I like Grant's story and agree with my friend Jim, too. When I teach media studies classes, I try to get my students to think about this: sometimes people comment how amazing it is that everyone sees the world differently. What's much more startling, and consequential, is how most of us see most things the same. The general agreement about things (beauty, success, good, bad, etc) is manufactured in culture.
Anyway, as I rode PCH on Saturday morning and watched the packs of amateurs in clubs in full kit and $7000 tri bicycles stream past me as I had a bagel and coffee in Encinitas, I was reminded of this. Riders came in and out of the cafe, and no one commented on my Protovelo, which is approaching beauty pageant mode with its white Heters. Its pretty interesting that the cycling industry and "extreme" lifestyle industries have gotten, it seemed on Saturday, everybody to think the same about riding. Almost home in central San Diego, a fellow on a vintage racing bike, nicely appointed, came at me from the other direction. "Nice bike!" he said. I returned the sentiment. I guess we do stand out. Esteban San Diego, Calif. On Jan 18, 4:26 am, Jim Thill - Hiawatha Cyclery <[email protected]> wrote: > The cycling enthusiast world is full of folks who you'd think SHOULD > feel self-conscious, but apparently don't. Obviously, you could easily > fly under the radar on your Riv if you constantly ride with those guys > who wear jerseys that depict, ya know, some crazy-looking lizard > playing an electric guitar or the like. > > On Jan 18, 12:57 am, Grant Petersen <[email protected]> wrote: > > > Related to "self-conscious" comments > > > Last weekend I was up on the mountain at the halfway up hangout spot where > > most people (me too) usually sit and talk. I had my 58650B AHH with bags > > front and rear, and my friend had his Bleriot. There were four or five other > > riders there on normal bikes, and one guy said to us, "You made it up here > > on those?" > > It was a compliment to our toughness. Then he said to his friend, "THose > > bikes are hard to ride. They're steel, you know. THey're HEAVY. I have a > > bike like that. I love that bike--it's an old Nishiki. I keep it in the > > shed." > > > I never know how to respond to that, but I said, something like, "You know, > > they aren't that much different, and once you put a rider on the bike, the > > actual frame weight difference becomes unimportant, and we're going to ride > > down on trails, so that's why we have thicker tires..." > > > But there's just such a huge misunderstanding about stuff. > > > The point is, the bikes may look fancy to you, or to us, or something, but > > to most people, they look like the bikes they don't ride anymore, or the > > bikes they had as a kid or something. > > > A Glorius, maybe not so much, but any of the others just look like > > skinny-tubed obsolete technology. I bet at least twenty riders on this > > list have been told, "I had a bike like that one when I was a kid..." > > > No need to feel self-conscious! > > > Best, > > > G > > > -- > > Grant
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