aprevo15

While I was out riding this morning, I came across a few cyclists resting at a spot where I take my break. So I stopped there too and said hello to them. One of the guy started a conversation with me and we chatted for some time. He was telling me that he used to ride with a certain group until they practically kicked him out because his bike wasn't "high end" enough. He started riding with that group because his friend invited him. after a couple of rides his friend stopped asking him out on rides with the group. So when he asked his friend what's up, that's when his friend told him that the group didn't want him riding with them because his bike was too cheap according to their standards. I was ROFL.

CNY James

that's ridiculous... but I can't say I'm surprised... people are a lot nicer to me now that I'm riding my Felt than they did when I was riding my Fuji (with Sora no less, *gasp*)

mortenfyhn

The imporant part is whether he was able to keep up, regardless of his bike. Did he ride as fast as the rest of the group?
If they really kicked him out only because of his bike, they really must be utter idiots.

calamarichris

The best cure for those pre-ride prison-exercise-yard situations is to smile, and chuckle along self-deprecatingly, then ride them casually off your wheel and spend the rest of the ride about 100 feet in front of their snooty little group.

Motorcyclists are the same way and there's nothing more delicious than riding around some poseur on a 140+hp Ducati or literbike on a twisty, silly-string road with my little twin-cylinder, 35hp Ninja 500 and then waiting for them (in front of their friends) at the top of the mountain at the biker hangout...


Hahaha: one guy came up and said "You were riding the TAR out of that little thing!"

Not really, but you decidedly weren't riding the tar out of your R1.

FactVord

It doesn't surprise me since human history seems to repeat itself.

RollCNY

To be completely off topic, did you get your Felt at Advance Cyclery on Seely Rd? Or does anyone else carry them in Syracuse?

Back on topic, I joined a local group of roadies on my hybrid. All the roadies called me "the kid on the mountain bike" until I hung with them on a monster hill. Then I was "the kid on the mountain bike with really strong legs". Now they know my first name.

Commodus

I've never experienced that kind of attitude. I've always known roadies to only care about one thing, your legs.

Found it refreshingly egalitarian, to be honest.

CNY James

I kinda tried but they didn't have any when I was shopping. I was looking for a 2011 F75... I stopped into Dick Sonne's in New Hartford to see if they had any and they happened to have a leftover F5... so I got a much nicer bike for the same price.

RollCNY

F5 is a sweet deal. It is on my short list of "If I ever go carbon road bike". Currently, I am still very attached to my home assembled, flat bar aluminum road build. The guys at Advance have been great to me, so I like to see if others have had similar luck. Bought my Sirrus there, my son's Hardrock, and they helped me with parts of my home build for essentially free.

kenji666

Sounds childish. Or elitist. Either way, it's ignorant.

Velo Vol 

We need a constitutional amendment.

John_V 

Most of the guys on road bikes always say hello or nod their head when they pass me on mine or I pass them. I have only found that not to be true with a few, large pace line groups. Maybe it's because they are going much faster or because they don't want to be bothered. I must say that the smaller pace line groups always has one or two riders that usually say hello or good morning. I think it would be beneficial to know exactly why he was told that. It could be that they felt that was a better reason to give than telling him he was too slow. But if that was truly the reason, then as someone already mentioned; they're idiots.

rjones28 

The world is full of people like this.

jr59

Well he did not say he shaved his legs.

CNY James

I really like it. A lot. Never thought I would go carbon but couldn't pass on the deal. I think you should get one and keep your flat bar bike too... no such thing as too many, as long as you ride them all...

Sonne's took good care of me when I bought the bike, getting me properly fitted and the bike came with 2 years of free tune ups. I dealt with Steve Sonne there, he's a no BS straight shooter kind of guy.

The crew @ Advance is pretty good, there is one guy there that always tries to sell me stuff that I neither want or need... but at least he's low pressure. Everybody there has always been very helpful when I've needed anything. I had my brothers bike in for a RD adjustment and when they noticed the FD needed it too, they did it free.

Elvo

So what biek did he have and what bikes were the group riding?

aprevo15

He had a Raleigh. I don't know the model. It was a bit old but didn't look cheap to me. I asked them what bikes the group had he said he didn't really know because he doesn't check out other people's bikes when he rides. He just rides. He did say they looked expensive that's all.

Vicelord

I find that people look at my bike and aren't interested because they don't know what it is. It doesn't say Trek or Specialized so it doesn't mean anything. I rode a friend's Tarmac for a day and had a ton of people smiling at me and trying to make friends. Even though I have a $3,500 bike, they are more interested in the $1,700 Tarmac and will talk to him and act like I don't even exist.

People also look at my legs funny.

RollCNY

When I am driving with the wife and we pass cyclists (even female ones), the wife yells at me for ogling the bikes. And sorry for glomming onto your thread with Syracuse shop questions. I've never bumped into a local on BF before.

CNY James

unshaven?

Vicelord

see you caught that right away.

I sit at the local roadie espresso hangout and get dirty looks when I kick my legs up. I know what they are thinking, that guy has hair he must be a slow idiot, lets glare at him and never say hi.

byrnemm

Maybe he's not very fun to ride with.

rjones28 

Nachoman

Can you blame them?

datlas 

That's really stupid.

It's about the motor.

In my club, there is one guy who has an old steel bike with bar-end shifters, and he uses rat-trap pedals with sneakers.

He is strong as an ox and he is more than welcome to ride with us.