tempocyclist

Underrated comment. 😅

yaw

It's one thing to know that people are not better for having a new top end bike.
It's another to realise that one is not better for riding an old bike faster than someone with a new top end bike either.
People trying to twist things in a way that they somehow come out on top is still delusion.

PeteHski

How do you feel about those guys on $6k+ carbon bikes who smoke past you? I agree it's not really a good look struggling on a very expensive flashy new bike, but I find in reality that most people on expensive new bikes are actually pretty decent riders. At least where I ride anyway. It's all about attitude, I treat riders all the same i.e. with respect.

Mojo31

I don't get why is there all the hate about people with expensive bikes. If someone can afford to spend $10k on a bike, what makes that anyone's business? Maybe the guy walking the hill is getting started and building up his/her conditioning. Maybe that person had a medical event and is working his way back. To me, it's pretty disingenuous to boast about "blowing buy a guy walking up the hill while I was riding my 1982 Schwinn Varsity."

I'm not aware of any regulation that requires one to buy/ride a cheap or old or ugly bike until they reach specified specified milestones.

There will always be someone with more money/toys/etc. and someone with less. There is nothing wrong with riding a $10k bike or a $1k bike or a $100 CL special. Whatever rocks someone's boat should be okay.

GhostRider62

Several of us were passing a fellow decked out like Fabian Cancellaro and what was probably a $20K TT bike (this was 6-7 years ago when 20 grand actually got you a good bike). He had the whole team kit, front and rear disc wheels, soup to nuts. Skinsuit. Aero helmet. Impossible to miss on the MUP.

We were doing around 36 km/h and he might have been doing 20 mph.

As we approached, I foolishly thought to myself "what is this poseur thinking" and then as we passed, it was an octogenarian with the biggest smile imaginable on his face. That smile changed my attitude. Who cares what someone else rides if it makes them happy.

the sci guy 

Sorry y'all - i think what i said was taken the wrong way. somewhere in here i thought i read someone saying that people were looking down on riders with older bikes, and as a rider on an older bike there's just a small but of vindication when you see the le tour posers with their big attitudes and flashy bikes end up eating their own egos on a ride. that's all i was really trying to say. maybe I misread a post. didn't mean to start a thing (or seem like an ass).
otherwise, yes, riders at events are almost 100% the coolest, nicest people you meet. it's great to come up on someone and just start a conversation with them. and like I did say, i love ogling everyone's bikes as we pass. that's why i sign up to do so many during the spring. it's a scene and i love it.

SoSmellyAir

If I did my metric conversion correctly, am I to understand that the phalanx formed by you and your cohorts was barely 10% faster than an octogenarian on a TT bike?

If so, I am going to ignore what everyone else says and buy a TT bike instead of another road bike.

GhostRider62

4 of us with me on the caboose were maybe 2 mph faster. I seem to recall my 200K brevet was done in 6:39 total time.

20 mph all kitted out on a high end TT bike probably takes 160 watts and 200-210 watts on a road bike

Ogsarg

I'm basically a solo rider but just did my first organized ride on the weekend. I would have to say that the percentage of bikes that I would consider high end was fairly small and overall there was a huge variety. Folders, touring bikes, hybrids, tandems, a few recumbent trikes, etc. Did see some really nice bikes but nothing to make me envious. If I was going to be envious about anything it probably would have been one of the nicer vintage bikes that participated.

As far as nocking people for having high-end bikes, I just don't get that. I could never drive a Ferrari anywhere near the car's limits, but that doesn't mean I would not want one if I could afford it. I think it is normal for anyone into any kind of hobby/sport to want the best equipment they can afford, regardless of their ability. I bought my bike after getting a nice unexpected bonus. Had that not happened, I'd probably be riding a generic 105 equipped bike of some kind. Likely would not be any slower on it and perfectly happy. Just not AS happy.

seypat

I've actually had people tell me(at SAGs) I need to get a bike from the current century. Most of the comments are positive, though. Since I ride vintage bikes, my "tri" bike is a Dave Scott Ironman. One time I was rolling out on a pre race ride when a group of young hard-core triathletes came floating by on top level bikes. There was around 8 of them including a man around my age in the caboose position. He was the coach/mentor. They were giving me the "look," side eye, sneer, whatever you want to call it until the coach pulls even. He looks at my bike, smiles and tells them to slow down and let me pass. He then gives them a history lesson on triathlon, my bike, Dave Scott and the other pioneers of triathlon. It when on for a few minutes. Then they came slowly back by. The negative faces were replaced with positive ones.
It takes all kinds. One of my favorite parts of organized events is the temporary fellowships that come and go. Most of the riders are on their best behavior. The possible safety issues of riding with a bunch of unfamiliar riders not withstanding, I much prefer that over riding with the same bunch, with the same tired jokes, and same tired personalities(including mine) ride after ride. That's just me.

Camilo

Weird, I still think 10 speed gearing is new.

I do like to look at and am often impressed with the new equipment I see at events. But never jealous. I'm very happy with my 10 speed bikes (12 YO CF Felt, 25 YO Ti Litespeed), my 8 speed down tube shifter bike (35 YO updated steel Sannino), and new 12 speed Ti Lynskey AXS Etap bike. OK, I tend to buy what I want, but mostly bargain hunting used and close out, and always build it myself.

Don't' get me wrong, these are very nice bikes, and I'm sure get "worthiness" checks from people not comfortable in their own skin. But none of these bikes holds a candle to the cost and pizzazz of a current model high-zoot top of the line CF or Ti bike. I admire them for sure, and nobody should ever feel self conscious about owning or riding them. I hold no envy or jealousy, just admiration for a nice bike. And certainly don't think the owners have to meet any "worthiness" benchmark for enjoying their bikes.

By the way, I'm the guy the worthiness police pass on their less expensive bikes and later post how strong they are, compared to the weakling on the more expensive bike. When I read those things, I just think - ah, yeah, you'll grow up some day. We've all been fools at some point.

Oh, back to envy and jealousy - I do experience it! If I saw a pristine period-correct high end British bike, or one of the American premium brands, or custom shop bike from the 70s or 80s, pre-indexing era, I would be highly jealous and envious. If I ever spend a lot of money on a bike again, it will be a ready to go example of such, or a frame worthy of restoring to period correct and the money to make it so. I'm getting old enough so some dough spent on something pretty much ready to go might be worth while rather than a multi-year quest for the right parts.

SoSmellyAir

Now that my first (and only) road bike is 5 years old, I am quite envious of people riding older road bikes, not because their bikes are better -- some are, but most are not -- but because these older bikes remind me that their current riders (or prior owners) started road cycling earlier than I did (after my quarter century hiatus from cycling).

guachi

In 2021 I did four organized bike rides. Augusta, GA; SW of Atlanta, GA; Dover, DE, and rural MT (Cascade between Great Falls and Helena). There was marked difference in bike cost.

Cascade had 80 riders and I'd say four of us had really expensive bikes. The guy who smoked everyone on the 100 mile course and the three of us who finished 1st-3rd on the 66 mile course. The riders skewed old.

SW of Atlanta was the opposite. Probably 500 people at least and loads of expensive bikes. Plus, a number of them took the ride very seriously with many organized groups of riders (where Cascade was almost all solo efforts).

Augusta (where I live) had bikes of all cost levels. The longer rides had the fancy bikes. Several organized groups. Many of the strong riders didn't work as hard as they could have, probably because they were riding with their slower buddies. So passing the fancy bike in this case would have been meaningless.

Dover, DE had a massive turnout and bike quality generally followed route length. Even so, the number of truly crazy expensive bikes was low. I love looking at bikes and most were fairly expensive but not top-end.

So if it's a long course I'm not surprised if the bikes are fancy. I don't care how strong of a cyclist you are if you're doing 100 miles you clearly like biking. Speed doesn't really matter. Maybe you want to ride with your mates. Maybe you want to enjoy the scenery on your ride.

venturi95

Gentlemen: Just keep in mind, to 99% of the general population and 100% of rad MTBers, (JK!) you are an effeminate, effete, and entirely weird grown man on a bicycle. I don't think women get derided for dressing up in special clothes and partaking in what many perceive as a whimpy sport like road cycling. Nobody worth knowing really cares how new your bike is, but I do enjoy seeing cool new stuff at rides.

aliasfox

My performance on the bike can make me feel inadequate, my bikes themselves? Nope.

I live in New York City, and often make my way out to the San Francisco Bay Area, as both my sister and a very good friend of mine live out there. Prior to sending my 2004 Bianchi Vigorelli out there, I rented some nice bikes - a FutureShock and Di2 equipped Roubaix, and a Bianchi Infinito. What I learned was that the bikes themselves did nothing for me, despite both being more than 2x what I had spent on a bike at the time. I eventually decided to send my Bianchi out there because a) It was cheaper to leave a bike in my sister's garage than rent every time I wanted to ride, and b) I truly enjoyed my own bike better - even with 15 years on her and most likely 5-figure mileage.

The last time I was on an organized ride (2019 Levis Gran Fondo), there were new bikes, old bikes, road bikes, hybrids, and even a tandem. Sure, the nice bikes were nice to look at when we were at rest stops, but the only ones that really stood out were:
- the guy on the tandem, with his ~8yr old riding stoker, passing us on a climb
- the woman with very snazzy Italian-flag handlebar tape
- the other guy with a Bianchi Vigorelli (his a 2005, mine a 2004)

There was also one day that I wasn't riding, but went to a store to pick up sandwiches. This store is along a well known cycling route in Silicon Valley, and getting out of my car, I saw almost every boutique and premium brand imaginable - Pinarellos, Merlins, Calfees, riding on Enves and Zipps. Admiration? Definitely. Envy? Nah. Maybe that also comes from my personally making the choice not to spend that money, rather than strictly not being able to - in my mind, I can be slow on an older, less expensive bike, but I'll have no excuse if I showed up on a superbike!

The only time, I think, I would have bike envy is if my machine had mechanical issues that couldn't be easily resolved.

autonomy

I had that same observation at the last couple of events I was at. So many shiny, new, 'serious'-looking bikes! It was nice to ogle some of them. But also plenty of older bikes, guys just riding.

It's all about just riding and enjoying yourself. If you can do it on whatever bike you have, that's cool. If you need a shiny bike for that, that's also cool.

Litespud

If by "bike envy", you mean thinking " I wish I had that bike instead of my own", then no - there's almost no bike* I'd rather have instead of my own 22-year-old Litespeed. It's not an "old bike flex" (well, not much), it's simply that some uber-bike isn't really going to do anything better than my LS, and there's also the nightmare scenario of spending all that $$ and simply not liking it as much as my old bike, so why spend/waste/risk the money?
* apart from these guys, and I almost never encounter such beasts in real life.
Battaglin Portofino + Super Record EPS
Colnago C64 + Super Record EPS
Colnago Master + 10-sp Record

SoSmellyAir

I worry about this as well.

tomato coupe

Yeah, it's like ordering something different off the menu at a restaurant -- why spend/waste/risk the money on an entree you might not like as much? Nightmare.

Litespud

spending $$$$$$ on a bike isn’t quite the same as trying a new dish at a restaurant 🙄

tomato coupe

Yes, because if you don't like the bike, you can sell it and buy something else.

Seattle Forrest

You can test ride a bike before you decide whether to buy it, so you know if you like it before you make a choice. I don't know of any restaurants that do that.

tomato coupe

You can always ask the table next to you if you could try a bite of their entree.

Troul 

Never have I experienced a wasted feeling after risking getting another bicycle.
If the details are given accurately from the menu &/or server, then I can rely on my logic with common sense as to a meal being palatable. IF I blindly pick something, then I expect & assume the risk of playing dish roulette.

Nothing wrong with staying with the ole faithful bicycle, but there is more to life & I would not want someone to talk themselves out of a possible good experience.

seypat

Me too. Bike upgrade isn't going to help me much unless it's an E bike.