[Closed] Is this your typical London cyclist?

I saw that and had exactly the same thought. They look like this lot:

[img] [/img]

Dorks in stained yellow jackets are the "typical" London cyclist, as with elsewhere. The idea of just getting around the city in your regular clothes on a bike isn't as common as the one where you have to dress in bright colours and wear a polystyrene hat because otherwise YOU WILL DIE OUT THERE.

If 'typical London' is Shoreditch/Hoxton on a sunny day then yes this is typical. Otherwise no.

I (vaguely) know Jonathan Kelsey. He is undeniably way more stylish than most; and he does ride a bike - so I'd agree with the "Londons most stylish cyclists". Unfortunately I think I'm more typical of a London cyclist in geeky flouro yellow and panniers / mudguards.

8 pictures, not one helmet! Great role models......Bike radar should know better!!

Hey, at least they're out riding bikes as transport. That has to be a good thing, even with all the sneering...! 😉

[i]Is this what cycling is all about in London? They look like **** tools.[/i] [b]To me[/b] fixed it for you 😉

[i]Cycling is about freedom, pushing your comfort zone, getting away from it all - not being bogged down by style/fashion/consumerism and the fact you cant pedal properly due to wearing rediculous shoes.

They arent even wearing bike helmets ffs.[/i]

You know something? people are free to do whatever they like. Sometimes I ride in a skirt (on my chameleon LOL) and sometimes I wear flip flops I sometimes don't even wear a helmet. As for being "bogged down by style" oh please 🙄 people are free to dress exactly how they want, last time I went to Cymcarn, i pissed myself watching all the middle aged blokes trying to look all rad and hardcore, all beer bellies and hairy white legs...

lets all be happy that different opinions and life views exist, shall we?

Utility and fashionista cyclist aren't bothered about freedom comfort zones or getting away from it. Neither are they bothered about heart rate, flow or sweet trails (dude) Still cyclists.

Cycling is about freedom, pushing your comfort zone, getting away from it all - not being bogged down by style/fashion/consumerism

Which is ironic considering that you seem to be trying to impose your own code on people rather than allowing them freedom... If they want to dress like that, who cares?

CFH spotted ?

[img] [/img]

I haven't looked at all the photos, but the couple I saw seemed to show people riding practical bikes as a form of transport, wearing the regular clothes they wear day to day. IMO this is "a good thing". I wear a helmet/ Lycra etc if I'm "going for a ride" - but I also use my bike as a convenient way of getting around the city I live in. I just jump on wearing what I'm wearing. I don't feel the need to cover myself in hi viz and helmets when I do this. More people should do this - more people should ride bikes. More people riding = safer roads, rather than a few people riding in dirty yellow macs and funny hats

Or....

[img] [/img]

Cycling is about freedom, pushing your comfort zone, getting away from it all - not being bogged down by style/fashion/consumerism and the fact you cant pedal properly due to wearing rediculous shoes.

They arent even wearing bike helmets ffs.

Errmmmm - urban cycling is about transport. Nothing more and nothing less. It does amuse me that to you cycling is about freedom - but you have to wear the right clothes and helmet.

emsz - Member

You know something? people are free to do whatever they like. Sometimes I ride in a skirt (on my chameleon LOL) and sometimes I wear flip flops I sometimes don't even wear a helmet. As for being "bogged down by style" oh please people are free to dress exactly how they want, last time I went to Cymcarn, i pissed myself watching all the middle aged blokes trying to look all rad and hardcore, all beer bellies and hairy white legs...

lets all be happy that different opinions and life views exist, shall we?

This was my first thought but you put it better than me (although I have never ridden in a skirt or pee-peed myself at Cwm Carn), so I thought I'd repeat it.

Allthepipes, it is London Fashion Week after all....

or maybe she/(he? Is that stubble?) just wants to look ****ing cool. 😆

I rode to work this morning in a high vis vest. Any pretensions I might have about looking stylish go out the window as soon as that goes on. Wouldn't be without it, though - it seems to have stopped drivers pulling out in front of me on roundabouts.

[img] [/img]

not being bogged down by style/fashion/consumerism

[b]AHAHAHAHAHAHA[/b]

funniest thing in a while. you perhaps should have chosen a different forum to vent such spleenage.

At least it's North Face hi-viz and not RonHill, though 😉

I dont think you can call them cyclists (or at least not real cyclists), thats all. I mean how can you ride a bike wearing shoes like these. All she does is fill the basket with fancy designer shopping bags, and push it round london, makes her look the height of "cool"

[img] [/img]

And this guy, whats does he use his bike for? Cycling round his huge mansion?

[img] [/img]

(or at least not real cyclists)

Real Cyclists League - ACTIVATE!

FFS

[i]real cyclists[/i]

anyone who's prepared to get on a bike in London (or anywhere really) is a 'real' cyclist, in my book.

If it's one less car journey and one more slightly healthier person then it's all good, no?

Anyone else wonder how on earth Paul Smith is still relevant in design circles? Every time I see one of his 'limited editions' it's either all black or covered in stripes and ridiculously expensive. Is that all he's got?

David I dunno who he is but judging from the bloody awful decor it's an old mahoosive mansion the like of which I used to get dragged round on family holidays, to be fair I'd much rather have ridden round them than walked. Kudios to the man for doing what I couldn't.

Emzs - perfectly said. People get way to snobby about what a bike rider is or should be. Wear whatever you want to wear and accept that if you see a rider wearing something different, they are still a bike rider. Suit, cool. Yellow vest, also cool. Take chill pills guys. It's all just people riding bikes!

8 pictures, not one helmet! Great role models......Bike radar should know better!!

I dunno, a few of them looked like colossal helmets to me.

Is this what cycling is all about in [s]London[/s] off road? They look like **** tools.

"[s]Londons[/s] UKs most stylish cyclists" - They cant seriously be considered cyclists can they? Pootling around in their fancy clothes on some [s]retro chic[/s] hugely over suspended bike just to enhance their cool/hip/leftfield image.

Cycling is about freedom, pushing your comfort zone, getting away from it all - not being bogged down by [s]style/fashion/consumerism[/s] being a chubby middle aged dad who wears skate shoes and baggy shorts because that's what the magazines told me to wear to look cool in the car park, and don't forget all those pads in case I fall off and hurt my knee/elbow/ego.

anyone who's prepared to get on a bike in London (or anywhere really) is a 'real' cyclist, in my book

Sorry but the First Edict of Taylforth says:

"Thou art not a cyclist lest ye be wearing disco slippers and protection of the cranium"

real cyclists

I suggest bikespod.

I dont think you can call them cyclists (or at least not real cyclists), thats all. I mean how can you ride a bike wearing shoes like these. All she does is fill the [s]basket[/s] Camelbak with fancy designer [s]shopping bags[/s] stuff, and push it [s]round london[/s] up every hill she comes too, makes her look the height of "cool"

My dutch nephew asked me where all the normal cyclists were in Edinburgh as all he saw was lycrad and helmeted folk.

Seriously - If you are using your bike for urban transport ordinary clothes and shoes are fine. Its the lycra clad / special shoe / helmet wearing folk that are out of step with wider trends

Errmmmm - urban cycling is about transport. Nothing more and nothing less.

Only if you want to make it a dour experience, but that's your choice. Granted, for me through the worst of a wet manchester winter it's about transport and training miles. But in finer weather, I choose routes/ bikes to make things as much fun as possible, I don't see why the trip to and from work should just be 'getting to work'.

[i]bikespod[/i]

perhaps 'CycleNerd' would be better 😉

I mean how can you ride a bike wearing shoes like these.

Slowly. Which is still a hell of a lot quicker than walking, and cheaper than a cab. Going a bit slower means not turning up dripping with sweat too, thus not needing to change at the other end.

You really need to take a trip to Amsterdam or Copenhagen, I've seen ladies cycling to evening events in ballgowns and the like, way less practical than what she's wearing. Cycling is a means of transport in cities, you don't need to conform to the "urban commute warrior" uniform and get dressed in special clothes just to go a mile or two down the road.

Now come on TJ the lass with the shiny aviators aint wearing normal shoes. I'm guessing they are just for the photo shoot but maybe you can pedal to the shops in them...?

Can any ladies (or gents it's a free world) comment on the ability to pedal in those type of heels?

Donk - commonplace in cities where cycling is the usual form of transport. go to Amsterdam or copenhagan and see.

I can ride SPDs in flip flops, she's just more talented than that.

"Fashion designer and cycling enthusiast Paul Smith"

He doesnt look very enthusiastic, infact he looks ****ing gutted. Probably because he's wearing daft clothes and trying to ride a bike with one brake and a fixed gear. A great advert for cycling. He should have taken that taxi.

[img] [/img]

Why wouldn't she be able to pedal in them? Only the part under the ball of your foot needs to be on the pedal, and for going along the flat in a low gear, you don't even need to apply much pressure.

A friend cycles in heels most of the time, it's fine. Traditional-type rubber pedals give plenty of grip for the job and don't damage the shoes.

http://www.copenhagencyclechic.com/

Shock horror, people using bikes as transport....

Chill out people, hint of double standards here, WE all follow fashion and trends, some more than other's, you're starting to sound like bitter twentysomethings, being a chubby middle age dad with skater shoes (after all I wore them first time round) I've seen all this before, I personally think it's pretty cool that cycling has become so popular and trendy, it must be really helping the economy, there's a lot of british made kit out there being bought, got to take the rough with the smooth.

**** Fashion Look Like F***ing Idiots to me

[i]I mean how can you ride a bike wearing shoes like these[/i]

pretty easily actually, BTW you don't think she looks hot?

[i] Probably because he's wearing daft clothes [/i]

erm, jacket, shirt, trousers, shoes...daft, right. 🙄

wwaswas - Member

anyone who's prepared to get on a bike in London (or anywhere really) is a 'real' cyclist, in my book.

If it's one less car journey and one more slightly healthier person then it's all good, no

Spot on!

Some stupid views in this thread! In my opinion the more people using bikes the better!

Also, Paul Smith's bike looks cool I think!

You could make a case for these people being more of a "real cyclist" than most MTBers.
They are actually using their bikes as a mode of transport, as opposed to pissing about in the woods.

A proper cyclist, earlier;

[img] [/img]

"Let he who hasn't been seen in lycra cast the first stone"

I bet some of these folk are more "real" cyclist than many on this thread.

After all the typical STWer drives his expensive bike to a set of trails every week or two, dresses in a uniform and rides the trails then drives home. Are they more of a real cyclist than the person who uses a bike for daily transport?

All riding's good.

I bet that London fashion cyclist lot aren't flinging banana skins around with gay abandon either.

Chill out people, hint of double standards here, WE all follow fashion and trends, some more than other's, you're starting to sound like bitter twentysomethings, being a chubby middle age dad with skater shoes (after all I wore them first time round) I've seen all this before, I personally think it's pretty cool that cycling has become so popular and trendy, it must be really helping the economy, there's a lot of british made kit out there being bought, got to take the rough with the smooth.

+1 Rewski.

WE all follow fashion and trends

WE all follow fashion and trends

Nope - not me gov

Am I allowed to agree with Mr Taylforth? They look like bunch of ****ts not [i]stylish cyclists[/i].

The key thing that will make cycling more pleasant and safer in this country is when people stop seeing cycling as something that just 'proper cyclists' do.

In the same way that critical mass is largely counterproductive because of the beardy wierdy types that it's perceived to (and sometimes actually does) consist of - once non-cycling people stop thinking of cyclists as different to 'normal people' then it'll be accepted - eg when they see their mates, families, colleagues cycling - people they know (and maybe like) and consider normal. Beardy wierdy types make it too easy to sideline cyclists as being 'different from me' or 'not normal people'.

Making cycling more popular even if it's fashion driven (eg the current fixie trend) is a good thing for those reasons - it gets previously non-cycling people on bikes. Sure some will stop when the next fashion comes along. Many however, won't.

Similarly, with traffic being so bad in cities, more and more people are taking to bikes (British Olympic success hasn't hurt this either IMO) and ironically, that's what's actually driving us towards a non-beardy wierdy critical mass.

EDIT - TJ - yes you do or you would never have that midlife crisis mane 😉

That yellow T shirt bloke has got a rear mech, he'd be laughed out of Hoxton for that wouldn't he?

Here's a more fetching London cyclist...
[img] [/img]
[img] [/img]

Nice one, they look like they're enjoying riding their bikes.

EDIT - TJ - yes you do or you would never have that midlife crisis mane

Its gone.

Ah so you succumbed to convention 😉

I'm a fairly regular commuter, summer - suit (except dress down Fridays) now it's wetter I've gone for a flouro waterproof jobbie. Biggest adjustment is to remember to cycle for transport and not try and take down the courrier that's jsut sped past...

Having livend and ridden in Copenhagen where noone dresses up in anything other than normal clothes to cycle to work, it's alwys interesting to see so many of my fellow cyclists dressed for a club run in lycra etc. I often wonder how far they are going.

i thibk paul smith looks cool.. I like his bike too 🙂

nice troll davidtaylforth- scruff starts one on the same subject, gets to 5 posts, you've hit 60+ in a fraction of the time. 😆

paul smith looks cool

Paul Smith would look cooler with some socks on.

Men over 50 should keep their ankles to themselves.

After all the typical STWer drives his expensive bike to a set of trails every week or two, dresses in a uniform and rides the trails then drives home. Are they more of a real cyclist than the person who uses a bike for daily transport?

I do both. 😳

Oh, and me? White tyres? With MY reputation?

White walls, yes. White tyres, no. 😉

Paul Smith= Dryed out old fool

A proper cyclist, earlier;

OMG its Biker fox a nob of biblical proportions.

[url= http://encyclopediadramatica.ch/Bikerfox ]Biker fox[/url]

His front flip trick(sic) will make you lol.