What's a Fred?

[wildhawk]

Actually I am appalled at the prejudices I have encountered since starting to ride again. We have been in several LBS and ran into some of the snobbiest folks in town. I tell them I have a hybrid = they frown. They take one look at my overweight body and refuse to offer assistance. I have to ask for assistance. I tell them that I am training for the MS150 and they look at me in total disbelief. We found a wonderful LBS near our home and it is owned and operated by a single fella and he is awesome and not judgmental at all. We helped him deliver a trike to a senior citizen and saw firsthand his compassionate and caring manner in making sure that the old fella could not only ride his trike, but made sure it was adjusted properly for him and offered to come back out to his house to adjust it if needed. Every “newbie” question that I have asked him has been answered in a professional, courteous manner and he has been very supportive of our efforts to train for the MS150. I cannot stress enough the importance of being supportive of people no matter how they dress or outfit their bikes or even set high goals for themselves. The person is more important than whether they can afford an expensive bike/gear and to encourage them to ride should be the main goal. The elite groups I have encountered remind me of the snobs I went to high school with - I personally do not want to relive those miserable times. So I guess you could call me and my husband “Freds”. We cannot afford to get fancy cycling jerseys, so we ride with Walmart sports tees = same fabric, just not cut for cycling and with no rear pockets. I ordered a budget-priced pair of Cannondale cycling shorts from this forum. Meanwhile, I ride in capris with regular socks and New Balance running shoes. Having a mirror has been a vital part of our commuting - my DH has the end of bar variety and I have the one that attaches to your glasses. We are training with full panniers, but they too have been very helpful to stow our gear and carry our support water, etc. We were in a state park yesterday and thankful that we had panniers to carry rain ponchos and extra water (needed both) plus dry tshirts - got caught in a thunderstorm. I know that this is lengthy, but reading about labels got my dander up - blame my Scotch-Irish temper. Do not listen to anyone else’s labels - ride for the sheer joy of it, not for who has the latest and greatest equipment.

[Aggie_Ama]

Wildhawk- Great post. Riding is for fun and I don't certainly don't want to go back to high school either. I would rather ride with a "fred" than an uppity person any day.

I hate to say I also feel there can be a lot of snobbery and prejudice in road cycling. I have a triple on my carbon bike and am looking at making the puppy gears even easier, so what? My helmet doesn't match my bike and sometimes I still tat myself with the chain ring? So what? I have also done multiple centuries, a couple of two day MS150s and some of the harder rides in the southwest. I may not look like it to some, so why should I judge?

Personally if I see an obvious newbie I give an audible "Howdy". And I wave to everyone, even if a lot of people look but won't wave back.

I have found the mountain bikers seem to be very embracing everyone, even those of us who feel like Freds. When I run into a male racer on the road all he does is blow by me without acknowledging me, maybe he is a jerk or maybe he is just in the zone but it still feels uppity. Last weekend I was mountain biking and this guy who was very good (and had a big racing team kit) gave me some encouragement on the trail. This isn't the first time it has happened out there either. Something about dirt seems to humble everyone a bit.

[wildhawk]

Thank you Aggie: I would love to ride with you too. Mountain bikers are very friendly - I used to live in Jackson, Wyoming and met quite a few. That is what encouraged me to get my mountain bike. Unfortunately it was the wrong size for me and I went with a hybrid. We have a 46 mile paved trail here called the Pinellas Trail. My DH and I used to make it a point to wave and say howdy to people we passed and see how many responses we got in return. Sadly, not that many people returned our smiles and howdies. We are seeing more and more riders with headphones/earbuds in and that may be why they do not hear our audibles.

[bounceswoosh]

I have found the mountain bikers seem to be very embracing everyone, even those of us who feel like Freds. When I run into a male racer on the road all he does is blow by me without acknowledging me, maybe he is a jerk or maybe he is just in the zone but it still feels uppity. Last weekend I was mountain biking and this guy who was very good (and had a big racing team kit) gave me some encouragement on the trail. This isn't the first time it has happened out there either. Something about dirt seems to humble everyone a bit.

It makes sense, doesn't it? How often do you see a mountain biker smile on the trail? A lot, right? Now how often do you see a roadie grinning for the sheer joy of being on a bike? Yeah, not so much.

I don't know why road riding has to be so serious. I really think a lot of people are out there for the brag factor, not the fun. If you're working your butt off and not having any fun, I guess you won't have much energy left over to be friendly.

[ASammy1]

Why is wearing a camelbak on a road bike "Fred" again??? Sorry, function over fashion here!

Let's all just go out and have fun!

[Eden]

When I run into a male racer on the road all he does is blow by me without acknowledging me, maybe he is a jerk or maybe he is just in the zone but it still feels uppity.

OK.... I see this topic come up from time to time.... Why do you expect this guy to acknowledge you... I don't think he is a jerk or uppity. He just doesn't have anything in common with you except that he is riding a bike. You don't expect every car driver to acknowledge you when you are driving. You don't wave and say hi to every other person who is walking on the sidewalk when you are.

I know we are a subset of humanity because we ride, but to tell the truth I don't feel that means I have an instant kinship with every other rider on the road. Maybe its because there are so many of us out here, but I don't necessarily acknowledge ever other rider I see. That's not to say that we shouldn't look out for one another - I always ask cyclists if they need any assistance if I see them having mechanical difficulties etc., but I don't feel the need to personally greet everyone.

[Aggie_Ama]

OK.... I see this topic come up from time to time.... Why do you expect this guy to acknowledge you... I don't think he is a jerk or uppity. He just doesn't have anything in common with you except that he is riding a bike. You don't expect every car driver to acknowledge you when you are driving. You don't wave and say hi to every other person who is walking on the sidewalk when you are.

I waved and smiled at him/her first and they made eye contact, the way I was raised you acknowledge that. My Mammaw taught me we are all more alike than we want to believe, I had relate to a millionare and the person who can barely afford the roof over their head. She is a wise 90 year old, a sage if you ask me. If some stranger says hello to me on the street, I say hello, even if they were a seven foot tall green martian (who I would have nothing in common with but the location).

I honestly don't have anything against racers, my husband is one himself. I don't race, I don't understand training and I will never do it. Which means it will always be difficult for me to understand how returning a friendly wave or warning me when you are about to blow by me on a road is such an inconvenience. The roads I am talking about are not the ones with 50 cyclists out, it is the middle of nowhere county roads by me that I may be the only one they see for 30 minutes or the entire ride. I don't expect it every time but I am not sure the wave has ever been returned.

I don't hold a grudge about it and it doesn't keep me awake at night, I just find that road racers in my area tend to be less friendly than the mountain racers and I have been quite surprised by that. More surprised the mountain racers are so darn friendly! Maybe it is their recovery day since I ride one of the easier trails?

And I am generalizing and do not mean offense to the racers on this board. I thought I had something in common with the ones around me but I guess they do not look at this little Fredette the same type of person as themselves. That is a sad way to be IMO. We all can use the roads how we want legally, I won't hold it against the guy who thinks I am a dork and I guess if he knew I thought he was a bit uppity he wouldn't give a darn either.

[Eden]

I just think that you are putting a lot of burden on this person that he may or may not deserve. He may think you are a dork, then again he may not at all and I think it rather unfair of you to assign negative thoughts to him just because of how he looks and the fact that he did not greet you.

More plays into this than a bicycle. Where you grew up east coast, west coast, south - large or small town will all influence the way you interact with others. I was not particularly raised to talk to strangers... I grew up and still live in a large city and people will think you are pretty strange and forward to greet everyone.... Call me uppity if you like, just remember that not everyone's social norms are the same as yours.

If I'm greeted while riding I will certainly try to return the greeting, but there are probably plenty of times that I'm sure someone thought uppity road rider, when I probably was just not paying any attention to them. I think its great to see people out on their bikes and I certainly prefer to see them riding than driving- no matter what they ride or why they ride. That will never make me outgoing, and I still don't feel the urge to wave at all of them...

[lph]

I live in a country where pretending your fellow beings don't exist is the pinnacle of polite behaviour. You don't say hi to people on the street unless you're drunk, have ingested something illegal, or are slightly mad. So if somebody tried to say hi on the road to me while I was biking I'd probably be too busy wondering why and whether I should be worried about it to respond...

I'm being a bit facetious here, but not only. I would try to respond I guess, but I'd be mighty surprised and might just stare. But it sure wouldn't be because I thought the person looked like a Fred or a dork or whatever, when I pass people I'm usually deep inside my own brain and the only thing I'm thinking about is "which is the safest side to pass on?" I guess it is a training thing.

FWIW I'm having a blast, even though I'm not grinning. And sometimes I am

[TrekTheKaty]

Funny that we've slid off onto this topic. I frequent a Missouri Katy Trail Forum that discusses this topic frequently. Two different threads develop: bikers are either unfriendly or overfriendly AND should you say hello to fellow bike riders.

My sister is the one that says hello to every single person at our local bike path. We usually do 5 laps or 19 miles--so that is a lot of hellos. When I first started riding with her, she said hello to a "serious" bike rider (full team uniform--in the drops, looking very intense) that I recognized from a local bike race--couldn't miss his blonde ponytail. After he breezed by without acknowledgement, I told her he was a racer and probably concentrating on a workout--quit saying "hello." She became more determined, and after 3 "hello's" he smiled and waved to the two silly girls on hybrids. He always waves to us now :-)

Another serious rider explained that he didn't mind waving, but his rides could quickly become an upper-body workout on busy trail days.

OK, I'll accept that.

[wackyjacky1]

I don't feel that means I have an instant kinship with every other rider on the road.

I guess I'm of two minds here:

I actually do feel a kinship with other cyclists based solely on the fact that we're both on bikes.

But...

I am not offended when my nod or wave isn't returned. If someone is clearly in the midst of a hard workout, I don't really expect them to break their concentration to say hello.