More than Riding
As you get familiar with the bike community you will find quickly that one thing cyclists like more than cycling, is talking about all their gear, gadgets, and technical specs of their bikes and gear. If you were to ask a crowd of cyclists to tell you about their favorite or most essential bike items you would get a lot of eager responses…
However, after spending even more time in the bike community, you will find that what cyclists like more than cycling or talking about their gear, is giving advice about your gear.
And that’s where I get into trouble. Because I am not interested in gadgets or memorizing technical specs.
Mostly I just bike to work. But so far I haven’t lost my balance because of my lack of knowledge. I do just fine.
Oh, what a crack up. And so appropriate. Some of us just want to ride while others live and breathe all the geeky tech stuff. It takes both kinds to make a world of bikes. I guess I fall somewhere in between. Thanks for the humor.
YES! I also ride a bike with two wheels. It gets me where I need to go, and I consider myself a pretty savvy cyclist… until I walk into a bikeshop. Sigh. I’m finally acknowledging that I’m just not that interested in learning about all the gear, etc, and that needs to be okay.
I totally agree. And worse, you are labeled as a cyclist not by your love in cycling but by the price of the accessories. Best regards, Len.
I know exactly what you mean! But I did add fenders to the bike. SO much nicer in the rain!
ASTRONAUTS!
At some point, if you hang around bikes long enough, try enough things and settle on what you like you end up with folks telling you that “you need x,y and z to enjoy your ride properly,” to which you end up responding that “I have all that stuff, in a box in my garage, I took it all off my bike when I decided I didn’t need it any more.”
Also, being told that you can’t ride in flip flops, usually by people that you’ve passed while you’re riding in flip flops.
All you NEED is a bike, and possibly entertaining bicycle cartoons.