Recent interaction to add to the rant: I joined a local club group for a 'Christmas lights' ride a couple of weeks ago on a Sunday evening. The route involved part of hilly Arlington County (but not the truly devilish hilly sections of the county). A friend of mine invited me, he wanted me to meet 'Bunny', a woman he described as "70 and doing adventurous rides with her group of friends". So Bunny and I met, and being close to the same age, we bonded quickly. But I was on the Bleriot and she was on a Specialized carbon fiber, compact double bike - and struggling on the hills. She asked me why I could so easily go up the hills (well, I do ride a LOT and usually on hilly terrain). I said, well, you might do better with more gears. She replied, I know, I shouldn't have listened to the guy in the bike shop who sold me this bike and told me it had all the gears I would ever need.
THAT KIND OF ATTITUDE AT BIKE SHOPS MAKES ME CRAZY!
Ok, that's the end of my rant, and by the way, I said nothing further to her about bikes. We just chatted about other stuff for the rest of the ride. Plus, she didn't show up for the next Christmas lights ride the following week, which did include some of the steeper Arlington hills. Sad. I've learned to try and keep my gear/weight thoughts to myself (try, operative word).
Joan
PS - I invited Bunny to join me on a ride I'm leading in a moderately hilly location for another local club mid-January and promised that she wouldn't be dropped. So maybe I can help her along in her biking career.
Like most on this forum, I agree with all the comments, and applaud Anne for spot-on comments. That said, the undeniable fact remains that many more riders pass me on CF bikes then I pass on same.
From: "[email protected]" <[email protected]>
To: [email protected]
Sent: Thu, December 29, 2011 7:19:22 AM
Subject: [RBW] Re: Can I rant just a minute?
Thank you, thank you, thank you! Nearly everyday, a coworker, who rides a carbon fiber bike, comes in my office, lifts up my Atlantis by the top tube and exclaims: "My god that's heavy". I've run out of things to say to him in reply so I may forward your post instead.
As a side note, since I've put my "massive" (his words) 50mm Schwalbe Big Apples on the Atlantis a few weeks ago, I swear the bike is actually quieter, nearly silent. I never realized how loud tires can be...or maybe I just had some bad ones before?
Happy New Year!
Robert Opalko
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