{"id":171940,"date":"2019-01-08T13:25:57","date_gmt":"2019-01-08T13:25:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/?p=171940"},"modified":"2019-01-08T13:25:57","modified_gmt":"2019-01-08T13:25:57","slug":"cycling-and-snobbery-why-arent-more-people-joining-the-sport","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/2019\/01\/08\/cycling-and-snobbery-why-arent-more-people-joining-the-sport\/","title":{"rendered":"Cycling and Snobbery: Why Aren\u2019t More People Joining the Sport?"},"content":{"rendered":"

You\u2019re probably reading this because you already think cycling is amazing. But if you live outside Danish and Dutch utopias, you can be left scratching your head wondering why more people aren\u2019t joining you. Today we\u2019re looking at just one factor that puts people off \u2013 snobbery.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Roadie snobs<\/strong><\/h2>\n

It seems odd that the most ridiculous looking cyclists are synonymous with cycle snobbery. I must confess that I\u2019m acutely aware of my own roadie snobbery \u2013 I love the clothes, I love the bikes, I love the culture. Bike advocacy group People For Bikes<\/a> sum up the absurdity of roadie life.<\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=GMCkuqL9IcM&feature=youtu.be<\/p>\n

The irony is the very thing that makes roadies seem ridiculous is what makes roadies snobs. Which is sad because riding on the road should be the easiest and simplest form of cycling for new starters. It doesn\u2019t help that uber-snobs The Velominati<\/a> are sometimes taken seriously.<\/p>\n

Mountain bike snobs<\/strong><\/h2>\n

In comparison to the cattle-like peloton, mountain bikers may seem like enlightened free thinkers \u2013 until you realise that a \u2018mountain bike\u2019 is a catch-all term for a diverse range of vehicles. Mounties have countless wheel-sizes, drive chains, and brake systems for every conceivable situation. To the uninitiated, there is a bewildering range of terms. Let\u2019s just look at suspension:<\/p>\n<\/lite-youtube>\n

How many mountain bikers does it take to change a tyre? Seven \u2013 one to change it and six to say how they would have done it differently. Almost any decision you make about your bike is open to casual criticism, offered under the pretence of being helpful. Unless you\u2019re being given bike advice by Nino Schurter<\/a>, you can safely ignore a mountain bike snob\u2019s advice!<\/p>\n

Urban snobs<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Densely populated areas should be full of cyclists, travelling short distances by bike. The received wisdom of the Copenhagen experiment is that both cyclists and motorists benefit from a larger population of cyclists<\/a>. Which makes the machismo of urban cycling snobs all the worse \u2013 rather than promoting cycling as a benign activity, they seek to portray it as an activity fraught with danger and risk.<\/p>\n<\/lite-youtube>\n

Urban cycling also suffers the vagaries of fashion and trends. I have no problem with fixie culture but I firmly believe that the fashion-accessory coolness of these vehicles, coupled with their impracticality, can put off new cyclists who would have been better off buying a bike with gears.<\/p>\n

That said, fixies are kind of cool. And therein lies the problem \u2013 cycling is cool. And if you cycle, you\u2019re cool. Sometimes it\u2019s very hard not to be a snob.<\/p>\n<\/lite-youtube>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

You\u2019re probably reading this because you already think cycling is amazing. But if you live outside Danish and Dutch utopias, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":161089,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[334],"tags":[490,2576],"global-categories":[],"class_list":["post-171940","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-socialising-and-culture","tag-cycling","tag-snobbery"],"yoast_head":"\nCycling and Snobbery: Why Aren\u2019t More People Joining the Sport? - \u0160koda We Love Cycling<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"You\u2019re probably reading this because you already think cycling is amazing. 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