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Most Silly, Trivial or Inconsequential Complaint/Comment Made About Your Bike?

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Most Silly, Trivial or Inconsequential Complaint/Comment Made About Your Bike?

Old 09-20-18, 09:57 AM
  #1  
raria
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Most Silly, Trivial or Inconsequential Complaint/Comment Made About Your Bike?

Cyclists (particularly road cyclists given they tend to be older and overwhelming male) are a funny bunch. Maybe its where I've lived but over the years I've heard of many complaints but the ones that stick in my mind are the trivial ones.

Just last week in a group ride someone stopped the entire group and said one person's brushed ALU frame could potentially blind another cyclist (it was on a MUP) and he should repaint his frame!
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Old 09-20-18, 10:05 AM
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My disc brakes could kill an entire peloton, bouncing around from throat to throat like the bullet that got JFK.
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Old 09-20-18, 10:29 AM
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Do people IRL actually complain about other people's bikes? I mean, something like "hey, bring a fender for the next wet ride, you jackass," I can understand, but other than that?
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Old 09-20-18, 10:37 AM
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Originally Posted by raria
Just last week in a group ride someone stopped the entire group and said one person's brushed ALU frame could potentially blind another cyclist (it was on a MUP) and he should repaint his frame!
Is this a real thing? If the group didn't laugh that guy out of existence, you need to find a better group.
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Old 09-20-18, 10:58 AM
  #5  
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I ride Velocity A23’s in the optional “polished” aluminum finish. They are blindingly silver when freshly polished with Mother’s mag wheel polish. This prompts some group ride participants to ask “Do you think your rims are clean enough?” One lady rider asked “Were you up all night with a Brillo pad?” And many others commented on times when the sun was setting and headlights came on - “Your rims are blinding me!”

Years ago, when I rode my black 1978 Masi Gran Criterium I had a guy go out of his way to make the remark: “you know you have a fake Masi there don’t you?” I knew enough that my bike was an authentic California Masi from that era. My down tube decals were devoid of the typical flags and “Gran Criterium” logo. I later learned that the builders (or painters) who finished these frames for Masi had made some of the dark colored Gran Criteriums with trimmed down decals saying nothing but “Masi” because they liked the cleaner look. My Gran Criterium has some of the best workmanship and the best paint job I have ever seen...

The guy who called me out maintained that he was right by the way.
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Old 09-20-18, 11:01 AM
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Originally Posted by masi61
And many others commented on times when the sun was setting and headlights came on - “Your rims are blinding me!"
When I show up to a group ride on my '79 Fuji, and people ask me why I'm running its polished aluminum fenders in sunny weather, "blinding enemies" is the answer I give.
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Old 09-20-18, 11:03 AM
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Originally Posted by WhyFi
Do people IRL actually complain about other people's bikes? I mean, something like "hey, bring a fender for the next wet ride, you jackass," I can understand, but other than that?
People complain about EVERYTHING

There is always some wackadoodle who has nothing going on and wants to feel important and be heard so he starts complaining about some non issue.

Happens with everything.

I drive a really orange car. It's not a common car color and it's bright. I had someone at a gas station once complain that it was too different and could keep driver's from noticing other cars instead of mine.

That is an actual complaint someone took the time to say to me. A warning, if you will, that I would never be in an accident because of how visible my car was. And I was supposed to be upset by that.
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Old 09-20-18, 11:09 AM
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I complained to the guy in front of me that he was in too good of an aero tuck... that I wasn't getting the full draft I signed up for. Yeah... that one may be on me ;-)
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Old 09-20-18, 11:10 AM
  #9  
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Originally Posted by masi61
I ride Velocity A23’s in the optional “polished” aluminum finish. They are blindingly silver when freshly polished with Mother’s mag wheel polish. This prompts some group ride participants to ask “Do you think your rims are clean enough?” One lady rider asked “Were you up all night with a Brillo pad?” And many others commented on times when the sun was setting and headlights came on - “Your rims are blinding me!”

Years ago, when I rode my black 1978 Masi Gran Criterium I had a guy go out of his way to make the remark: “you know you have a fake Masi there don’t you?” I knew enough that my bike was an authentic California Masi from that era. My down tube decals were devoid of the typical flags and “Gran Criterium” logo. I later learned that the builders (or painters) who finished these frames for Masi had made some of the dark colored Gran Criteriums with trimmed down decals saying nothing but “Masi” because they liked the cleaner look. My Gran Criterium has some of the best workmanship and the best paint job I have ever seen...

The guy who called me out maintained that he was right by the way.
The first group of people about your rims sounded like friendly ribbing. (You were there. You'd know better than me though) If so that's all in good fun. But people who take life too seriously....like the Masi guy. I mean who cares? So what if you did have a fake? How does that impact his life?

I answered a trivia question once that Blinded By The Light was written and recorded by Bruce Springsteen. (It was) And some guy in the crow was SUPER offended that I didn't say it was Manfred Mann (who covered the song with the 'wrapped up like a ******' version that gets radio play to this day) I mean this guy went on and on and on about how I needed to learn my history before I opened my mouth and how music is important and I was ignorant to not know about rock and roll....he wouldn't let it go. And he was dead wrong. And even if he wasn't, so what? So some random dude at the ball game guessed the mid-inning trivia questions on the scoreboard with a wrong answer (it wasn't) how does that reduce the quality of your life so much that you need to have a heart attack over it?

Some people will complain just to convince themselves they know more than you. You can't take people like that seriously.
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Old 09-20-18, 11:21 AM
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raria
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Okay.

If you want to extend this to trivial things you've said, then go ahead. More power to you (get the double pun? You need more power since you couldn't draft ...)

Originally Posted by Zaskar
I complained to the guy in front of me that he was in too good of an aero tuck... that I wasn't getting the full draft I signed up for. Yeah... that one may be on me ;-)
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Old 09-20-18, 11:33 AM
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Originally Posted by Zaskar
I complained to the guy in front of me that he was in too good of an aero tuck... that I wasn't getting the full draft I signed up for. Yeah... that one may be on me ;-)
That's both on you and silly, but I wouldn't say it's trivial or inconsequential. How hard someone is to draft is definitely something that has consequences.
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Old 09-20-18, 11:38 AM
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Guys... I was kidding.
One of the guys in my club is 5'9" and tucks on the front like a bullet. He says "If you can't see your eyebrows, your head's not low enough." He often gets the JOKING request to "sit up straight."
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Old 09-20-18, 11:40 AM
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I can't remember a silly, trivial or for that matter 'any' complaint about my bike.
I, on the other hand, will frequently complain about other people's squeaky bikes, in a sassy, non-judgemental way.
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Old 09-20-18, 11:59 AM
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Originally Posted by Nachoman
I, on the other hand, will frequently complain about other people's squeaky bikes, in a sassy, non-judgemental way.
Love that. I asked a buddy once "Is that metronome to help smooth out your stroke?"
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Old 09-20-18, 12:00 PM
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Originally Posted by Nachoman
I can't remember a silly, trivial or for that matter 'any' complaint about my bike.
I, on the other hand, will frequently complain about other people's squeaky bikes, in a sassy, non-judgemental way.
"Nice nest of mice you've got there Nachoman. What chain lube do you favor?"/ducks
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Old 09-20-18, 12:23 PM
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One of my friends once complained about my QR being pointed the wrong way.
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Old 09-20-18, 12:32 PM
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Old 09-20-18, 01:19 PM
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Originally Posted by Zaskar
Guys... I was kidding.
One of the guys in my club is 5'9" and tucks on the front like a bullet. He says "If you can't see your eyebrows, your head's not low enough." He often gets the JOKING request to "sit up straight."
I'm 5'7" and get that comment more than you would think. Unfortunately sometimes I don't think folks are joking.
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Old 09-20-18, 01:26 PM
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several years ago, out for a joy ride, passed a guy. little while later same guy passes me & says: "not gonna be passed by a hybrid, that's a hybrid, right? (as he eye balled my front shocks)"

he didn't last long ahead of me. little while later I passed him again with no comments. none of it mattered to me, but it was a funny thing to hear
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Old 09-20-18, 01:39 PM
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Old 09-20-18, 01:49 PM
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Originally Posted by Zaskar
I complained to the guy in front of me that he was in too good of an aero tuck... that I wasn't getting the full draft I signed up for. Yeah... that one may be on me ;-)
There are a couple of fast little guys in your group. Did you ever play the card game 'Old Maid' with the family growing up? When the speed gets up in the group and some days the ride gets a little too fast due to all the racers that can join...and the wind blows...this makes for some high watt excursions just to hang on. Getting stuck behind one of these guys that pokes a pin prick into the air stream is like getting the Old Maid in the card game. Sometimes I have to get out of line and find a big guy to ride behind.

Only complaint about my bike is it isn't fast enough.
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Old 09-20-18, 01:53 PM
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Originally Posted by RShantz
I'm 5'7" and get that comment more than you would think. Unfortunately sometimes I don't think folks are joking.
They're not. There is this 'tiny' little old racer dude from Chicago who comes south for the winter to ride. He says he trains to power and has a 300w FTP. The guy seems like he can pull all day. Of course he can. Big engine in a small frame with little wind resistance. The rest of us suffer.
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Old 09-20-18, 02:31 PM
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A coworker introduced me to one of his friends saying that I liked to do "really long, all-day bike rides". The friend said, how fast do you ride, 40, 50 kph? He looked disappointed when I told him long rides at that speed were World pro level and I used to go at about 25 kph.
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Old 09-20-18, 06:39 PM
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I confess: I complain about noisy hubs. But it's mainly so I can complain about the coasting without sounding like I'm judging their riding style.
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Old 09-20-18, 06:46 PM
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Apparently more than two spacers is a no no. I didn't know that was the limit. But it doesn't matter that I have herniated discs in my back and can't bend over to where my butt is higher than my head.
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