A Futile Effort
- Thread starter Sidewinder Jerry
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roughrider
Member
OK. I gotta say it. I've seen a few of these thread types. It's been bothering me for a while...
Sorry, but no guy riding a machine with a motor has any business bragging about passing anyone pedaling.
I do get it about the spandex crowd. But seriously, they are just mediocre-class wannabes, trying to make up in fashion what they lack in leg and lung power, so who gives a damn what they think? Real racing guys have a whole different psychology. All the ones I know think my moto bike is super cool. Like, the guy who built my cross bike for me, an ex Tour de France racer, AVERAGES thirty miles per hour. That beats my average speed by ten miles per hour. He's the one with bragging rights.
Sorry, but no guy riding a machine with a motor has any business bragging about passing anyone pedaling.
I do get it about the spandex crowd. But seriously, they are just mediocre-class wannabes, trying to make up in fashion what they lack in leg and lung power, so who gives a damn what they think? Real racing guys have a whole different psychology. All the ones I know think my moto bike is super cool. Like, the guy who built my cross bike for me, an ex Tour de France racer, AVERAGES thirty miles per hour. That beats my average speed by ten miles per hour. He's the one with bragging rights.
rawly old
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Not ever being in any great rush, my average speed under power in
only a couple mph faster than I get pedaling. I spent most of my
life tearing along at speed limit+. It's really a joy for me to just putt
along taking it all in. An MB just makes it easier on my mangled old legs,
but the quiet of a pedal bike is nice as well. We're all just trying to get
there as enjoyably as possible.
only a couple mph faster than I get pedaling. I spent most of my
life tearing along at speed limit+. It's really a joy for me to just putt
along taking it all in. An MB just makes it easier on my mangled old legs,
but the quiet of a pedal bike is nice as well. We're all just trying to get
there as enjoyably as possible.
HeadSmess
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i just took a putt putt for a ride and found a pedaller or two that did rise to the challenge.
who invented these bicycles built for two anyway? they go fast man! i only get up a hill that well with a run up, not so good from a standstill.
of course its childish! thats half the fun!
but when it comes to legal fights, swaying public opinion, etc... the general public is much more open to small buzzboxes zipping around the place, whereas the uber elite bulging quad ones want us exterminated and eradicated.
how many times i hear teeth grind about how they ride three or four abreast. sure, its legal, but jesus, show some respect! we dont all have that much free time to go that slow!
the non lycra clad cyclists are the ones to stay on side with
the "have to get somewhere with no other choice" or "its too nice outside to drive" type of rider are the ones that agree with motorisation. the ones that want cycle paths, and will hail you to ask about what it is, where it came from, how much it was and whether its legal...
the again, i get the odd pleasant query from the "cant walk with these bleeding shoes" crowd. very rarely.
who invented these bicycles built for two anyway? they go fast man! i only get up a hill that well with a run up, not so good from a standstill.
of course its childish! thats half the fun!
but when it comes to legal fights, swaying public opinion, etc... the general public is much more open to small buzzboxes zipping around the place, whereas the uber elite bulging quad ones want us exterminated and eradicated.
how many times i hear teeth grind about how they ride three or four abreast. sure, its legal, but jesus, show some respect! we dont all have that much free time to go that slow!
the non lycra clad cyclists are the ones to stay on side with
the "have to get somewhere with no other choice" or "its too nice outside to drive" type of rider are the ones that agree with motorisation. the ones that want cycle paths, and will hail you to ask about what it is, where it came from, how much it was and whether its legal...the again, i get the odd pleasant query from the "cant walk with these bleeding shoes" crowd. very rarely.
Sidewinder Jerry
Well-Known Member
Well I'll be the first to acknowledge many spandx warriors hate what we ride. So its nice to show them brains can beat brawn any day. That being said I also have many spandx friends. Here in my small town I've got several routes. Many of them have extremely steep hills up to a 30% grade. I often wait on them at the top of the hills or let them ride in my draft. On some of the less challenging routes many of them can hang with me for about 1 1/2 miles. My friends tell me I really help them get a great work out. When I'm taking them on my routes I never just ride off and leave them. I may ride up the road some but will always pull off the road and wait on them. My friends know they can't out run a motorized bicycle. Even though some of them thought they could before they met me.
One experience, one day. Great 115 mile circular ride from south St. Louis, Bar in Alton, along the river to the island, ferry across, catfish and beer at Kinders, another ferry ride, then across town to home. Since it was an epic day, I was accompanied most of the time (on bike paths I was nominally prohibited from) by 5-600 "Spandex heroes", on a group ride. I stayed away from clumps of them (to reduce their sensation of noise pollution), and talked them up while waiting for Ferries. Totally friendly, and lots of curiosity about my recumbent tandem with the curious mechanicals on the back. Lots of waves when I passed them on Brussels island. Take away - attitude is everything. FYI, I pedal ride ~8 hours/week, and could care less about MB's. I'm into the endorphins and when passed, so what????
V 35
Member
My close encounter with the spandex kind ocurred right next to the Miss Worcester Diner, and the famous Southbridge St Railroad bridge,
I pedaled until the rider entered the abyss under the bridge, than gunned it for all its worth, blowing by his mega bux bike , leaving a thunderous noise, and a cloud of 2 stroke oil as a reminder of, who's boss, and who's bossie. I normally show the greatest respect for pedal bikers, but this guy was too much to resist. Had he been riding a dept. store special, I wouldn't have done it.
I pedaled until the rider entered the abyss under the bridge, than gunned it for all its worth, blowing by his mega bux bike , leaving a thunderous noise, and a cloud of 2 stroke oil as a reminder of, who's boss, and who's bossie. I normally show the greatest respect for pedal bikers, but this guy was too much to resist. Had he been riding a dept. store special, I wouldn't have done it.
Fabian
Well-Known Member
That's a partly true statement because there are cyclists (with whom i do not have any problem with) and then there are the percentage of Spandex clad, elitist ******** (Lance Armstrong) wannabe's on mega dollar (titanium everything) road racing bicycles who not only ride two, three and four abreast; blocking 4 wheeled traffic from getting past (even on roads designated as single file for cyclists, as well as giving moral speech that i shouldn't be on the road with an engine in a bike, then throw apples and bananas and water bottles at me when i give them a piece of my mind, starting with riding single file so the 200 car drivers bunched up behind them (on a windy road where overtaking isn't safely possible) can get to their destination in a timely manner.
@ Big red - i have zero, and i mean zero respect for elitist ******** cyclists, believing that they can hold up traffic because their "training ride" carries greater importance than the business of car drivers desperately trying to get to their destination; with the knowledge that they'll be stuck behind a bunch of arrogant elitist cyclists riding at 5 mph on a hill climb training ride.
rawly old
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I am unconcerned for the most part, living in a town that's more forest
than town where every street is a back road. Not much traffic to hold
up. I don't have a problem with sharing the road. Like the Chicago song
says "Does anybody know what time it is? Does anybody really care....
about time." If so I can't imagine why!
than town where every street is a back road. Not much traffic to hold
up. I don't have a problem with sharing the road. Like the Chicago song
says "Does anybody know what time it is? Does anybody really care....
about time." If so I can't imagine why!
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Westcoaster
New Member
I see lots of lycra wearing cyclists here since we have mild weather all year round and I run about 6 miles a day on a long sidewalk stretch along a wide road that has dedicated bicycle lanes. Most times it's just the loner cyclist or maybe a pair. Most times things are cool. Sometimes two cyclists will stay side by side so they can talk. When driving, I'm careful to head to the inner part of my lane as I pass, but, my wife totally despises these side by side cyclists. On weekend early mornings, I've seen groups of more than 50 men & women pass me by while I run. On that occasion they are probably 3 bikes wide and cycling into the right car lane, but, at that time of day, there really isn't much traffic... so, a car can easily pass the herd in the inner lane. However, I can sympathize with motorists getting upset if it became congested and tricky to pass the herd.
There were a few times in other parts of town where I've seen a few moron lycra wearing cyclists thinking they own the road. They don't care about anyone around them... including pedestrians.... it's all about them.
I tend to be supportive and sympathetic towards cyclists, but, when they ride like a total tool, I can understand the anger of some of the posters here.
The bike lanes are changing here... starting next year, there's some kind of new law where motorists have to give cyclists 3 feet. One some bike lanes in town, they're widening them and painting white hash marks to serve as a buffer between motorists and cyclists.
There were a few times in other parts of town where I've seen a few moron lycra wearing cyclists thinking they own the road. They don't care about anyone around them... including pedestrians.... it's all about them.
I tend to be supportive and sympathetic towards cyclists, but, when they ride like a total tool, I can understand the anger of some of the posters here.
The bike lanes are changing here... starting next year, there's some kind of new law where motorists have to give cyclists 3 feet. One some bike lanes in town, they're widening them and painting white hash marks to serve as a buffer between motorists and cyclists.
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