twowheeledfox
New Member
Okay, bit of a rant here but bear with me...
First some background. I have been infatuated with 2-wheeled, open-air vehicles since I was a kid. Bicycles and motorcycles (and MBs) have been a passion of mine for 20-odd years, and unlike most hardcore (ie, no car) motorcyclists I love to bicycle as well.
But it seems to me, that I can't join a mountain bike forum for example to ask about gearing or maintenance without being berated by 90% of the people there. They have insulted my MB builds, complaining about how everybody who uses an engine that isn't human powered is a lazy fata**, have done the typical cager-like talk about motorcycles, and continually dismiss anyone who hasn't got $2000 or more to spend on an effing bicycle.
So here is a message to the snobs out there:
Number one: Motors, gas or electric, were invented for a reason. Not everyone has the effort level or ability to be physically fit enough for, say, traveling on a completely human-powered bicycle. Yes, it's good to pollute less. Yes it's good to be fit. But people just do not have the stamina, even when fit, to do anything more than commute on a typical bicycle- and even if you spend years and lots of money training to do so, speeds of 30mph are about the limit, and that's with hugely expensive (and useless, utility-wise) carbon bikes and spandex-wearing. Even the most basic hybrid bicycle (MB), if geared properly, can get to 30mph without the need to pedal very much, and a $300 rack mount, lightweight four-stroke kit is far cheaper than that carbon bike and spandex, and does not pollute very much or use much gas. AND it gets you there with the OPTION of exercising and expending effort but doesn't strand you when you cannot. AND it goes just as fast as a pro cyclist.
Number two: Bicyclists and motorcyclists should unite- they have one important thing in common, apart from engineering similarities: danger. Cagers (no offence to car-driving members) do NOT see us, run us down, and try to give both of us bad rep in the social conciousness (with cyclists it's the spandex-clad a**, and with motorcyclists it's the ****'s Angel-types). It IS important that both groups can stand together when threatened with legislation or social opinion that will restrict our freedom to ride our vehicles, bicycle or motorcycle, powered or not, in favour of those who want or have to drive in big four-wheeled boxes (again, no offence meant).
Number three: Yes, I know my old Trek or my Mallwart bike is not of awesome, amazing quality. I know things will need to be repaired on it after serious riding. And I know I wouldn't tour on one without tools and spare parts. BUT that does not make it right for you to simply flip off all bicycles that cost less than a damn car. There are some very crappy cheap bikes out there but there are diamonds in the rough, whether it's a thrift store bike that's getting restored or a Mallwart bike with upgraded parts or whatever if may be, if you make it better and know what you're doing, you are being inventive and resourceful, not stupid. It's the idiots who will spend thousands of dollars on easily-snapped carbon road bikes just to save four pounds of weight. Who buy thousand-dollar all-terrain bikes that they ride round the block once a year while the rest of us, who actually ride trails, get by on $300 or less and sometimes even Mallwart and yard sale finds we've fixed up a bit.
So don't give us crap about trying to do things well, trying to do things ourselves without throwing bucketloads of money most of us do not have on minor improvements.
(FYI: I have ridden a pro road bike, and a $500 ATB before. They were both good bikes and damn smooth compared to what we usually work with, but NOT worth the expense)
Phew, just had to get that off my chest.
Let me know what you think.
-Fox
First some background. I have been infatuated with 2-wheeled, open-air vehicles since I was a kid. Bicycles and motorcycles (and MBs) have been a passion of mine for 20-odd years, and unlike most hardcore (ie, no car) motorcyclists I love to bicycle as well.
But it seems to me, that I can't join a mountain bike forum for example to ask about gearing or maintenance without being berated by 90% of the people there. They have insulted my MB builds, complaining about how everybody who uses an engine that isn't human powered is a lazy fata**, have done the typical cager-like talk about motorcycles, and continually dismiss anyone who hasn't got $2000 or more to spend on an effing bicycle.
So here is a message to the snobs out there:
Number one: Motors, gas or electric, were invented for a reason. Not everyone has the effort level or ability to be physically fit enough for, say, traveling on a completely human-powered bicycle. Yes, it's good to pollute less. Yes it's good to be fit. But people just do not have the stamina, even when fit, to do anything more than commute on a typical bicycle- and even if you spend years and lots of money training to do so, speeds of 30mph are about the limit, and that's with hugely expensive (and useless, utility-wise) carbon bikes and spandex-wearing. Even the most basic hybrid bicycle (MB), if geared properly, can get to 30mph without the need to pedal very much, and a $300 rack mount, lightweight four-stroke kit is far cheaper than that carbon bike and spandex, and does not pollute very much or use much gas. AND it gets you there with the OPTION of exercising and expending effort but doesn't strand you when you cannot. AND it goes just as fast as a pro cyclist.
Number two: Bicyclists and motorcyclists should unite- they have one important thing in common, apart from engineering similarities: danger. Cagers (no offence to car-driving members) do NOT see us, run us down, and try to give both of us bad rep in the social conciousness (with cyclists it's the spandex-clad a**, and with motorcyclists it's the ****'s Angel-types). It IS important that both groups can stand together when threatened with legislation or social opinion that will restrict our freedom to ride our vehicles, bicycle or motorcycle, powered or not, in favour of those who want or have to drive in big four-wheeled boxes (again, no offence meant).
Number three: Yes, I know my old Trek or my Mallwart bike is not of awesome, amazing quality. I know things will need to be repaired on it after serious riding. And I know I wouldn't tour on one without tools and spare parts. BUT that does not make it right for you to simply flip off all bicycles that cost less than a damn car. There are some very crappy cheap bikes out there but there are diamonds in the rough, whether it's a thrift store bike that's getting restored or a Mallwart bike with upgraded parts or whatever if may be, if you make it better and know what you're doing, you are being inventive and resourceful, not stupid. It's the idiots who will spend thousands of dollars on easily-snapped carbon road bikes just to save four pounds of weight. Who buy thousand-dollar all-terrain bikes that they ride round the block once a year while the rest of us, who actually ride trails, get by on $300 or less and sometimes even Mallwart and yard sale finds we've fixed up a bit.
So don't give us crap about trying to do things well, trying to do things ourselves without throwing bucketloads of money most of us do not have on minor improvements.
(FYI: I have ridden a pro road bike, and a $500 ATB before. They were both good bikes and damn smooth compared to what we usually work with, but NOT worth the expense)
Phew, just had to get that off my chest.
Let me know what you think.
-Fox
So tell
