lone rider

What groups are you riding with that have "all that posing and showing off?" You're apparently riding with the wrong groups. You might also want to ride with a bit less of a judgemental attitude toward your other riders. All that aside, what's the point of the post?

Riding alone and in a group offer different experiences and are both very enjoyable.

Flashy gear has no bearing on the cycling experience.

Riding with the right group of people can be a lot of fun, but I usually prefer to ride alone and share some of the same reasons as the OP, such as enjoying the solitude.

I would like to thank Maydog and 64Paramount for their responses. However, the Alienator's sneering superciliousness, although all too predictable, left me so depressed it took me a century ride to burn it out of my system. This sub-forum is not "Professional Cycling", "Experts Anonymous" or "Mean-Spirited Sociopaths" but "The Bike Cafe", which implies to me a place for informal conviviality and general chit-chat about cycling (as indeed it says in the rubric). But here too lurks this vile and vicious vulture, waiting to swoop down with talons drawn on whomever he doesn't like - which seems to be just about everyone.

I acknowledge his expertise (having even enjoyed his recent report on the Volagi bike) but his pseudonym and avatar indicate a deliberate intent to offend. I am not normally cowed by bullies and Mean Mister Mustards, but this person's presence on these forums makes it clear that one who values politeness and civility does not belong here. I love cycling, and I am therefore predisposed to regard all other cyclists with respect and appreciation. I came here to be educated, informed and entertained by kindred spirits, and perhaps to participate a little in the global community of cyclists, not to be browbeaten, insulted and humiliated.

But there are many other such Internet forums, and an abundance of other sources of the information and advice I find valuable in this activity. I shall therefore bow out of here now, with my regrets, apologies, and good wishes to all for whom cycling is a means to a better way of life.

[IMG]/img/vbsmilies/smilies/icon14.gif[/IMG]

Well lets see. So far Ive ridden 2862 miles this year. About 52 mi with "friends". I dont feel Ive missed anything, I ride for the peace of it.

Quoted post said:

Originally Posted by Rehman [IMG]/img/forum/go_quote.gif[/IMG]

I would like to thank Maydog and 64Paramount for their responses. However, the Alienator's sneering superciliousness, although all too predictable, left me so depressed it took me a century ride to burn it out of my system. This sub-forum is not "Professional Cycling", "Experts Anonymous" or "Mean-Spirited Sociopaths" but "The Bike Cafe", which implies to me a place for informal conviviality and general chit-chat about cycling (as indeed it says in the rubric). But here too lurks this vile and vicious vulture, waiting to swoop down with talons drawn on whomever he doesn't like - which seems to be just about everyone.

I acknowledge his expertise (having even enjoyed his recent report on the Volagi bike) but his pseudonym and avatar indicate a deliberate intent to offend. I am not normally cowed by bullies and Mean Mister Mustards, but this person's presence on these forums makes it clear that one who values politeness and civility does not belong here. I love cycling, and I am therefore predisposed to regard all other cyclists with respect and appreciation. I came here to be educated, informed and entertained by kindred spirits, and perhaps to participate a little in the global community of cyclists, not to be browbeaten, insulted and humiliated.

But there are many other such Internet forums, and an abundance of other sources of the information and advice I find valuable in this activity. I shall therefore bow out of here now, with my regrets, apologies, and good wishes to all for whom cycling is a means to a better way of life.

Ah, a bit of hyperbole always warms the cockles. I truly am sorry for asking what the point of the post was. I didn't realize how sensitive you were toward questions.

While I agree with some of Rehman's observations, and I, too, prefer to ride alone most of the time, I am not particularly cowed by anyone on this forum. Alienator has an abrasive manner but I respect his opinions, and sometimes agree with his opinions, and I feel that somewhere in there there's somebody worth knowing. And if you think he's bad now, you should have seen him a couple of years ago.

I get bummed out about cycling groups, too. I miss the training camps and the club runs, and harebrained training routines and rides where we got lost on dirt roads, and the mechanical breakdowns and all sorts of bad weather we found ourselves in. I get impatient with the attitudes (most of them older riders, too), and I get impatient with myself, which is why I'm looking forward to winter.

I'm going to use the break to get a new perspective on why I keep doing this, and maybe find some new energy and people to share it with.

Maybe its me but I really cant see what the Alienator has posted on this thread that is so offensive.

Quoted post said:

Originally Posted by alienator [IMG]/img/forum/go_quote.gif[/IMG]

Ah, a bit of hyperbole always warms the cockles. I truly am sorry for asking what the point of the post was. I didn't realize how sensitive you were toward questions.

An apology from The Alienator? Now here's a red-letter day. But don't bat your eyelids in feigned innocence - it wasn't just this post, but almost everything else I and others have had the temerity to post on these forums. You call people "liars" when they may only have been mistaken or misinformed. You question the intelligence of those with whom you disagree. You seem to revel in being unpleasant, and as a repeat recipient of your unpleasantness, I've had enough.

Yes, UtahCyclist, I did consider complaining to the moderators, but that smacked a little too much of mewling to daddy. Besides, as I said, I appreciate The Alienator's experience, expertise and preponderant presence here - what is it? Nearly eight years and 7,500 posts? I just got here - far be it from me to ask for his curtailment. But I personally find him as offensive as he apparently sets out to be, and now I have responded accordingly. (Besides, it seems several others got the point of my post just fine, and I thank you all for that.)

When I started cycling it was in groups on Saturday's and have always enjoyed it. I learned a lot from the veterans from bike handling skills, safety in groups and much more. For about two years I took over the task of sharing in the chore of organizing the Saturday ride from creating the route and getting the email out to all riders. I also had to share in the task of making sure everyone returned safely and having to go back and help dropped riders. But then there were the complainers that really created a burden to the whole thing and cycling with the group became more of a chore than fun. It is amazing what one complaint can do to spoil your fun for the day. These were not group regulars, but people that got word of the ride and showed up. Our group grew to about 30+ riders during the summer months. It became really stressful.

Between being turned off by a few bad apples that show up and mainly due to the direction I have taken for training solo cycling became more important. It was tough at first to miss out on the friendships that I have developed and there are more good memories than bad, but I have really enjoyed cycling solo lately. I will still participate in some group rides with friends, but cycling solo has been really helped me get back to the real enjoyment.

I disagree about safety. I carry a lot of extra gear because I travel long distances on very rural roads and I find that some drivers in my area are more brazen when there are no witnesses. There are many hazards, but another big one are dogs. In groups we have had a number of serious crashes requiring the EMT's to carry off the victim and fortunately having a group to help get the person and their bike off the road was a blessing to that person. I have been fortunate that I have not clipped a dog yet, but there is that danger and dealing with it solo may be interesting. We had one guy hit a large pothole, face planted, gashed his face so bad that he was going into shock. There were a multitude of people helping in various ways and fotunately we had a nurse to help calm the guy while the EMT's were on the way. I guess it perspective, but I feel safer in a group.

Quoted post said:

Originally Posted by Felt_Rider [IMG]/img/forum/go_quote.gif[/IMG]

I guess it perspective, but I feel safer in a group.

It may not be perspective. If you couch the safety argument in terms of cyclists vs. cars, it's the exception that a cyclist is killed by a car while riding in a pack. Sure it's happened, but it's usually the rider by himself that is killed or injured by a driver. It'd be interesting to see what a study or three would show. Certainly, a group of cyclists is more visible to a driver. It's certainly something that has to be considered since drivers factor hugely in the safety of cyclists. I'm still trying to think of time when I've seen any attitude in the groups in which I've pedaled, but I can't remember single time. Those groups, in terms of cyclists involved, have spanned the range of neophyte to pro.

alienator, I find what you say to be true in my area. I have never heard of a cyclist being hit or killed by a car in a group setting, but in the Atlanta area every cyclist that I have heard being hit was either solo or with just one other. Perhaps it has happened that someone was hit in a group setting, but I have not heard about in the past few years.

I have no stats on crashes during group rides in ratio to solo rides. I do know that 66% of fatal incidents occur in urban areas. You are more likely to be hit at night and most fatalities are male rides.
Overall cycling is relatively safe when considering other opportunities you have to be eliminated. For myself I would rather be killed on a bike than from my own obesity but given the choice old age seems peferable at this point.
As stated before I would maybe want to get hit by a beer truck at the age of 96. I would like to linger long enough for a well endowed female EMT to lean over me and give me CPR.

Quoted post said:

Originally Posted by Rehman [IMG]/img/forum/go_quote.gif[/IMG]

You call people "liars" when they may only have been mistaken or misinformed.

Ah, you must referring to Ali Sayyad and "his" limited edition Colnago Master 55. Surely, he must be misinformed, right? After all, it could easily happen to anyone that buys a $12,000 bike. It's so easy to get a "lightweight carbon fiber body" mixed up with a steel frame. [IMG]/img/vbsmilies/smilies/ROTF.gif[/IMG]

Quoted post said:

Originally Posted by alienator [IMG]/img/forum/go_quote.gif[/IMG]

It may not be perspective. If you couch the safety argument in terms of cyclists vs. cars, it's the exception that a cyclist is killed by a car while riding in a pack. Sure it's happened, but it's usually the rider by himself that is killed or injured by a driver.

Ah the disconnect between impressions and reality. Most serious (and non-serious) auto-cycle collisions around here do involve lone cyclists or small groups. The last one around here involved a motorist hitting two women in the bike lane head on. It's still being "investigated."

But the paradox is that I usually feel safer alone, probably because I don't feel the need to monitor or control the behavior of the riders around me. Going alone is just one less thing to worry about.

I need to find people I actually enjoy riding with. I'm really not a misanthrope.

Quoted post said:

Originally Posted by oldbobcat [IMG]/img/forum/go_quote.gif[/IMG]

But the paradox is that I usually feel safer alone, probably because I don't feel the need to monitor or control the behavior of the riders around me. Going alone is just one less thing to worry about.

Personal preference is often the decider.