Twinges- freda cycling inferiority

[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


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[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??

[Jolt]

Hey, nothing wrong with being a utility cyclist, riding a hybrid and wearing regular clothes while doing so--we don't all have to be racers. Plus, think of how much we save on gas by riding our bikes around town instead of driving! I can relate to sometimes feeling like a dork though--having a big plastic crate on the back of the bike (see avatar) and wearing the "screaming yellow zonker" vest for visibility can do that! However, I think I'd feel sillier wearing roadie gear while riding around town doing errands on a hybrid--just doesn't go together so well, does it?

[Eden]

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). I don't however wave to every other cyclist - I'd wouldn't have my hands on the handlebars enough....

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

I've experienced the same thing - usually when I'm commuting and wearing a rain coat over my team kit - the racers I would usually wave at, sometimes give me a confused look if I still wave.

Out here I think there is reason, I'll let you decide if you like it or not.... we have *a lot* of cyclists, from all different worlds, racers, hipsters, rec riders, randonneurs, commuters etc. If you waved to every other cyclist on the road, it would be like waving to every other driver out there... overwhelming, so you usually see people greeting those in their clique. I usually give an unprompted greeting to other racers - more often than not I know them in some way anyway. If I'm waved at by another cyclist, I will certainly return the greeting if feasible. Happy to have a chat with anyone who rides with me or stops at the same light.

For the most part I wear techincal gear - one thing, I'm on a team and like it or not it is adverstising. They give us money to wear that kit, so we basically agree to wear it when we go out on the bike. Truthfully for any ride longer than a few miles its just more comfortable too.

I do however own a hybrid bike - I'm kind of opposite of most people, I always had road bikes, but the hubby and I decided we wanted something that could take on dirt roads and gravelly trails without going the full mt bike route. I take that one out sometimes to run errands, shopping etc. as its the only bike that I have that I can really carry stuff on and I wear street clothes when I ride it. It can be a refreshing change. Everyone leaves you alone, no "competitive commuters", macho guys aren't trying to prove themselves by passing the racer chickie by or rude comments by folks I pass while doing hill repeats (yes twice now I've had a person comment as I've gone by - sorry my zone 5 hill repeats have NOTHING to do with you, yes I'm working hard and yes I'm going by you, but its not personal).... oddly enough though, I think drivers are worse - they give me more space when I'm kitted out on the road bike.

[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

[tulip]

I had a great time this afternoon running all my errands on my city bike, in jeans. Of course, I still had my helmet and my cycling shoes (Shimano mountain bike shoes so they're relatively easy to walk in). I just cannot pedal without being clipped in!

All the drivers were polite.

Downtown Richmond has NO bike racks!!

[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.