serious cyclist
03-16-17, 09:45 AM
#76
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What about the handlebars? Is extra stuff there a plus or minus for a serious cyclist? Pristine bar tape, bar showing through the tape?
03-16-17, 09:54 AM
#81
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Am I?
03-16-17, 09:56 AM
#83
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For those average >4000 mi OR >300K ft of elevation per yr:
Tan lines, flat stomach, lean and fit but without significant muscle mass on the upper body....narrow shoulders (looking good in very slim Italian suit...)
It's not unusual for serious cyclists to check out or comment on each others' body shapes, eg, "you must be a good climber.." "good sprinter..."
Tan lines, flat stomach, lean and fit but without significant muscle mass on the upper body....narrow shoulders (looking good in very slim Italian suit...)
It's not unusual for serious cyclists to check out or comment on each others' body shapes, eg, "you must be a good climber.." "good sprinter..."
03-16-17, 09:59 AM
#84
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03-16-17, 10:00 AM
#85
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-Being serious is performance related
-Being serious is emotionally related
The term itself is an emotional one. So I can only tell if others are serious cyclists by the clues they give off as to their emotions.
As a kid I knew those in Africa that spent hours a day on the bike taking stuff to/from Market. I expect they had never heard of Campy or Shimano. They just road. They would have dropped the bike in a second if someone offered them another means to do their job. So cycling was not a 1st choice, rather a tool.
Asking how to tell if someone is a serious cyclist is like asking how you know if someone is in love. There are signs, clues, actions, but I can't tell.
BTW - The SoCal KOMs are seriously hard to get.
03-16-17, 10:05 AM
#87
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03-16-17, 10:13 AM
#88
Erik the Inveigler
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Good idea! I'm going to print out @69chevy's suggestions and tape them to my top tube. We could even break it down into "serious zones" like HR.
03-16-17, 10:13 AM
#89
Erik the Inveigler
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It seems there are two camps:
-Being serious is performance related
-Being serious is emotionally related
The term itself is an emotional one. So I can only tell if others are serious cyclists by the clues they give off as to their emotions.
As a kid I knew those in Africa that spent hours a day on the bike taking stuff to/from Market. I expect they had never heard of Campy or Shimano. They just road. They would have dropped the bike in a second if someone offered them another means to do their job. So cycling was not a 1st choice, rather a tool.
Asking how to tell if someone is a serious cyclist is like asking how you know if someone is in love. There are signs, clues, actions, but I can't tell.
BTW - The SoCal KOMs are seriously hard to get.
-Being serious is performance related
-Being serious is emotionally related
The term itself is an emotional one. So I can only tell if others are serious cyclists by the clues they give off as to their emotions.
As a kid I knew those in Africa that spent hours a day on the bike taking stuff to/from Market. I expect they had never heard of Campy or Shimano. They just road. They would have dropped the bike in a second if someone offered them another means to do their job. So cycling was not a 1st choice, rather a tool.
Asking how to tell if someone is a serious cyclist is like asking how you know if someone is in love. There are signs, clues, actions, but I can't tell.
BTW - The SoCal KOMs are seriously hard to get.
03-16-17, 10:14 AM
#91
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I have never said "serious cyclist" but I have said "serious about cycling". I'm known at work (hospital) to be serious about my cycling so people talk about bikes or riding a lot. When they are talking about their hybrid or their "10-speed", I don't consider them "serious about cycling" so I don't invite them to one of the group rides I'm part of. If they are talking about "cycling season" or their new build, etc, then I invite them to ride.
So to be "serious about cycling" one has to have an approved bike, but they have to park it during some non-cycling season?
03-16-17, 10:31 AM
#92
Erik the Inveigler
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A serious cyclist is one who snorts and huffs when he/she is forced to slow down for a mom or dad pulling their child in a trailer on the mup. This is a for-sure sign; better than Strava KOMs/mileage, etc.
03-16-17, 10:33 AM
#93
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Does the sleeper/sandbagger exist in cycling? They wouldn't be conforming to the standards stated in the thread so far. Are they considered "serious?"
03-16-17, 10:40 AM
#94
wears long socks
03-16-17, 11:02 AM
#98
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This is behind me. I thought it looked serious.
You have a number on your bike. And a seat cover.
MASI2.0 Serious.jpg
And not when you do this.
SnowBike.jpg
You have a number on your bike. And a seat cover.
MASI2.0 Serious.jpg
And not when you do this.
SnowBike.jpg
03-16-17, 11:27 AM
#100
well hello there
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I went to bed a bit after this post and asked my wife who the most serious cyclist she knows is. I dropped some old timer names. Pete/Jim Penseyres, Wayne Stetina, Thurlow Rogers, John Howard - all locals that still put in the miles. Without hesitation she said "Brandon" [McNulty]. So her view was to be serious, you needed it to be a profession.
That is not my view.
That is not my view.
I got to meet John at the Tour of California. That's a buddy of mine with the fastest man and the fastest woman in the world.
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Two wheels good. Four wheels bad.
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Two wheels good. Four wheels bad.