Sometimes I get tired of people shoaling when I ride the Divvy

It's truly a humbling experience to have riders cut in front of me at the red light every day on my Divvy morning commute. Just because I wear the business attire doesn't mean I'm a square, does it?

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Permalink Reply by Tony Adams on May 2, 2017 at 10:22am

I'm pretty sure it isn't about the attire but about the bike. DIVVYs are heavy and badly geared and when you combine those things with a ridership that seems to have less experience, the result is a stereotype that a rider on a DIVVY will be slow and the best thing to do is to get ahead of them for everyone's comfort and safety.

There are plenty of exceptions of course!

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Permalink Reply by Steve Fiete on May 2, 2017 at 1:04pm

Divvy riders are the cycling world's version of AOL users.

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Permalink Reply by Marcelo Marcos on May 3, 2017 at 4:15am

I'm curious now. What exactly about riding a Divvy makes me the cycling world's version of an AOL user?

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Permalink Reply by Steve Fiete on May 3, 2017 at 6:41am

Since I am a Divvy rider I have wondered that myself. I had the insight based on reactions from a couple of "serious bike people" when I told them that I Divvy for the last mile of my commute to work.

Divvy is great and AOL was great in its day. The main commonality is how the general population of internet users in the 90's regarded AOL users of the time. More specifically, both are a service that compromises quality and makes up for it with ease of use. From the perspective of people who have devoted themselves to the best quality possible, giving it up for convenience seems crazy.

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Permalink Reply by Marcelo Marcos on May 3, 2017 at 6:51am

Thanks for the insights. I'm unfortunately not that familiar with AOL, but I totally see your point. My bike has components that are worth more than what any of my coworkers think a whole bike should be worth. But as a mountain biker, I find it incredibly convenient to not worry about someone stealing my bike when I ride to work.

I do sometimes get tired about looking like an ass, hence the whole idea behind that video I shared and the switch that happens at the 10 second mark.

The question is where do us "serious riders" who sometimes Divvy fall in? The answer, I guess, is that its good to stay humble. Your bike does not define you after all.

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Permalink Reply by Maurice on May 2, 2017 at 4:22pm

I agee that it's the bike, not the rider. No way you're going to keep pace with a regular commuter on a road bike when the light turns green.

My policy is that I never shoal but, whenever I'm behind a Divvy, I regret that policy.

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Permalink Reply by Alex Z on May 3, 2017 at 3:13am

I was going to make a post about this! :)

When I'm on a Divvy and someone on a road bike shoals me, I'm never offended. I know they have reason to believe I'll be slower than them (and they're probably right).

When another DIVVY rider shoals me, I AM offended. :)