Peleton of teen road cyclists with expensive road bikes blew in for coffee

[sarahkonamojo]

Hmmm. Well. cool that the boys are into road riding. But not caring for expensive equipment is not so great. I would be concerned that there was an attitude of entitlement in the handling of their possessions. And what about the poor boy who can't hang with the group because his bike only cost $2k and doesn't have arm warmers?
I'd be more impressed with a gang of boys and girls on all sorts of bike sharing the love of two wheeled freedom. And it sounds like those type of riders exist in your area.
But still fun to see and notice a new group of riders.

[pll]

Let's not be judgmental about people (and their parents) we have not even seen. They could be part of some team, get their bikes with a discount. The bikes might not even be theirs.

[maillotpois]

Let's not be judgmental about people (and their parents) we have not even seen. They could be part of some team, get their bikes with a discount. The bikes might not even be theirs.

Yes. Thanks.

There's a kid at my gym who has a carbon Time bike with cosmic Carbone wheels. Thing's probably worth 10-15k. He rides for a local junior team, and I am sure he gets a discount. He's a good kid. I am just happy when I see kids enjoying bikes.

Em has a pretty cheap bike, but she enjoys riding it. At least they're all out there instead of in front of video games (your other post which I completely agreed with also)

[Irulan]

Let's not be judgmental about people (and their parents) we have not even seen. They could be part of some team, get their bikes with a discount. The bikes might not even be theirs.

Um, yeah. Glad I'm not the only one who feels this way. I mean seriously... they are on bikes, what more do you want of them?
I don't understand the underlying negativity to some of the comments. Is it a case of the haves and have nots? A few thread ago kids on bikes were being applauded for riding to school, and now there's snark about team kit for a high school team? This is a biking site isn't it?

I think it's awesome. So what if they are on expensive bikes. What's wrong with that? You don't know if they are on a team from a private school or what. If a parent bought if for them, that's good too... better on a bike than out smoking pot or glued to a video screen somewhere.

As for leaving the bikes unlocked, I can assure you, in their minds it was fine. Teen boys brains aren't fully wired to make reasonable decisions until they hit their twenties.

As a hard core skier, I have the same thing to say about kids on nice gear: so what. You don't know if they worked hard for it, got it for a birthday or holiday gift; bought it on sale, hand me down from someone who wasn't using it, work at a shop and got a deal on it... why the comments about nice gear? In our case we ski every weekend that we can, our boys were excellent skiers and on the ski patrol and damn straight they need good gear.

I'm glad to see mostly support for outfitting kids who are interested in something with decent gear. It can make a difference in whether they stick with a sport or not. I know it's tough in that not every family can afford good gear for their kids. Some of us can, and if not, if we are serious, we can find ways to make it work.

I.

[Blueberry]

How many adults on fast-ish road rides all lock their bikes when they stop for lunch or coffee? Even on brevets?

[zoom-zoom]

How many adults on fast-ish road rides all lock their bikes when they stop for lunch or coffee? Even on brevets?

I don't even own a bike lock.

[Reesha]

I think the OP's surprise was more with how the kids left the bikes unattended-- I see really careless attitudes every day with kids and their nice stuff. The kids at my school each get a laptop computer-- its unbelievable how they abuse them (because of an insurance policy on the lease, the don't have any incentive to take care of them-- they wouldn't have to pay) and destroy their nice smartphones and such. It's great to give a fantastic bike to a promising young racer, but I would definitely expect them to take really good care of it!!!

[shootingstar]

I think the OP's surprise was more with how the kids left the bikes unattended-- I see really careless attitudes every day with kids and their nice stuff. The kids at my school each get a laptop computer-- its unbelievable how they abuse them (because of an insurance policy on the lease, the don't have any incentive to take care of them-- they wouldn't have to pay) and destroy their nice smartphones and such. It's great to give a fantastic bike to a promising young racer, but I would definitely expect them to take really good care of it!!!

+1 Yes, that was my original reaction, Larissa. Fortunately the boys were sitting just inside the shop to look at their bikes nearby.

My reaction is probably symptomatic having been raised in a poor family, where 1 bike was shared among 3 girls and whoever was big enough to ride it without falling off. (I treasured and used a real sable hair oil paintbrush that was bought for me as a teen after my incredible debate, pleading with parents. It was $10.00 for that brush ....35 yrs. ago. That was expensive for 1 paintbrush that was no wider than half an inch of sable hair...if you know anything about artist's paintbrushes.)

[PamNY]

I think the OP's surprise was more with how the kids left the bikes unattended-- I see really careless attitudes every day with kids and their nice stuff. The kids at my school each get a laptop computer-- its unbelievable how they abuse them (because of an insurance policy on the lease, the don't have any incentive to take care of them-- they wouldn't have to pay) and destroy their nice smartphones and such. It's great to give a fantastic bike to a promising young racer, but I would definitely expect them to take really good care of it!!!

Adults do similar things. Yes, they do it less often, because they are more mature and because they have to pay for the replacement. But carelessness is not the exclusive province of the young.

I've seen smartphones and wallets dropped on the bike path fairly often (personally returned one of each to an adult); my SO has had a Xootr stolen three times; and even in NYC I've known adults who left an unlocked bike "just for a moment" and it disappeared.

[Reesha]

You don't know if they are on a team from a private school or what.

I coach a cycling team for a pricey private school and I *wish* the kids all got sweet bikes like that. Although if the lacrosse parents were our team parents, that might be the case. One parent will donate a tournament trip complete with flights to the entire boys varsity lacrosse team

My guess is it's a development team of some kind. The kids I see on the nicest bikes around here are usually with a development program and get great deals on really nice bikes from their sponsors.

[Crankin]

Thank you, all for saying what I thought. So, I was a bad parent for buying my son a nice bike?
He worked his azz off, with little kudos from anyone in the community or at school. He tried to start a team at school, and even with a teacher who was willing to coach, they wouldn't hear of it. The teams he was on, well, except for one, (the one SheFly is now coaching) treated him like crap. And even then, the coach was a weird guy whose own child "disowned" him. On the other hand, he made tons of friends through racing and it gave him confidence in a way nothing else did. This was a kid who was not really good at any other sports he had tried and within 2 years, he was the #4 junior racer in the US. Did he lock his bike up as went about on his training rides? Probably not.
And let's not forget, that because of him, I am on this forum, riding over 3,000 miles a year.

[PamNY]

Let's not be judgmental about people (and their parents) we have not even seen. They could be part of some team, get their bikes with a discount. The bikes might not even be theirs.

Yes, definitely. Why shouldn't they have nice gear? I don't have children, but I would definitely spend money on a nice bike for a child.

As far as locking -- we'd have to know the circumstances. Could they see the bikes? Is it a high-crime area? I lug around a heavy lock all the time in NYC -- believe me, I'd gladly leave it home if I could.

It's great that they are cycling.