Twinges- freda cycling inferiority

[Geonz]

Yes.

You are the only person who has ever felt insecure about her cycling in the whole wide world.

:P :P :P

Hangups just keep on doin' that... things go smoothly for a while... then they hang us up for a bit

There must be something not right with you if you don't want to go out and ride 600 km .... or p'raps something right

You mean EVERY DAY isn't your flashy fashion statement?
Gosh, must be something' right there, too. Embrace our hangups

Snork. All hybrid here... but that's what works for me.

[bounceswoosh]

Does it count that I feel inferior to my bike?

Cuz I sure do. I haven't made as much progress as I'd like in technical mountain biking, but I ended up getting a ridiculously sweet ride*, and -- this is the really over the top part -- it's gold anodized. I feel pretty self conscious doing what are considered lightweight local rides (still pretty hard, I suspect, compared to most terrain in the US) on this beast of a bike.

A friend of a friend talks about how his bike must be so bummed to be stuck with him as a rider. Sometimes I think my bike feels the same way.

Also, I got a free jersey from the bike shop from which I got my ridiculously sweet ride, and I am nervous about wearing it. Because it's a high end bike shop ...

It doesn't help that there are so many competitive riders in the area. It's entirely possible that the guy or gal who just passed you is a pro-level rider. Drop that to sport level, and it's almost certain =P

Ah well. I've ordered the Hill Slug jersey to avoid any accusation of false advertising.

Yeah. Really need to get over it. What matters is that I'm out there, right?

*Ellsworth Truth with hand-picked components

[Zen]

I have only one cycling hangup.
I'd like to be faster (which is why some people call me Mo. First name Slo)
I ride because I enjoy the experience. I doubt I would enjoy a double century.

I have a hybrid and i have a road bike and will admit to dressing down a bit for the hybrid.
You wouldn't wear a black leather bustier to a picnic, would you?

Dress and ride for yourself and no one else


.

[shootingstar]

I have a hybrid and i have a road bike and will admit to dressing down a bit for the hybrid.
You wouldn't wear a black leather bustier to a picnic, would you?

Dress and ride for yourself and no one else


.

Well, it does feel like wearing high heels at a picnic if I wear a flashier jacket on a hybrid. But then on the other hand, it feels right at night for visibility.

YOu know I admantly did not wear any cycling jerseys until the last 5 years, simply because I didn't want to look like a weekend wannabe poseur cyclist. Seriously. For the first 12 years..I wore t-shirts or rolled up men's shirts (to protect my arms from fierce heat) in warm/hot temperatures. And I was piling way more mileage then annually compared to now... then during T-shirt period was 6,000 kms. annually. Now I'm lucky if I can edge up to 50-60% of that this year.

Go figure. But then I realize..it really is more comfortable to wear wicking material tops..and to have a back pocket..

[Crankin]

I definitely am not worthy of my bike (Kuota Kredo), but, hey, if I was stupid enough to pay for it, I guess I deserve it! And, I do get acknowledged by snooty racer guys as they pass me. I find this strange, because I had a Trek 5200 before, not exactly a Freda bike.
But, I do find myself dressing differently when I ride my hybrid. In fact, I have found it liberating to discover a new type of cycling apparel. I wear wool when it's cold and I have some new wicking tops that are not jerseys, but are kind of cool. I tend to wear a skort, knickers, board shorts, or mtb shorts when I ride this bike.
I always feel slightly inferior on my bike until I talk to my "regular" friends who think riding 5 miles is crazy.

[OakLeaf]

The only time I wear cycling apparel on my hybrid is when I've just gotten back from a road ride, have errands to run, and don't want to take a shower and put on clean clothes and get them all sweaty again right away. Otherwise it's either regular clothes on the hybrid, or clothes appropriate to the destination (whether it's gym clothes, or a skirt or nice slacks for church or dinner). I will wear a cycling jacket or my Xinglet when the weather or light conditions dictate, but I put those on over whatever I was wearing anyhow.

When I got my new road bike I really felt like I didn't deserve it. After 2500 miles (which is less than that bike deserves in the amount of time I've had it), it's just my bike. Too bad about the mileage and about my slow legs

At the end of last season my Wednesday night group went out to eat. People started talking about how many miles they had for the year. Most of them were in the 5-7000 range. I was embarrassed to even say how few I had! But ya know, cycling isn't my only workout. I was by no means the fastest one in that group, but I kept up with the slower ones. Maybe I should've felt okay about that.

[rij73]

My first bike (which I got just a year ago) was a flat-bar road bike. I got cycling gear right away because I was doing fitness rides in the park. I did look a little out of place, but I didn't care. I was having great fun, and I loved the lycra shorts and wicking jerseys.

Now, though, I have a gorgeous road bike, and to be honest, I do feel a bit embarrassed out there. Not because of how I'm dressed, but because the bike is simply too nice for me! I get passed in the park by almost every roadie there no matter what they are riding, and it does make me feel like a poser to be so slow on my beautiful carbon bike.

Don't get me wrong... I adore my bike and look at it lovingly all day. I just feel a bit sheepish out there when guys on fixed-gear old-school bikes pass me on the hill.

[Andrea]

This reminds me of something I've been contemplating on my morning commutes lately ...
Roadie guys (ok, women too, but there aren't very many, so I'm generalizing) around town know me as a racer, etc. They see my team kit and often know who I am and usually wave to me or greet me when we pass going opposite directions.
Since I started commuting on my Mule bike (a home made hybrid- photos in the commuter forum), I'll pass the same guys I occasionally train with on the weekends. There's an early morning ride from a bike shop in midtown that a lot of them go to. Since I'm on a goofy looking bike (not calling hybrids goofy at all- just my hybrid) and not in a team kit, when I wave at them, the most reaction I ever get is a chuckle and occasionally a slight wave back (if they'll even make eye contact).

What gives? How about being nice to everyone instead of just the people you think are "worthy" of your greetings??

[katluvr]

I get passed in the park by almost every roadie there no matter what they are riding, and it does make me feel like a poser to be so slow on my beautiful carbon bike.

Don't get me wrong... I adore my bike and look at it lovingly all day. I just feel a bit sheepish out there when guys on fixed-gear old-school bikes pass me on the hill.

After 5 years of road biking, multiple charity rides, bike vacations, centuries...you name it...I remain "slow and steady". Yet to build the speed. Still see "newbies" start out and be faster than me. Yet at the recent "MS Bike Tour" I jsut completed....I see the same folks pass me over and over cuz they ride fast/hard, then rest even longer at the stops....I just keep moving steadiliy a long. I did 95 miles on day one and 83 on the second day. I may be slow...but I am pretty happy w/ my performance. Besides, if all the training makes me dislike being on my bike....then I wouldn't enjoy it.

But I am glad to hear/see I am not alone in feeling like I'll never be a buff, fast, cool biker chic. Yes, my bike shorts dig into my thighs and I get some of those unsightly bulges from having a some not so lean legs!


K

[SlowButSteady]

look like a weekend wannabe poseur cyclist.

This is the way I feel! Like I'm a little girl playing dress-up. I also feel that way in a riding habit, a dress, hiking clothes, etc.

If I go to a cowboy bar in jeans and boots, I feel conspicious.

If I wear a floral-tropical print shirt to a Jimmy Buffett concert, I feel conspicous.

I do have to have my clothes "match" the bike. Baggies on the off-road bike. Roadie shorts and jersey on the road bike. Likewise with shoes, helmets.

I have to remind myself that I am a cyclist. I can ride semi-decent distances and ride (road) on a regular basis, off road less so.

Like Zen, my name reflects my slowness.