Comments on: Are You a Bike Snob?

By: Alan

Alan — Fri, 02 Dec 2005 02:46:19 +0000

I can’t believe your whining and moaning about riding in the cold. My wife went shopping for 7 hours the day after thanksgiving and didn’t get home until 3 pm. I was waiting impatiently for her to watch our daughter so I could go for my ride. Well at 3 pm in Phoenix, it was close to 65 degrees. I needed my jersey AND a sweatshirt. Fortunately, shorts were still fine. Hang in there and smile when you think of me at 3 pm in July.

By: David

David — Thu, 27 Oct 2005 14:43:36 +0000

Nice story. Yea, lot’s of cyclists tend towards bike snobbery. I avoid it myself.By the way, you don’t really use the bikes in your picture section for your serious riding do you?

By: Unknown

Unknown — Thu, 27 Oct 2005 05:30:46 +0000

Your comment: Now you’ve got to prove that you’re not just a bike snob, but a fast cyclist, hits the nail on the head. Dont talk the talk if you cant walk the walkI love putting fatboys on their Colnago c50s to my Campagnolo elitist colleagues to shame.I get great satisfaction when, on my way to work, I ride by them effortlessly on my 17 year old Reynolds 531 frame with mudguards, wearing a full back pack on and watching them scramble to try and grab my wheel. I try to sit about 5 bike lengths in front and watch as they tire.Its one thing to own a good bike but it is another to own good legs. Fat boys, do yourself a favor and get some good legs before you get demoralised on your pride and joy.Fit snobs are better than Fat snobs, no matter what bike you are on. I love Phil Liggett’s comment: You are only as good as now!

By: valorousflame777

valorousflame777 — Thu, 27 Oct 2005 01:19:33 +0000

Mike, Thanks, I think you are absolutely right, I will try what you say, tomorrow. I do nibble all day, but maybe not the right food combinations at the right times. As I was reading what you said, I realized that I’d not been researching when I should eat certain food combinations, and my body is probably totally confused and stuck on NOWAYAMILETTINGTHISBLUBBERGO. I just had some bloodwork done by my doctor and I am in unbelievably perfect health except for my weight, and I am not giving up no matter what because right up until I was 40 years old, I was a perfect size seven with a fabulous hourglass figure that knocked men out wherever I went and one time Johnny Depp begged me to go out with him…ok, so I was 25 dressed in purple and black with Big Hair and he was 19 wearing Jordache jeans, sneakers and a windbreaker and it was at the Rainbow Bar & Grill on the Sunset Strip in the summer of 1986…20 years ago, WOW…I told him no, he was too young for me. Little peachfuzz boy. He said, "Please, pleeeaaaaasssee will you go out with me, you’re just my type!" Well, it’s a good thing I said no because he met Winona right after that, and I would have been heartbroken!Hey, Fat Cyclist, you gotta grow some bigger cojones, don’t wimp out on the wind and rain days, you burn more blubber on those days, duh!!! Go to the army navy surplus and buy a really dorky rain suit that will keep you incredibly dry and make you sweat buckets, too. I don’t give a flyin’ mofo how I look wearing it, I love staying dry in the pouring rain, Baby. Mine is cobalt blue with a vermillion lining and keeps me bone dry except for the sweat, but at the City of Los Angeles building where I work, there are downstairs showers for people who ride their bikes to work (they pay us a transit subsidy of $50.00 a month to ride or walk or take public transportation, so the Phoenix fold-up bike has paid for itself many times over already)…and now I just LAUGH VICARIOUSLY when people pass me in cars and soak me by driving through puddles, go ahead and soak me, you fools! I remain undaunted. And bone dry. I aim for puddles and ride right through them and laugh out loud. Except when those puddles are hiding huge potholes; then I am struggling not to bite the pavement. I have memorized all of the potholes along all of my favorite routes. I know exactly where there are no handicapped access sidewalk ramps, I know where there are too many peds to ride on the sidewalk…in L.A., sometimes you gotta ride on the sidewalk, people drive crazy here because the traffic makes them crazy. One time I almost got hit by some guy driving on the sidwalk trying to bypass traffic stopped at a light that had just turned green. He slammed on his brakes as I hit mine, we both glared at each other and he said, "You’re a little old to be riding a bike, aren’t you?" I yelled at the top of my lungs, "YOU’RE A LITTLE OLD TO BE DRIVING LIJKE S**T, AREN’T YOU?" and all of the car people laughed around us laughed.

By: Sarah

Sarah — Wed, 26 Oct 2005 22:34:09 +0000

So, out of curosity, Mr. Fat Cyclist sir, what is your bike snobby-ness level??

By: Ariane

Ariane — Wed, 26 Oct 2005 22:32:07 +0000

Al– I always wondered why that guy punched me in the face in Amsterdam. Granted, his mother DID wind up having many of my babies, but as I didn’t make her, this is neither here nor there.

By: BIg Mike In Oz

BIg Mike In Oz — Wed, 26 Oct 2005 22:03:29 +0000

Val – the reason your weight has hit a plateau is your diet. Your body has gone into stasis awaiting nutrition. Rice, livened up with bamboo shoots and pickled ginger will never break your waking coma. Kick-start your metabolism with meat and 3 veg at sunset. Cereal, toast and a 1 hour ride before 7am and rabbit food during the day. Presto, there’s another 10 pounds gone before Christmas.

By: tayfuryagci

tayfuryagci — Wed, 26 Oct 2005 18:57:50 +0000

dug you my have a point. sorry for the wrong choice of words. and thanks but no thanks for the mouth to mouth. :)hey someone who ACTUALLY uses a fold-up made a comment. congrats. for your bravery fellow fatso. :) (I’m 5 6 and 180lbs myself)I just broke the rear derailleur of my road bike between two comments. three cheers for a new 105 system! yip yip…

By: Unknown

Unknown — Wed, 26 Oct 2005 18:02:14 +0000

Dude, I am the worst. I am the complete opposite of a snob. I ride a Phoenix fixed-gear fold-up bicycle (worth over $500.00!!!) everywhere because I am 178 lbs. and it kicks my fat butt. I don’t care how ridiculous I look riding it. I work for the City of L.A. and I could afford a top-of-the-line bike, but I honestly hate that crap. I want to spend the least amount of money possible, because I’d rather spend money on food and my 7 cats and fun stuff to do in Los Angeles. I ride it to and from work, also home for lunch and back, about 6 miles a day total, and I am one big drop of sweat after 15 minutes on this evil little monster. But I need that. I am a WAY FAT CYCLIST. I am 44 years old, never married, no kids, 5 feet 4, and it just ain’t comin’ off any other way. No matter what I eat. I am on the Asian food diet…I shop exclusively at a local Asian market (The 99 Ranch Market in the San Fernando Valley, YAAAAAY FOR THE RANCH 99!!!!), I eat soy beans and green tea and mangoes and rice and green tea and fish and real fruit jelly candies and green tea and chicken and I have dropped an amazing amount of weight, but I plateau’ed at 180 until just this week when I got on the scale and it said 178, I almost fell off, I swear.

By: Unknown

Unknown — Wed, 26 Oct 2005 17:31:44 +0000

yagci, see, that’s a problem, equating decent with friendly. if you are on the side of the road, with a flat, i’ll ask you if you need help. if you’re bleeding, i’ll apply a tourniquet. if you aren’t breathing, i’ll ask fatty to give you mouth to mouth.but if you’re riding by on the other side of the road, and i don’t know you, i am unlikely to wave or nod, just like i wouldn’t wave or nod if you were driving by in a golf cart, or a miata. i might if you were in/on a recumbant, but only cuz that’s the cycling equivalent to hayduke throwing empties out the truck window.