I recently moved to London and I feel like I’m the only biker with a basic bicycle, a helmet and some lights. Almost all the other cyclists I meet (except Brompton or cargo cyclists for some reason, they tend to be pretty casual) are wearing some special high vis jacket/vest and coloured sunglasses, they also tend to have very sporty bikes that go very fast. I’ve also heard that cyclists here can sometimes be aggressive in traffic situations, but thankfully I haven’t experienced anything yet. Is cycling culture really like this here or am I stereotyping?
16 comments
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Give it a couple of weeks and you’ll be one of us… one of us… one of us!
A lot of people get very carried away with hobbies and the gear.
I knew a guy who was legitimately 20 stone who spent £5k on a carbon fibre bike for the weight savings.
Very like that. Yes.
Why? Posers/twats. You decide.
Lycra brigade always out on force in the uk. Dominating the roads, going 10 MPH 3 abreast
Cycling here sucks, so it weeds out the filthy casuals
biker? you mean cyclist, yeah?
No, maybe you’re overthinking it a bit? There’s plenty of casual cyclists around too. It’s true that Brits have always had a thing for sports bikes, and I do ride a road bike on my commute (my reasoning is that I do 25 miles a day so I feel justified) but there’s room for everyone out there. You’ll soon fit in!
Making their cycle2work voucher worth while, and trying to get some PBs before starting work.
Depends where you ride. London and elsewhere have huge cycle cultures of all flavours. Everything from rusty pub bikers, hipster fixies, MAMILs, couriers, cargo bike families… Suited executives on C2W carbon stallions or last-minute commuters on Limes.. they are all everywhere all times.
If you are about 0700-0830 particularly on the main cycle superhighways you are far more likely to see commuters who take themselves and their route to work quite seriously.
Weird thought – if a person is on a bus or in a car and they are wearing sunglasses, a gilet or coat any colour than black are they also deemed to be wearing specialist equipment?
If you’re doing a long commute cycle shorts make the experience a lot more comfortable. I wouldn’t describe myself as hardcore but I do cycle about 160km a week for work
I get it that you mean cyclists and in my experience, they’re, at times, aggressive (or certainly entitled) on the pavements (yes, not ALL cyclists)
Bikers have motorcycles.
You mean bicyclists.
I don’t know why people lost the ability to ride a bicycle without a helmet. They look ridiculous.
And yes many of them are very aggressive in traffic.
You mean cyclists?
Bikers have engines…
(I ride both)
I read one that in Copenhagen you dress for your day, not your transport, so you see people going about on bikes in ordinary clothes, dresses even! But here, yes, it’s all hi-viz and stuff.
Bikers are the ones in leather on motorcycles mate 🙂
Also nope not stereotyping, there’s a few sub cultures of cyclists lol