not a hill climber.

Why is there no jersey for going downhills - I reckon I could do well there!

And BTW I don't consider myself to be a dork, strangely no one who I stand next to thinks that either.
 
If you are after a jersey without advertising, go to your local club and see what they have to offer. It tends to be fashionable around here to wear the local jersey, and its a nice design.

Wearing the polka dot jersey on a flat course is always a laugh.

I think those that are mixing it with the 'high hopes' and doing ok while dressing like a dork or riding a brick and beating the 'champions' are the real dorks as they stand out and make these mistakes regularly.

I love my camelback in winter and they reckon it and my 22lbs bike are holding me back from A Grade.

Long live dorkism

Brian
 
A timely thread given the Sydney RTA ride was just over a week ago...that's a classic Dork ride! Old Repco road bikes with BMX handlebars that look like they're found in the council clean up with the remnants of one of those chrome dynamo lighting sets from the 70's...that's a dork bike. People that ride along oblivious to the clunking of a loose crank, or a continually rattling chain that hasn't quite gone into gear. Then there was the guy on one of the Wollongong rides oblivious to the chain on his antique Raleigh as it squeaked it's way along the 90km course. And the clothes...what is it with wearing footy shorts over lycra? I can't imagine anything so uncomfortable and annoying. And the long sleeve cotton T shirts in 25 degree heat. Dorky helmets? The original orange Rosebank stackhat from the mid 80's...I'd rather pay the $43 fine than wear one of those. I couldn't believe someone would be so dorky to steal my 1984 white Bell helmet from my garage! No offence to anyone though...it's all good fun and I really admire cyclist dorks for getting out and riding regardless of what anyone thinks which is more than most people will do.
My claim to dorkdom? Browsing the Malvern Star website and then buying their bikes :)
 
Originally posted by newbikeguy
I'm new to riding... I bought a Trek 1000 because it was the best bike I could afford. Along those lines, while I'd love to be fully outfitted, it's not in my budget at this point.

I've lost weight and generally feel better about myself since I started riding this summer, so I really don't care if some guy on a $3,000 bike thinks I'm a dork because I'm riding with an old performance helmet and a pair of Chuck Taylor All Stars.

To me it really seems like the type of attitude that I'd expect from a group of 7th and 8th graders.

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.
 

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