Judging people
Discussion
Not something I do, for no other reason than the shoe is on the other foot and I expect people have looked at me with my Orange and seen me skitter down a route and wondered what I was doing with such a nice Mtb, my road bike is also ok ( spech tamac) and I get good long lasting kit (SIDI shoes) aposed to crap that needs replacing. However today I was in the lbs down south and a women was getting a cevelo S5, and very nice it was too! But what happened next surprised me, she then asked for a saddle bag picking a heavy bag very much at odds with the race bike she was about to buy? The chap at lbs said was she going to use it for and she said yes I want to get out more.... She didn't really come across as someone who knew the type of bike she was getting then her husband had the if it's expensive I'll say wow and buy it a
okgo said:
Nothing wrong with a saddle bag. But when you are not racing or tting who cares about marginal gains.
Yer I understand but what I suppose i didn't get was buy such a racy & expensive bike. Anyway sure she'll enjoy it and who knows night of been inhospitable jokes amongst friends but standing on the sidelines it seemed the most buzzare purchaseSome people simply have to have 'the best' regardless of what they actually need, and if money is no object then why not! My sister has never been off road but drives a 45 grand 4x4 Merc! Why?, because she can........
I was in my LBS about 2 months ago when a very well dressed, tall American chap walked in and declared he had £5-8k to spend on a road bike (I quickly tried to hide the price tag on the CAADX I was taking delivery of).
He was given the coffee treatment and I listened into the conversation with the shop owner which went something like (abridged version);
Shop owner - 'So, what sort of bike do you have in mind?, what sort of riding are you planning?'
Customer - 'Fast road bike, Sunday morning rides with my friends, up to 50 miles per ride' (50 miles was said in a loud voice with a puffed out chest)
Shop owner - 'OK, you probably don't need to spend that much for Sunday riding - happy to take it off you but you might want to consider something with a more relaxed geometry - it will be more comfortable if you are only an occasional rider'
Customer - 'I am not an occasional rider, it will be most Sundays, and the odd Saturday. I want to spend on a decent bike to make sure its fast, my friends are competitive and I want to make sure I am not the slowest in the group. The more I spend, the lighter the bike, the better the components, the faster the bike, right?'
Shop owner - stunned silence, but at this point I could hear the cash register door slam shut in an open all hours kind of way!
I left before the transaction took place but I would bet he spent 5k, I also wager that he would have bought mudguards, saddle bag, the most expensive lights, bottle carriers and pump in the shop - just to make sure it was better than his mates!
I was in my LBS about 2 months ago when a very well dressed, tall American chap walked in and declared he had £5-8k to spend on a road bike (I quickly tried to hide the price tag on the CAADX I was taking delivery of).
He was given the coffee treatment and I listened into the conversation with the shop owner which went something like (abridged version);
Shop owner - 'So, what sort of bike do you have in mind?, what sort of riding are you planning?'
Customer - 'Fast road bike, Sunday morning rides with my friends, up to 50 miles per ride' (50 miles was said in a loud voice with a puffed out chest)
Shop owner - 'OK, you probably don't need to spend that much for Sunday riding - happy to take it off you but you might want to consider something with a more relaxed geometry - it will be more comfortable if you are only an occasional rider'
Customer - 'I am not an occasional rider, it will be most Sundays, and the odd Saturday. I want to spend on a decent bike to make sure its fast, my friends are competitive and I want to make sure I am not the slowest in the group. The more I spend, the lighter the bike, the better the components, the faster the bike, right?'
Shop owner - stunned silence, but at this point I could hear the cash register door slam shut in an open all hours kind of way!
I left before the transaction took place but I would bet he spent 5k, I also wager that he would have bought mudguards, saddle bag, the most expensive lights, bottle carriers and pump in the shop - just to make sure it was better than his mates!
village idiot said:
hey.. it takes all sorts... below is my commuter bike of a few years back... kevlar slicks on a jump-bike frame with all the components taken off a full downhill racer...
bikes rock,,, no matter how you set them up! lol
I would never judge some one on their purchases regardless of its intended use. I do have a chuckle at the ATGNI brigade though. Nothing cracks me up more seeing some sweating wildebeest on a swish roadie gut hanging over the top of the struggling zip on their bibshorts. Bless. bikes rock,,, no matter how you set them up! lol
If you want to get rid of them awful Hanebrinks I'll dispose of them for ya
When I ride to I'll take the bike best suited to the riding we are going to do. I'm building a free ride machine at the mo bit more gravity oriented with an XC slant. 5" travel ta muchly!
Edited by SkinnyBoy on Saturday 19th May 07:46
I've recently bought a neon pink Orange 5 and am pretty sure everyone thinks t*sser but I don't really care, I got pink for a laugh but I actually quite like it. Despite it's colour I'm actually a fairly decent bloke (maybe a bit of an attention seeker!)
There were a couple of young lads at White Level a couple of weeks ago clearly laughing at the bike and me so I just went over and talked to them about my bike as they'd seen me notice them laughing at me, certainly made them feel uncomfortable and I had the last laugh!
There were a couple of young lads at White Level a couple of weeks ago clearly laughing at the bike and me so I just went over and talked to them about my bike as they'd seen me notice them laughing at me, certainly made them feel uncomfortable and I had the last laugh!
I never judge people by their bike or gear. My mate is classic example - he rides a really grotty looking Giant road bike, with wonky hoods and you'd think he found it in a skip. He wears baggy clothes and peaked helmet and got some very funny looks on the Fred Whitton as he effortlessly rode past many other riders, particularly on the climbs. A "better" bike and gear can give some marginal gains but there's really no substitute for training and fitness.
I'm guilty occasionally, but then remind myself that bikes = cool. That's all there needs to be.
Also, a story from around here that'll both amuse, and serve as a nice reminder that judging someone on appearance can sometimes go horribly wrong:
Oxford uni cycling club spy a guy, dressed in shorts, an Oxford United football shirt and trainers, on an old shopping bike clearly rescued from a skip. He asks if he can join.
"Sure" they thought, thinking they'd lose him pretty quick.
Said guy was Flavio Zappi. Ex-pro from the 1980s. Held the Giro d'Italia green jersey for two weeks, finished Paris-Rouabix in 18th, Milan Sanremo in 12th.
Legend has it that, for the Oxford uni guys, it wasn't particularly pretty nor dignified
Also, a story from around here that'll both amuse, and serve as a nice reminder that judging someone on appearance can sometimes go horribly wrong:
Oxford uni cycling club spy a guy, dressed in shorts, an Oxford United football shirt and trainers, on an old shopping bike clearly rescued from a skip. He asks if he can join.
"Sure" they thought, thinking they'd lose him pretty quick.
Said guy was Flavio Zappi. Ex-pro from the 1980s. Held the Giro d'Italia green jersey for two weeks, finished Paris-Rouabix in 18th, Milan Sanremo in 12th.
Legend has it that, for the Oxford uni guys, it wasn't particularly pretty nor dignified
CooperS said:
However today I was in the lbs down south and a women was getting a cevelo S5, and very nice it was too! But what happened next surprised me, she then asked for a saddle bag picking a heavy bag very much at odds with the race bike she was about to buy?
S5 is not a light frameset unless you are talking about the VWD version. Aero maybe, but the standard frame is around 1500g excluding forkJimbo. said:
I'm guilty occasionally, but then remind myself that bikes = cool. That's all there needs to be.
Also, a story from around here that'll both amuse, and serve as a nice reminder that judging someone on appearance can sometimes go horribly wrong:
Oxford uni cycling club spy a guy, dressed in shorts, an Oxford United football shirt and trainers, on an old shopping bike clearly rescued from a skip. He asks if he can join.
"Sure" they thought, thinking they'd lose him pretty quick.
Said guy was Flavio Zappi. Ex-pro from the 1980s. Held the Giro d'Italia green jersey for two weeks, finished Paris-Rouabix in 18th, Milan Sanremo in 12th.
Legend has it that, for the Oxford uni guys, it wasn't particularly pretty nor dignified
He's still knocking around now, think Ed has raced with him a few times.Also, a story from around here that'll both amuse, and serve as a nice reminder that judging someone on appearance can sometimes go horribly wrong:
Oxford uni cycling club spy a guy, dressed in shorts, an Oxford United football shirt and trainers, on an old shopping bike clearly rescued from a skip. He asks if he can join.
"Sure" they thought, thinking they'd lose him pretty quick.
Said guy was Flavio Zappi. Ex-pro from the 1980s. Held the Giro d'Italia green jersey for two weeks, finished Paris-Rouabix in 18th, Milan Sanremo in 12th.
Legend has it that, for the Oxford uni guys, it wasn't particularly pretty nor dignified
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