Rhythm Thief
Legendary Member
- Location
- Ross on Wye
mickle said:
Are you sure?
Racing bikes - not road bikes please!
- Thread starter Ludwig
- Start date
Page may contain affiliate links. Please see terms for details.
Are you sure?
mickle
innit
- Location
- 53.933606, -1.076131
Rhythm Thief said:Are you sure?
I'm an anorak aren't I?
It is though, why do people have such strong feelings about a term which has been in use for decades?
mickle said:
Or, equally, strong dislikes for new terms. I guess it's just part and parcel of being human; we like and dislike stuff for no other reason that personal feelings and there's no logic involved to it.
For me, as a child, a 'racer' had drop bars... there was no such thing as mountain bikes, there were 'choppers' and everything else (i.e. sit up and beg) was simply a bike. I couldn't tell you when I first head the term 'road bike' but I'm guessing it was round about the same time I heard of mountain bikes... late 80s??
remking
New Member
- Location
- Eastleigh, Hampshire
Okay, I'm just going to talk out of my rear for a bit... and hypothethingy..
In the 80's (when I was at school) all of the kids had bikes. There were choppers (I never had one and I am emotionally scarred as a result), there were racers, there were shopping bikes (basket on the front), etc. Cycling was not a hobby, it was truly the preferred form of transport for a very large number of people. These people most probably were not part of any cycling fraternity. If they had been then they would probably have come across the term "road bike". The shift between calling it a racer and calling it a road bike, I believe is as a result of the bicycle falling more into the realm of hobbyist (excuse this word, it may not be quite right for the description). The car has become more prominent since the 80's as the preferred way to get around. This means that a larger number of bike buyers are from the cycling fraternity rather than what I would describe as the general public. With the advent of the internet and forums such as this, the whole thing has become so much more condensed.
Unfortunately, how ever much I might hate the term "Road bike" it is now the formal description of what the majority termed as "Racer" in the 80's. When I say "Majority" I do mean majority because there were probably more people riding racers to get from A to B than there were enthusiasts (thats the right word).
Of course the above may just be a load of bull.
In the 80's (when I was at school) all of the kids had bikes. There were choppers (I never had one and I am emotionally scarred as a result), there were racers, there were shopping bikes (basket on the front), etc. Cycling was not a hobby, it was truly the preferred form of transport for a very large number of people. These people most probably were not part of any cycling fraternity. If they had been then they would probably have come across the term "road bike". The shift between calling it a racer and calling it a road bike, I believe is as a result of the bicycle falling more into the realm of hobbyist (excuse this word, it may not be quite right for the description). The car has become more prominent since the 80's as the preferred way to get around. This means that a larger number of bike buyers are from the cycling fraternity rather than what I would describe as the general public. With the advent of the internet and forums such as this, the whole thing has become so much more condensed.
Unfortunately, how ever much I might hate the term "Road bike" it is now the formal description of what the majority termed as "Racer" in the 80's. When I say "Majority" I do mean majority because there were probably more people riding racers to get from A to B than there were enthusiasts (thats the right word).
Of course the above may just be a load of bull.
tdr1nka
Taking the biscuit
- Location
- SE London, Bandit Country
I like the term 'safety bicycle'.
fossyant
Ride It Like You Stole It!
- Location
- South Manchester
Racer refers to a cheap £100 BSO. Road bikes are proper bikes.....
PrettyboyTim
New Member
- Location
- Brighton
Ludwig said:
Damn the middle classes and their foolish ideas!
Mortiroloboy
New Member
Tynan said:
Obvious really.
Over The Hill
Guru
- Location
- Ridden off into the sunset
Do you not simply ride on the road on a road bike and race on a track on a racing bike?
Just beacuse both have drop handle bars and look about the same from 100 yards away does not make them the same thing.
Funny though we have sports cars but not sports bikes!!
Just beacuse both have drop handle bars and look about the same from 100 yards away does not make them the same thing.
Funny though we have sports cars but not sports bikes!!
Hilldodger
Guru
- Location
- sunny Leicester
tdr1nka said:I like the term 'safety bicycle'.
There was a time when safety bicycles used for racing were commonly known as 'jiggers'
That was in the good old days mind, when an 'ordinary bicycle' had a front wheel at least 48" in diameter
Baggy
Cake connoisseur
- Location
- Where the chevrons are
Indeed - my tourer has drop bars, but that alone doesn't make it a racer - it's a road bike.scoosh said:A good descriptive form - maybe one that could be adopted on CC
mickle
innit
- Location
- 53.933606, -1.076131
No it's not a road bike, it's a tourer.Baggy said:Indeed - my tourer has drop bars, but that alone doesn't make it a racer - it's a road bike.
