Bicycle Day and the NOT 70th Birthday Of LSD
http://loki23.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/bicycle-day-and-not-70th-birthday-of-lsd.html
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CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Debate!
Is cycling middle class?
(70 posts)-
Posted 12 years ago #
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Complex stuff. Trying to define cyclist is like trying to staple a jelly to the wall.
I work with a couple of people who bought (quite expensive) bikes (and a lot of snazzy gear) on the bike to work scheme, with the best of commuting intentions, but they haven't managed it (at least they take the bus). They have however each managed an average of one 50m sportive a year. Due to this and owning a decent bike, they consider themselves cyclists, and who am I to argue.
I have an MTB and a Cross bike. The poor cross bike is my commuter workhorse, my sportive racer and my general getting around the city bike.
Despite doing about 3,000 miles a year on the cross bike, I can't shake off the nagging suspicion that if I was a 'proper' cyclist I'd have bought a proper commuting/touring bike, a proper road racer and cobbled together a pub bike!
Posted 12 years ago # -
Actually, Wilmington, you're right. I should try to 'convert' people to cycling but I can't at any time mention having to buy a bike as that would startle them out of it. Doubly so if they already own one bike of course.
"So now they need to get another bike? For someone who already doesn't think of a bike as transport and won't even use they're current bike you're expecting them to get 'another' bike just to see if they like it?"
How disgraceful and offensive of me it was to think people might need a bike to be able to cycle. Is that exactly, precisely, what you meant?
Posted 12 years ago # -
I don't think it is mysterious at all. It's traditional.Traditionally, the working classes had hard physical labour in their jobs which was their exercise. Think farm labourer, coal miner, shipyard worker, building labourer, etc. They were too knackered after work to do much more strenuous physical activity.
Not convinced by this argument. Go back 50 years and see the cine film footage of factory gates opening and hundreds of working class cyclists streaming out to ride home. Many of those would have ridden for sport and leisure at weekends too. Somehow this more recent tradition seems to have fallen by the wayside, possibly related to rhe road building and cheap motoring costs of the 60's and 70's.
Posted 12 years ago # -
Certain forms of cycling have a middle class image - MAMILs etc. others are more edgy such as cycle courier style.
The tweed run pics even looked quite upper class!!! Joking,,,!!!
Using a bicycle to get about because you can't afford a car is more of a working class issue.
Robert millar may well have described himself as working class as a youth.
There is a desire for mountain bikes amongst various boys I know in wester hailes. They love bikes and they love stealing them. According to a polis at bike breakfast, the diversion schemes such as RUTS have taught them how to strip parts.
Posted 12 years ago # -
"Is that exactly, precisely, what you meant?"
Yes.
Seriously, all I'm trying to do is explain why those who are weekend mountain bikers might be resistant to the idea of cycling in the city. That was it. Nothing more. I've obviously not explained myself well, so I'll leave it there.
Posted 12 years ago # -
At the risk of reviving another tetchy debate - I did find out why Lochside School (very much the *least* middle class primary school in Dumfries) has the highest cycling rates - including impressive numbers of bikes in the racks on sleety days in February when even I have been questioning my commitment to the bike. According to the iBike officer, the answer is probably low car ownership locally combined with one brilliant teacher who has been encouraging and promoting it for years, just off their own bat. I would also add that a combination of wide pavements and local norms of almost universal pavement riding means that they have reasonable safe routes to and from the school as well.
One nice touch the school does is that every week the staff go out and (randomly - although I bet they know which bike belongs to which child) crown one bike in the racks with a cardboard crown. The owner of the winning bike becomes the 'bike prince' or 'princess' for the week, complete with photo up on the school noticeboard.
Posted 12 years ago # -
One nice touch the school does is that every week the staff go out and (randomly - although I bet they know which bike belongs to which child) crown one bike in the racks with a cardboard crown. The owner of the winning bike becomes the 'bike prince' or 'princess' for the week, complete with photo up on the school noticeboard.
That is just awesome!
Posted 12 years ago # -
"crown one bike in the racks with a cardboard crown"
Haven't come across that idea before!
"one brilliant teacher who has been encouraging and promoting it for years"
That's what you normally find in a 'cycling school' (not just teachers, can be other members of staff and also, occassionally, parents).
Helps if Head encourages such things.
Posted 12 years ago # -
It's brilliant isn't it?
Posted 12 years ago #
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