Do Cyclists Have a Negative Reputation?
11-21-18, 04:29 PM
#1
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Do Cyclists Have a Negative Reputation?
I've been riding a lot the past 3 years, not simply for fitness and recreation but also for utility. Especially on shorter trips for groceries or other knick knacks where I previously drove. I can't do that all of the time of course, especially in winter. Well, I could, but I'd just prefer not to.
Most people I encounter, customers and store clerks, and people I just encounter while walking and riding my bike, seem very supportive, very curious and seem to be fascinated by bicycles, cycling gear and just the idea of it.
However, I just read a couple of articles where cycling is considered to be a form of transportation of last resort, for the poor, for DUI's, for homeless, etc. I readily admit that my gear is 'nicer' meaning my helmets, jackets, gloves etc are sport specific and at least give the appearance that I spent a significant sum of money. Perhaps that shields me from the general impression that cycling is associated with poverty, homelessness, dui's. etc.
I'm struck by the generally negative view of cyclists and how well I am treated as a cyclist.
Most people I encounter, customers and store clerks, and people I just encounter while walking and riding my bike, seem very supportive, very curious and seem to be fascinated by bicycles, cycling gear and just the idea of it.
However, I just read a couple of articles where cycling is considered to be a form of transportation of last resort, for the poor, for DUI's, for homeless, etc. I readily admit that my gear is 'nicer' meaning my helmets, jackets, gloves etc are sport specific and at least give the appearance that I spent a significant sum of money. Perhaps that shields me from the general impression that cycling is associated with poverty, homelessness, dui's. etc.
I'm struck by the generally negative view of cyclists and how well I am treated as a cyclist.
11-21-18, 04:33 PM
#2
Interocitor Command
11-21-18, 04:45 PM
#3
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Your secret location? Probably best it stay that way..
Your behavior created this? Or, you have a lot of other people in town that did?
11-21-18, 04:49 PM
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Just smile and wave, man, just smile and wave.
11-21-18, 04:59 PM
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The negative comments and behaviors I’ve observed towards cyclists are solely from drivers who don’t believe we belong on “their” roads. Because, you know, God forbid some motorists is delayed by 19.4 seconds by having to slow down for or pass a cyclist sharing the public roadways with them.
Like you, other than rude drivers, almost everyone I encounter is interested in my bikes, gear, and my narrative about why I ride.
11-21-18, 05:14 PM
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I ride to the store all the time, even in the winter. It is so much more preferable to driving there. People sometimes give me strange looks, but it's probably cause I sometimes run into the store with my spandex gear on the way home from work.
What are these articles that you are reading?? I'd be interested in seeing them.
What are these articles that you are reading?? I'd be interested in seeing them.
11-21-18, 05:26 PM
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Now that that's out of the way, I have not run into the attitudes related by the OP. The worst I get is concern that I may have lost my mind when I'm still commuting in July and August.
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A race bike in any era is a highly personal choice that at its "best" balances the requirements of fit, weight, handling, durability and cost tempered by the willingness to toss it and oneself down the pavement at considerable speed. ~Bandera
A race bike in any era is a highly personal choice that at its "best" balances the requirements of fit, weight, handling, durability and cost tempered by the willingness to toss it and oneself down the pavement at considerable speed. ~Bandera
Last edited by Fahrenheit531; 11-21-18 at 05:29 PM.
11-21-18, 05:56 PM
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One time I was riding my hybrid towing my Burly Nomad trailer as I was going to the grocery store which is a mile away. It’s faster to cycle there than drive and circle around looking for a parking spot. I passed this one house with a guy who looked at me as if I had 2 heads. The funny thing is he had to be pushing 300lbs.
11-21-18, 06:51 PM
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With whom?
11-21-18, 06:52 PM
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I cycle to the aldi a lot. One trip when i was loading my panniers in the snow an elderly woman took her gloves off and gave them to me. I had to explain that i chose to do this and that i also had gloves. She was as sweet as could be but had a hard time understanding what i was doing.
i find that cycling in normal clothes makes folks think your bike is your only choice... sometimes. I always where normal clothes.
i find that cycling in normal clothes makes folks think your bike is your only choice... sometimes. I always where normal clothes.
11-21-18, 07:46 PM
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I've been riding a lot the past 3 years, not simply for fitness and recreation but also for utility. Especially on shorter trips for groceries or other knick knacks where I previously drove. I can't do that all of the time of course, especially in winter. Well, I could, but I'd just prefer not to.
Most people I encounter, customers and store clerks, and people I just encounter while walking and riding my bike, seem very supportive, very curious and seem to be fascinated by bicycles, cycling gear and just the idea of it.
However, I just read a couple of articles where cycling is considered to be a form of transportation of last resort, for the poor, for DUI's, for homeless, etc. I readily admit that my gear is 'nicer' meaning my helmets, jackets, gloves etc are sport specific and at least give the appearance that I spent a significant sum of money. Perhaps that shields me from the general impression that cycling is associated with poverty, homelessness, dui's. etc.
I'm struck by the generally negative view of cyclists and how well I am treated as a cyclist.
Most people I encounter, customers and store clerks, and people I just encounter while walking and riding my bike, seem very supportive, very curious and seem to be fascinated by bicycles, cycling gear and just the idea of it.
However, I just read a couple of articles where cycling is considered to be a form of transportation of last resort, for the poor, for DUI's, for homeless, etc. I readily admit that my gear is 'nicer' meaning my helmets, jackets, gloves etc are sport specific and at least give the appearance that I spent a significant sum of money. Perhaps that shields me from the general impression that cycling is associated with poverty, homelessness, dui's. etc.
I'm struck by the generally negative view of cyclists and how well I am treated as a cyclist.
11-21-18, 10:18 PM
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I've occassionally gotten crap from coworkers over the years about biking to work. Most would think it's cool but every now and then there's someone with an issue.
Then I read someone on here say that they only got crap from their fat coworkers...and I realized that was true. The next guy who said something negative I said to him "You know...it's funny how the only people I meet who say stuff like that are overweight". Lol he didn't talk to me for a week after that.
Then I read someone on here say that they only got crap from their fat coworkers...and I realized that was true. The next guy who said something negative I said to him "You know...it's funny how the only people I meet who say stuff like that are overweight". Lol he didn't talk to me for a week after that.
11-21-18, 10:40 PM
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11-21-18, 11:34 PM
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Road cyclists riding is groups in pack formation or a single a cyclist in the middle of the road have a bad reputation here in Australia. Overweight MAMILs in cafes at the weekend have a negative reputation here.
I frequently ride to the supermarket (grocery store in Aus) and get looked at by just about everyone as I lock my commuter bike up. I put that down to where I live only young kids go to the shop on a bike, not 60+ year old men.
I frequently ride to the supermarket (grocery store in Aus) and get looked at by just about everyone as I lock my commuter bike up. I put that down to where I live only young kids go to the shop on a bike, not 60+ year old men.
11-22-18, 12:05 AM
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I felt like there was a stigma at first, just like the articles you mentioned. Poor, lost your license, last resort. But I realized that nobody on the road cares if they think about it at all, which they don't. And reactions from most people are overwhelmingly positive as you also note. I think that the stigma doesn't actually exist, except for what people think that OTHER people think.
11-22-18, 12:12 AM
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I'm not sure that I buy the premise that cycling is generally associated with poverty, homelessness, dui's etc. Certainly, there are people that ride because they have no other way of getting around, but most people I know who ride for transport choose to do so - for the exercise, for their "green" impulse, for the convenience, and yes, to save money, but because they'd rather spend it on something other than running a car. I'm pretty sure there's no-one on this forum who rides because they can't afford another mode of transport. In my experience, "transport cyclists" are looked upon by the general populace as weirdos, rather than as down-and-outs. Where I live, the standard maneuver for DUI's who are banned from driving are scooters, which don't require driving licenses. Given how marginalized cycling is in US society, even those who can't afford to, or are legally unable to, drive a car, would likely rather walk than ride a bike - it just doesn't figure into their thinking.
11-22-18, 12:12 AM
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Where are these articles you're reading? In the States? People I run into say, "I really ought to get a bike". Here, everyone seems to like the concept of being a cyclist, getting fit and reducing road congestion and pollution, etc. They just don't get around to it. We have share bikes that get used, commuters on bikes, serious cyclists in full gear and weekenders riding cruisers with baskets. There's all types. I wish I could get sympathy and maybe do some lucrative panhandling on my bikes. It would help pay for the maintenance and accessories. .
11-22-18, 01:11 AM
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Most people I encounter, customers and store clerks, and people I just encounter while walking and riding my bike, seem very supportive, very curious and seem to be fascinated by bicycles, cycling gear and just the idea of it.
I'm struck by the generally negative view of cyclists and how well I am treated as a cyclist.
I'm struck by the generally negative view of cyclists and how well I am treated as a cyclist.
11-22-18, 05:41 AM
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Do Cyclists Have a Negative Reputation?
As a decades long cycle commuter and road cyclist in Metro Boston, I have previously posted about the (motoring) public perceptions and private perceptions (of me):
PUBLIC:
PRIVATE
…Most people I encounter, customers and store clerks, and people I just encounter while walking and riding my bike, seem very supportive, very curious and seem to be fascinated by bicycles, cycling gear and just the idea of it…
However, I just read a couple of articles where cycling is considered to be a form of transportation of last resort, for the poor, for DUI's, for homeless, etc
I'm struck by the generally negative view of cyclists and how well I am treated as a cyclist.
However, I just read a couple of articles where cycling is considered to be a form of transportation of last resort, for the poor, for DUI's, for homeless, etc
I'm struck by the generally negative view of cyclists and how well I am treated as a cyclist.
PUBLIC:
I've found that most Americans think of bikes in three ways: children's toys, exotic toys for fitness fanatics and transportation of last resort for the impoverished and disadvantaged.
It's socially acceptable for an adult to dress up like a circus acrobat with friends once a week, run around in circles as quickly as possible with no other purpose or destination, but to ride a bike somewhere for a purpose implies some sort of need and is looked upon as an act of desperation.
It's socially acceptable for an adult to dress up like a circus acrobat with friends once a week, run around in circles as quickly as possible with no other purpose or destination, but to ride a bike somewhere for a purpose implies some sort of need and is looked upon as an act of desperation.
….It took me two readings to realize that an "...adult to dress up like a circus acrobat with friends once a week, run around in circles as quickly as possible with no other purpose or destination..." refers to joggers. 
… Running a red light gives us (cyclists) a bad rap. Motorists see us as just scofflaws and don't respect our right to be on the road because of that. This is really the biggest thing I hear from drivers. Running red lights just makes us all look bad.
You are forgetting a few:
1. Bikers/cyclists are entitled (or think they are better than us.)
2. Bikers/cyclists don't pay for bike lanes/roads.
3. Bikers/cyclists ride in the middle of the lane (and should ride on the sidewalk/or on a different road/or not at all)).
4. Bikers/cyclists ride too slowly (and should ride on the sidewalk/or on a different road/or not at all).
5. Bikers/cyclists ride on the sidewalk and should ride in the bike lane (or on a different road/or not at all).
6. Bikers/cyclists roll stop signs.
7. Bikers/cyclists wear dark clothing/lycra/chartreuse/tights.
8. Bikers/cyclists don't wear helmets.
9. Bikers/cyclists don't use lights.
1. Bikers/cyclists are entitled (or think they are better than us.)
2. Bikers/cyclists don't pay for bike lanes/roads.
3. Bikers/cyclists ride in the middle of the lane (and should ride on the sidewalk/or on a different road/or not at all)).
4. Bikers/cyclists ride too slowly (and should ride on the sidewalk/or on a different road/or not at all).
5. Bikers/cyclists ride on the sidewalk and should ride in the bike lane (or on a different road/or not at all).
6. Bikers/cyclists roll stop signs.
7. Bikers/cyclists wear dark clothing/lycra/chartreuse/tights.
8. Bikers/cyclists don't wear helmets.
9. Bikers/cyclists don't use lights.
…Personally, I did not think the … callers to the talk show were particularly hateful, though one snow plow driver did admit to being slowed by a cyclist on a narrow road, and as he passed the cyclist he plowed out a wave of slush to his right. This winter of historic snowfalls though did bring out more hostility than usual.
Nonetheless “hatred” is way too strong a word; IMO here in Boston, more like “exasperation.”...
Nonetheless “hatred” is way too strong a word; IMO here in Boston, more like “exasperation.”...
My cycling reputation, mundane as my cycling might be to the hard-core cyclists, is always a source of amusement and conversation with my friends and acquaintances; e.g. in bad weather, “You didn’t ride your bike today, did you?,” or at fancy social events, “Did you ride your bike here?.” Always asked with amusement and respect.....
One of the nicest compliments I have received at work is that I am credible, and I think my cycling reputation probably supports that image.
One of the nicest compliments I have received at work is that I am credible, and I think my cycling reputation probably supports that image.
Generally I get kudos or just indifference towards my cycling, mostly as a year-round commuter here in Metro Boston, even after my serious accident four years ago.
The most hostile remarks, particularly in Winter, are from those drivers who fear for themselves to hit me.
The most hostile remarks, particularly in Winter, are from those drivers who fear for themselves to hit me.
Last edited by Jim from Boston; 11-22-18 at 06:38 AM.
11-22-18, 06:46 AM
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Pretty much my thoughts. I'd like for everybody to like me but I don't think that's possible.
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11-22-18, 06:51 AM
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Not to worry. Just remember that there is the 2 percent that is against most anything anyone wants to do. Just ignore them altho they get far more press than they should have.
