8 ms·

If you’re a jogger, it is no longer enough to cruise around the block; you’re training for the next marathon. If you’re a painter, you are no longer passing a p

by apo 8y ago

If you’re a jogger, it is no longer enough to cruise around the block; you’re training for the next marathon. If you’re a painter, you are no longer passing a pleasant afternoon, just you, your watercolors and your water lilies; you are trying to land a gallery show or at least garner a respectable social media following. When your identity is linked to your hobby — you’re a yogi, a surfer, a rock climber — you’d better be good at it, or else who are you? Similar thoughts cross my mind every time I'm passed by a cyclist with a $2,500 bike wearing technicolor corporate spandex. As someone riding an ancient bike in a grubby, flapping getup, I sometimes wonder who's having more fun.

cmpolis 8y ago
Having been both riders in this situation - I'd speculate that you're the one having more fun. I went through phases of recreational cyclist -> competitive cyclist and racer -> back to recreational cyclist. Training and racing was immensely satisfying for the few moments when I would beat a personal best or place well, but it wasn't necessarily fun. The time, suffering and monetary cost of bike racing even on at the amateur-with-no-hope-of-going-pro level is crazy. The most fun I've had cycling was doing leisurely rides with friends or even just around the neighborhood with my partner.
ip26 8y ago
FWIW, riding in jeans gave me folliculitis, and a well maintained & fit bike is more pleasant to ride. Don't let the desire to separate yourself from the spandex crowd drive you to torture yourself.
- rubbingalcohol 8y ago
  Yeah, IMO the correct combination is spandex shorts and cheap cotton for everything else. Having nice gear doesn't mean you aren't having fun.
  - ip26 8y ago
    You don't have to have spandex for the legs, for me synthetic hiking pants have done fine, and also courds in the winter. The problem was basically two things- jeans were abrasive, wearing away hair follicles, and they didn't breathe, trapping a lot of sweat/humidity.
    - solipsistnation 8y ago
      If you're riding for very long, though, you will probably want padded shorts. I used to think they were silly, but after a couple of rides where my butt was seriously sore afterwards and one where my junk went numb, I swapped out my old saddle for one with a split down the middle and started wearing padded shorts and now I can bike for 40+ miles without getting sore. I like my cycling tunic/jersey thing because it gets really good airflow, but I've gone on long rides in just a plain old t-shirt, too.
      - photojosh 8y ago
        IMHO a lot of this is the need for adaptation to increased stress. I've heard a lot of stories of people going through quite a few different saddles until they finally find one that "works", but in the meantime they've also been spending a lot of time riding and have toughened up their posterior. So was it the saddle or the adaptation that solved the issue? I'll wear padded shorts and lycra for a looong ride (2-6 hours) as it's just more comfortable, but plain tights under short and a cotton tshirt is fine for the 30min commute.
      - schrodinger 8y ago
        I bought a Brooks saddle, and now I can go 50-70 miles comfortably without the padded shorts!
shoguning 8y ago
Hobbies can be just for enjoyment. If you're not growing in some area of your life though (relationships, family, career, hobby, knowledge) you're stagnating.
reaperducer 8y ago
Similar thoughts cross my mind every time I'm passed by a cyclist with a $2,500 bike wearing technicolor corporate spandex. When I was very young, and about a third my current weight, I rode my bike from Montreal to Vancouver with a bunch of friends. They all had the latest $500+ touring cycles. I had a brown $99 generic bike from Toys R Us. We all got there at the same time. And since my bike was far less engineered and precise than theirs, mine broke less often and could be repaired much easier.
- Qwertystop 8y ago
  Instinctively, that seems like a rather long way to bike at an age where one gets a bike from Toys R Us. I admit, though, that I've never particularly looked into the bikes on offer there -- as far as I was aware, they were limited to toy plastic tricycles and the like -- so perhaps they simply had a larger selection than I would have expected.
- JohnnyGan 8y ago
  YMMV when it comes to bikes. About 3 years ago I bought a cheap bike from Canadian Tire, and on the first day riding it to work, both pedals broke off.
  - jld 8y ago
    Did both pedals break off at the same time? If not, how did you keep riding with only one pedal? This sounds like the beginning of a great story!
    - JohnnyGan 8y ago
      One pedal broke off, then I tried riding with one foot on the crank arm, and the other on the pedal. A couple seconds later, the other pedal broke off. Apparently it was a pretty common issue with the series of bikes.
  - volkl48 8y ago
    It's like most things, buy the literal cheapest item you can and it'll probably be shit. Buy something in the lower middle of the price range and it'll probably serve you well for most uses. With bikes, that's probably $300-600.
dmreedy 8y ago
To be fair (as a hobbyist cyclist myself), there are multiple sub-hobbies. The act of riding is one. The act of assembling, repairing, maintaining, and upgrading a bike is another. Some people really enjoy geeking out over the latter.
- romwell 8y ago
  "There are two ways you can get exercise out of a bicycle: you can “overhaul” it, or you can ride it. On the whole, I am not sure that a man who takes his pleasure overhauling does not have the best of the bargain. He is independent of the weather and the wind; the state of the roads troubles him not. Give him a screw-hammer, a bundle of rags, an oil-can, and something to sit down upon, and he is happy for the day. He has to put up with certain disadvantages, of course; there is no joy without alloy. He himself always looks like a tinker, and his machine always suggests the idea that, having stolen it, he has tried to disguise it; but as he rarely gets beyond the first milestone with it, this, perhaps, does not much matter. The mistake some people make is in thinking they can get both forms of sport out of the same machine. This is impossible; no machine will stand the double strain. " Jerome K. Jerome, Three Men On A Bummel, 1914[1] (The very-much underrated sequel to Three Men in a Boat -- probably because of the title! -- in which the three men take a trip across Germany on 1 bike and 1 tandem). [1]https://www.gutenberg.org/files/2183/2183-h/2183-h.htm https://www.gutenberg.org/files/2183/2183-h/2183-h.htm
- analog31 8y ago
  True. I enjoy both. A couple of my bikes are assembled from old frames and parts. Hiding under the shabby exterior of each bike is a finely tailored machine. But these bikes are also work horses.
rzzzt 8y ago
The elusive mamil: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mamil https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mamil
- apo 8y ago
  That moment when you realize there's actually a name for something you've seen over and over for years!
  - brokenmachine 8y ago
    Also fosil - fing old sh*t in lycra.
Baeocystin 8y ago
I see a lot of MAMILs (middle-aged men in lycra) on my regular rides. What I genuinely never see is them smiling- the person may change, but various levels of grimace is the universal expression. If they truly are enjoying themselves, they hide it pretty well. I say this without judgment. I ride a custom recumbent, so it's not like I have anything against spending money on the hobby. But I do wonder what the drive is that seems to affect so many people the same way.
- bitL 8y ago
  They might be fighting for their future sustainable health as some issues probably already manifested themselves and reduced their quality of life. Such a training after a lifetime of not caring is no fun...
  - Baeocystin 8y ago
    I'm 44. Oddly enough, it was only after the spectre of long-term health issues raised its head that I was able to let go of some of the stress and just enjoy exercising for what it is, even beyond the health benefits. I'm almost (almost) thankful, in a way.
- soared 8y ago
  I mean.. nobody smiles in the middle of exercise. I thoroughly enjoy working hard and pushing myself on my bike, but it definitely doesn't make me smile. I might smile 3 hours later when I see I broke a few personal records though.
  - Baeocystin 8y ago
    I do? I mean, I don't consider myself an unusual athlete or anything. But if I'm biking or lifting, I almost always have a smile on my face, even while pushing myself. So do other people I know, so I really don't think it's unusual.
    - Gigablah 8y ago
d1zzy 8y ago
Ask them. Just because someone is riding a nice bike and wearing athletic clothing doesn't mean they don't enjoy their hobby (on the contrary, my instinct would be to say they do enjoy it since they obviously spend so much money on it).
- wvenable 8y ago
  Sometimes just spending money on a hobby is fun -- researching all the options, making the best compromises for the dollar, etc.
  - stochastic_monk 8y ago
    I’m not a distance athlete and can’t comment on their gear or thought process. However, for strength training, I’ve made two small purchases (a belt and deadlift straps). They’ve been both fun and a way to help me in the process. I spent a total of around 40 dollars, so it isn’t quite comparable, but my point is that I can provide one anecdatum that exercise equipment for a hobby can be fun.
    - Baeocystin 8y ago
      Getting a nice pair of lifting shoes made the whole process a lot more fun for me. I was surprised at how much more comfortable they made lifts like the squat. They're pretty cheap, too. Worth checking out if you haven't yet got a pair.
      - stochastic_monk 8y ago
        I’ll have to give some a shot. My plan is to reward myself with a pair when I pass a particular milestone.
ehnto 8y ago
I think there is a movement toward sincerity and realistic expectations in a lot of these things. For example, the most popular mountain biking youtube channels are all people who are kindof okay at riding but do it because they love having fun. Whilst those youtubers themselves are trying to garner success, it shows that a lot of people don't really care about racing mountain bikes. That's true for a lot of mountain bikers I know in real life too. Even those on the 8k engineering masterpiece still don't aspire to enter any races or have any delusions of grandeur. I myself ride some pretty wierd, definitely not race spec bikes and I love every minute of it. I never considered racing or "winning at bikes" to be important to me.
gerbilly 8y ago
> Similar thoughts cross my mind every time I'm passed by a cyclist with a $2,500 bike wearing technicolor corporate spandex. To each his own, but I can't imagine getting much enjoyment out of road cycling. Now mountain biking seems to me much more interesting. And my friends and I don't compete to go the fastest, we try to 'clean' difficult trails. To clean a section means to ride it without putting a foot down or stopping. You need to watch your line, and traction becomes your most precious resource on climbs. Apply too much power when your back tire is over a root and you'll blow the climb. You have to keep a constant awareness of where the contact patch of your back wheel is at all times. You can't just mash up the climb and 'win.' It's like the difference between saying: "I'll ride this trail faster than you" and "I'll ride this trail 'better' than you." I myself ride a pair of $2500 mountain bikes, but they are a mix of ghetto old components (one frame is 20yrs old with gripshift!) and high end parts (Chris King rear hubs). I put the money where it makes the most difference. Also, re lycra, I've been known to ride wearing a mechanic's jumpsuit when the stinging nettles are bad, but I do sometimes wear the lycra stuff too.

by apo 8y ago

cmpolis 8y ago

Having been both riders in this situation - I'd speculate that you're the one having more fun. I went through phases of recreational cyclist -> competitive cyclist and racer -> back to recreational cyclist. Training and racing was immensely satisfying for the few moments when I would beat a personal best or place well, but it wasn't necessarily fun. The time, suffering and monetary cost of bike racing even on at the amateur-with-no-hope-of-going-pro level is crazy. The most fun I've had cycling was doing leisurely rides with friends or even just around the neighborhood with my partner.

ip26 8y ago

FWIW, riding in jeans gave me folliculitis, and a well maintained & fit bike is more pleasant to ride. Don't let the desire to separate yourself from the spandex crowd drive you to torture yourself.

rubbingalcohol 8y ago
Yeah, IMO the correct combination is spandex shorts and cheap cotton for everything else. Having nice gear doesn't mean you aren't having fun.
- ip26 8y ago
  You don't have to have spandex for the legs, for me synthetic hiking pants have done fine, and also courds in the winter. The problem was basically two things- jeans were abrasive, wearing away hair follicles, and they didn't breathe, trapping a lot of sweat/humidity.
  - solipsistnation 8y ago
    If you're riding for very long, though, you will probably want padded shorts. I used to think they were silly, but after a couple of rides where my butt was seriously sore afterwards and one where my junk went numb, I swapped out my old saddle for one with a split down the middle and started wearing padded shorts and now I can bike for 40+ miles without getting sore. I like my cycling tunic/jersey thing because it gets really good airflow, but I've gone on long rides in just a plain old t-shirt, too.
    - photojosh 8y ago
      IMHO a lot of this is the need for adaptation to increased stress. I've heard a lot of stories of people going through quite a few different saddles until they finally find one that "works", but in the meantime they've also been spending a lot of time riding and have toughened up their posterior. So was it the saddle or the adaptation that solved the issue? I'll wear padded shorts and lycra for a looong ride (2-6 hours) as it's just more comfortable, but plain tights under short and a cotton tshirt is fine for the 30min commute.
    - schrodinger 8y ago
      I bought a Brooks saddle, and now I can go 50-70 miles comfortably without the padded shorts!

shoguning 8y ago

Hobbies can be just for enjoyment. If you're not growing in some area of your life though (relationships, family, career, hobby, knowledge) you're stagnating.

reaperducer 8y ago

Similar thoughts cross my mind every time I'm passed by a cyclist with a $2,500 bike wearing technicolor corporate spandex. When I was very young, and about a third my current weight, I rode my bike from Montreal to Vancouver with a bunch of friends. They all had the latest $500+ touring cycles. I had a brown $99 generic bike from Toys R Us. We all got there at the same time. And since my bike was far less engineered and precise than theirs, mine broke less often and could be repaired much easier.

Qwertystop 8y ago
Instinctively, that seems like a rather long way to bike at an age where one gets a bike from Toys R Us. I admit, though, that I've never particularly looked into the bikes on offer there -- as far as I was aware, they were limited to toy plastic tricycles and the like -- so perhaps they simply had a larger selection than I would have expected.
JohnnyGan 8y ago
YMMV when it comes to bikes. About 3 years ago I bought a cheap bike from Canadian Tire, and on the first day riding it to work, both pedals broke off.
- jld 8y ago
  Did both pedals break off at the same time? If not, how did you keep riding with only one pedal? This sounds like the beginning of a great story!
  - JohnnyGan 8y ago
    One pedal broke off, then I tried riding with one foot on the crank arm, and the other on the pedal. A couple seconds later, the other pedal broke off. Apparently it was a pretty common issue with the series of bikes.
- volkl48 8y ago
  It's like most things, buy the literal cheapest item you can and it'll probably be shit. Buy something in the lower middle of the price range and it'll probably serve you well for most uses. With bikes, that's probably $300-600.

dmreedy 8y ago

To be fair (as a hobbyist cyclist myself), there are multiple sub-hobbies. The act of riding is one. The act of assembling, repairing, maintaining, and upgrading a bike is another. Some people really enjoy geeking out over the latter.

romwell 8y ago
"There are two ways you can get exercise out of a bicycle: you can “overhaul” it, or you can ride it. On the whole, I am not sure that a man who takes his pleasure overhauling does not have the best of the bargain. He is independent of the weather and the wind; the state of the roads troubles him not. Give him a screw-hammer, a bundle of rags, an oil-can, and something to sit down upon, and he is happy for the day. He has to put up with certain disadvantages, of course; there is no joy without alloy. He himself always looks like a tinker, and his machine always suggests the idea that, having stolen it, he has tried to disguise it; but as he rarely gets beyond the first milestone with it, this, perhaps, does not much matter. The mistake some people make is in thinking they can get both forms of sport out of the same machine. This is impossible; no machine will stand the double strain. " Jerome K. Jerome, Three Men On A Bummel, 1914[1] (The very-much underrated sequel to Three Men in a Boat -- probably because of the title! -- in which the three men take a trip across Germany on 1 bike and 1 tandem). [1]https://www.gutenberg.org/files/2183/2183-h/2183-h.htm https://www.gutenberg.org/files/2183/2183-h/2183-h.htm
analog31 8y ago
True. I enjoy both. A couple of my bikes are assembled from old frames and parts. Hiding under the shabby exterior of each bike is a finely tailored machine. But these bikes are also work horses.

rzzzt 8y ago

The elusive mamil: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mamil https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mamil

apo 8y ago
That moment when you realize there's actually a name for something you've seen over and over for years!
- brokenmachine 8y ago
  Also fosil - fing old sh*t in lycra.

Baeocystin 8y ago

I see a lot of MAMILs (middle-aged men in lycra) on my regular rides. What I genuinely never see is them smiling- the person may change, but various levels of grimace is the universal expression. If they truly are enjoying themselves, they hide it pretty well. I say this without judgment. I ride a custom recumbent, so it's not like I have anything against spending money on the hobby. But I do wonder what the drive is that seems to affect so many people the same way.

bitL 8y ago
They might be fighting for their future sustainable health as some issues probably already manifested themselves and reduced their quality of life. Such a training after a lifetime of not caring is no fun...
- Baeocystin 8y ago
  I'm 44. Oddly enough, it was only after the spectre of long-term health issues raised its head that I was able to let go of some of the stress and just enjoy exercising for what it is, even beyond the health benefits. I'm almost (almost) thankful, in a way.
soared 8y ago
I mean.. nobody smiles in the middle of exercise. I thoroughly enjoy working hard and pushing myself on my bike, but it definitely doesn't make me smile. I might smile 3 hours later when I see I broke a few personal records though.
- Baeocystin 8y ago
  I do? I mean, I don't consider myself an unusual athlete or anything. But if I'm biking or lifting, I almost always have a smile on my face, even while pushing myself. So do other people I know, so I really don't think it's unusual.
  - Gigablah 8y ago

d1zzy 8y ago

Ask them. Just because someone is riding a nice bike and wearing athletic clothing doesn't mean they don't enjoy their hobby (on the contrary, my instinct would be to say they do enjoy it since they obviously spend so much money on it).

wvenable 8y ago
Sometimes just spending money on a hobby is fun -- researching all the options, making the best compromises for the dollar, etc.
- stochastic_monk 8y ago
  I’m not a distance athlete and can’t comment on their gear or thought process. However, for strength training, I’ve made two small purchases (a belt and deadlift straps). They’ve been both fun and a way to help me in the process. I spent a total of around 40 dollars, so it isn’t quite comparable, but my point is that I can provide one anecdatum that exercise equipment for a hobby can be fun.
  - Baeocystin 8y ago
    Getting a nice pair of lifting shoes made the whole process a lot more fun for me. I was surprised at how much more comfortable they made lifts like the squat. They're pretty cheap, too. Worth checking out if you haven't yet got a pair.
    - stochastic_monk 8y ago
      I’ll have to give some a shot. My plan is to reward myself with a pair when I pass a particular milestone.

ehnto 8y ago

I think there is a movement toward sincerity and realistic expectations in a lot of these things. For example, the most popular mountain biking youtube channels are all people who are kindof okay at riding but do it because they love having fun. Whilst those youtubers themselves are trying to garner success, it shows that a lot of people don't really care about racing mountain bikes. That's true for a lot of mountain bikers I know in real life too. Even those on the 8k engineering masterpiece still don't aspire to enter any races or have any delusions of grandeur. I myself ride some pretty wierd, definitely not race spec bikes and I love every minute of it. I never considered racing or "winning at bikes" to be important to me.

gerbilly 8y ago

> Similar thoughts cross my mind every time I'm passed by a cyclist with a $2,500 bike wearing technicolor corporate spandex. To each his own, but I can't imagine getting much enjoyment out of road cycling. Now mountain biking seems to me much more interesting. And my friends and I don't compete to go the fastest, we try to 'clean' difficult trails. To clean a section means to ride it without putting a foot down or stopping. You need to watch your line, and traction becomes your most precious resource on climbs. Apply too much power when your back tire is over a root and you'll blow the climb. You have to keep a constant awareness of where the contact patch of your back wheel is at all times. You can't just mash up the climb and 'win.' It's like the difference between saying: "I'll ride this trail faster than you" and "I'll ride this trail 'better' than you." I myself ride a pair of $2500 mountain bikes, but they are a mix of ghetto old components (one frame is 20yrs old with gripshift!) and high end parts (Chris King rear hubs). I put the money where it makes the most difference. Also, re lycra, I've been known to ride wearing a mechanic's jumpsuit when the stinging nettles are bad, but I do sometimes wear the lycra stuff too.