Will people want to make fun of my bike?

[HellonWheels]

(OK, I can't believe I'm admitting this fear, but...)

Last summer I wanted to go on a bike ride to raise money for charity that a friend organized....I chickened out because I was afraid others would make fun of my bike. Too many people think all cyclists look like Lance Armstrong, and ride 5,000 dollar racing bikes.

Well, I'm a middleaged woman with three bikes--all of which are 3 speeds that are anywhere from 25 to 30 years old. I prefer 3 speeds, I have never ridden anything else as an adult, and I am sentimentally attached to them because I grew up with them.

Will other riders make fun of my bike? Is this a silly question? I shouldn't care what others think but for some reason I feel insecure about this. I REALLY want to do a ride this summer or next, I just need to know if the type of bike matters.

 

[dale ditzler]

some people make fun of everything and everyone and are not worth the time it takes to think about, but from my experience, most of the people on these rides are there because they like it and the assortment of riders and bikes is part of the experience. i love to see all the different bikes and riders. kudos to anyone riding a three speed. most of the bikes sold at stores are not made for someone of my weight and cookie cutter bikes are just not all that interesting. i have a friend with many bikes and don't think any of them have wheels that match, but all have character and he rides as well as anyone. character and determination can't be bought. individuality is a beutiful thing. you go girl.

 

[dale ditzler]

...there's a trend towards less gears with people converting thier bikes to single speed and some to fixed gear, where coasting is not an option. that may be a little extreme...so i'd say with three speeds....you're ahead of your time.

 

[Eden]

(OK, I can't believe I'm admitting this fear, but...)

Last summer I wanted to go on a bike ride to raise money for charity that a friend organized....I chickened out because I was afraid others would make fun of my bike. Too many people think all cyclists look like Lance Armstrong, and ride 5,000 dollar racing bikes.

Well, I'm a middleaged woman with three bikes--all of which are 3 speeds that are anywhere from 25 to 30 years old. I prefer 3 speeds, I have never ridden anything else as an adult, and I am sentimentally attached to them because I grew up with them.

Will other riders make fun of my bike? Is this a silly question? I shouldn't care what others think but for some reason I feel insecure about this. I REALLY want to do a ride this summer or next, I just need to know if the type of bike matters.

No one will make fun of your bike - if anything they'll cheer you on for using it - your job will be harder than theirs and most people appreciate the effort. The last big ride I did there were a couple of guys riding "green machines", which are basically bigwheels, a guy with no legs and only one arm on a handcycle! probably at least one unicycle though I didn't see any this year and every bike from the most expensive racers to cruisers. If anyone gets made fun of its the people who think they look Lance, have a $5,000 bike and then do about 10mph on it.
If you want to get out there and do it you should! and have fun doing it.

 

[basso97]

(OK, I can't believe I'm admitting this fear, but...)

Last summer I wanted to go on a bike ride to raise money for charity that a friend organized....I chickened out because I was afraid others would make fun of my bike. Too many people think all cyclists look like Lance Armstrong, and ride 5,000 dollar racing bikes.

Well, I'm a middleaged woman with three bikes--all of which are 3 speeds that are anywhere from 25 to 30 years old. I prefer 3 speeds, I have never ridden anything else as an adult, and I am sentimentally attached to them because I grew up with them.

Will other riders make fun of my bike? Is this a silly question? I shouldn't care what others think but for some reason I feel insecure about this. I REALLY want to do a ride this summer or next, I just need to know if the type of bike matters.

I do not think anyone will make fun of you and your bike, I think it will be quite the opposite.

I rode on the Horribly Hilly Hundreds, earlier this year and there was a person ridding a Huffy with tennis shoes on. He finished the ride and everyone was talking about him and worndering what he could have done with a good bike.

Just do it!

 

[HellonWheels]

Thanks so much to everyone who replied....all this time I really felt insecure, esp. since mostly all the serious cyclists I see have the thousands dollar plus bikes, jerseys, etc. (shrug) I kept worrying they'd be thinking, "Look at that middleaged woman with an old 3 speed!"

The Raleigh 3 speed bike I use for riding is actually in almost mint condition...I bought it from a woman who had stored it in her garage, covered, for something like 25 years. Never got around to using it, and her loss is my gain! My other two 3 speeds are in not-so-great shape, but I use those for grocery shopping only.

Thanks again!

 

[dale ditzler]

Thanks so much to everyone who replied....all this time I really felt insecure, esp. since mostly all the serious cyclists I see have the thousands dollar plus bikes, jerseys, etc. (shrug) I kept worrying they'd be thinking, "Look at that middleaged woman with an old 3 speed!"

The Raleigh 3 speed bike I use for riding is actually in almost mint condition...I bought it from a woman who had stored it in her garage, covered, for something like 25 years. Never got around to using it, and her loss is my gain! My other two 3 speeds are in not-so-great shape, but I use those for grocery shopping only.

Thanks again!

if you're riding a raleigh three speed you have nothing to apologize for and are in good company. wish i still had the one i sold. you'll enjoy sheldon brown's site on these bikes: http://www.sheldonbrown.com/raleigh.html as well as some of the other links on the page. those old raleighs are gorgeous.

 

[HellonWheels]

if you're riding a raleigh three speed you have nothing to apologize for and are in good company. wish i still had the one i sold. you'll enjoy sheldon brown's site on these bikes: http://www.sheldonbrown.com/raleigh.html as well as some of the other links on the page. those old raleighs are gorgeous.

I know about Sheldon's site, thanks! I found it months ago when my husband and I needed to do some work on my oldest bike (a black Drake 3 speed, bought in 1976) My blue bike is a Sears FreeSpirit, 3 speed, which my husband bought me when we married in 1983. The only one I use for riding is the Raleigh, the other two are for utilitarian/shopping/errands.

BTW my husband bought me the Raleigh last summer, it still had packaging plastic around the reflectors...a neighborhood woman had had it stored for something like 25 yrs in her garage, she had bought it and never got to ride it due to an accident. We got it for fifty bucks.