Ethnicity and the Cycling

dewei

don_don

If I was not so busy with family and other activities, I would probably make tentative steps to join the local cycling scene.

It is quite clear looking at the cycling magazines, cycling websites and cycling clubs that cycling is not as ethnically diverse as other sports. I agree more can be done to open up the sports although I would cringe if it was done just as part of a knee jerk 'politically correct'/ quota exercise.

On an individual level, I find most people cyclist or not, British or not etc are good. The problems are the institutions and structures.

passout

Forget your slang, I've just realised something - when I lived in Japan I was a ethnic minority cyclist! I used to commute to work by bike in Kyoto. I got a few stares but basically nobody was interested, much like the UK I suspect.

I think it's healthy to remember that we are all potentially members of ethnic minorities - it's just a question of location!

il_principe

biondino wrote:

Sorry, was completely wrong, it was in the US (Oakland in particular) and they're called "Scraper bikes", for example:

Love the trike!

Clever Pun

jashburnham wrote:

Ah Croydon, Jewel of South London

West Croydon is the hole...

there are about 4 pubs in the centre that have that special tight ponytail feel, other than that it's actually fine*

*I never go out in the centre of a weekend

don_don

dewei wrote:

don_don

If I was not so busy with family and other activities, I would probably make tentative steps to join the local cycling scene.

It is quite clear looking at the cycling magazines, cycling websites and cycling clubs that cycling is not as ethnically diverse as other sports. I agree more can be done to open up the sports although I would cringe if it was done just as part of a knee jerk 'politically correct'/ quota exercise.

On an individual level, I find most people cyclist or not, British or not etc are good. The problems are the institutions and structures.

I wouldn't suggest it as an exercise in being PC, just for the sake of it, but it was you who said that you were put off a bit by the seemingly all-white club websites.

I think you hit the nail on the head though - some institutions / structures could just be more representative and welcoming. Not just for ethnic minorities like I said, but for all ages, sexes etc etc.

Again, its not something requiring major changes, just a bit of thought and imagination

flattythehurdler

Pikey me 100%.
Anyone remember the "bearded hellcat from staines" from the old cycleplus days?

don_don

jashburnham wrote:

biondino wrote:

Sorry, was completely wrong, it was in the US (Oakland in particular) and they're called "Scraper bikes", for example:

Love the trike!

You've started something there Blondie!

Who's going to be first to bling up their commuter? Greg66's new Cervelo has to be in the running

joe1983

Interesting thread, I was wondering the very same thing a while ago during the olympics. Track and field was disproportionately black athletes and cycling disproportionately white athletes.

When I lived in Cambridge, everyone cycled so it wasn't unusual at all to see people of all colours and creeds on a bike, but everywhere else it seems cycling is mainly a white activity. It must be noted though that even in Cambridge those that cycled for fun / exercise rather than getting to lectures were nearly always white.

I tried to convince some of my mates (indian, Sri Lankan, Black) to join me on a ride - the answer was a resounding 'No' and an insinuation that cycling was gay. Oh well!

FWIW - White Irish

DonDaddyD

lost_in_thought wrote:

See now in my book it doesn't matter who a person is or where they come from or what they look like, or where they went to school, if they're willing to work for it they can achieve what they want.

We share the same sentiment. Too a point.

I think some people see colour/class/whatever as a barrier to that, and almost hide behind it, using it as an excuse. You are right that there are some prejudices in place against ethnic minorities, but I really think they are becoming ever fewer. Look at Obama, for god's sake, if there was ever an example for disappearing prejudice it's him.

When it's not 'gross' teach your belief to your children and the prejudice in the World will become less.

Obama, I hope, I just hope.

DonDaddyD

Jamey wrote:

DonDaddyD wrote:

Come down to Croydon and we'll go on safari around some Estates..

Oh, are you coming over later? I'll make some punch.

Or, more seriously... You're in Croydon, I'm in Croydon, fancy going out for a ride sometime? I need to start some training for the Dunwich Dynamo.

And my ethnicity is cracker-ass honky

I used to be a Croydon-ite I'm afraid. Also at the mo, I'm in the 'I ride alone bracket'. Hit Bassjunkie up he's in Croydon and a great Cycle partner.

I may join in time but for the moment I'm just hugely unfit.

Jamey

Oh wait, I just saw your profile Location says Wimbledon so ignore what I said earlier. Well, unless you want to take your life into your hands and come to Croydon

Jamey

Gah, replied at the same time

Don't worry about fitness... I averaged 12mph on the way in this morning, although that was partly due to my saddle being too low and a headwind.

DonDaddyD

biondino wrote:

At my private school it was funny to see a certain section of my classmates suddenly crossing over to the wrong side of the tracks, accent-wise, though I doubt it lasted beyond their front door in Esher or Weybridge or wherever...

When I got my first glimpse of the money I could earn, out went my accent, my limp, most my hoodies and Nike Air Max trainers.

Oh wait, I just saw your profile Location says Wimbledon so ignore what I said earlier. Well, unless you want to take your life into your hands and come to Croydon

Jamey, for several years of my life I used to catch the 109 bus into Croydon. I went to Stanley Technical High (its a Harris Tech now), worked in Ernest Jones in the Whitgift Centre and Central Centre and I used to work in Virgin Megastores (all before and during Uni) I also used to go to Coulsdon College. I'm about as Croydon as you can get.

I only recently moved to Wimbledon. I landed a Lawyer, Croydon was too far South for her liking.... I miss Dallas Chicken, Club Vision, The George and the Blue Orchid.

jairaj

Hi guys, I was born in India but moved to england when I was young (~5ish i think) so guess im a British-Indian or something?

I regularly commute to work by bike and love trashing my MTB around the woods. I agree there aren't a lot of us cycling about. I have never seen any MTBers and only seen a very few commuting by bike but they didn't look very serious into cycling due to lack of cycling specific equipment.

i don't really read into this much at all. I think is just a cultural thing, in our cultures cycling as a sport or a viable means of commuting to anything further than the shops just simply isn't popular. The same as football and rugby aren't popular in India too.

Also imho cycling doesn't top the tables as most popular sport in the UK multiply this with the fact we're an ethnic minority equals a small probability of getting ethnic cyclists. i don't think its down to any barriers or such, just a matter of numbers, popularity and culture.

linsen

I am part Norfolk yokel / part Londoner.

Now that's what I call exotic.

lost_in_thought

DonDaddyD wrote:

biondino wrote:

At my private school it was funny to see a certain section of my classmates suddenly crossing over to the wrong side of the tracks, accent-wise, though I doubt it lasted beyond their front door in Esher or Weybridge or wherever...

When I got my first glimpse of the money I could earn, out went my accent, my limp, most my hoodies and Nike Air Max trainers.

Your LIMP?

I am so out of touch with yoof cult-cha.

DonDaddyD

don_don wrote:

jashburnham wrote:

biondino wrote:

Sorry, was completely wrong, it was in the US (Oakland in particular) and they're called "Scraper bikes", for example:

Love the trike!

You've started something there Blondie!

Who's going to be first to bling up their commuter? Greg66's new Cervelo has to be in the running

The day they make spinners (have you seen them on cars, the car stops and the alloys keep spinning oh my god they look amazing!) for bikes 700cc is the day... well it's just the DAY!

Spinners on my bike all chrome and sexy oh man! I'd do nothing but wheelies all along my commute!

Jamey

DonDaddyD wrote:

Jamey, for several years of my life I used to catch the 109 bus into Croydon. I went to Stanley Technical High (its a Harris Tech now), worked in Ernest Jones in the Whitgift Centre and Central Centre and I used to work in Virgin Megastores (all before and during Uni) I also used to go to Coulsdon College. I'm about as Croydon as you can get.

I only recently moved to Wimbledon. I landed a Lawyer, Croydon was too far South for her liking.... I miss Dallas Chicken, Club Vision, The George and the Blue Orchid.

I take it all back, you're definitely one of us... Born and bred in the Cronx.

I miss The Orchid too. I worked there for a while through college, it was god-awful but it was ours... Sniff.

posh_pedaller

1/2 English or other white
1/4 Scottish
1/8 German (I think...)
1/8 Burmese, enough to give me a nice all-year-round tan!
And my very toffish public school was quite a mix - albeit mostly Chinese or other SE Asian.
And if you want an Olympic sport with little diversity, take a look at rowing: apart from the Chinese very few of the competitors weren't white.

DonDaddyD

Jamey wrote:

DonDaddyD wrote:

Jamey, for several years of my life I used to catch the 109 bus into Croydon. I went to Stanley Technical High (its a Harris Tech now), worked in Ernest Jones in the Whitgift Centre and Central Centre and I used to work in Virgin Megastores (all before and during Uni) I also used to go to Coulsdon College. I'm about as Croydon as you can get.

I only recently moved to Wimbledon. I landed a Lawyer, Croydon was too far South for her liking.... I miss Dallas Chicken, Club Vision, The George and the Blue Orchid.

I take it all back, you're definitely one of us... Born and bred in the Cronx.

I miss The Orchid too. I worked there for a while through college, it was god-awful but it was ours... Sniff.

Well I actually lived in Brixton until I was 12... But Croydon will always be fond to me. A place in Space. Club Vision, the sports bar that was next to the Orchid (which had some amazingly scantly clad women) Croydon is awesome... :shock:

Mr_Cellophane

Londoner to the bone.

I marshalled the London Freewheel from Romford through Ilford and the small group of 12 white cyclists on a mix of bikes turned into a predominantly Asian crowd at Ilford almost entirely on mountain bikes.

Jamey

DonDaddyD wrote:

...the sports bar that was next to the Orchid (which had some amazingly scantly clad women) Croydon is awesome...

Heroes... My girlfriend used to work there, back before I knew her. The scantily-clad females are still about, just moved to different places now. Tiger Tiger and a few others. Maybe we should organise a Bikeradar night out in Croydon

Feltup

Half north, half south white english and as such I was a minority when I lived in LA!

Cycling on the strand in LA was very funny. Early mornings you would get the occasional chaingang looking serious in lycra and were all white but then as the day warmed up you got the strand cruisers and low riders



In the evening the lowriders trikes or with trailers plus huge stereos would appear and they were always being ridden by young hispanic guys.

redddraggon

100% Welsh, and we're not doing badly for olympic gold medals and world championships for such a small "Principality"....

biondino

When you do a link from flickr, delete the ?v=0 characters from the end of the url - then the img tag recognises it as a picture (as it now ends with .jpg).

Feltup

Thanks! Wondered why that one didn't work

whyamihere

White British. Technically English, but my dad's family and my mum's dad's family both come from Wales originally (not sure ho long ago they came to England though).

I have to say I hadn't really noticed any disproportionality for race in terms of commuting, but my sample size in Birmingham is tiny. I do see black and Asian men cycle commuting, but I've never seen a female cycle commuter of any race until you get very close to the university campus (quite a few females ride the mile from Selly Oak to the campus).

always_tyred

prawny wrote:

White with a ginger beard, so i'm guessing there's some scottish blood if I go back far enough, my grandad was from south shields so it wouldn't take a huge jump north from there.

My immediate family is from cannock and stoke! Lovely :shock:

I always thought the ginger gene was Germanic - hence the reason that ginger = fair game for abuse (sorry) is that if you had ginger hair, it meant some sort of assignation, willing or not, had occurred between the invading hoards and your mum.

biondino

In Sicily, there are loads of redheads because the island was settled by the Normans for several centuries. Traditionally redheads have been shunned there because red was said to be the colour of Judas's hair.

Christophe3967

posh_pedaller wrote:

And if you want an Olympic sport with little diversity, take a look at rowing: apart from the Chinese very few of the competitors weren't white.

Lots of rowers end up as cyclists so some link there possibly. Jash summed it up succinctly from a London perspective. I seldom see black or Asian people cycling "seriously", but not sure how we change that.

White / eurotrash.