Well, hard to argue with a Doctor of Sociology on this, and really I won't try, but I would say that within every large club, especially in the US, there are people who are elitist and snobbish and others who modest and welcoming.
I belong to the Northwest Cycle Club in Houston, which has a couple of hundred members. On club rides, it is pretty easy to tell the elitists from the others. No one attribute defines them, but they do tend to have the latest, most fashionable, most expensive bikes and kit, often seemingly more sophisticated than their abilities. They also rarely converse with newer riders, or if they do, do so in a condescending tone. They will also tend to participate in the longest fastest ride they can hang onto, rather than do the shorter easier rides with newer riders for the sake of comradship and making others welcome. And if one is unfortunate to ride in a group with them, they will talk about heart rate and miles logged and their latest carbon fibre components rather than weather or scenery or teaching their kids to ride.
Fortunately there are also quite a few good riders who do the shorter rides to show new riders the route, welcome the new faces and engage in some actual intelligent conversation. They figure there are plenty of weeknight for hammering long miles alone. These are the guys I always choose to ride with.
Regards,
Jerry Moos Big Spring, Tejas, EUA
Edward Albert <Edward.H.Albert@hofstra.edu> wrote: There is, of course, nothing wrong in riding in whatever clothes one wants to. If it is comforable, and you don't get saddle sores from it .....your choice, who cares. But there is a sense in this discussion that the guys in team kit and all the "right" accutraments are elitist and somehow exclusionary. They probably are. However, in their defense, bike riding, especially among guys and women who ride a lot and who ride a lot in established group rides, is a subculture just like any other. It has its informal norms and rules that serve to identify those it considers insiders from those who are "other." I am not saying this is right or wrong or whether it has any useful purpose or not.....but it is. One could think of a thousand such subcultures each with a set of informal norms that create a sense of identity among those who see themselves as part of this or that group. Religions do it, executives do it, punk rockers do it, motorcyclists really do it, soccer moms to it. everyone does it. "Bike riders" do it. And, when I use the term "bike rider" I am not referring to people who ride bikes but people who ride bikes and see themselves as deriving their identities from that activity. If you have ever taken a trip to one of the heartlands of cycling, Belgium (a country I visit often), it is phenomenal. Every weekend there are literally hundreds of groups on the road, each belonging to a different club with its own fancy clothing. They even have their own "clubhouses" which usually is a local bar they all go to meet before the ride and gather after for lots of beer. These guys, and women to a lesser extent, are defined by their group membership. Its like that in Italy to some extent. It gives people a sense of belonging and helps establish a sense of trust.....and trust on the bike is an important thing I think. In some ways, the steet runs both ways. They may seem intolerant and elitist to some of us, but to them some of us seem like....well Freds....people who ride bikes but not "bike riders." Edward Albert Chappaqua, NY, U.S.A.
Edward Albert, Ph.D.
Professor Emeritus of Sociology