E-Bikes: The Future of Cycling? Why I Think So

E-Bikes are the future of cycling, here are some reasons why

The Lapierre Overvolt full suspension mountain bike. Picture courtesy of Lapierre Bicycles and Big-Bike Magazine

I'll be the first one to admit that I wasn't a fan of the idea of electric assisted bicycles being used on the trail or on the roads by recreational cyclists. The purist in me wants all my effort to come 100% from me and feels that anything less than that would be cheating. However I have come to the conclusion that this point of view is very narrow minded. E-bikes, although still in their developmental phase, are the future of cycling and will eventually become a popular choice for all cyclists once the trickle down economics come into play and once there is enough R&D in place to make a good product at an affordable price for most people. Let me explain why.

E-bikes appeal to both the competitive and the commuter-recreational cyclist communities. While a commuter might use an e-bike to get around town and keep up with the pace of traffic, a competitive cyclist may have more devious reasons. For example, there are now stealth electric motors that can fit inside the seat tube of the bicycle and connect to the crankset directly, producing as much as 250 watts anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour, allowing an otherwise novice climber to summit hills like Chris Froome. To put into perspective what 200 watts is on a bicycle, If I held 200 watts for an hour, according to my weight I would average 20 or more miles an hour over varied terrain. 250 watts combined with a rider that can produce around 200 watts is a combined 450 watts of energy, which is what top level athletes can produce on climbs in the Tour De France. It would be enough to summit a 10 kilometer climb in the 30 minute time window that the motor has before it runs out of battery. Here is a demonstration by Greg Lemond of what these stealth motors can do.

Vivax Assist, a German based company sells these motors for a little over $2,000 as well as complete bikes for about four grand. Carrera bicycle company in Italy is also working on an electric assist road bike with the same capabilities. If a competitive cyclist wants a serious advantage over their competition, speed can now be bought for a price and it won't involve taking drugs or doping. This technology would suit the road racer more than the time trialist or the criterium racer, being as the motor can only be engaged for short periods of time when climbing punchy gradients. Minutes can be taken out of competitors with the same fitness level or fitter, as a result.

So would it be cheating if a professional road racer used an electric motor on their bicycle? As long as doping is allowed in professional cycling than the answer, at least in my opinion, is no. The UCI is still turning a blind eye to dopers, such as team Astana which is still allowed to compete even though 5 guys tested positive for banned substances this year. Then there are riders from doping teams moving into teams with a "squeaky clean" reputation. One of Team Sky's claims is that they would never work with a professional if they had a doping past. How about if they have a doping present, or come from a team of dopers? Just throwing that out there, because I personally do not think anyone is absolved of guilt on the professional level. Clean riders shouldn't be subjected to getting dropped in every single race because the competition is dirty. The law of omerta should now be "don't say what I have under my hood, and I won't tell anyone what you have running in your veins, okay?".


Now that we covered competitive cyclists, how about the rest of us? How are E-bikes appealing to the mass population? The answer is simple. The majority of people are inclined to laziness. If there is a more efficient, less physically exerting way of getting the same results or better without putting in as much effort, people generally always choose the easiest route. Why would it be any different when it comes to riding a bike? Another reason that E-Bikes are appealing to the majority of us is because we don't have to go out of our way to ride one. We don't need special clothing, an aerodynamically efficient yet uncomfortable riding position or a 15 pound, $5,000 bicycle. Someone on 50 pound E-bike can be doing the same speeds if not faster than a "serious" cyclist while riding on their bike in their baggy clothing with their kids and a load of groceries in tow and not even breaking a sweat. Who wouldn't want that convenience?

Picture courtesy of gearjunkie.com

Electric assist bicycles are the great equalizer, not just among cyclists but among all vehicles. One common complaint about cyclists is that they can't keep up with the speed of traffic. The E-bike eliminates this concern and takes the pressure and the perceived responsibility off of the cyclist. While one couldn't pedal one on the freeway yet, an E-bike works well for neighborhood, suburban and country roads, basically anywhere where there are 20 to 35 mile an hour speed limits. 

If I could afford an E-bike like the LaPierre Overvolt pictured at the beginning of the article, I would be setting Strava KOMs all over the place and probably matching or exceeding speeds of the local racers where I live. I would be enjoying the bewildered looks on their faces as I zoom by them up hills. I would definitely be having fun on an E-bike and that is the reason why I think they are the future of cycling.

On a side note, I also wanted to say that this blog is almost six years old. I'm not running out of material to write about, I just don't have the same enthusiasm as I did when I started writing about cycling, restoring old bicycles and other related topics. Starting next year I might update this blog maybe once a month or so. I want to make it a point to focus my mind on other things. I hope this blog has left an imprint on some of my readers and has served for inspiration. I'm no Sheldon Brown, but I have given my 10 cents worth into the small online cycling community.

...And Lest We Forget

How To Become More Grounded in Our Bike Obsession

By Johnny- A Bicycle's Point of View

When we first get on a bike, we are not paying any attention whatsoever to the machine that is below our seat. Our objective is simple, to get from one place to another while exercising. Along the way, some of us start to pay attention to the nuances of the experience. We start describing our rides as harsh, compliant, fast, slow, labored and the list goes on and on. In our search for a heightened and more enlightened cycling experience, we start to shell out the dollars on parts, components and eventually complete bikes that in our minds will bring us closer to the desired outcome. Some of us are collectors by nature, some with addictive personalities that get consumed by our hobbies and passions. Some of us are trying to fill a void left empty by the absence of an important person in our lives. Bike riding to some may replace an experience that otherwise would have involved a mother, a father, a brother or a sister. We cling on to the one thing that makes everything else not matter while we are doing it. The mental, emotional and physical escape from life is a welcome relief at times, especially when things aren't going particularly our way. Loss of a job or unemployability, a forced living situation, loss of financial or emotional independence can make bike riding even more important for some of us. We come to see the world in two halves, when we are riding a bike and when we do not.

Some of us take it a step further and research everything there is to know about cycling, from the professional sporting side of cycling to the mechanics involved to finely tune and calibrate our machines. Some of us end up owning every tool you could find at a local bike shop and some of us even become bike mechanics by trade. Steel, spokes, wires and rubber all of the sudden become mobile art projects rather than the transportation tools they were originally intended for. Satisfaction only comes when we can take a rusted pile of bike and turn it into a shiny bicycle that rides like new. Our appetites are satiated only momentarily, then it's on to the next project. Some of us spend our winter months in our garages, fixing every $20 bicycle we picked up earlier in the year. Some try to sell our projects to our friends, in the often vain attempt to get them involved in our world. More than anything, some of us want to be understood by those closest to us, not realizing that we are the ones who have strayed from reality. While we have a window into their world, they can only see a mirror into ours.  

So why am I writing this? Because Bike Obsession is something that a lot of cyclists have. Heck, if you found this blog on a Google search, chances are you too are as obsessed about bicycles as I am. Bike Obsession has been well documented throughout the blogosphere and even in literature, just read "Need For The Bike" by Paul Fournel and you'll see what I'm talking about.  But is all that obsession healthy?

Sometimes we need to go back to square one and remember why we started riding a bike in the first place. The bike has always only been just a machine, a means to an end. No matter how much we romanticize it, nothing can change that fact. It's hard to look at our passion objectively, but we will miss out on the here and now if we are not at least a little bit pragmatic. It's like dating a beautiful woman who is physically divine and all you want to do is paint her on a canvas and worship her beauty. She might have flaws about her that you are willing to ignore or worse yet, she might not be as much into you as you are into her. You can lose years of your life if you do not see someone for who they really are, not as you imagine them to be. Likewise good relationships can be ruined and good experiences can be left out of our lives if we impose our need to always be on our bikes instead of enjoying our time with others. That may require us to bend our will to the activities they enjoy doing. Just remember that relationships are give and take and one day you might have a new biking buddy if you are willing to be a friend first. The bicycle is only there to connect the dots in between, a vessel to transport us to and from meaningful activities, people and places. After all, it's only a machine and a means to an end.

An Open Letter For Those Plagiarizing Off My Blog

To Whom it May Concern,


 I'm glad you are a fan of my work and display almost all of my blog posts on your website. What I am not happy with is the fact that you are claiming authorship to my material. You are in violation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act and my intellectual property rights. You know I don't have the money to sue you, as you do not have the money to lawyer up in case I call you out by name on my blog (which I'm really struggling not to do, by the way). I could report you to the governmental agencies that deal with intellectual property theft, but I am not that high minded about my work nor do I possess in my literature anything ground breaking or Nobel Peace Prize winning. I'm just a guy who writes a bike blog about bikes as a hobby and as a passion. You know that and exploit it to the fullest, copying and pasting my images and articles without linking back to my webpage or naming the source from where you got the information you acquired. Then you have the audacity to tell others not to copy and paste your articles on their pages in your disclosure policy.

Along with my work, you have used other sources from prominent bloggers in the bike blog community. For example, you have copied and pasted several articles from "Lovely Bicycle!" which I'm sure you will have to answer for once the original author of that blog finds out. They will probably not be as lenient as I am, especially if they are writing a blog for a living.

If you really look up to me as an author, feel free to keep using my material, but quote me as a source and link directly back to my original posts.


I'm going to give you a pass because when I type the name of your blog in Google search, my blog is the second one on the search results list that shows up and your blog is nowhere to be seen. That is the irony of someone who is not creative enough to come up with their own material and tries to profit off others's talent.

Sincerely,

Jonathan a.k.a "Johnny" Guzman

A Bicycle's Point Of View

P.S- Consider this also a cease and desist letter.

October Ramblings and a Little Bit About Everything

October Rambings: It's still summer in Texas, back to mountain biking and why 

I've been riding a fixie lately.

In a few days, the weather pattern will change and then we will be complaining why it's so freakishly cold here in Texas. For now, we are still getting high's in the 90's, although mornings are a lot cooler than they were a few months ago. Texas weather changes in an instant. Many times trees here do not get to show off their fall colors before a cold snap comes and shakes all the leaves off of them. Winters in Texas are very hard. They are as cold as up north but usually without the snow and the general wintertime ambience. What we do get in the winter here in texas are strong winds, cold winds, howling winds. Wind gusts that can easily knock someone off of their bike if they are riding out in the countryside. In short, I'm not looking forward to the upcoming weather, but it is a part of life and if I manage to dodge getting bronchitis this year I'll consider it a good winter.

A few years back I wrote an article about fixed gear bikes.  Although I'd like to point out that I was mostly accurate about everything I said in the article, I also made an error in judgement. I portrayed fixed gear bikes in a mostly negative light and made implications that those who ride fixies are reckless adrenaline junkies that don't really care about cycling. In doing so I dismissed a whole movement, a whole subculture that took place in the mid-aughts right underneath our noses. What's worse is that most of the guys who really took to riding fixed gear bikes are around my age. I got into cycling a different way, riding geared racing bikes with the older demographic of Sunday club riders. Fixed gear riders didn't need Lance Armstrong or Phil Liggett to tell them that cycling was cool. While many of them were tricksters and rode their bikes like I use to ride my skateboard, fixies got many young people on bikes that ended up being really good cyclists. When I worked at a bike shop, the strongest riders in the shop all rode on fixed gear bikes. All of them could hold 20mph averages and had good climbing and sprinting ability. Maybe I should have been racing alleycat races instead of training for the Hotter N' Hell, or working on my track standing ability instead of obsessing over bike components and weight. So recently I bought a fixed gear bike, and it has been almost exclusively the bike that I use when I do road riding. It's a bike that leaves my thighs reeling in pain, and I get more fitter doing shorter distances on my fixie than longer distances on my geared bikes, even if my average speed is higher on the geared bikes. Fixed geared bikes also have an advantage in that they are the only road bikes that come with traditional geometry someone can buy new. In a sea of compact frame options, only a handful of manufacturers are making steel and traditional frame geometry bicycles. Those that do charge north of $2,000 for a bike, but the fixed equivalent of the same bike can be had for $400-$500 brand new. Putting it that way, fixed gear bikes have the biggest bang for the buck.


With the shorter days and the cooling weather its time to take the mountain bikes out of the shed and hit the local area trails. I have already started doing one or two mountain bike rides a week. When the cold wind gusts get unbearable, I will probably be exclusively riding in the woods on my mountain bike, where at least I will be shielded by the trees. I'm looking forward to more mountain biking adventures in the coming months.


Stay tuned for more "ramblings" from A Bicycle's Point of View.

The Secret To Averaging 19mph on a Bike

Tips and Tricks to Becoming a Faster Recreational Cyclist

Not Trying to toot my own horn here, but a few times a year I belong to the 19+mph club.

Why 19mph? Why not set a 20+mph average speed as a personal goal? First of all, because I only speak from experience. In all of my 8 or more years of cycling recreationally, I have yet to do a 20mph average speed on a ride, group or solo. I have soloed 18 to 19mph riding alone doing distances of over 20 miles. Second of all, anyone averaging over 20mph on a solo ride or in a group setting has improved to a whole other level. Averaging 20+mph consistently on long rides sets the rider up for racing and holding 24mph averages in criteriums. The difference between an 18-19mph average and a 20mph average is what separates the riders from the racers in the cycling world.  I have enough experience to offer suggestions to my readers on at least how to get to my level, which has taken me a long time (maybe a little too long) to achieve. For those of my readers new to cycling, this article is for you. My hope is that anyone looking to get faster on a bike will have an accelerated learning curve by following the tips and suggestions that I offer.

Rule #1: Pay Your Dues: There are no shortcuts to building endurance, because endurance is how well we manage pain. For the first time rider or even the veteran rider, that means getting out on your bike regularly. Even with regular amounts of cycling, speed comes in stages and there will be plateaus both physically as well as in overall performance. Plateaus don't generally last long, as long as the cyclist is willing to push through them. Averaging 16 to 17mph is a plateau most people can't or don't want to overcome. That is because they are either content with their speed or don't have the time or the energy to go a little farther out on their rides and push a little harder. Paying your dues in cycling means holding on to pacelines on group rides knowing that you will inevitably fall off the pace and get dropped. It involves overcoming discouraging experiences being willing to go through the same experiences again the next  time. Mental fortitude is as important as physical gains (maybe even more so) when trying to improve one's performance, especially when it comes to cycling.

Rule#2: Ride Hills, Ride them Hard: Hills are natural intervals we encounter while out riding. While many cyclists dread going up hills and generally avoid them on their routes, I say embrace them. Hills are  a part of life. In life, we have our ups and downs. Whatever doesn't keep us down makes us stronger individuals the next time we have to pick ourselves up. Successful cyclists approach hills the same way they approach life. I'm not trying to get philosophical here, but most 16mph cyclists don't ride hills, they cruise on flat terrain thinking that they are going fast.  They are content to take the easy approach to riding, therefore many of them are fat or potbellied and don't look good in Lycra. Want to be a fine and fit cyclist? Ride hills. Don't just look at hills as part of the ride or a mere obstacle to overcome, look at hills as the main event. When approaching a hill, the objective to should be to give it as much gas up the hill as possible. This doesn't always mean getting into your climbing gears, either. To build strength up the hills, it's best to practice climbing them on a harder gear than you would normally do otherwise. Use the time not climbing hills to recover, riding tempo while you approach the next hill. While descending skills are important, climbing skills are even more so and merit the most attention. The foundation of  a cyclist's speed and endurance is made going up and down hills.

Rule#3: Ride Some More Hills on your Fixie: "What?!?!? Blasphemy!" One might say. "A fixie for training?" Yes, and let me explain why. Fixed geared bikes have their purpose. Their purpose is not to be used for posing around campus trying to look cool or to be in the next Macaframa video. Although skidding is a neat trick on a fixed geared bike that is not all a fixed gear bike is intended to do. Actually, a fixed geared bike is sort of a bonus tool that a cyclist can possess in building leg muscle and perfecting pedaling technique and timing. 

My new fixed gear bike is giving me impressive results when I hop back on my regular bikes. Note the brakes on the bike. I'm crazy but I'm not stupid. ;)

On a fixed geared bike, backpedaling is an essential skill that not only helps control speeds going downhill but also builds strength in the hamstring region of the thigh. Most cyclists boast impressive quads and many overdevelop their quads to the point of looking like track sprinters. The hamstrings are just as important to exercise as they activate more quickly than quads when climbing. So while the gear ratio can't change on a fixed geared bike, a fixed geared bike has the potential to make someone a better climber. A fixed geared bike is also a great tool for the time crunched cyclist because a big workout can be had in a shorter distance than on a regular 20 mile ride. So if you already have a geared bike and want an awesome training bike that can be used to run errands or to sit on your trainer in the wintertime, get a fixie. Preferably buy a purpose built track bike like the one in the picture rather than hacking up a classic 80's frame just to make it a fixed gear. Oh yeah, and use brakes if you want to stop.

Rule #4: Exercise off the bike: All the fast guys that I ride with are triathletes. When I say fast, I mean regular 20+mph cyclists.  The secret to their speed is that they are working out all parts of their bodies; their upper bodies while swimming, their abs when running and their legs when cycling. So what if you, like me, are not a triathlete and are not inclined to run? You can still find another sport away from cycling that engages the body in another way. Playing soccer, skateboarding and playing basketball are all complete cardio workouts that don't involve repetitive running or swimming laps, but have the same positive benefits. Hiking trails is a great way to get out in nature while getting the same benefits of running. 

These are my tricks and "cheats" to becoming a faster cyclist. If I could add one more it would be to make it interesting, not boring, not a chore for you or your loved one. However, don't do it just enough to hate it. Stay consistent, and you will see results. 

Hotter N' Hell 2015: How Did it Go?

The 2015 Hotter N' Hell Hundred

Carlos (Center of the photo) finished the ride in 5:10, Levi (Left hand side) came in 10 minutes after me (on the Right). I finished the ride with an elapsed time of 5:38 and a moving time of 5:10.

With the hot month of July we had this year, I thought this year's Hotter N' Hell was going to be a scorcher. Well, it was, in the sense that I am now officially a "Scorcher", or a sub 6 hour century rider. The actual temperature itself averaged in the low 80's, freakishly cool for this time of year in what is supposed to be the hottest part of the country right now.  I am by no means complaining that it wasn't hot enough. You see the guy in the blue, long sleeved jersey in the photo above? Yep, that's me, dressed up trying to protect myself from the sun. The cool, overcast and breezy day kept me fresh on the bike and contributed to my performance.

The first 50 miles of the race, as opposed to last year's Hotter N' Hell, were the hardest.  The roads were so bumpy that even my Selle SMP TRK saddle didn't help to take the edge off the harshness of the ride. I rode the last couple of miles to the 50 mile rest stop standing on my pedals and cramping. At the rest stop, I ate a hot dog and knocked back a few bottles of pickle juice. That might sound disgusting, but after 15 minutes the cramping started to go away. My cramps were so bad that I had to slowly remount and pedal the bike once I was on my way. The pickle juice basically saved me from falling off the pace, maybe even from ending my ride early.

At the starting line.

The 50 mile rest stop.

I rode the rest of the ride at my own pace and wasn't even looking at my average speed until the end of the ride. I caught several pacelines on the way to the finish, dropping back whenever I needed to recover or when I needed a swig of water. I  only stopped one other time at the 85 mile mark, because I had run out of water by that point. I tried to fill up my bottles as quickly as I could and was off to the finish line.

This year was about breaking my personal record, as well as redemption for having been the last among my friends to cross the finish line. I not only broke my record by over two hours but I now can start at the front of the race with all of the other "Scorchers" should I decide to do this again next year. The Hotter N' Hell is basically the one event a year we non-professional riders can aspire to. It's a great event and a bucket list item if you are a cyclist living in Texas that takes riding seriously. If you have a fleeting interest in the sport then this ride is not for you. This race is tough, even though this year it wasn't particularly hot, cyclists still had to turn the pedals for a 100 miles to finish it. Last year we had temperatures around 103 and headwinds of 20 mph for the last 30 miles of the race. In years like that it takes the entire year to train up for a 100 mile race. I'm glad things worked out the way they did this year, because I have not been training as much as I did last year and in years past. This might very well be the last century ride that I do in August, although next year I'm looking at going to Hotter N' Hell for the triple threat. We'll see what happens next year.

Johnny's Mobile Bicycle Repair

2016 Update: We just got our service vehicle for mobile repairs!

Check out my new website at www.johnnysbikes.com

Readers of my blog already know that I'm an experienced bike mechanic. For the past 6 years, I have been in and around bike shops building bicycles and doing everything from changing flat tires to advanced services like hydraulic disc brake bleeds. The truth is, I live, breathe even bleed bikes. Is that all I'm good at? Readers who follow my blog know the answer to that also. Although I have done photography as a business and have an affinity for drawing, repairing bicycles is the thing that I currently enjoy the most, the thing that I can focus my attention on. I have always been a hands-on kind of guy. I have had office jobs that I have hated and know myself well enough to say I rather work standing up and moving around than sitting down, fixated on a computer screen. That is where the idea of Johnny's Mobile Bike Repair came up.

I actually started brainstorming on this idea almost six months ago, debating the feasibility of working for myself as a home based but traveling bicycle mechanic. I realized that I already possessed most of the tools and the knowledge needed to put the idea into practice. I started advertising a couple of weeks ago and now I'm starting to gain a following on Facebook and from business referrals.

Back in Business! Mobile bike mechanic Servicing the north DFW area and Collin County

The concept is actually pretty simple, one most established bike shops wouldn't even dream of considering. What if the customer didn't have to go to the bike shop? What if the mechanic came to them, picked up their bicycle, fixed it and delivered it back to them within a reasonable amount of time? This is how Johnny's Mobile Bicycle Repair works. In addition, I do concessions for customers with large cargo bicycles to have them repaired on site. In other words, I will at times bring my tools and perform repairs at the customer's home, based on how I see fit. Because it is impossible to haul a garage full of tools everywhere I go, I can only do on site repairs on an as needed basis.  

My shop bench with the tools of the trade.

I have plenty of rack storage to handle a decent sized workload.

So far the reception has been positive and I have had a steady stream of work trickling in. Hopefully this business will grow as more people in the DFW area find out about me. Here are some of the services that I am currently offering.

-Tune ups starting at $50

-Brake bleed services

-Bicycle Restorations

-Parts replacement and install

-Bike builds and tear downs for travelers

-Frame powdercoating

-Rust removal*

-..and much more

I am a full service bicycle shop based in my garage. There is little that I can not do and no part that I can't order. Not having a commercial overhead or a retail business is what allows me to offer my services at competitive prices with a fast turnaround. I encourage all customers to have their parts purchased if they want to replace anything on the bicycle before making an appointment. I stock a variety of basic parts but do not stock bicycle components. I can order anything but that will delay the repair by one to two weeks. 

I have the ability to fix all kinds of bicycles, however my target audience is the adult bicycle market. The parts that I stock are mostly for road bikes and mountain bikes. I can fix cruisers, BMX bikes, recumbents and tandems, however I will have to order parts in to work on those bicycles. I say this to be as transparent as possible to anyone wishing to use my services. 

Find me on Facebook, email me or call me if...

-you love cycling and riding your bike

-you are tired of the turnaround times at your local bike shop

-you resent the overinflated prices being charged to you

-your club needs a wrench and the established shops are ignoring you

-you are an avid mountain biker

-you commute by bike
-you do triathlons

-you are a roadie, fixed geared hipster, old guy on a recumbent, vintage retro-grouch, all of the above, call me if you love to ride whatever bike it may be

If you are this kind of customer, I can definitely help you out. My goal is to grow my business within the dedicated community of cyclists, and give cyclists freedom of choice rather than forcing them to take their bicycles to a bike shop every time they need something fixed on it. No matter what the make and model is on your bicycle, I will not turn down anybody who loves cycling.


 There is a minimum onsite service fee of $50 that I charge every time I go out. This means that the customer must purchase $50 or more worth of services. If the customer purchases a tune-up and that is all they need, the service fee will also cover the cost of the tune-up. Additional gas fees may apply if living outside Collin County.  The turnaround for ordering parts and fixing a bicycle is about two weeks. If parts are not needed, it takes me approximately two hours to perform any extensive repair, about 30 minutes to an hour to perform a basic tune.

*I remove rust on chrome plated parts and components only.

Check out my Facebook page for more information at www.facebook.com/bicycledoctor

Stay tuned for more informative posts from A Bicycle's Point of View.

More Puerto Rico Updates

Ismael, another friend I made on the island. We rode through a trail in the town of Cabo Rojo 

Looking out towards the inland bay at Cabo Rojo

I'm back in town now, after two weeks in Puerto Rico. I hope I can plan my next trip over there soon because I really enjoyed my visit and the time I spent with my cousins and other family members. I'm from Puerto Rico, but I have no skin in the game as to what life is like for people who live on the island day in and day out.  I left the island at the age of 5 through no fault of my own; I was a kid and my parents wanted/needed to move. This trip gave me a glimpse at what it would have been like if I had stayed.

 Everyone here says that it's not easy to make a living on the island. There is a shortage of jobs and a lot of laws have been passed to keep manufacturing down and to keep individuals from empowering themselves. However, that doesn't mean it's impossible to live here. For as much strife and financial hardship as there seems to be this is a place where every morning you can wake up to good cup of coffee and million dollar views. Everywhere you look there is a mountain on the horizon to climb. The mountainsides are spattered with the reds of the Flamboyan trees and other hues from other fruit trees as well as little wooden houses scattered throughout. Fruit here is sold at fruit stands and for a few bucks one can walk home with about ten pounds of locally grown bananas, mangoes, papayas, soursop and other fruits. This place wouldn't be an expensive to live in for someone who owns their own business abroad or collects a retirement check there. It is expensive for most locals, even those who have college degrees but who do not have contacts in the business sector that can get them jobs. 80% of Puerto Rican households make less than $40,000 a year, and Puerto Ricans pay an 11.5% sales tax on all goods, the highest of any U.S owned territory. Puerto Ricans also pay income taxes to the government of Puerto Rico, sometimes at a higher rate than the Federal income taxes paid in the rest of the U.S. The good majority of Puerto Ricans have to settle with $7.25/ hour, or the Federal minimum wage. Unless someone is a fruit vendor or a farmer, they are subject to paying annual income taxes which is pretty much the majority of Puerto Ricans. Due to the high tax demands on individuals who own businesses, there are many cash in hand transactions and many places will not accept credit or debit cards. Many have to do this to make a profit otherwise all of their profits will go to paying taxes to the government and to merchant fees. While this may not paint a complete picture as to what it must be like living over there, it does give us a small window to peek in.

Riding a bike in Puerto Rico is awesome. During my stay there I rode on the southwest side of the island, to and from my relatives houses and into the city centers of San German and Sabana Grande. The distances aren't very far between towns, but the elevation and gradients make up for the short distances. Some of the roads up the mountains average at 8% incline grades, which sections as steep as 25% or more. Even the roads leading to and from the city centers are steep. Here are a couple of rides that I did while I was there. Check out the elevation profiles versus the distance ridden.

My goal is to one day be able to live in Puerto Rico with my family with complete financial independence. It's an ambitious goal to say the least and a lot of Puerto Ricans don't or can't make it a reality. I can't let it go without at least trying, since ever since my trip I haven't stopped looking back. The palm trees and mountains of Puerto Rico go in harsh contrast to the hot, 100 degree ocean-less landscape that I am currently living in. Maybe it's time for this prodigal son to finally come home.

I took my bike to Puerto Rico

The Porta Coeli Monastery is the oldest church in the western Hemisphere in one of the oldest founded settlements of the New World.

 Some of my readers may have heard things about Puerto Rico, some good, some not so good. I 'm here to clear the air and misconceptions that anyone reading this article might have, whatever those might be. Furthermore I want to share the awesome experience that I have had cycling on the west side of the island, climbing gradients that would even make Vincenzo Nibali wince in pain.


Puerto Rico has been in the news lately, for all the wrong reasons. The alleged default on the national debt of the island has many people calling Puerto Rico the "new" Greece. I'm not going to bore you with the politics of the island and of those abroad, because this is a bike blog and I want to talk about bikes. Essentially, what people are hearing on the news is a bunch of hyped up, sensationalized rhetoric being used as a platform for scoring political points by opposing parties. People can still shop and eat here and even have some money left over for recreation. Puerto Rico is nowhere near 3rd world country status or anywhere near where Greece was when it needed austerity measures. Are people leaving Puerto Rico in search of better opportunities? Sure they are, as is everyone everywhere who thinks the grass is greener on the other side. For all the negative news about Puerto Rico's economy there hasn't been a national discussion about the cause for Puerto Rico's financial woes or about whatever happened to the national referendum that never left the U.S congress's desk. For those who wish to know more about that subject, research the Jones Act of 1920 as well as all the import, export and trade restrictions and tariffs being laid on the island. Look into how many major corporations like Wal-Mart and others have benefited from these laws by not having to report all of their earnings in Puerto Rico, getting tax breaks and exemptions that businesses on the island do not receive and killing the local economy by artificially lowering their prices to the point that small businesses can no longer compete.  I'm done talking about it, let's talk bike riding.


As with the hyped up news about the economy, several sources told me I had a death wish for wanting to bring my bike to the island and ride around during my stay. The roads around the towns of San German and Sabana Grande are mostly rural, winding, steep and sometimes feature pedestrian and horse traffic. Some drivers might be a little more aggressive on the roads than others, and it might not be a good idea to ride during peak traffic hours. However, the cycling is the best riding that I have done anywhere, period. I'm surprised a Puerto Rican hasn't won the Giro D' Italia yet, because the climbing profiles out here feature grades from 17% to 25% and even more in some places. For the cyclist who loves to climb, this is your paradise.

See those mountains in the background? This is real climbing out here. 

Even the roads in the center of town are steep

 I rode with my cousin during my second day of visiting. We wound through plantain fields and small city districts. It was  really neat to have the mountains as a backdrop the whole time I rode. This made for some really cool pictures.

What a priceless view in such a beautiful place! My cousin Waldito on the right hand side of the photo.

This is the first blog post I write while still abroad. My stay in Puerto Rico is not over yet, and I will be doing more riding as well as documenting my rides before I leave. So far, the experience I have had has not disappointed me. Stay tuned for more blog posts about Puerto Rico and more informative posts.

My 2015 Motobecane Super Strada Review

My New Motobecane Super Strada Review

I recently purchased another awesome bike from Bikes Direct. Let me tell you, this website can do no wrong. Everything that I have purchased from them has been of excellent quality. I'm not getting paid to review their products, I just think that they deserve credit for being one of the few reputable online bike distributors that give the consumer what they want at a reasonable price. 

The Motobecane Super Strada is an awesome bike that cuts no corners in terms of quality. While it did come with a compact frame design which made me feel a bit cramped in the cockpit area, I was able to remedy this with a few adjustments such as swapping out the stem. The biggest selling point of this bicycle is the compact gearing and Mavic Aksium wheelset that it comes with. The Shimano Ultegra 6800 shifters and derailleurs are top of the line and provide flawless shifting even while going up climbs. With the 11-32 rear cassette and the 50/34 crankset chainrings, one never runs out of gears to spin on while going uphill and most mild gradients can be done on the 50 tooth chainring. The Mavic wheels are super low maintenance, as I have had to true them only once in the 300 miles that I have ridden on them. 

The following is a video review I made about this bike. It basically mentions everything I mentioned above. Check out the video and let me know your thoughts.

Transit Oriented Developments: Bikable, Walkable Cities or an Economic Double Standard?

Transit Oriented Development

Discussing the modern effects of mixed used zoning, both good and bad

Downtown Las Colinas was the first transit oriented development in the mid-west. This residential and office district now features a light rail, connecting it to the rest of Dallas.

As a former resident of the Las Colinas/Greater Dallas area, I am a huge fan of Transit Oriented Developments and mixed used zoning. When I lived in the area, I could ride my bike to the library, the post office, the local pizza shop and even the grocery store. Las Colinas has a 10 mile bicycle trail connecting it to the neighboring suburb of Valley Ranch. Valley Ranch is a township of the city of Irving, with an extensive trail and canal system running through it's core. Back in 2007 it was the place to be if you were a twenty-something, young, single person or a young couple without kids. I have many fond memories of this place in the 3 years that I lived there, although after 2008 I was hard pressed to find work due to the economic recession. With the addition of a new member to the family, after 2010 it soon did not make economic sense to stay there any longer. My wife and I took advantage of the depressed housing market and we have been living in the suburbs ever since. Not the happy ending I was hoping for, but a happy one nonetheless. 

Don't get me wrong, I love living in apartments. I love living on the chic, trendy side of town with endless choices of good eateries and high end retail. I would be lying to myself if I said I didn't miss the convenience of not having to mow my own lawn, repair my own house, or drive to my favorite restaurant. I miss the late nights as a single guy where I would go jogging around the canals or go free-running in downtown Las Colinas, jumping over trash cans and clearing bus stops. I miss being an urbanist. Maybe one day I can get back to that place, maybe make it a goal. The point is I couldn't afford to live there any longer, I was priced out of the market. I have since made my peace with it and moved on, because change is inevitable and the Valley Ranch/ Las Colinas area isn't what it was 8 years ago anyway.

The truth is, after I lost my job and had a kid, the concept of livable, walkable cities became more and more foreign to me. The fact of the matter is that living in a place where all you do is spend money eating out and shopping goes against everything that someone struggling financially would do. The master plans and zoning regulations of most New Urbanist developments in the United States favor and cater to high end retail, niche boutiques and haute cuisine dinning. Where are all the corner stores and delis? Where are the Aldi's? The Lidl's? The pharmacies? The farmer's market? Is a community that is supposed to be walkable, livable, really sustainable without these things?

The answer to the latter question is no. The minute the economy turned many young people abandoned ship and left Las Colinas to go live with their parents, or to go live in the suburbs where the cost of housing is relatively cheaper. The fall of the economy also coincided with rising costs of living and renting in the area. One could say that a figurative noose was tightening around our necks, as apartment costs out-priced home mortgages. It didn't matter how walkable or bike friendly a place Las Colinas was, essential goods and services were out of reach and the area had no "real" economy to sustain itself with. During hard times, people will eat out less, shop less and drink more coffee at home. Therefore a mixed used zoning development that has businesses such as jewelry stores, coffee shops and organic burger joints will not be able to weather the storm when hard times hit. The people living there will not be able to sustain their consumer spending lifestyle of eating out all the time and not having food in their refrigerators. Yet here in the U.S, at least in North Texas where I live, there are no practical businesses in these types of Transit Oriented Developments being built. The businesses moving in seem to be taking out the corner stores, bakeries, tax offices, and other vital businesses that the existing communities have relied on for years. This is especially true in the case of historical downtown re-developments, or downtown revitalizations. Main streets all across the country have been neglected for about 50 years thanks to suburban sprawl. In the meantime many city centers became working class communities and cultural districts. Commercial and residential property values crashed in these areas and in a lot of cases it brought poverty and crime as a result. In the last 10 years or so, the kids of suburban dwellers started to rediscover urban centers and their affordable cost of living. Many of them started to buy back commercial spaces and historical homes. Now property values in these areas have increased and become too expensive for the blue collar residents that have been living there for generations. Whether intentionally or consequently, Transit Oriented Development has led to gentrifying of whole neighborhoods and communities. We only need to look at places like Brooklyn, New York to confirm this is true.

This is the double standard of Transit Oriented Development. It's affordable for "some", but not affordable to all. It gives the illusion of a walkable, bike friendly community, but without the accessibility to get one's basic necessities. This is what is fundamentally wrong with this model as it is being currently implemented. If I pay over $1,000.00 a month for rent on an apartment, I'm not going to be eating $10 burgers everyday and driving to the next town to find a grocery store. That defeats the point of paying for the "privilege" and convenience of living in a mixed used zoning development. It's better to live in a suburb with a real sense of community rather than in a "fake" economy, glorified strip mall with flats on the second floor. All retail business that do not provide an essential service to the community are "fake" economy businesses. All they do is take up commercial space that would otherwise be used by more permanent entrepreneurs. Many of these businesses stick around an area while they are in vogue, later closing down the minute their sales start to drop. The result is a high turnover of residents and little to no investment in the community. The long term outlook for these new urban developments is bleak unless grocers, bankers, pharmacies and other real businesses start getting in on the action and setting up their shops in them. For that to happen, the current consumer and corporate mindset alike has to change. The concept of the "supermarket" or "superstore" is one that is hardwired and ingrained in everyone living in the U.S. Having a grocery store in a corner retail slot rather than in a stand alone building can be as foreign a concept as the moon to most people living here. Retail businesses are currently increasing rather than decreasing their store sizes, reasoning to themselves that "bigger is better as long as there is somewhere to build it". Case in point Nebraska Furniture Mart, a furniture store that takes up 77 acres of land, or several football fields in size. I mean, who needs a furniture store that big? In order for things to change, consumers need to demand it with their wallets. 

No one wants to hear or to talk about the negative effects of Transit Oriented Developments. Everyone wants to talk about sustainability, complete streets and environmental friendliness. Land developers, architects and investors need to practice what they preach. A truly sustainable community is one were all the residents rely on each other. It's a community where people work, shop, buy their necessities and don't shop at Wal-Mart or other big box stores. It's a community that in a way has it's own GDP; where economic growth comes from within by an exchange of services and not from outside consumer spending. Sustainable developments don't kick the current residents to the curb by raising the rent on them. They adapt and cater to all levels of income and demographic types. The conclusion we can draw is that there is currently a double standard to Transit Oriented Development. It's a situation that could spell the end of master planned, livable communities in the long term unless things change. Many of these projects have been abandoned mid-stage, many end up being converted into office spaces or even ghost towns as a result of unresolved issues. We shouldn't leave good ideas like  the Transit Oriented Development to die. Otherwise people will remember these developments as failed social experiments, not for the potential that they once had. I'm no one with the power to change that though, I'm just a guy writing a blog. Developers, businesses, local governments and entrepreneurs alike need to work with each other and come up with the solution. All I know is if I were the venture capitalist of a master planned community and my aim was livability, I wouldn't allow any $10 burger joints or stand alone supermarkets to be zoned there. End of rant.



P.S on this article: 

I also wanted to say that bike friendly neighborhoods have been a cause that I have personally defended and championed in the past. I still feel that it is the way to go to counteract the negative effects of car-culture. However, I am strongly against any action that would displace others for the sake of "the greater good". I understand that things change, landscapes change and cities change. Change is inevitable. There are people who have come to call a place home only to get uprooted or forced to leave because they were "not a right fit" financially or otherwise. Those people have skin in the game, a real relationship with their community and are heavily invested in their properties. I for one know what it's like to have to leave an area after thinking I had laid down my roots and settled down. So while I'm in favor of purpose built communities and "revitalizations" that favor bicycle transport and walkability, I can't say I agree with the way TODs are being carried out. 

The Collin Classic 2015

The 2015 Collin Classic

That's me on the left in the 7up jersey. Ken on the right of me joined me on this ride.

I have been riding regularly for the past few months in preparation for the Collin Classic Bicycle Rally, held annually in Mckinney, Texas. The Collin Classic has three route choices including a metric century of about 64 miles. Being that I had to head out of town almost immediately after the ride, I opted for the 46 mile distance. I averaged 18.5 miles an hour for the whole ride, finishing in 2:42 and so far it is the fastest average speed that I have logged for the distance that I rode. This year I bought a new road bike from Bikes Direct to try to set a personal record for average speed over long distances. The Motobecane Super Strada is proving to be a wonderful ride with the latest technology that I was able to purchase for an even 1k, including taxes. There will be a future review coming up on that bike. 

My friend Ken joined me and rode the same distance as well. It proved to be the longest ride he had ever done. Here are a few photos of the ride.

The early bird gets the worm! We were the first people to show up at the starting line.

No bicycle rally can be complete without a legit blue bear mascot.

Next up is the Hotter N' Hell. I'm still on the fence on whether or not I will be doing it this year. I want to continue to improve my fitness and hopefully meet my goal of a 20mph average.  We'll see what happens.

Is There a Cycling "Body Type"?

Is body image used for body shaming?

This Article talks discusses why anyone can be a good cyclist, regardless of their height and body proportions.

I remember the day clearly when I was told that I was not cut out for climbing because I "did not look like a climber". I was doing hill repeats with a then friend of mine and I kept passing him up the hill when he told me to put the bike on an easier gear and just pace myself up the climb. I told him I loved to climb, it was and still is one of my favorite things to do when I ride. That's when he told me that I basically wouldn't cut it as a climber because I wasn't short and under 110 pounds. According to a lot of cyclists, climbers are short and skinny and if a cyclist doesn't have the right body type, they basically can't climb, at least competitively. 

On local criteriums and on group rides, I have been referred to as the "big boy", especially when I'm the first to reach the top of the climb or when I can hang with the fast guys in the bunch. At 190 pounds, my size tends to catch people off guard when I ride, probably because they are not expecting what I have under the hood. I have been cycling consistently for the past 8 years without any long pauses, I'm not some couch potato with a fleeting interest in the sport that just decided to buy a bike one day and go for a ride. I have done the miles, the elevations and the speeds to cement my position as a cyclist, regardless of what I may physically look like.  I get it, the amount of exercise that I do does not reflect my physical gains. If I ride 50 to 90 miles a week, swim and do push ups, one would think that would be enough to put me at my body mass index or lower. But is that all that is important? How important are aesthetics, really? Is there a climbing body "type" or a cycling "type"? This article sheds light on labeling people by their body types instead of their athletic ability. It's a common practice in the fitness industry that needs to be exposed, because everybody making money off the industry is doing it. Let's review the origins of body shaming and how this can even be a practice among cyclists.

What are Somatotypes?

In the 1940's there was this psychologist named William H. Sheldon that basically came to the conclusion that there are three general body types; Ectomorphs, Mesomorphs and Endomorphs. Ectomorphs are tall, narrow waisted, long limbed people with high running metabolisms. Mesomorphs are more rectangular, muscular bodied individuals of average height with proportionate torso and leg lengths. Endomorphs are usually shorter individuals with strong leg muscles, wide chests and hips and slower metabolisms. Aside from this scientific observation, Sheldon's logic basically ends there. His psycho-analysis of personality traits associated with different body types was dismissed by the scientific community as quackery that bordered on Eugenics. Despite this, somatotypes are still widely accepted in the health and bodybuilding communities, one only has to do a google search in order to confirm this. Somatotypes have even inadvertently made their way into popular culture, and have been used as a way of body shaming for people who do not meet the Ectomorphic or Mesomorphic ideal.

The three somatotypes (body types) as described by Sheldon. Not
everyone (myself included) falls into these 3 categories.

Am I denying that there are three general body types? I am not denying that those body types exist, however I believe that most people will not fall into one specific category. For instance, I have always had long, strong legs, wide hips and broad shoulders. I can't really say that I would fit any specific body category. I can gain weight easily, but I can also gain muscle as well. According to Sheldon I would be  somewhere between a mesomorph and an endomorph. However, that doesn't limit what I can do well on a bike. Consider the following examples of successful cyclists who did not meet the body "ideal" for cycling.

Miguel Indurain: AKA "Big Mig"

Miguel Indurain, nicknamed Big Mig in his heyday, was a "big boy" for a cyclist, especially for a five time Tour De France winner. He was written off by many cyclists in the early 90's as being too big to climb, by their anorexic standards. At his competitive weight, Indurain was 176 pounds which is not bad for a guy that is 6' 2". He was known as a time trial specialist, but he was also a very good climber. I mean, nobody can win any grand tour unless they are a good climber. Especially five times in a row including a Giro-Tour double in one consecutive year.

Marcel Kittel Vs. Mark Cavendish: Ivan Drago vs. Rocky Balboa

Marcel Kittel and Mark Cavendish are both world-class sprinters in their own right. Mark Canvendish, known as the Manx-missle is probably the most decorated sprinter of all time. What's the difference between these two, one might ask? Marcel Kittel is a hefty boy coming in at 190 pounds, what I currently weigh, versus Canvendish who weighs 159 pounds. That's a 30 pound difference between the two sprinters. Kittel is 6'2" feet tall and Cavendish comes in at a stalky 5'9". This disproves any theory that there is a specific body type for sprinting.

On an interesting side note, Marcel Kittel and Chris Froome are both the same height. However Chris Froome is currently one of the world's best climbers and the overall winner of the Tour De France in 2013. Chris Froome is a true Ectomorph by Sheldon's standards, coming in at a super light 157 pounds for his height. We can then compare that to the world's best climber, Nairo Quintana, who comes in at 5'6" (actually rumored to be 5' 3") tall and weighs 128 pounds, a "true" endomorph. The resulting conclusion is that there is no right or wrong body structure for any specific aspect of cycling. The broader conclusion is that there is really no one body category that we can assign ourselves or others to and that this type of labeling is divisive and wrong. 

As prevalently seen in our society, too many people try to fit themselves into a mold of what they consider to be an ideal body type. Sadly we see this way too often in the case of women. Most models are true ectomorphs, but most people are endomorphs, mesomorphs, somewhere in between or none of the above. Many fit women with shapely bodies and curved hips starve themselves to look like the stick figure women they see modeling clothing in their favorite magazines. Chances are the models themselves are either sticking their fingers down their throats or may just have a naturally occurring higher metabolism. Either way trying to fit a physical mold to gain social acceptance is a marketing ploy used by every company, fitness guru and fad diet across the spectrum to get people to buy into their products, usually by making people feel inadequate about themselves and guilty.  Women are all too often the ones who fall victims to this kind of manipulation as they struggle with their body images. However, as has occurred with me personally in the case of my cycling, women are not the only ones who struggle with this. Men just a little heavier than me are sometimes assigned to their own racing category, known as "Clydesdales". That's right, the big horses that pull the Budweiser wagon, that's what guys over 200 pounds are referred to in the cycling world. Chances are if a cyclist is 5'10" and is not at or below their BMI, they will be considered a "Clydesdale" and will be told that they need to ride on 40 spoke count wheels and a Hi-Tensile reinforced steel frame.

The take away from this article is that we shouldn't judge the athletic ability of others by their physical appearance or aesthetics. Fabio Aru may look like Borat, Jan Ullrich may look like Patrick Renna, Chris Froome may look like one of those aliens off the planet Kamino, Nairo Quintana might be the Keebler elf, that's beside the point. Some of the best athletes in the world look too weird, too tall, too short, too nerdy, too thin or too "not" thin to be doing what they're doing. A cyclist might be rail thin with chiseled features and a strong jaw line, that doesn't mean they have the mental or physical aptitude to beat another cyclist who might be on the portly side but has hardened up through many years of riding a bike. That doesn't mean that they are "full natural" athletes either. "Fat" cyclists can also climb up hills and it would be much to our detriment and shame to assume otherwise. Does the sport favor the skinny? Absolutely it does. Yet as we cited in the previous examples, there are many athletes who are at a healthy weight that are also the best at what they do. Instead of focusing on aesthetics and body type, cyclists should focus on honing their abilities and skill sets, knowing how to climb, when to attack and how to outwit fitter cyclists in a competitive scenario. More importantly we as cyclists should be out there just having fun without the need to stroke our own egos, thinking we are better than others who share our mutual passion. Not every ride has to be a race and not every rider we meet has to be a rival.  Just know that it's better to make friends on the roads than to be dropped by cyclists who appear to be older, fatter or less experienced than we are.

This blog post is directed specifically at all of the self-proclaimed fitness gurus that go around damaging other people's self-esteem on the internet to get them to submit to their quack fad diets or to get hits on their YouTube videos. They're the ones that will typically talk to others without their shirts on, flexing their pectorals on camera for five full minutes while they discredit the other YouTube competition and create social media drama. They recommend training methods and diets that are not sustainable for the long haul and foods many people can't even buy locally. I can only hope that some of these self made nutritional PHDs  read this blog post and start putting some useful information out there. I'm looking at you Durianrider, less talk with your pecs, grab your bike and let's go ride some hills together full natty brah style.




"BMI is just a guideline and the rest is common sense. There is no  magic number on the scale to tell us what we should weigh. There is only the weight that we can look good in, be healthy with, fit in our clothes well with, be confident with and feel proud of ourselves with. The best weight is the one we can sustain and maintain for the rest of our lives. I say this to both the men and the ladies"

  

Why Do People Dislike Cyclists?

Discussing why some people dislike cyclists, and the behaviors that contribute to negative stereotypes.

Chances are if someone has been riding a bicycle on the roads for years, they may have experienced the road rage of angry motorists, the ridicule from their friends or even have had near death experiences on the road with motorists or on the trail with pedestrians. To be fair, all dedicated cyclists encounter this, whether they are "good", friendly cyclists or cyclists with entitlement issues and god complexes. There are certain types of behaviors that trigger the ire in motorists and even other cyclists that we can avoid. This will contribute to mutual respect on the roads and a safer commute or ride to our destinations. I'm going to shed some light as to what these negative behaviors are and how we can avoid them.

"The Roadie Complex": Even among other cyclists, the term "roadie" is usually applied in derogatory form. It's not something cyclists are proud of or like being called, usually because of all of the negative stereotypes that are attached with the term. When someone is labeled a roadie, is it not simply because they are cycling on the road. A guy on a mountain bike riding on the street is not going to be labeled a roadie. Neither will a plain clothes cyclist on an old road bike. The phrase is almost always exclusively applied to the spandex clad, carbon fiber cyclist with a "look at me" attitude. Although some people apply the term to a rider's physical appearance and/or bike, physical appearance and style of bicycle have nothing to do with it. Note that the "attitude" has to be present is order for the label to stick. The "look at me" attitude can take many forms, but the principal attribute is rudeness. A cyclist can be rude when he or she doesn't acknowledge other trail users. They can be rude when they fail to yield to pedestrians or come to complete stops at intersections. Sometimes riding two abreast on two lane, two way streets instead of riding single file can be perceived as rudeness by motorists.  Roadies get upset when other cyclists on cheaper bikes can keep up with them and pass them on the roads. Roadies will label other cyclists as Freds or wheel-suckers if another cyclist who is not a roadie joins their pacelines and tags along. Nothing is more satisfying than finishing ahead of a group ride full of roadies on a $500 bicycle, knowing full well that those riders spent thousands on their equipment.

"The god Complex": There is a difference between someone who cares about the environment and recycles when possible and someone who is an environmental activist. There is also a difference between somebody who rides a bike responsibly and obeys traffic laws whenever possible and someone who lords it over everybody else. Vehicular cycling is a complicated subject, because the rules may differ from city to city and regulations may be tougher in some places rather than others. Some cities require cyclists to wear helmets and only ride on the designated bike lanes. Others may allow a cyclist to only yield at stop signs instead of observing a complete stop and waiting three seconds. In recent times with the popularity of Go-Pro cameras, cyclists have been arming themselves with valuable evidence when they experience on road collisions with motorists. Sadly, some cyclists have taken this technology as an opportunity to incite confrontations with motorists and even other cyclists, in order to provoke a response. They have then publicized their videos on YouTube and other online media outlets, making publicly known the "offender's" identity. Although the videos may be amusing to watch, it is possibly the worst kind of behavior any cyclist who wants respect on the roads can demonstrate.  

I have personally taken the League of American Cyclists safety course, known as Traffic Skills 101. As a cyclist, I know that the majority of responsibility for my safety depends on me. Taking the lane, coming to complete stops at city intersections, wearing high visibility clothing and lights while riding at night are all critical components of bike safety, especially while riding in the city. As previously mentioned, different places have different rules. The rules that apply in an urban area may not apply in a rural area or a designated trail system. That doesn't absolve the rider from using common sense in every given occasion. Common sense, good judgement and being able to adapt to the environment are more important than trying to strictly follow the rule book. As a cyclist, I have observed overly-righteous bicycle activists get into confrontations with other fellow cyclists, because they are not riding in the "correct" way. I have known many guys who ride to work helmet-less on their Huffys using the sidewalk instead of the road, for example. Many of them have never had an accident. I have also known dedicated street cyclists that have been taken out by cars or have been in multiple accidents. That's why it's better to use common sense, and sometimes throw the rule book out the window.

Some people ride a bike to get in shape, to explore, to exercise between errands and to set personal distance goals. Not everybody who rides a road bike wants to race. A good chunk of the would-be consumer bicycle market has been alienated because retailers still want to sell people on racing. Some people who ride bikes do not appreciate riding a bike unless they participate in a race. To many, there are training miles, junk miles and racing. They don't take the time to get friends or family involved and strain relationships because their hobby has become an obsession. There are also many in the Vegan movement that exhibit the god complex by riding a bike because "it is the environmentally friendly thing to do" or "it's green". Some Vegans can find solace in knowing that they will probably be able to dodge a squirrel on a bike better than in a car. Nobody needs to know the reasons out loud why anybody else decides to ride a bike. It's one of the reasons why cyclists have not been able to fully integrate into society. If someone is always carrying around a billboard announcing everything that they do, that's going to get really annoying real fast.

"Douche-baggery": A term of my own invention, Douche-baggery, or being an overall douche bag, is synonymous with being an elitist or a snob. It's a form of social and economic exclusivity among cyclists. It usually involves yuppie cyclists with lots of disposable income and a superiority complex. Douche-baggers can come in all ages and genders, but the majority of their constituents are middle aged males who are on their second of third failed relationship, mostly due to their narcissistic and entitled tendencies. Some cyclists give the money that they spent on their equipment way too much importance. They spend time dissecting other cyclist's bikes and giving a nod of approval or a disdainful upward tilt of the nose. They may also be endlessly upgrading non-essential components in order to shave grams off of their bike weights. Those upgrades cost money, and it quickly becomes evident among cyclists who's dropped the most cash. Those who have a no frills, function over fashion bicycle are considered "entry-level" cyclists and are treated like the ugly duckling on group rides. The guy who brings an expensive bicycle to a group ride is given automatic respect, the guy on the cheaper bike has to earn it. The person on the more inexpensive bike may be left out in the front of the paceline to do more than their required share of the pull. They might also experience sudden attacks from the rest of the group as the group attempts to drop them. Even when the cyclist earns respect, other cyclists might tell them how much faster they would be on a more expensive bike. I have been riding long enough to say that most new bikes, whether they are made of steel, aluminum or carbon, have a similar advantage; they all roll. They all shift, they all brake, they do what they need to do. The difference between a $500 bike and a $1000 bike is a few pounds, like about 3. The rest is the engine. Sorry, but money can't buy performance.


So this has been my thoughts on the psychology behind why some people dislike cyclists. Unlike other sports, there is a lot of unnecessary drama among those who participate, especially and almost singularly among road cyclists. I wish I could say that these are mere perceptions than realities, especially when it comes to other cyclists. There are a multitude of blogs written by other cyclists with similar articles like this one that will reinforce the notion that these negative behaviors are not one-off experiences. Most people don't believe most cyclists are natural athletes, even though many claim to be. Many aging cyclists can get legitimate prescriptions for cortisone, steroids, B-12 injections, Viagra and other medications which are essentially performance enhancing drugs. Even on the local level, doping is rampant. Some affluent cyclists have been able to get accessibility to other agents such as Clenbuterol and Thymosin Beta-4 (TB-500), the new EPO. There are very few natural athletes in the sport, even fewer that place well in events. This has become a divisive issue within cycling, and contributes to the overall disconnect people feel towards the sport and it's participants.


These are the real reasons why people dislike cyclists. It's not because they think that all cyclists don't pay road taxes or that cyclists think they are above the law. Those are regurgitated statements to mask the real reasons. The real reason could very well be as simple as someone who once liked riding bicycles and would like to do so as an adult but finds themselves unable to wear spandex and afford an expensive bling bike. It could be the outraged parent of a kid that nearly got run over by a pack of cyclists on a multi-use trail. It could be that some people see cycling as expensive and socially unattainable. The purpose of this article is to make us look inside ourselves as cyclists and see what we are doing. Does this article describe you? Don't be offended, dear reader, if it does. We have all had to go through a learning curve in order to become better cyclists. Whether we are new cyclists or have spent years as recreational or competitive ones, there is always room for improvement. Let's change the negative perceptions people might have by reinforcing positive ones. Let's be inclusive to everybody on a bike, even if their bike isn't as expensive as ours. Let's greet people on the trail and especially other cyclists. Let's use traffic signals and be aware, visible and predictable on the roads. While this might not eliminate every negative encounter we might have, we can at least take the burden and the target off of our backs.