Cycling UK Forum

Cyril Haearn wrote:The BAME people are as English/British as most of us,

You said 'most'. I'm curious - which people are 'BAMEs' not as English/British as..?

Hi,

De Sisti wrote:What a stupid thread. I've seen huge amounts of people ride bikes like that. Why have you concentrated
on BAME people? What's your agenda?

It might simply be a fact of statistics.
The problem is in the past people want to ignore statistics if it looks like they are leaning one way and that means they will be accused of being whatever!
Also why are very few pro riders BAME?

Hi,

Mike Sales wrote:I have told this story before.
In spite of my slowness I could not help overtaking a youth with his knees up by his ears. This galvanised him into standing up and re-overtaking, but he could not keep it up. So I raised my cadence a little and left him behind.
He looked pretty stupid to me, in spite of not being BAME.
My impression is that there was an understandably short lived fashion for riding with a very low saddle, no doubt in imitation of trials bikes.
It really is no good for anything else, even short distances.

I was off on one of my endurance rides once and I saw a guy in front of me riding a BMX bike saddle was half the length of his leg.
The truth is took me about 5 miles to shake him off

This BAME acronym is stupid, throwing together relatively different groups of people under one umbrella. By the way how can someone be a person of colour, yet not a coloured person....doesn't really follow, linguistically speaking, hence POC is even worse. Why lump together different groups in such a way?

I think I know the bikes the OP is referring to and statistically he may be correct about ethnic minority people being more keen on them. Why is it so bad to mention non-white people when making a rather tepid criticism? Would there be such horror at the statement that BAME (emphasis on B) people of West African descent win a lot of sprint races at professional level, I doubt it.

Wouldn't suggesting that racial minorities are beyond criticism (for whatever reason) be somewhat racist in and of itself?

Hi,

gxaustin wrote:

There's been a trend around here for quite a while for large young men – mostly of BAME appearance – to ride around on really tiny, almost kids' size, bikes. Saddle set low enough to sit on comfortably, feet flat on the ground, knees bent. I imagine they think they look well cool, though I just can't see how that works. Anyone else noticed this, or similar things?

So what is your point? What's the significant of singling out BAME people?

Have you noticed that the media no longer use the word "Culture"!
And yes it has been replaced by the word "BAME"
They will no doubt soon move on to something else.

I blame the media and the government for all of this because it means that we all just walk around on eggshells all the time.
You can't even complain about someone who is BAME Without getting accused of being a racist xenophobe.
I know because I have been there, it's not a very nice feeling.
So when someone Threatens to kill you and pull your legs and arms off, you sit on your hands and keep your mouth shut, well that's the advice I'll give you, This is the situation we have today.

NATURAL ANKLING wrote:Also why are very few pro riders BAME?

We've had a few conversations in a similar vein.
Why don't you see black pro riders?
Why no black olympic swimmers?

I knew a chap in HMS Sirius when we were out in the Far East, and a few of us went swimming in the Malaysian naval base pool.
His party trick was to take a deep breath and sink to the bottom at the deep end. Sitting there arms folded and crossed legged with a big grin on his face!

I tried getting down to him, but as soon as I stopped propelling myself downwards, up I'd go!
He was black, and had negative buoyancy even with a lungful of air. Not saying all black people have NB, but they have a tendency towards it.

nirakaro wrote:There's been a trend around here for quite a while for large young men to ride around on really tiny, almost kids' size, bikes.

Yes, I have noticed this. I suppose that they already own the bicycle and are using it for a purposeful journey.

Hopefully, they will realise : "Now I'm grown up an adult bicycle will be more comfortable & efficient."
Hopefully, they will keep cycling = avoid burning fossil fuel (CO2) : improving air quality ( Less toxic emissions ) : reducing road danger ( less tons of metal flying through public space ) : reducing noise pollution ( all those ICEs and incidental noise ) . . . .. the list seems never ending .

Mick F wrote:He was black, and had negative buoyancy even with a lungful of air. Not saying all black people have NB, but they have a tendency towards it.

I have negative buoyancy. Much swimming effort expended to avoid going under.

EDIT : And one of my party tricks was to sink underwater holding my breath for about three minutes . . . causing much consternation to anyone remotely interested. . . .Although that is trivial compared to the professional holders-of-breath e.g. pearl-divers, diving fisherfolk, etc.

I think some of the posters on here should listen to Lenny Henry talking to Louis Theroux on Radio 4.
It might help them to understand the realities of being black in Britain.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000jf89

Mike Sales wrote:https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000jf89

Yes, that was (another) good one. Interesting, revealing and somewhat perspective altering.

thatsnotmyname wrote:

Cyril Haearn wrote:The BAME people are as English/British as most of us,

You said 'most'. I'm curious - which people are 'BAMEs' not as English/British as..?

A lot of 'us' are a bit Irish, Polish*.. as well, some members of the BAME community are not integrated, some older people stay at home mostly, do not speak much English
* or a hundred other identies

I'd rather have grown men riding around on tiny BMX bikes thinking they look cool than having them drive cars far too fast and dangerously for the same reason.

Hi,

Graham wrote:

Mick F wrote:He was black, and had negative buoyancy even with a lungful of air. Not saying all black people have NB, but they have a tendency towards it.

I have negative buoyancy. Much swimming effort expended to avoid going under.

EDIT : And one of my party tricks was to sink underwater holding my breath for about three minutes . . . causing much consternation to anyone remotely interested. . . .Although that is trivial compared to the professional holders-of-breath e.g. pearl-divers, diving fisherfolk, etc.

I could also claim three minutes and 20 seconds.
Not Total Negative buoyancy but pretty close
Do you realise that hyperventilating with normal air will get you around about nine minutes.
But of course this is highly dangerous as well as using oxygenated air which will get you twice as far.

thatsnotmyname wrote:

Cyril Haearn wrote:The BAME people are as English/British as most of us,

You said 'most'. I'm curious - which people are 'BAMEs' not as English/British as..?

I think you are getting your legal scalpel and microscope out there and forensically looking for something to find fault with. The tone was of someone who does not think ethnicity gets in the way of being British, English or whatever.

NATURAL ANKLING wrote:Hi,

Graham wrote:

Mick F wrote:He was black, and had negative buoyancy even with a lungful of air. Not saying all black people have NB, but they have a tendency towards it.

I have negative buoyancy. Much swimming effort expended to avoid going under.

EDIT : And one of my party tricks was to sink underwater holding my breath for about three minutes . . . causing much consternation to anyone remotely interested. . . .Although that is trivial compared to the professional holders-of-breath e.g. pearl-divers, diving fisherfolk, etc.

I could also claim three minutes and 20 seconds.
Not Total Negative buoyancy but pretty close
Do you realise that hyperventilating with normal air will get you around about nine minutes.
But of course this is highly dangerous as well as using oxygenated air which will get you twice as far.

Is negative buoyancy due to high bone density?