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.

Don't be. Some people are just clueless.

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?

Just smile and wave, man, just smile and wave.

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.

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. :P

With whom?

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 never see or hear much of anything negative. People who pay any attention tend to be positive.

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.

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.

A crackhead on a walmart bike is not a cyclist?!

Agreed. But now you have to answer the question: is a commuter a cyclist?

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 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.

You must mean mopeds. No one can get very far on a scooter. Especially in bad weather. You can cover a fair distance with a moped. But these require a license and registration. So you actually do mean scooters. Which doesn't make any sense.

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. .

Living in Idaho, I witnessed the negative attitudes around 20 years ago. But the towns and cities near me are slowly becoming "Bike Friendly" with proper bike lanes and cleaner streets. Bicycle commuting has become more common now and it is no surprise to see a fellow cyclist after 10 pm out for casual ride or heading home from work. Sure I'll see a few country boys with oversized trucks but they tend to behave themselves now.

Pretty much my thoughts. I'd like for everybody to like me but I don't think that's possible.

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.