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Comment by sown | Hacker News Reader

I didn't actually start to hate bicyclists and bicycling culture until I became one.

They are one of the most fundamentalist group of people when it comes to two wheeled bikes. I've met all kinds of tolerances but it seem to mostly lean towards "not".

Any kind of suggestion about violating the ordained formula for a bicycle is just inciting religious hatred. It usually goes like this:

Want to consider a shaft driven bicycle for easier mainteinence? THEY"RE STUPID AND EXPENSIVE! Internal hub gearing? THEY'RE STUPID AND EXPENSIVE! Electric motor? THE POWER OF CHRIST COMPELS YOU!

And if you're not wearing spandex and have the right gear, the right bike (or at least the wrong one), you get looked down on again. I hate it.

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This is SO MUCH a US phenomenon, though. It's so weird to hear talk about bicycles like they're some kind of lifestyle choice, like they stand for something. Sad to hear that, in the face of all the opposition against bicycles and the poor infrastructure, there seems to be a bicycle culture which goes against casual use.

Which reminds me of this classic: http://www.ski-epic.com/amsterdam_bicycles/ ;)

I second that! I am an overweight guy, not your typical "Bay Area Fundamentalist Cyclist". I started biking to lose some weight, but mostly because I am truly concerned about the environment and I thought that would help.

The "looked down" is not even so much the issue. I actually got yelled at several times, intimidated, and actually ran over by other cyclists who thing they are Lance Armstrong or something. Close to the place where I lived (in Mountain View) there was a creek, and I was tired to hear other cyclists yelling "get off the way". And, you know, I am not really a slow rider and I really make sure to keep the left side clear. When I got ran over was some guy who had plenty of space to pass me by, but didn't want to wait to get back to the track and actually PUSHED me with his hands. I am dead serious.

Then I moved to China... Bicycles are TRULY ubiquitous here, and everyone uses it, from all ages and societal classes.

If the US wants to get serious about alternative forms of transportation, these elitists must need to change their attitude.

My brother is a real cycling enthusiast - so I've traveled with him a bit and met the cycling community all over. Your experience seems very typically west-coast-big-city.

Just be aware that this isn't the same everywhere. That being said, California seems to have a hipster culture that not even NYC can rival - and hipsters in general are not the most inclusive bunch.

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