I am not a real cyclist , so I have been told

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NUKe
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I am not a real cyclist , so I have been told

Post by NUKe »

On face ache I commented on a post about bib shorts saying “ Has anybody thought if the saddle was designed to be more comfortable you wouldn’t need the padding. I was immediately told by someone I had never heard of I wasn’t a real cyclist, he wasn’t questioning why I said it, or even trying to correct me. I asked why he thought I wasn’t a real cyclist and was told I don’t ride far. So I the spirit of friendship I agreed with him and asked if he fancied riding 300k Audax with latter. This year when things are back to normal. He immediately deleted all his posts,

I am sure many of us on here wouldn’t fit his criterion of real cyclists, people can be weird on the internet.
Last edited by NUKe on 2 Jun 2021, 10:59pm, edited 1 time in total.
NUKe
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ClappedOut
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Re: I am not a real cyclist sort so I have been told

Post by ClappedOut »

NUKe wrote: 2 Jun 2021, 10:26pm On face ache I commented on a post about bib shorts saying “ Has anybody thought if the saddle was designed to be more comfortable you wouldn’t need the padding. I was immediately told by someone I had never heard of I wasn’t a real cyclist, he wasn’t questioning why I said it, or even trying to correct me. I asked why he thought I wasn’t a real cyclist and was told I don’t ride far. So I the spirit of friendship I agreed with him and asked if he fancied riding 300k Audax with latter. This year when things are back to normal. He immediately deleted all his posts,

I am sure many of us on here wouldn’t fit his criterion of real cyclists, people can be weird on the internet.
Define a Cyclist as there are many many types, some of us will never ever be Chris Froome or think we will be.
Riding in shorts and a tee shirt as I would look like a fat s**t in cycling wear I enjoyed a leisurely 26 miles for a coffee and a further two miles walking the dog later.
The brooks saddle was more than comfortable and having tried numerous ergonomic saddles that were either mushy or hard as nails- works for me.

Your kind offer of a 300k Audax would probably be unmanageable for me ( read impossible) but I admire your abilities.

Like any other sport or recreational activity there are different levels and important to recognise the effort people are trying to make and Their personal goals.

I’m definitely a pretender aiming to improve and no grandiose ideas of being anything but that.
Pebble
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Re: I am not a real cyclist , so I have been told

Post by Pebble »

I would be horrified if I was categorised as a "Real Cyclist", lol - what an utterly stupid concept a "Real Cyclist" conjures up. I picture all the gear and no idea....
ClappedOut
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Re: I am not a real cyclist , so I have been told

Post by ClappedOut »

Pebble wrote: 3 Jun 2021, 12:10am I would be horrified if I was categorised as a "Real Cyclist", lol - what an utterly stupid concept a "Real Cyclist" conjures up. I picture all the gear and no idea....
:lol: so we are going for "Real Cyclist" on an amazon "super bike" grotty knock off clothing and a lockdown hero attitude :lol: le Coq de Sportif :lol:
Oldjohnw
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Re: I am not a real cyclist , so I have been told

Post by Oldjohnw »

I have several times been told - on these pages - that I was not a real cyclist. Mainly because I ride with electric assist but also because I don’t fully maintain my bike myself. Recently my sister-in-law repeated the charge based on my riding with additional support.

I suggested that she was not a real hill walker because she uses poles.
John
Tim Holman
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Re: I am not a real cyclist , so I have been told

Post by Tim Holman »

Hey, all you people, let's say it: life has become unreal. In the past The End it was going to be courtesy of Nuclear Holocaust now it's The Virus. We've got them both on the run....or have we? COP Conference to swop marbles in Glasgow? Then the Big Boys and Girls can continue their contemptuous consumption of the People's health, wealth and wellbeing.
I am not a real cyclist at sixty seven with a Dawes Galaxy and Carradice bags and I don't love the wind in my nonexistent hair and don't talk the only sense that I ever hear. I don't miss the CTC and CJ (gaun on yersel', boy!) and I can't continue to pedal my own Tour...on my own. Can I? So I'll maybe see you down the road a piece. I'll ring my bell as we pass and sometimes ask whether you have everything you need like that other older fellow I met on the road once asked me as he cycled by while I adjusted my cantilevers.
Tim
pwa
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Re: I am not a real cyclist , so I have been told

Post by pwa »

Obviously, anyone is a real cyclist while they are actually cycling. But what is meant when someone chooses to use the phrase "real cyclist"? Because they clearly mean something more than just someone who is cycling. They must mean someone who does it with more commitment and perhaps more in depth knowledge, and probably more miles in their legs. What might once have been called a "cycling enthusiast" or something like that.
Chris56
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Re: I am not a real cyclist , so I have been told

Post by Chris56 »

For me a "real cyclist" is anyone who cycles and enjoys it, regardless of reason. So anybody on these forums probably falls into that category and has the right to self identify as a real cyclist.

To imply that someone is not is blatant snobbery and has no place.

Cyling enthusiast sounds a lot more tolerable to me but once again how do you define it? Personally it comes down to the concept of "enjoying cycling" and not the distance covered or equipment used
Last edited by Chris56 on 3 Jun 2021, 11:06am, edited 1 time in total.
Ben@Forest
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Re: I am not a real cyclist , so I have been told

Post by Ben@Forest »

pwa wrote: 3 Jun 2021, 7:00am Obviously, anyone is a real cyclist while they are actually cycling. But what is meant when someone chooses to use the phrase "real cyclist"? Because they clearly mean something more than just someone who is cycling. They must mean someone who does it with more commitment and perhaps more in depth knowledge, and probably more miles in their legs. What might once have been called a "cycling enthusiast" or something like that.
I suppose it's like walking. If someone is asked what their hobbies are and they say they 'like walking' we don't associate that with popping down to the local shop to buy a pint of milk. Generally we think at least of substantial walks around a park - and very possibly walking, rambling, hiking (however one wants to describe it) for anything from three to fifteen miles in a day.

Someone who commutes three miles each way on a bike each day may not describe themselves as a cyclist, they may not like it at all, even though their annual total of, let's say, 1,400 miles is greater than someone who describes themselves as a 'keen cyclist'.
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mjr
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Re: I am not a real cyclist , so I have been told

Post by mjr »

I aim to be a surreal cyclist.
MJR, mostly pedalling 3-speed roadsters. KL+West Norfolk BUG incl social easy rides http://www.klwnbug.co.uk
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slowster
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Re: I am not a real cyclist , so I have been told

Post by slowster »

A real cyclist would never tell another cyclist that they are not a real cyclist.
Bonzo Banana
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Re: I am not a real cyclist , so I have been told

Post by Bonzo Banana »

My idea of a real cyclist is a human being who rides a bicycle. It's an easy rule to remember. The term 'real' seems to be more a marketing exercise like 'real ale' to some people, a way of creating tiers of cyclists. Those who are elitist I'm sure like the term but I personally don't see the point. Also bike snobs who ride high cost bikes and say 'I wouldn't be seen dead on that' because its got a lower groupset or hasn't got the right brand slapped on the frame when it was made in Asia. It's all part of the same culture I think.
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[XAP]Bob
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Re: I am not a real cyclist , so I have been told

Post by [XAP]Bob »

mjr wrote: 3 Jun 2021, 12:10pm I aim to be a surreal cyclist.
That's a good target.
A shortcut has to be a challenge, otherwise it would just be the way. No situation is so dire that panic cannot make it worse.
There are two kinds of people in this world: those can extrapolate from incomplete data.
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mjr
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Re: I am not a real cyclist , so I have been told

Post by mjr »

[XAP]Bob wrote: 3 Jun 2021, 2:30pm
mjr wrote: 3 Jun 2021, 12:10pm I aim to be a surreal cyclist.
That's a good target.
I aim to be a moving target.
MJR, mostly pedalling 3-speed roadsters. KL+West Norfolk BUG incl social easy rides http://www.klwnbug.co.uk
All the above is CC-By-SA and no other implied copyright license to Cycle magazine.
pwa
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Re: I am not a real cyclist , so I have been told

Post by pwa »

slowster wrote: 3 Jun 2021, 12:15pm A real cyclist would never tell another cyclist that they are not a real cyclist.
Even a "real" cyclist can be a prat, so I don't think that's true. Telling someone they are not a "real cyclist" could be one of two things. It could be a seriously meant accusation, in which case it is silly. Or it could be a bit of humorous banter between friends.
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