Mirror question

[Catrin]

I....It's kinda crazy, but there are so many little faux-pas that roadies use to identify other "real" roadies. As in, real roadies don't wear camelbacks, don't have reflectors, don't have mirrors, don't wear cotton, don't have tri bars, etc, etc. Show up on a group ride with any of these things and don't expect to feel very welcome. I know, it doesn't really seem fair That being said, the "discrimination" is partly because group riding requires so much trust of the riders around you, that often times, these faux-pas are red flags that a rider is new to the road . . .

I guess that I will never be considered a "real roadie" then, that's ok. I love my Camelbak and my bar-end mirror. I feel much safer/comfortable with both - and pretty soon my lovely steel touring steed will have fenders and a rack (and eventually a bag of some type)- and he is meant for and will get some serious mileage. If this means that some won't consider me a real cyclist, oh well, that's ok. I am having fun and learning a lot as I go along I will show up for our club grand touring rides in the country, for that is what interests me. Probably not the club dinner/breakfast rides as I don't care for urban riding - though that may well change in the future.

Thanks to all for their different perspectives on mirrors!

[OakLeaf]

What Tulip and BSG said.

Real riders are the ones who ride safely, both in traffic and in their own bodies. That means knowing what's coming up behind you and staying well hydrated.

I know plenty of people who have bar end mirrors on their $10,000+ bikes. Not that what you spend makes you a "real" rider either, but these are people who earned their chops, knew what they wanted and that they would be getting a good value for their money.

The only jerseys I wear are hi viz yellow.

I don't normally wear a hydration pack, but that's for comfort reasons, and if conditions and distance warrant, I absolutely will wear one. I've had heat exhaustion. What if you pass out when someone's behind you in a paceline? They go down, too. Does that seem fashionable to them?

There are rides when I know I might get a little disrespect, but that's because I'm SLOW, not because of what I wear.

And when one of your "buds" is stranded 40 miles from nowhere because they didn't bother to bring a chain tool or a couple of links of chain, I hope you let them know about it before you open up your seat pack to offer them yours.