Evolution of a cyclist.

[Supermau]

The evolution of my bikes this summer…

Fresh from the shed after 10 years. Look at the size of that saddle!

[ATTACH=CONFIG]6843[/ATTACH]

Changes…

[ATTACH=CONFIG]6844[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH=CONFIG]6845[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH=CONFIG]6846[/ATTACH]

New Trek in July

[Supermau]

Evolved Trek

[ATTACH=CONFIG]6848[/ATTACH]

[baiskeli]

@Supermau 97283 wrote:

The evolution of my bikes this summer…

Nice. Now we can spot you on the road/trail. Hope to see you there.

[skins_brew]

I use to hate cyclists. I would curse them on beach drive and any other time they were in the roadway. “Use the sidewalk, it is like a little road for bikes” I would say to myself.

A few years later, here I am, riding 150-200 miles a week to work.

Another funny thing, during the evolution, there were many, many things I said I would NEVER do, but ended up doing anyway later on. Such items include-
-Cycle shorts
-riding a road bike
-clipless pedals
-helmet mirror

[Supermau]

@skins_brew 97314 wrote:

I use to hate cyclists. I would curse them on beach drive and any other time they were in the roadway. “Use the sidewalk, it is like a little road for bikes” I would say to myself.

A few years later, here I am, riding 150-200 miles a week to work.

Another funny thing, during the evolution, there were many, many things I said I would NEVER do, but ended up doing anyway later on. Such items include-
-Cycle shorts
-riding a road bike
-clipless pedals
-helmet mirror

Sometimes I still catch myself saying I hate cyclists, but then I realize it’s just those entitled pathletes that I’m referring to…the clueless ones who make dangerous passes then stop right in the middle of the path to check Strava. 😡

I’ve also graduated to Lycra, riding on the actual road…at least the ones that feel safe, and I’m keen on going clipless but I’ll probably hold off until next spring. It’s funny how things begin to change once cycling gets it’s hooks in you.

[skins_brew]

@Supermau 97318 wrote:

Sometimes I still catch myself saying I hate cyclists, but then I realize it’s just those entitled pathletes that I’m referring to…the clueless ones who make dangerous passes then stop right in the middle of the path to check Strava. 😡

I’ve also graduated to Lycra, riding on the actual road…at least the ones that feel safe, and I’m keen on going clipless but I’ll probably hold off until next spring. It’s funny how things begin to change once cycling gets it’s hooks in you.

Sometimes I will see a cyclist and just say, “WTF are you doing?”

Example, on saturday I was over in Rockville. It is like 11am, the weather is nice, and Rockville is congested as usual. Here comes some guy in lycra on a road bike riding down Rockville Pk. He was in the right lane, and he was well within his right to be there, but I just thought to myself, “Dude, wtf are you doing?”

Same goes for earlier in the year. Back in April and May when we were getting slammed with those rain storms. It was one of those 20 year storms and I opted to drive to College Park Metro. I am on Rt 1, right in front of UMD, waiting to turn onto Paint Branch Pkwy. It is like 8am, raining like crazy, traffic like crazy, and here comes a guy riding north on Rt 1. He looked well prepared for the wx, but dude….come on….I don’t want to see you die…

[Steve O]

@skins_brew 97324 wrote:

Sometimes I will see a cyclist and just say, “WTF are you doing?”

Example, on saturday I was over in Rockville. It is like 11am, the weather is nice, and Rockville is congested as usual. Here comes some guy in lycra on a road bike riding down Rockville Pk. He was in the right lane, and he was well within his right to be there, but I just thought to myself, “Dude, wtf are you doing?”

Same goes for earlier in the year. Back in April and May when we were getting slammed with those rain storms. It was one of those 20 year storms and I opted to drive to College Park Metro. I am on Rt 1, right in front of UMD, waiting to turn onto Paint Branch Pkwy. It is like 8am, raining like crazy, traffic like crazy, and here comes a guy riding north on Rt 1. He looked well prepared for the wx, but dude….come on….I don’t want to see you die…

And a few years from now, those guys will be you!!

[ShawnoftheDread]

@skins_brew 97324 wrote:

Sometimes I will see a cyclist and just say, “WTF are you doing?”

Example, on saturday I was over in Rockville. It is like 11am, the weather is nice, and Rockville is congested as usual. Here comes some guy in lycra on a road bike riding down Rockville Pk. He was in the right lane, and he was well within his right to be there, but I just thought to myself, “Dude, wtf are you doing?”

Same goes for earlier in the year. Back in April and May when we were getting slammed with those rain storms. It was one of those 20 year storms and I opted to drive to College Park Metro. I am on Rt 1, right in front of UMD, waiting to turn onto Paint Branch Pkwy. It is like 8am, raining like crazy, traffic like crazy, and here comes a guy riding north on Rt 1. He looked well prepared for the wx, but dude….come on….I don’t want to see you die…

I don’t get it. Both situations sound perfectly reasonable.

[rcannon100]

Sometimes I will see a car driver and just say, “WTF are you doing?”

Example, one day last week. It’s like 9am. The weather is nice and GW parkway, and 66, and TR bridge, and 395 are congested like usual. Here comes some guy in a tin can on four wheels. He is in the right lane of the GW going no where, well within his right to go no where, but I just thought to myself, “Dude, WTF are you doing in that tin can? Cycle and Love your commute.

Same goes for earlier in the year. Back in April and May when we were getting slammed with those rain storms. It was one of those 20 year storms. I opted to cycle. I mean, put on good gear; Use my good water proof bag; Put on my good tires; use hiviz equipment. The weather is crazy and every time the weather is crazy, the cars they dont go no where and the subway is a packed sardine can. I go riding along loving my ride. Dude…. come on…. even the worst day on the trail is better than getting imprisoned in a tin can.

[Steve O]

All of us are at a different place in our evolution as cyclists. I, for one, am delighted that more and more people are cycling. Everyone starts out as a newbie at some point. Only a few of them will find this forum immediately and benefit from its infinite wisdom. Others will just make mistakes and learn the hard way. And maybe be a little stupid in the process. And by the time they have evolved there will be a whole new crop of newbies to take their place.

All the dumb things they do and newbie errors, etc. are pretty much ones that I have made myself. And there’s just the evolution of comfort–when and where we feel comfortable and safe. Once upon a time if I had seen someone cycling on the Whitehurst, I would have said “WTF!” too. Eventually it became my daily route.

– Just like everyone, when I first went clipless, I fell over. More than once.
– I started as a summer-only commuter, and when I saw cyclists out in the snow, I would think “WTF! Are you crazy?” Now I can’t wait for Freezing Saddles to start.
– Just like skins_brew, I didn’t have shorts with chamois or neon jerseys, or really anything other than clothes. When I saw those cyclists, I would think “You must have money to burn” or “You just think you are hot s*&#$” Now I need two drawers and part of a closet for all my bike attire.
– Occasionally even now, as alert as I try to be, I may buzz someone a little closer than is comfortable for them. I feel badly when I do it.

A few times a year I have the fantastic opportunity to teach a WABA “Learn to Ride” course. There are literally hundreds of people on the waiting list wanting desperately to learn to ride a bike. Teaching those classes are often the most rewarding days of my entire year–by the end of the day, 90% of them are up and riding. Some cry with joy. Just this last weekend I taught a City Cycling class, and there was one of my students from the Learn to Ride from the spring, determined to become an accomplished bike rider. She told me she’s going to come back again for the advanced track. And keep coming until she can’t get any more out of it.

You know, she might wobble at the wrong time, or make an ill-advised turn in a bad place, or drop her chain and be standing on the side of the trail helpless, or some other things that we would then rail about here on this forum. But I love her and all the cyclists who are just crawling out of the ocean for the first time on their evolutionary journey. They need our embrace more than our criticism.

Ride on!!

[Crickey7]

All I’m getting from this thread is that everyone needs a rain bike.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]6871[/ATTACH]

[dkel]

@Crickey7 97384 wrote:

All I’m getting from this thread is that everyone needs a rain bike.

I have a rain bike! It’s the same bike as my sun bike. And my snow bike. And my commuting bike. And my errand bike. And my joyriding bike.

I must be doing this wrong.

[Crickey7]

No dedicated rain bike? WTF! Are you crazy?

[dkel]

@Crickey7 97386 wrote:

No dedicated rain bike? WTF! Are you crazy?

Just prepared. I specifically got this bike to do everything I want to do on it, and so far, so good. Long fenders with mud flaps keep the bike clean. Racks hold a ton of stuff. It’s a steel frame, so it rides like butter. I can put any kind of tire I want, since it has room for 41 knobbies, even with the fenders. I don’t race the thing, but I’m not interested in racing. I’ll admit it’s heavy, but heavy bike make me strong like bull. Poseurs pass me on flats and downhills, then I pass them going uphill. Well, sometimes, at least.

[consularrider]

@dkel 97385 wrote:

I have a rain bike! It’s the same bike as my sun bike. And my snow bike. And my commuting bike. And my errand bike. And my joyriding bike.

I must be doing this wrong.

That last sentence is correct. N+1 equals a minimum of two so that when your do-everything bike is in the shop, you have something to fall back on. I’m starting to get withdrawal symptoms from my road bike being in a box getting ready to go to Kyiv.

[Author]

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