Australian Cycling Forums - Bicycles Network Australia

At Helensvale station and on the train back from B2GC - (plenty of time - trains two hours late all day) had a great discussion with some women from Toowoomba who had been riding for a while and belonged to a club - quite accomplished riders and very lovely - great way to pass the time.

We started talking about riding bikes, progressing etc. A lot of us on the late train were obviously among the slower participants, and had started very recently and we were chatting about how much fun it was - one chap had ridden a huge mtn bike - he said he was 146 kilos and had only ridden 20km before - great effort - anyway... we finally got around to how addictive this bike riding is... then we started talking about cyclists.... when are you a cyclist????? as opposed to someone who exercises on a bike????

I would love to be one by the way - but how long does it take???? Do I have to join a club? Are there any rules???
I have seen the cartoon.... I don't throw up after riding, my body fat is way above 7% and I am slow as a wet week at the moment but the thought of being a cyclist is just delightful - bike rider just does not have the same ring to it.

Was surprised at how much fun we got out of this topic on the train - maybe we were just delirious with heat and exhaustion - but would love to hear your thoughts


Fiona

fionahills wrote:At Helensvale station and on the train back from B2GC - (plenty of time - trains two hours late all day) had a great discussion with some women from Toowoomba who had been riding for a while and belonged to a club - quite accomplished riders and very lovely - great way to pass the time.

We started talking about riding bikes, progressing etc. A lot of us on the late train were obviously among the slower participants, and had started very recently and we were chatting about how much fun it was - one chap had ridden a huge mtn bike - he said he was 146 kilos and had only ridden 20km before - great effort - anyway... we finally got around to how addictive this bike riding is... then we started talking about cyclists.... when are you a cyclist????? as opposed to someone who exercises on a bike????

I would love to be one by the way - but how long does it take???? Do I have to join a club? Are there any rules???
I have seen the cartoon.... I don't throw up after riding, my body fat is way above 7% and I am slow as a wet week at the moment but the thought of being a cyclist is just delightful - bike rider just does not have the same ring to it.

Was surprised at how much fun we got out of this topic on the train - maybe we were just delirious with heat and exhaustion - but would love to hear your thoughts


Fiona

Cyslist or bike rider ??

Thats easy, you are both !

the term bike rider I don't use often, as it can be confused with motorbikes...
They are bike riders too...

Everybody that rides a bike is a cyclist.

damhooligan wrote:

fionahills wrote:At Helensvale station and on the train back from B2GC - (plenty of time - trains two hours late all day) had a great discussion with some women from Toowoomba who had been riding for a while and belonged to a club - quite accomplished riders and very lovely - great way to pass the time.

We started talking about riding bikes, progressing etc. A lot of us on the late train were obviously among the slower participants, and had started very recently and we were chatting about how much fun it was - one chap had ridden a huge mtn bike - he said he was 146 kilos and had only ridden 20km before - great effort - anyway... we finally got around to how addictive this bike riding is... then we started talking about cyclists.... when are you a cyclist????? as opposed to someone who exercises on a bike????

I would love to be one by the way - but how long does it take???? Do I have to join a club? Are there any rules???
I have seen the cartoon.... I don't throw up after riding, my body fat is way above 7% and I am slow as a wet week at the moment but the thought of being a cyclist is just delightful - bike rider just does not have the same ring to it.

Was surprised at how much fun we got out of this topic on the train - maybe we were just delirious with heat and exhaustion - but would love to hear your thoughts
Fiona

Cyslist or bike rider ??

Thats easy, you are both !

the term bike rider I don't use often, as it can be confused with motorbikes...
They are bike riders too...

Everybody that rides a bike is a cyclist.

+1 cyclists indeed but you are really both.

Dunno, Phil Liggett calls the pros riding the Tour de France 'bike riders'. I don't think there is really any difference between 'bike riders' and 'cyclists'.

There are lots of silly lycra roadie rules, I'm sure someone will link to 'the rules' in the thread. They are mainly the roadies taking the p1ss out of themselves.

good question! i propose that when you think about bicycles more than you think about your children, you automatically qualify as a cyclist

You are what you are, who cares about labels?

People who drive cars are called motorists even though most of them clearly have no ability and no understanding of the equipment they are operating.

Either or which, doesn't really matter, but for me bike rider is more likely to be someone who rides because they need to or have to where cyclist wants to ride. Dictionary probably doesn't make any differentiation

Who cares! Just get on your bike often and call it what you like.

Hi Munga
I like that one - that means I don't have to hang around for four flats during a B2GC ride.....who am I kidding .. nothing stops mother guilt......

walrus and daveoz - I did not mean to be a smart axxx with this thread....it was just a funny conversation on the train......all us insecure new riders trying not to offend the 'real' cyclists.
sorry. Fiona

Well Fiona, if being a cyclist means being that thin skinned & uber serious, then I guess I'm just a bike rider, you can join me if you want, I cycle because I enjoy doing so, not for some need to bolster poor self esteem or lack of ego.


It seems the whole thing is getting hi-jacked by lots who think that there are 'rules' one must stick by, they forget that some people ride to commute, some for pure pleasure, some for fitness & some for sport.


I'm still at a loss at why there has to be a distinction, maybe I haven't learnt anything from the time I've spent riding.

Hi Fiona, one of the "features" of the interwebs is that misunderstandings sometimes arise in discussions. From what I know of Daveoz I don't think he meant to cause offence & I expect the same goes for the walrus.

Newby or not you are already as much a real cyclist as anyone else- all it takes is enjoying riding your bike.

Cheers & welcome outside

Bruce

Thanks guys - i am sure they were not being offensive - I was worried that I had caused an upset by raising something silly - I have had great support from this forum and really enjoy reading everyone's advice to my myriad questions..

just a silly conversation on a train after a very hot day - guess you had to be there - sometimes these things just do not translate...

Wal42 wrote: some people ride to commute, some for pure pleasure, some for fitness & some for sport.

And some (including myself) do all of the above. I love riding hard and competing yet one of the best moments i've had was riding a single speed repco cruiser (which cost me absolutely nothing, thanks roadside collection) to the shops at barely more than walking pace. It was just wonderfully relaxing.

DaveOZ wrote:People who sit in mobile loungerooms grasping a circular armrest are called motorists even though most of them clearly have no ability and no understanding of the equipment they are operating.

Edited for clarity...

The ones with some skill and pride in their ability are called drivers

find_bruce wrote:Hi Fiona, one of the "features" of the interwebs is that misunderstandings sometimes arise in discussions. From what I know of Daveoz I don't think he meant to cause offence & I expect the same goes for the walrus.

Newby or not you are already as much a real cyclist as anyone else- all it takes is enjoying riding your bike.

Cheers & welcome outside

Bruce

This!

Bruce, can I borrow your towel?

Shaun

Well - I think there are some distinctions. There are those people who embrace cycling as their sport, or recreation, or preferred mode of transport, and who integrate cycling into their lifestyle to some degree. These people I think of as cyclists.

Then there are those who never ride further than the corner shop, and only because walking there is just too much effort - you often see them with a helmet hanging on the bars instead of on their head. These are just people riding a bike.

RonK wrote:Then there are those who never ride further than the corner shop, and only because walking there is just too much effort - you often see them with a helmet hanging on the bars instead of on their head. These are just people riding a bike.

I guess I'm just riding a bike then...

RonK wrote:you often see them with a helmet hanging on the bars instead of on their head.

People laugh, but man have you ever tried to clean white bar tape after a crash?

Everyone that rides a bike is a cyclist, but then being a cyclist is more of a state of mind, and some people are more “cyclists” than others.

You are a cyclists cyclist when you:

Check out every bike you see, and take little or no notice of who is riding it unless it sports a set of deep dish CF wheels.

Feel this desperate urge to get out the chain lube whenever you see a rusty chain, and have to exert supreme control not to have go at the cyclist riding the poor mistreated bike.

Yell at any cyclist you see going through a red light, and call them all the idiots under the sun, but then defend them against all comers because they are a cyclist.

Check out your favourite cycling websites at least twice a day, particularly to see what bikes are for sale even though your partner has promised to kill you if you bring another bike home.

Have a pet name for at least you favourite bike, if not all of them.

When you are driving your car you check out every road to see if it would make a good cycling route.

While driving, run other cars off the road if you have to, just to make sure the cyclist you are about to pass has plenty of room, and/or slow down holding up the traffic in your lane just to make sure the cyclist in front of you gets to merge safely.

Do all of the above even though you have not been able to ride your own bike due to illness or injury for the past 6 months or more..........because you are a cyclist.

Offense? Not at all!

I just think things can be over analyzed when its often just simple. I also think that obsessive road bike riders can make the weekend casual ride feel intimidated.

For me, a cyclist is someone who reaches for their helmet instead of the car keys when they need to get the paper from the local shops.

There is a simple answer to this question.

You are a cyclist.

A bike rider is someone who rides less and/or slower than you.

Anybody who rides more / faster is a fanatic.

greyhoundtom wrote:Everyone that rides a bike is a cyclist, but then being a cyclist is more of a state of mind, and some people are more “cyclists” than others.

You are a cyclists cyclist when you:

Check out every bike you see, and take little or no notice of who is riding it unless it sports a set of deep dish CF wheels.

Feel this desperate urge to get out the chain lube whenever you see a rusty chain, and have to exert supreme control not to have go at the cyclist riding the poor mistreated bike.

Yell at any cyclist you see going through a red light, and call them all the idiots under the sun, but then defend them against all comers because they are a cyclist.

Check out your favourite cycling websites at least twice a day, particularly to see what bikes are for sale even though your partner has promised to kill you if you bring another bike home.

Have a pet name for at least you favourite bike, if not all of them.

When you are driving your car you check out every road to see if it would make a good cycling route.

While driving, run other cars off the road if you have to, just to make sure the cyclist you are about to pass has plenty of room, and/or slow down holding up the traffic in your lane just to make sure the cyclist in front of you gets to merge safely.

Do all of the above even though you have not been able to ride your own bike due to illness or injury for the past 6 months or more..........because you are a cyclist.

Loves it! Goodonyer Tom

Guess I'm a bike rider not a cyclist still.

Don't even look at bikes with anything later that D/T shifting, couldn't care less about deep dish CF wheels.

But yep, I want to smack idiots who disobey road rules (normally blatantly) normally on later model stuff in their team gear or single speed (yes I do own a single speed), won't defend them for breaking the road rules & I get lumped in the same class even though I do obey road rules.

Drive the car? Maybe once a week to get the shopping or pick up fuel for my son's race car.

Feel the desperate urge to lube someone else's chain, isn't there laws about feeling up a stranger??? But yep, do feel like giving them a swift kick for neglecting their pride & joy.


Haven't ridden in 6 months? I couldn't do it, my head would explode, my daily bike riding keeps my head clear & me in that 'good space'.


I'm happy being a bike rider.

Not that I care for divisive definitions, but one that I use a bit to define "cyclist" is this.
You are a cyclist when you start looking for hills to climb.
I do this, but in truth, I prefer to think of myself as a bloke who likes to ride bikes, a lot.

There are "The Rules", and the Velominati website has a trove of wonderful essays written by The Keepers, and others, notably Frank Strack, who is a poet. If you click on the links to The Articles, a random list is generated each time under the current one from recent and archived writings, so keep looking for more gems.
The Rules are a curious mixture of sage advice and piss-take, which are all food for thought, but should not be taken too seriously. I break em by having hairy legs and a mirror and use a Camelbak on long hot rides where there will be not enough water, but observe many too, as they do make sense. They are meant to be a guide to neophytes and to be meditated on.
Rule V, of course, is never to be broken.