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the biking social class

by redrobot
Tue, Jun 11, 2019 11:56
36

until a week ago i knew nothing about bike tech and now i find myself asking 'mtb qr skewer / stunt pegs compatability?' many / most of the posts in the  road.cc forum are tech related in an obscure way which everyday folk wd find impossible to understand.  and yet many of these people will ride bikes. so is there a bike hierarchy in which geek cyclists exist separately from the majority of regular cyclists and how does that manifest itself for each group? the separation of groups, as well as being based on levels of involvement and knowledge, wd also seem to be based on income. biking can be an expensive, socially exclusive business. £1300 wheel set anyone? while i'm on the road for £45.

 

in a related way you cd also surmise that there is a kind of class war going on between many drivers and bikers. some drivers seem to be just plain hostile to cyclists even when theyre not on the road like a kind of 2 wheel racism. young to middle aged chavs wd seem to be the main culprits. it doesnt seem to me to be just about drivers thinking cyclists badly affect traffic it's also about their perceptioons of people who cycle and of themselves. if theyre a white van man a cabbie a truck driver or a twenty something chav who loves his motor they will be aggressive petrol heads who dislike cyclists for their perceived wimpy middleclass green agenda. it's class war.

If you're new please join in and if you have questions pop them below and the forum regulars will answer as best we can.

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36 comments

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srchar replied to redrobot | 5 years ago
3 likes

redrobot wrote:

affluent commuter belt types tearing round the countryside on £3k bikes at the weekend doesnt seem right somehow. the athleticism / eco statement etc is fine. the economics, not.

You don't have to be affluent to ride, or "tear" as you put it, around on a three grand bike. I have a mate who's a labourer, never going to be affluent doing that for a living, but cycling is his passion and the only thing he spends his money on, so he rides a C64, but he'd probably drop you on a Boris bike. Doubtless, judgmental arseholes like you drive past him in a twenty grand car muttering something under your breath about City boy wankers. Frankly, it's none of your business what someone spends their money on.

Avatar
check12 replied to srchar | 5 years ago
1 like

srchar wrote:

redrobot wrote:

affluent commuter belt types tearing round the countryside on £3k bikes at the weekend doesnt seem right somehow. the athleticism / eco statement etc is fine. the economics, not.

You don't have to be affluent to ride, or "tear" as you put it, around on a three grand bike. I have a mate who's a labourer, never going to be affluent doing that for a living, but cycling is his passion and the only thing he spends his money on, so he rides a C64, but he'd probably drop you on a Boris bike. Doubtless, judgmental arseholes like you drive past him in a twenty grand car muttering something under your breath about City boy wankers. Frankly, it's none of your business what someone spends their money on.

 

“Judgemental arseholes” amen brother

Avatar
hawkinspeter | 5 years ago
4 likes

.

Avatar
redrobot | 5 years ago
0 likes

a related question - what percent of biking kit is a markup for elitist consumerism? i mean if you pay £100 for a jacket that cost £5 to make is £50 of the profit made on the exclusivity factor? make a few and sell them expensive rather than pile em high and sell em cheap. it seems to me that cycling is a leisure interest significantly aimed at the affluent who like paying for expensive things other people cant have.

 

let's do a quick survey - how much have you spent on cycling kit in the last 3 years?

 

 

 

Avatar
Boatsie replied to redrobot | 5 years ago
1 like
redrobot wrote:

let's do a quick survey - how much have you spent on cycling kit in the last 3 years?

 

 

 

My car gets 100km on 5 litres of fuel. 6.7 litres with kayak on roof.
Cycling kit during last 3 years..
2 broken bikes. New brakes, loads of tyres, spare cassettes, spare chain wheel combo, new pedals, 3 second hand bikes.. Derailer, hub gear, fixie. An axle bearing. Illumination equipment 1 , wall hangers..
Overall.. A lot less than the fuel cost to have driven where was ridden.
All up.. Not that much.. Maybe $1500 yet spares (including tyres and lubes) should see me without expenditure a year or 3 now that setup has started.
Big hits were bikes.. $200, $120, $600. Upgrading $200 cost about $400.
Tyres? $80 per four wide ones, $30*2 wide front and a couple of rounds of 28s at $50 a set.
Lube $10?*4. Most not used.. Ditto with tyres.

It's way cheaper and it's usually fun compared to driving.
Motorists are usually nice.
Drunks got me 1 night.. 0300 hours. On shallow down grade having opened her up down a 3km 7% grade. I was standing on pedals, stretching, dude slapped my arse but I was laughing; friggin idiots past quickly hence to fast per his reaction.. He also hit the handlebar.. I was ok, wobble and stabilize yet I wonder if he hurt his hand..
(Pretty impressed that my buttocks was slapped)

Edit: gear racks, mud flaps, lots of spare tubes that don't get used. Panniers. +$200
Gift of panniers (unused new ones that I'll probably pack 1 day)
Way less cost than fuel.. Service cost of automobile down too.
One of my better choices

Avatar
peted76 replied to Boatsie | 5 years ago
2 likes

Boatsie wrote:

My car gets 100km on 5 litres of fuel. 6.7 litres with kayak on roof. Cycling kit during last 3 years.. 2 broken bikes. New brakes, loads of tyres, spare cassettes, spare chain wheel combo, new pedals, 3 second hand bikes.. Derailer, hub gear, fixie. An axle bearing. Illumination equipment 1 , wall hangers.. Overall.. A lot less than the fuel cost to have driven where was ridden. All up.. Not that much.. Maybe $1500 yet spares (including tyres and lubes) should see me without expenditure a year or 3 now that setup has started. Big hits were bikes.. $200, $120, $600. Upgrading $200 cost about $400. Tyres? $80 per four wide ones, $30*2 wide front and a couple of rounds of 28s at $50 a set. Lube $10?*4. Most not used.. Ditto with tyres. It's way cheaper and it's usually fun compared to driving. Motorists are usually nice. Drunks got me 1 night.. 0300 hours. On shallow down grade having opened her up down a 3km 7% grade. I was standing on pedals, stretching, dude slapped my arse but I was laughing; friggin idiots past quickly hence to fast per his reaction.. He also hit the handlebar.. I was ok, wobble and stabilize yet I wonder if he hurt his hand.. (Pretty impressed that my buttocks was slapped) Edit: gear racks, mud flaps, lots of spare tubes that don't get used. Panniers. +$200 Gift of panniers (unused new ones that I'll probably pack 1 day) Way less cost than fuel.. Service cost of automobile down too. One of my better choices

 

...and just like that, Boatsie is back.

Welcome back!

 

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