Re: Play cyclists, was Re: "brittle" vs. non-ductile

Jay Beattie wrote:
On Sep 12, 11:44 am, Chalo <chalo.col...@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
On Sep 12, 12:58 pm, Jay Beattie <jbeat...@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:



Is there some
point at which I convert from being Mr. Socially Responsible to bad
fun cyclist? I think it probably happens somewhere in the hills --
where I am working so hard that wearing cleated shoes, padded shorts
and a breathable jersey actually has a benefit. Now, on the weekends,
I am pure bad fun cyclist -- unless I stop at the hardware store on
the way home, then, for a breif and fleeting moment, I am Mr. Socially
Responsible -- unless I am buying killer drain cleaner or lead based
solder for joining copper pipe.
I ride for fun, lots.

I'm not saying cycling shouldn't be fun. I'm not saying that lycras
shouldn't have their own kind of fun. I'm not even objecting to folks
using the streets however the law will let them. I'm just saying that
a certain kind of cyclist-- team kit, this year's plastic bike, silly
shoes, sillier shades, point-A-to-point-A, conspicuous consumption to
the hilt-- annoys me. That's all.

I feel the same way, although I am perhaps a little less sensitive to
poseurs because I pose a little myself. I wear lycra and old team
jerseys (teams that I rode on) -- but I do not wear trade team
outfits, let alone matching (down to the socks) trade team outfits.
That is the new thing in PDX -- droves of cyclists wearing matching
trade team outfits. It only happend this year -- its like the pretty
butterflies hatched all at once.

The butterflies also have a weird spin-class fitness -- some are
really pretty strong (and look far better than me in lycra), but they
cannot ride straight and cannot descend. They also look clumsy
climbing out of the saddle -- maybe they are looking down for the
friction knob. -- Jay Beattie.


OK, I was holding back, but... There's a group of well-heeled, mostly over 50, professionals I sometimes ride with who have had a rather spectacular run of crashes over the past few years. It seems like virtually every one (perhaps of 30) is a member of the "broken collarbone club". This is not from racing. The latest incident was a broken rib and punctured lung from a crash when the rider lost control while fishing in a jersey pocket (airlifted out). Other recent ones were: accidentally jamming a water bottle into the tire/fork when replacing it in the cage (few days hospital), jamming fingers in the fork when clearing a leaf (few days hospital), fixed gear pedal strike (collarbone), jacket around waist fouling rear wheel (2 crashed, collarbone), etc., etc. Their ride reports sound like combat missions.

These guys do tons of miles, are really fit, always have the latest high-end zoot (including matching outfits), but ride with disaster hanging in the air like LA smog.

One guy in another group I ride with agonized for months over a high-end Madone (not as well-heeled as the other guys, apparently). He was crushed after he bought it because he was no faster than on his old steel clunker. He was really scary to ride with for months after that because, although he was pretty sketchy to begin with, he started to ride really hard to make the bike work -- too hard, if you know what I mean. He finally did get a little faster and is probably now convinced it was the bike. It was really trying to live up to the bike.

I have ridden with the same group, same course, 52 Saturdays a year for over 10 years now. New bikes have never changed anything. I, too, have a problem with conspicuous over consumption -- it just seems crude and tasteless, not to mention snobbish. From a performance POV, it really comes down to paying a few thousand to shave a few pounds. Considering pudge on many of these guys that borders on obscene. It's high tech liposuction.

I showed up on one ride with a new bike. One of the regulars asked what it was, I said a Nash-Bay. He didn't get it. Another guy complimented my (14 yo) son on beating him, saying how amazing it was given he had all the "wrong stuff" (jerk). My wife is frequently annoyed when riders tell her she should get "a faster bike".

I used to think it was funny when Trek used Lance, all the while he had a book out "It's Not About the Bike".
.

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