Does anyone not mind fast road bikes?

I'm pretty new to Chainlink and the biking community in general. Despite having obsessively ridden for the last few years, I've always been pretty spartan about it and was never terribly interested in diving into the culture. Anyway, maybe I'm crazy but there's a pretty noticeable dislike for road bikers around here (multiply it by 1,000 if they're going fast) and I'm just wondering what's the deal with that?

I have a few bikes and I dont fit into any one particular category of biker. Cross for commuting and getting around. An old mountain bike for hooking the tagalong up so I can ride with (ie tow) one of my kids. And yes, I have a road bike for the weekend. It's carbon. I wear lycra. I ride fast. I love it. Point is, I think I can pretty much appreciate most types of riders since I'm all over the map.

The few other road bike folks I've ridden with are practically militant about being safe and courteous. I try to be the same. I commute along the LFP during the week so I encounter issues almost daily, and honestly, they're almost never with road bikes, even fast ones. All of my experiences with these people have been pretty good. 

So what's with the seemingly universal disdain for people traveling fast on road bikes? Obviously I'm sure there are instances of ill-advised passes or some other unsafe move, but every strata is guilty of doing stupid stuff, yet it seems like there's a special kind of dislike reserved for road bikes around here.

Views: 3597

▶ Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by David P. on August 28, 2013 at 4:14pm

I've never gotten the same impression that you have, but perhaps what is mostly disparaged are roadie types trying to hammer in inappropriate conditions, e.g. trying to do 25mph through North Avenue Beach on a Saturday afternoon in the summer.

Permalink Reply by mark stetson on August 28, 2013 at 7:04pm

My first good bike was a MTB that I used mainly for commuting, but my second was a road racing bike.  I've done the local training rides, TTs, and raced some.  I've met some nice people in that setting, but also have come across many that seem to have a contemptuous attitude towards folks that don't take racing/training/clothing/equipment as seriously as they do themselves.  I found the atmosphere generally, but not universally, unwelcoming.  I think there's been plenty of disdain for roadies expressed on this site too.  I've ridden, and continue to ride with anyone that will have me: road racers, tri geeks, MTB riders, tourists, commuters, octogenarians.  

Permalink Reply by Skip Montanaro 0mi on August 28, 2013 at 10:21pm

I agree with David P. that context is everything. 25mph on most sections of the LFT this time of year is asking for trouble. 25mph on Waukegan Road in Northbrook is fine. 25mph on many sections LFT in January if the path is dry might well also be fine.

Permalink Reply by Reboot Oxnard on August 28, 2013 at 11:53pm

I grew up snow skiing and there was a special place in hell reserved for the schussboomers - the folks that were skiing wildly and often not in control. It wasn't that they were obnoxious, they were a danger to themselves and to others. Not everyone who skied fast was out of control but enough of them were to collectively make them a hazard.

Thus it is with the lycranauts - not all of you are out of control and not all of you are dangerous. But enough of you are that the rest of the world has taken notice. The too-fast-for-conditions bikers aren't just dangerous to themselves and others, they bring disdain and opprobrium upon bikers in general and that really sucks. 25 mph on the roads makes you a minor obstacle to the cars. 25 mph on the trail makes you a substantial threat to pedestrians, skaters and many bikers. Fast on the LFT, especially during the summer months, is almost always dangerous and that makes it irresponsible.

Permalink Reply by Len Krietz on August 29, 2013 at 1:58am

I don't mind fast road bikes (I'm also a lycra clad roadie & a non lycra clad 365 commuter).

I don't like idiot roadies on the LFP or elsewhere.

I don't like idiot hipsters on fixies on the LFP or elsewhere.

I don't like idiots riders young, old & in between on MTB, hybrids, frankenbikes, cruisers, or funky european city bikes on the LFP or elsewhere.

I don't like idiot divvy riders on the LFP or elsewhere.

I do like any bike rider fast or slow when they ride safe & courteous.  Unfortunately the idiot population is growing.

BTW I also agree that the Chainlink community has a bias or attitude against roadies (just my feeling from reading posts for the past few years).

Permalink Reply by S on August 29, 2013 at 5:39am

It seems that a lot of people assume all roadies are idiot roadies.  Why else are terms like lycranaut, wanna-be lances, etc. used so often to refer to roadies.  I haven't really seen the same type of opprobrium being shown to other types of cyclists.   

Serge Lubomudrov said:

A bias against idiot roadies, definitely.

Len Krietz said:

[...] BTW I also agree that the Chainlink community has a bias or attitude against roadies (just my feeling from reading posts for the past few years).
Permalink Reply by WillG on August 29, 2013 at 5:50am

I think it's the speed thing for a lot of people on this forum.

You know the saying, "If they're going faster than me ("roadies"), they're a crazed maniac, if they're going slower than me ("joggers") they're an idiot."

That basically sums up 80% of posts to this board.

Permalink Reply by Gort 12-mile Pinklegneep on August 29, 2013 at 6:27am

As an idiot hipster, I 

Len Krietz said:

I don't mind fast road bikes (I'm also a lycra clad roadie & a non lycra clad 365 commuter).

I don't like idiot roadies on the LFP or elsewhere.

I don't like idiot hipsters on fixies on the LFP or elsewhere.

I don't like idiots riders young, old & in between on MTB, hybrids, frankenbikes, cruisers, or funky european city bikes on the LFP or elsewhere.

I don't like idiot divvy riders on the LFP or elsewhere.

I do like any bike rider fast or slow when they ride safe & courteous.  Unfortunately the idiot population is growing.

BTW I also agree that the Chainlink community has a bias or attitude against roadies (just my feeling from reading posts for the past few years).

Permalink Reply by daWillinChi on August 29, 2013 at 6:58am

HA! Well said, indeed!!!

Where's the "Like" or "Promote" button for this post?

Will G - 10mi said:

I think it's the speed thing for a lot of people on this forum.

You know the saying, "If they're going faster than me ("roadies"), they're a crazed maniac, if they're going slower than me ("joggers") they're an idiot."

That basically sums up 80% of posts to this board.

Permalink Reply by GabeW (not the other Gabe) on August 29, 2013 at 7:17am

It's just the nature of thechainlink to try to define people's behavior by generalizing them into a category and being stereotypical.  It kind of drowns out any real discussion or info about bikes and rides for me.  It's why all I do is troll now.  Speaking of which, I've been meaning to change my profile picture...

Permalink Reply by Anne on August 29, 2013 at 7:29am

as a human being, I hate:

People that stop at the top/bottom of escalators.

People who, when in front of you into a revolving door, expect me, behind them, to revolve the door for them.

"A person is smart, 'people' are dumb, panicky dangerouse animals..." Agent K, Men in Black

Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on August 29, 2013 at 7:42am

Absolutely. It's all about context and courtesy. If you're creating a hazard for other people, that's a problem. If what you're doing is safe for current conditions, that's fine.

Reboot Oxnard said:

I grew up snow skiing and there was a special place in hell reserved for the schussboomers - the folks that were skiing wildly and often not in control. It wasn't that they were obnoxious, they were a danger to themselves and to others. Not everyone who skied fast was out of control but enough of them were to collectively make them a hazard.

Thus it is with the lycranauts - not all of you are out of control and not all of you are dangerous. But enough of you are that the rest of the world has taken notice. The too-fast-for-conditions bikers aren't just dangerous to themselves and others, they bring disdain and opprobrium upon bikers in general and that really sucks. 25 mph on the roads makes you a minor obstacle to the cars. 25 mph on the trail makes you a substantial threat to pedestrians, skaters and many bikers. Fast on the LFT, especially during the summer months, is almost always dangerous and that makes it irresponsible.

RSS

Groups

© 2008-2016   The Chainlink Community, L.L.C.   Powered by

Disclaimer  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service