Cycling UK Forum

CREPELLO wrote: .... Man with beard in his fifties ...

I think you are bing unfair stereotyping the younger generation in this way

CREPELLO wrote:I was insulted by a cyclist back in February who appeared to fit the old CTC image . Man with beard in his fifties on an old seventies looking tourer. We were passing on the shared use cycle path somewhere near Worthing, he with the Ped footpath on his left, I had the grass green on my left. I was expecting to exchange a cheery hello, but instead, as I approached him hard to the left, he came right down the middle of <4ft lane. He seemed to be waving an arm irritatedly to indicate for me to move over to my right onto the ped path . I didn't and had to basically stop as he clearly muttered rudely in queen's English "out the way, bloody idiot!". I could only remonstrate that "in this country we pass to the left." Of course I have no way of knowing whether he was CTC or not and probably he wasn't, but it was the attitude that I (to him) had obviously approached to pass incorrectly. Mad or what?

Not mad just pig ignorant.

thirdcrank wrote:

CREPELLO wrote: .... Man with beard in his fifties ...

I think you are bing unfair stereotyping the younger generation in this way

Well, I fully expect to fulfill this stereotype in the not too distant future and I'm convinced it's now beyond my control!

Obviously it is stupid to stereotype disparate attribute unto others, thus it is best just to ignore such people, and promote intelligent discussion to undermine it, when such imbecillic practices are used politically

cjchambers wrote:

mark_w wrote:I said 'Afternoon' and smiled - and under his breath I'm 99% sure I heard him call me a 'Lycra Pig' as he passed me.

Simple explanation Mark, and one I think you'll find quite agreeable - the first word you heard was indeed 'lycra', but the second wasn't a word so much as a noise. A noise similar to the soft, wistful, repressed, longing noise I often make when I see Girls Aloud, or a pint of Newcastle Brown Ale. To put it more plainly, I think this gentleman was simply struggling to contain his longing for the lycra-clad male. You should be flattered.

LOL. I think my wife would be shocked.

As it is, I was down in the midlands this weekend and visited Decathlon at Merry Hill today which has a fantastic bike section - very impressed and got more lycra for winter riding.

mark_w wrote:

cjchambers wrote:

mark_w wrote:I said 'Afternoon' and smiled - and under his breath I'm 99% sure I heard him call me a 'Lycra Pig' as he passed me.

Simple explanation Mark, and one I think you'll find quite agreeable - the first word you heard was indeed 'lycra', but the second wasn't a word so much as a noise. A noise similar to the soft, wistful, repressed, longing noise I often make when I see Girls Aloud, or a pint of Newcastle Brown Ale. To put it more plainly, I think this gentleman was simply struggling to contain his longing for the lycra-clad male. You should be flattered.

LOL. I think my wife would be shocked.

As it is, I was down in the midlands this weekend and visited Decathlon at Merry Hill today which has a fantastic bike section - very impressed and got more lycra for winter riding.

Lycra in Winter?!?

Excuse my naivety: I am relatively new to 'serious commuting by bicycle', and I operate a no Lycra rule by default (I prefer tweed - which is why I for one am shocked at this fellow similarly sartorially-minded chap would operate in such an uncouth manner), but I would have thought that skin tight and thin material would be exactly what one would avoid on those frosty mornings. Please enlighten me.

genome wrote:
Lycra in Winter?!?

Excuse my naivety: I am relatively new to 'serious commuting by bicycle', and I operate a no Lycra rule by default (I prefer tweed - which is why I for one am shocked at this fellow similarly sartorially-minded chap would operate in such an uncouth manner), but I would have thought that skin tight and thin material would be exactly what one would avoid on those frosty mornings. Please enlighten me.

From what I can gather, it works thus;

In high summer, when the temperature's warm and you don't need much thermal assistance, a pair of normal cycle shorts (with insert) would be fine with a normal thin cycle jersey. They're generally unlined - i.e. lycra inside, lycra outside, and give you very little thermal assistance. For me, cycle shorts give me three things - a padded insert (I would wear the lycra just for that alone), low wind resistance (useful if you're not quite as aerodynamic, like me), they wick sweat away from your body and the close fitting means there's nothing to get caught in the chain or otherwise.

If you feel too cold wearing that, you can either put on a pair of 3/4 tights (which I quite prefer for an early morning ride) and put something on top of your jersey - I have a nice fleecy windproof thermal cycle top for those type of rides.

In winter, you'd generally wear a pair of roubaix tights (or use leg/arm warmers along with your existing shorts / jersey?) and a warm thermal windproof cycle top. I bought a nice pair of roubaix tights from Decathlon which were a bargain!

If you were to wear jeans and a fleece top on your bike in the winter, the wind chill would mean you'd get cold very quickly.

The way roubaix tights work is very much like the way a drysuit works for me when I'm diving - the tights trap a thin layer of air against your skin because the inside of the roubaix tights are like a fine fleecy material. In fact, even if you're not cycling, if you're going somewhere cold they work well too. I did some mountain walking in Scotland a couple of years ago in winter, and I wore a nice pair of fleecy lycra tights (very much like cycling tights but without an insert) which kept me warm all day. It's the secret that women have had for years, but most blokes feel embarassed wearing them but they work a treat.

I would argue that a non-lycra wearing cyclist in the winter would actually feel colder than their roubaix lycra counterpart!

Well put - with the proviso that when it's really cold, Windstopper fabric works a treat for cycling.

Horse-racing jockeys used to wear ladies' tights under their jods in the winter- light, and very cosy. Don't know if they still do.....

I have a pair of walking thermals which are little more than tights, and they're warmer than other ones I have that are much thicker. Thick isn't always warmer than thin. When it's really cold, they can go easily under a pair of traditional longjohns, great for walking the mountains in really severe weather.

ukdodger wrote:

CREPELLO wrote:I was insulted by a cyclist back in February who appeared to fit the old CTC image . Man with beard in his fifties on an old seventies looking tourer. We were passing on the shared use cycle path somewhere near Worthing, he with the Ped footpath on his left, I had the grass green on my left. I was expecting to exchange a cheery hello, but instead, as I approached him hard to the left, he came right down the middle of <4ft lane. He seemed to be waving an arm irritatedly to indicate for me to move over to my right onto the ped path . I didn't and had to basically stop as he clearly muttered rudely in queen's English "out the way, bloody idiot!". I could only remonstrate that "in this country we pass to the left." Of course I have no way of knowing whether he was CTC or not and probably he wasn't, but it was the attitude that I (to him) had obviously approached to pass incorrectly. Mad or what?

Not mad just pig ignorant.

I was on a local cyclepath the other week, wide enough to pass but lined with nettles so requiring care, when a man on a bike appeared round the bend riding towards me. I moved to my left. He moved to his right. I swerved to my right and we passed closely. I said "we travel on the left in this country". He said "why, what does it matter my good woman" * Unfortunately the distance between us grew as this took place so I couldn't reply "it makes it easier to avoid collisions".


* actual speech of man may have been edited to comply with forum rules

paulah wrote:

ukdodger wrote:

CREPELLO wrote:I was insulted by a cyclist back in February who appeared to fit the old CTC image . Man with beard in his fifties on an old seventies looking tourer. We were passing on the shared use cycle path somewhere near Worthing, he with the Ped footpath on his left, I had the grass green on my left. I was expecting to exchange a cheery hello, but instead, as I approached him hard to the left, he came right down the middle of <4ft lane. He seemed to be waving an arm irritatedly to indicate for me to move over to my right onto the ped path . I didn't and had to basically stop as he clearly muttered rudely in queen's English "out the way, bloody idiot!". I could only remonstrate that "in this country we pass to the left." Of course I have no way of knowing whether he was CTC or not and probably he wasn't, but it was the attitude that I (to him) had obviously approached to pass incorrectly. Mad or what?

Not mad just pig ignorant.

I was on a local cyclepath the other week, wide enough to pass but lined with nettles so requiring care, when a man on a bike appeared round the bend riding towards me. I moved to my left. He moved to his right. I swerved to my right and we passed closely. I said "we travel on the left in this country". He said "why, what does it matter my good woman" * Unfortunately the distance between us grew as this took place so I couldn't reply "it makes it easier to avoid collisions".


* actual speech of man may have been edited to comply with forum rules

Sounds like a moron.

Cant say I've ever had a verbal run in with another cyclist except one who berated me for not having a rear light and he was right although I had no idea the bulb had blown at the time. But motorists and those damm scooter yobbos yes (and they always have 'L' plates on).

ukdodger wrote:Sounds like a complete <i>[rude word removed]</i>. I dont wear lycra mostly because at my age I dont think it would do my body image any good but insulting someone who does is stupid and shitty. As a non wearing lycra cyclist though I have noticed one thing about those that do however. They NEVER NOD A GREETING AS I PASS . Even though I'm nodding like a donkey at them. I have noticed some do when I wear a cycling cap but in my cheesecutter - never. How come? Is this cycling snobbery?

I think there's a simple enough explanation. The harder you are riding the less likely you are to wave to everybody you see. (As a secondary effect, the faster you ride the more people you would have to wave at.)

When I am bimbling along I am quite happy to smile and nod to all and sundry. When I have my head down and am flogging myself, I don't. Sometimes I'm even aware of not waving as I don't do it.

Now I sometimes ride leisurely in lycra and sometimes ride hard in jeans. But the vast majority of the time when I'm casually dressed I'm cruising, and when I'm togged up I'm wanting to hammer it. So there is an element of selection there which accounts for *some* of any possible tendency for lycra-clad cyclists to wave less often.

On the other hand, I see plenty of too-cool-for-lycra (yet often 'bin man chic') commuters who won't wave over the bars of their MTBs at me. And 'proper' roadies who are quite friendly - although definitely less so on the recumbent...

And there is one guy, "Assos-man" who I believe may have had his smiling muscles atrophied, if the last *two years* are anything to go by!

Insults aside, the lack of the cheery wave is due to sartorial dissonance. In order to be recognised a a "cycliste" rather than a just a cyclist (= bloke on a bike), one needs to wear a visible item of cycliing specific attire. A person riding to or from work in ordinary street clothes would never be recognised a "cycliste" by any self respecting "lycriste" and should not expect any acknowledgement. The protocol used to be very simple before the mountain bike was invented - in those days if you had dropped handlebars with toeclips you got a wave - racer or tourer made no difference. Straight bars you were just a bloke on a bike.

Now even the shaven legged roadie will be acknowledged by the mountain biker - provided of course the roadie is wearing a helmet. This how real mountain bikers recognise one another. Plus an item of cycling specific clothing, Camelbak etc. but the helmet is de rigeur.

I propose a secret sign should be used by all "cyclistes", like the VW salute used by "Beetlistes", I suggest 2 fingers (for 2 wheels obviously). Another "cycliste" will not be offended, but a bike rider wil get the message that he should wear Lycra at all times when mounted (on a bike that is). This will save the trouble of shouting "Lycra Pig!" or "Geography Teacher!". I won't mind either way because I always wear a hidden item of lycra when riding my bike - whatever my external attire. One day I may come out, but I don't think the world is ready for it. We went out on the tandem on Sunday and wife insisted i wear normal shorts over my Lycra.

V

V have a good evening!