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Does cycling attract more arrogant folk than other sports?

  • This topic has 30 replies, 24 voices, and was last updated 13 years ago by Anonymous.
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  • June 2, 2013 at 12:17 pm #18973
    Tinternet_tim

    The reason I ask the question……

    I’m currently out for a few hours on the bike and have stopped at a small cafe in ambergate for coffee and cake. As I am out by myself I’m not giving anyone the opportunity to slip away with my bike so I wheeled in in to the cafe to order before I was going to take it out with me to sit outside.
    The cafe owner didn’t seem to bothered that I brought it in while ordering but then I hear someone chirp up behind me (a fellow cyclist) and the conversation had gone something like this:
    Cyclist “you can’t bring THAT in here”.
    Me “I’m just bringing it in while ordering and will be sitting outside”
    Cafe owner ” Dont worry we have never had one pinched to date, but then I have just tempted fait!”
    Me “well it to expensive for me to have it pinched”
    Cyclist “Dont worry but they’ll nick my R3 before they nick THAT!”
    Me “well I can’t afford to have MINE nicked”

    As I walked out his R3 was indeed looking like a nice bike and just so we could all tell he was a competitive cyclist he’d been kind enough to leave a race number attached from his last event.

    So, if you are that man my personal opinion is that you sir are an arse!

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  • June 4, 2013 at 8:14 am #739625
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    Anonymous

    Cycle_Jim wrote:I have

    Cycle_Jim wrote:
    I have noticed the amount of arses on the road recently, seems like nobody wants to say hi! I think in winter the purists are out to play, they know your a true cyclist rather than the fair weather folk.

    Couldn’t agree more.

    As for the guy in the cafe, I’m sure you were taken aback by his comments at the time so a quick one liner was hard to come by, maybe just laughing out loud would’ve drawn his attention to his narcissistic tendencies but probably not.

    June 4, 2013 at 6:48 am #739623
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    Cycle_Jim

    Taken mine in to a pub, I did
    Taken mine in to a pub, I did ask first though. Uni a few times, shops and what not. I don’t think people have much of a problem with it! I have noticed the amount of arses on the road recently, seems like nobody wants to say hi! I think in winter the purists are out to play, they know your a true cyclist rather than the fair weather folk.

    June 4, 2013 at 6:04 am #739621
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    miles_from_anywhere

    dunnoh wrote:In my experience

    dunnoh wrote:
    In my experience recently, there are a lot of Road cyclists that appear ill mannered, arrogant or miserable at best (I say recently because all the riders who I’ve met in the winter months mostly seem quite jolly and sociable – which doesn’t really make sense).

    It is true that the rise in temperature brings out the rubbish.

    June 3, 2013 at 11:02 pm #739619
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    Colin Peyresourde

    Hmmm. Lots to say. I have
    Hmmm. Lots to say. I have taken my bike into Sainsbury’s on one occasion. But for a quick dash inside (noting queue length, length of time to be served etc) I might leave my bike outside.

    Perhaps noting that you had chosen to bring you bike in when the R3 rider had trusted his for the sake of other cafe users was deemed rude in its own way. I think there are cases to be made both ways. I just wouldn’t get upset about it. On an emotional level I would state rule no. 5.

    I don’t think arrogance is the preserve of cyclists by any means. Ego, bravado etc. are all evident in any sport I’ve been involved in. But cycling does have in-built snobbery written large. For some people this is an appeal, for others it perhaps proves their own sense of inequality in the world. Many of the responses have been as quick to judge the individual on his bike alone, rather than the fact that the poster may have caused an offence to the R3 rider.

    I would say that your pedals should do the talking, and that if you feel inferior figure out why that is. Your bike may slow you down, but that doesn’t make you an inferior cyclist, because lb for lb you maybe better. But if you are jealous of another mans ride you should not be. You do not know the road he has travelled to get it and if it bothers you think about what you need to do to buy it, is THAT worth it to you. All this angst about another rider is so very un-zen.

    June 3, 2013 at 10:12 pm #739617
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    Strathlubnaig

    Refer him to Rule #75.
    Refer him to Rule #75. Anyway, the point here is not object or not object to wheeling the bike inside, but the knobs snobby attitude to his and your bike models etc, that and the race number, tosser. He probably keeps his ski lift pass from Les Arcs on his jacket all year long too.

    June 3, 2013 at 1:18 pm #739615
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    The _Kaner

    I think you are in some way
    I think you are in some way correct regarding the arrogance of certain cyclists…the elitist…always one to boast of his latest acquisition etc…
    I never visit cafes with my bike, preferring to solo cycle in around 99% of my endeavours, never felt the need to stop off for cake/coffee.
    It does pee me off quite regularly when ignored by said type of cyclist, like I’m some piece of scum, in his £400 r0ph@ socks….giving the 1000 yard stare as you acknowledge him in passing….
    Each to his own, I don’t waste too much time thinking about it. I just keep riding, knowing I’m all the better for it and most likely a better feeling of inner well being trumps his elitist attitude…

    June 3, 2013 at 11:11 am #739613
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    arrieredupeleton

    Not many people here have
    Not many people here have answered your question but I think the answer is yes. It’s partly down to the fact it’s often a solitary pursuit for which communication skills aren’t often required. Secondly, because like golf, everything you ride or wear can be quickly assessed by the trained eye and calculated in £s, it can attract a certain amount of folk you wouldn’t necessarily share a couple of pints with. Thirdly, I think lack of acknowledgment of a fellow cyclist can be (and sometimes is) arrogant, it’s sometimes a shock to see someone if you’ve been out in the country on your own for a few hours and lack of a wave is purely down to shock.

    R3 man is a dick though, and you get them everywhere. There’s probably a knitting website/forum somewhere with the same thread! Arrogant knitters 👿

    June 3, 2013 at 7:55 am #739611
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    shockleader

    I was riding my Dutch
    I was riding my Dutch roadster complete with 80 litres of shopping in the panniers (yes they are huge) along the shared NCN route 4 in Llanelli when some bright spark shot past shouting “I hope you don’t drive like you cycle”. Quite what his point was bearing in mind that this is a shared path used by little kids, walkers etc. I’ll never know but obviously the idea that I was riding a slow heavy bike fully laden after a visit to Lidls freaked him out. He needn’t have worried, I don’t drive!

    June 3, 2013 at 7:30 am #739609
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    notfastenough

    A Colnago CLX3 isn’t exactly
    A Colnago CLX3 isn’t exactly a shabby bike, good thing you weren’t on mine!

    June 3, 2013 at 6:10 am #739607
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    Cycleoptic

    Depends on how busy and time
    Depends on how busy and time I suspect.
    I took my bike into HSBC bank in Notting hill, as just needed to pay a cheque in, if it had been busy I wouldn’t have bothered.

    Staff even held door open for me..

    June 3, 2013 at 5:23 am #739605
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    bigant

    Possible answer: ‘They’d get
    Possible answer: ‘They’d get them both, I chained mine to yours’

    June 2, 2013 at 7:31 pm #739603
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    Tinternet_tim

    Based on your comment and the
    Based on your comment and the following comment there is obviously two different camps on what is acceptable re: cafe/bike etiquette. As I said before, common sense is usually a good leveller and if it’s busy I’d rather find an alternative cafe rather than leave either of my bikes outside unlocked. Too many stories of bikes being stolen in seconds.

    As for the jealousy comment, you couldn’t have been more wrong. I love road bikes and mountain bikes and will very happily drool over any that catch my eye, or enter discussion on how these dream machines ride.
    However, to make comments in the way he did reminder me of a school ground argument where one kid tells the other that his dad is better than the others dad or a mum boasting of her kids achievement….a bit cringe-worthy really. But then again, that’s just my views and I thought forums were for sharing such things? I wanted to share a little cycling related story on a cycling forum for cycling enthusiast to get their views and opinions. Several of you have shared your views and I am now the wiser for it!

    June 2, 2013 at 7:24 pm #739601
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    dunnoh

    In my experience recently,
    In my experience recently, there are a lot of Road cyclists that appear ill mannered, arrogant or miserable at best (I say recently because all the riders who I’ve met in the winter months mostly seem quite jolly and sociable – which doesn’t really make sense).

    June 2, 2013 at 7:12 pm #739599
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    spongebob

    Agreed if all cyclist took
    Agreed if all cyclist took their bikes in while ordering it just would not work.

    June 2, 2013 at 7:03 pm #739597
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    indyjukebox

    He has a more expensive bike
    He has a more expensive bike and is smug about it. Why should that bother you? Unless you felt a pang of jealousy or something like that. And felt the need to post about it?

    On the cafe aspect, I never take a bike in. Its bad enough having to deal with a smelly sweaty person in the queue, then you have to avoid his/her dirty bike too? Much nicer to the other users to leave the bike outside.

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