I dunno sometimes I am pretty smelly from a work out and all?Bairdco has solved your mystery:
"Back on topic, the bike shops here don't care how you dress, it's how you smell
The reason a roadie is blocking traffic in many cases in my humble opinion. Is well because the gutter instead of claiming part of the street will destroy their bike.
The tires are too tiny and fragile and offer no rim protection either. So it takes nothing to bend/warp a rim or succumb to a flat tire.
I myself when having to team with traffic can politely bear hug the gutter and can easily take all it can dish out. This makes for the fun workout that I came to love. I can leave the cagers happier as well doing my part. Part of my keep it simple arrangement that I have been very fond of. With no flat tires ever!
It may be in other city's that their gutters have no glass or stickers in them and are buttery smooth and the streets are made of gold. Dunno.
When in a shop that points over to the road bikes where the attired crowd is standing. Then has nothing to offer me in what I came there for well? I have usually been standing in the store for over a half hour to began with. I look for down hill forks the big 12 to 1500 dollar ones. Why for such a mountain bike done with road gears and not mountain ones? Simple I is tall. The peddles are now at a touring stance for me. Also they are superior grocery haulers.
135 mm bottom bracket 160 dollars.180 mm cranks 160 dollars. Heavy duty indestructible wheels . Tires with traction too for what ever I may encounter around 300 dollars. Race face seat post that will let me ride by the crack of my behind 70 dollars. My special seat as well 70 dollars.
Have not even got to the rest of the bike yet!
Here is how I carried my cargo for the last 30 years. http://motorbicycling.com/attachments/f3/28652d1283392806-cargo-004.jpg http://motorbicycling.com/attachments/f3/28653d1283392817-cargo-003.jpg Wanna play? Yes I have peddled home this way many times! In jeans baby! Kinda like they do it in third world counties aye?
I have seen tenants in the bike shop tell me that my bike would fall apart as they immediately are consumed with the idea prolly judging by my stature that I will take it in the mountains all the time for extreme down hilling? Believe it or not I have prolly been a one man band of sorts because over the years I have demonstrated to some of these folks differently. Yes the roadies..
My nice down hill bikes cost just as much as the racing bikes and don't fall apart in my experience. Here is just one picture of a nice one then. I have since done something stiffer to the rear shock on it. This allowed me to place the bike exactly where I likes it best for a touring bike peddling stance. Any guess as to how much this costed me to put together? http://motorbicycling.com/attachments/f11/28871d1283972071-goats-head-001.jpg Look at the gearing then?
I do understand tho some folks don't have mountains where they live and coincidentally no trails such as ours this is a mountain bike town. How ever I ride mine in the city's gutters.
Maybe I am really a spandex hater dunno? I really don't care what they wear tho.