It's happened......... I think am a bike snob

toybhoy

Now I've only been properly commuting and cycling everyday since I got my new bike a month ago but in that time, I have pratically read through this whole website, various other ones and books on cycling (I think am getting obsessive!)

Today I saw a few people cycling really cheap £40 type bikes from supermarkets and I totally turned my nose up at it. I think am becoming a bike snob and pity anyone without a namebrand bike

Is it just me or does anyone think "Oh god, I can't believe they are riding that junk of a death trap" eveytime they see one go by?

Help!!

Kieran_Burns

Whenever I see someone bouncing past on their full-sus Argos special I have to laugh. They're putting in twice the effort for half the speed, so yep: I'm with you on the snob front 8)

Eau Rouge

A little, but only a little.
I tend to just wish they would ride the silly thing on the road rather than the footpath they all seems to always be on.

DonDaddyD

toybhoy wrote:

Now I've only been properly commuting and cycling everyday since I got my new bike a month ago but in that time, I have pratically read through this whole website, various other ones and books on cycling (I think am getting obsessive!)

Today I saw a few people cycling really cheap £40 type bikes from supermarkets and I totally turned my nose up at it. I think am becoming a bike snob and pity anyone without a namebrand bike

Is it just me or does anyone think "Oh god, I can't believe they are riding that junk of a death trap" eveytime they see one go by?

Help!!

I did that, checked the name of the bike on the Internet and found that it cost about 5 times more than my own bike (my Giant SCR 3 2008 cost £350 down from £500).

T'was a humbling experience.

Lesson I learned: To know what I'm actually turning my nose up at.

I'm sure when I ride past on my relatively unknown Kuota (when I finanly get it) some may turn their nose up at it. Maybe I should have the price tag and spec hanging from the handlebars Evans style.... :roll:

+1 me!

soy_sauce

DonDaddyD wrote:

toybhoy wrote:

Now I've only been properly commuting and cycling everyday since I got my new bike a month ago but in that time, I have pratically read through this whole website, various other ones and books on cycling (I think am getting obsessive!)

Today I saw a few people cycling really cheap £40 type bikes from supermarkets and I totally turned my nose up at it. I think am becoming a bike snob and pity anyone without a namebrand bike

Is it just me or does anyone think "Oh god, I can't believe they are riding that junk of a death trap" eveytime they see one go by?

Help!!

I did that, checked the name of the bike on the Internet and found that it cost about 5 times more than my own bike (my Giant SCR 3 2008 cost £350 down from £500).

T'was a humbling experience.

Lesson I learned: To know what I'm actually turning my nose up at.

I'm sure when I ride past on my relatively unknown Kuota (when I finanly get it) some may turn their nose up at it. Maybe I should have the price tag and spec hanging from the handlebars Evans style.... :roll:

+1 me!

i did that once too. lol

i find myself always check out other people bikes when i should pay more attention with the road.

jedster

Hang on a minute. Isn't it a bit shallow to look down at people for riding cheap bikes but be humbled becasue someone is riding a pricy but totally inappropriate bike?

I give a slightly sad shake of the ahead at people on BSOs because they are just not good value - they'd get on much better with a simpler but better mix of components at a given price point.

I certainly wouldn't look down on somone for riding something fairly cheap and really cheerful like a Revolution or even a Carerra Subway.

But if I started commuting on my decent full sus MTB. I'd expect to get laughed at - it would be slow, inefficient, not particularly safe (disc brakes and fat nobblies make it very easy to lock the wheels up on tarmac). It would also be an invitation to thieves. The fact that it cost a couple of grand would not make it a respectable choice for commuting. Instead it put me squarely in the "all the gear and no idea" spotlight which IMO is not a very attractive place to be...

J

soy_sauce

jedster wrote:

........

I certainly wouldn't look down on somone for riding something fairly cheap and really cheerful like a Revolution or even a Carerra Subway.

But if I started commuting on my decent full sus MTB. I'd expect to get laughed at - it would be slow, inefficient, not particularly safe (disc brakes and fat nobblies make it very easy to lock the wheels up on tarmac). It would also be an invitation to thieves. The fact that it cost a couple of grand would not make it a respectable choice for commuting. Instead it put me squarely in the "all the gear and no idea" spotlight which IMO is not a very attractive place to be...

J

there are big different between Revolution or Carerra Subway to those so called BSOs.

i don't think it's really "look down" on people, but its more of a human nature in the competitive side of thing. e.g. my TV is bigger than yours.

toybhoy

Yeah I wouldnt class the Carrera Subway and the Revolutions range with BSOs

jedster

Yeah I wouldnt class the Carrera Subway and the Revolutions range with BSOs

yes, my point entirely. Laugh at bikes because they are stupid (BSO, but also, say commuting on a five grand downhill bike) not because they are cheap.

Expensive and stupid is probably worse than cheap and stupid IMO...

J

ride_whenever

I'm a suitablility snob, but I know some people who only have space for one bike (the poor poor sods!!!) so have a decent weekend mtb and then commute on that. They still shift pretty fast with the right tyres on.

I feel sorry for people on the BSOs though, just because they've been conned and would be better off on a hybrid.

lost_in_thought

Huh, so a BSO is a 'bike-shaped object' and not a brand at all... :oops:

ride_whenever

Once again, a 5k DH bike is fine if the first chunk of your commute is the Fort William DH course though...

which would be awesome! 8)

DonDaddyD

jedster wrote:

Hang on a minute. Isn't it a bit shallow to look down at people for riding cheap bikes but be humbled becasue someone is riding a pricy but totally inappropriate bike?

I give a slightly sad shake of the ahead at people on BSOs because they are just not good value - they'd get on much better with a simpler but better mix of components at a given price point.

I certainly wouldn't look down on somone for riding something fairly cheap and really cheerful like a Revolution or even a Carerra Subway.

But if I started commuting on my decent full sus MTB. I'd expect to get laughed at - it would be slow, inefficient, not particularly safe (disc brakes and fat nobblies make it very easy to lock the wheels up on tarmac). It would also be an invitation to thieves. The fact that it cost a couple of grand would not make it a respectable choice for commuting. Instead it put me squarely in the "all the gear and no idea" spotlight which IMO is not a very attractive place to be...

J

First rule of materialism. Buy what you can afford.

Secondly I think most of your post works on assmuption. What if Donovan (my commuter) is in the shop and I have to ride my Kuota to work? Am I being silly with my inappropriate bike? Do I need a sign on the Kuota to explain all this?

What if I ride the Kuota to work because I'm heading off somewhere afterwards for a race, sportive socail gathering?

rhext

Kieran_Burns wrote:

Whenever I see someone bouncing past on their full-sus Argos special I have to laugh. They're putting in twice the effort for half the speed, so yep: I'm with you on the snob front 8)

You laugh.....and yet they're bouncing past you ;-)

il_principe

DonDaddyD wrote:

Secondly I think most of your post works on assmuption. What if Donovan (my commuter) is in the shop and I have to ride my Kuota to work? Am I being silly with my inappropriate bike? Do I need a sign on the Kuota to explain all this?

What if I ride the Kuota to work because I'm heading off somewhere afterwards for a race, sportive socail gathering?

Depends how you ride it. A bloke pulled up in front of me at Borough Station lights this am, he's on a Madone 4.7 i'm on my Pearson, he clearly thinks he's gonna be faster off the lights and down the road. He's faster off the lights but I wound up the 50/16 and seconds later i'm sitting on his tail. He tried to give it some and had a couple of glances over his shoulder, but I kept with him easily and made a point of freewheeling a few times whilst hanging back and to his right - clearly not drafting. My lovely new ENO 16T makes a lovely Campag-esque noise which I think he enjoyed. Considered passing him but I was turning left, within 200 metres. Turns out he was too and we rolled into the office courtyard together before going our separate ways. I'll be keeping my eye out for him in the future, defo a scalp in there somewhere...

dombo6

toybhoy wrote:

Is it just me or does anyone think "Oh god, I can't believe they are riding that junk of a death trap" eveytime they see one go by?

Help!!

So long as I'm stationary. If they pass me when I'm riding I salute them

antfly

I don`t look at the bikes I look at the clothes and stuff,that`s where my snobbery lies.

King Donut

ride_whenever wrote:

I'm a suitablility snob, but I know some people who only have space for one bike (the poor poor sods!!!) so have a decent weekend mtb and then commute on that. They still shift pretty fast with the right tyres on.

I feel sorry for people on the BSOs though, just because they've been conned and would be better off on a hybrid.

+1

But I also think as long as they are out there riding it is a good thing. Many people are simply not aware of cheaper options available from a specialist bike shop. It's up to bike shops to be more welcoming to the general public and not just be there for those who are already converted. My LBS recently had an open day - they served drinks/food and let people know that they were welcome to come in and ask questions or browse. More could do similar.

I commuted for a couple of months on my full suss mtb in complete knowledge that I looked like an idiot. But it was a short term necessity so I try not to judge now. And as for tyre choice what do you do... I toyed with the idea of slicks but if I'm honest (the bike snob coming through) I consider it sacrilidge to put slicks on a decent mtb.

ride_whenever

A tip for people who want to ride mtb for commuting, get large volume slicks. Something like tioga FS100 or the halo twin-rail. It doesn't look stupid, goes a lot faster and you can then ride like a hooligan! I love riding my inbred to work just for jumping stuff and generally messing about on the way in.

King Donut

antfly wrote:

I don`t look at the bikes I look at the clothes and stuff,that`s where my snobbery lies.

I wear exactly the same stuff for commuting that I wear mtb'ing and it's very rare that i buy mtb specific clothing cos i think a lot of it is over the top and a rip off. I feel sorry for people who try too hard to look the part

prawny

lost_in_thought wrote:

Huh, so a BSO is a 'bike-shaped object' and not a brand at all... :oops:

You too huh? :oops:

sarajoy

It was defined in one of the links someone posted - the indie bike shop guy who clearly didn't like repairing the horrible things!

b0y1nterupted

prawny wrote:

lost_in_thought wrote:

Huh, so a BSO is a 'bike-shaped object' and not a brand at all... :oops:

You too huh? :oops:

hehe i thought that aswell :oops:

davmaggs

I'd add that the motivation of someone riding a seemingly inefficient bike may not be the obvious funding or experience levels mentioned in other posts.

When I first began to commute to work my aim was to build up fitness and strength for going over mountains carrying a pack, so a steel bike with chunky tires and a nice drag factor was ideal. If you are a runner doing some alternate training then having a carbon super machine gliding over the tarmac doing half the work for you is actually a hinderance when giving the legs an alternate workout.

tardington

Can we be snobbish about people who don't know the bike acronyms then? 8)

DonDaddyD

I didn't know what BSO was.

I googled it, excited in the hope that I was going to find yet another great bike brand.... :oops:

Jay dubbleU

Yesterday i was driving through Tewkesbury - been for a walk on the Malverns with Mrs JW and dogs - followed a couple of roadies through the town which was quite busy plus they had made the High Street one way and put in three way traffic lights - initially I was quite impressed by these guys - club kit - couple of really nice bikes - a Prince and a black carbon frame something - couldn't see the name - but then they spolit it by RLJing through every set of lights - WTF - its a Sunday afternoon are you really in that much of a hurry ?

Just shows - its the rider not the bike

Kieran_Burns

rhext wrote:

Kieran_Burns wrote:

Whenever I see someone bouncing past on their full-sus Argos special I have to laugh. They're putting in twice the effort for half the speed, so yep: I'm with you on the snob front 8)

You laugh.....and yet they're bouncing past you ;-)

In the other direction you pedant :P

(besides how can they pass me when going at half the speed? )

soy_sauce

Kieran_Burns wrote:

rhext wrote:

Kieran_Burns wrote:

Whenever I see someone bouncing past on their full-sus Argos special I have to laugh. They're putting in twice the effort for half the speed, so yep: I'm with you on the snob front 8)

You laugh.....and yet they're bouncing past you ;-)

In the other direction you pedant :P

(besides how can they pass me when going at half the speed? )

at the red lights when they RLJing??

Stone Glider

How odd. I was sure that I had seen the first reference (and explanation) to BSO on this forum. Yet some of the persons I think of as embodying the forum know not of it. :?

The best thing about this kind of snobbery is it's capacity to make you feel very foolish shortly after feeling very smug. But like SCR it's just a bit of human interaction and basically harmless fun.

antfly

King Donut wrote:

antfly wrote:

I don`t look at the bikes I look at the clothes and stuff,that`s where my snobbery lies.

I wear exactly the same stuff for commuting that I wear mtb'ing and it's very rare that i buy mtb specific clothing cos i think a lot of it is over the top and a rip off. I feel sorry for people who try too hard to look the part

Fair enough,it would be more of a faux-pas to wear mtb gear on a road bike, I know i`ve done it.The scorn was merciless.I try hard not to look too much like a cyclist at all.