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| Is cycling now a 'middle-class sport'? |
| Yes |
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| No |
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42% |
[ 30 ] |
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| Total Votes : 71 |
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kb7
E, Bronze
Joined: 01 Apr 2006
Posts: 394
Location: Hullgaria and Lagos
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 Posted: Fri Apr 04, 2008 11:27 pm Post subject: |
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| Plurien wrote: |
Hear, hear on the great leveller that is the international community of people who do cycle sport!
Cyclists all:-
Down with the tribalism and long live people wanting to be recognised as individuals.
"If everybody looked the same, we'd only be tired of looking at each other" |
That was the week that was, it's over let it go. |
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bigrob
E, Bronze
Joined: 29 Jun 2005
Posts: 263
Location: tasmania
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| Posted: Sun Apr 06, 2008 7:04 am Post subject: |
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when you meet a rider when out riding one thing you never ask them is what job do you do, its more like been far, were you going, nice bike etc i was in the solihull and you could not meet a nicer bunch of people if you tried de rosa included.The sport is full of gentlemen and women who work all trades but have a commen bond
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dockeca
Div 2 Pro
Joined: 27 Feb 2002
Posts: 4741
Location: halfway up the South Downs - or halfway down the South Ups!
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| Posted: Sun Apr 06, 2008 10:05 am Post subject: |
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Bigrob, please send five grand immediately, if you were in the Solihull you must be good for twenty times that! Or that's what De Rosa says, anyway.
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Scott C
E, Silver
Joined: 22 Dec 2002
Posts: 548
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| Posted: Sun Apr 06, 2008 3:36 pm Post subject: |
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I dont think the sport needs a social class.....however...
My friends at uni assumed I had abit of cash at first because I had bikes etc. A few of them wanted to cycle but didn't because it looked too expensive. Also looking around at websites etc seeing bits of kit costing thousands of pounds. I don't think anyone in the sport cares what you have etc. If anything I would imagen those with nice bikes in races are abit gutted when they take a pasting from someone on a £100 old 190s bike.
You can race on a £100 steel bike with 6 speed downtube shifters. And I am a firm beliver that if you have the legs you will win and once your good enought people will give you the kit.
My Mum told me that I could never do cycling because we come from a council estate and that we couldn't afford the bikes and kit etc. But 5 years on im still riding and racing and loving it. Theres always people willing to help you out with lifts etc even when they don't ride for your club and everyone is always very sociable.
I think one of the main things that puts people off from this sport is the way we appear on the 'out side' and alot of us are to blame for this. Some bike shops tell you (I know they need to make money) that you need X,Y and Z bits of kit that cost this much rather than what you wanted to buy that was only £20 etc.
And even though its never placed upon you it is intimidating to race against people on £4K bikes when your turning up to a TT on a 1980s steel bike with a 650cc wheel etc. I am not sure why though.
I think sportive riding as well is very much a case of having the nicest assos and colnago. But then there not real cyclists anyway.
Perhaps the perception of the sports 'class' or cost if you like, is the main hurdle for the sport taking off in the UK. You would never find amatures in Belgium riding the best kit money could buy. And over there people from all walks of life compete in the sport. |
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martin smith
World Champ
Joined: 09 Jun 2003
Posts: 12187
Location: shoehorning kittens into jars
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| Posted: Sun Apr 06, 2008 3:42 pm Post subject: |
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| Scott C wrote: |
I dont think the sport needs a social class.....however...
My friends at uni assumed I had abit of cash at first because I had bikes etc. A few of them wanted to cycle but didn't because it looked too expensive. Also looking around at websites etc seeing bits of kit costing thousands of pounds. I don't think anyone in the sport cares what you have etc. If anything I would imagen those with nice bikes in races are abit gutted when they take a pasting from someone on a £100 old 190s bike.
You can race on a £100 steel bike with 6 speed downtube shifters. And I am a firm beliver that if you have the legs you will win and once your good enought people will give you the kit.
My Mum told me that I could never do cycling because we come from a council estate and that we couldn't afford the bikes and kit etc. But 5 years on im still riding and racing and loving it. Theres always people willing to help you out with lifts etc even when they don't ride for your club and everyone is always very sociable.
I think one of the main things that puts people off from this sport is the way we appear on the 'out side' and alot of us are to blame for this. Some bike shops tell you (I know they need to make money) that you need X,Y and Z bits of kit that cost this much rather than what you wanted to buy that was only £20 etc.
And even though its never placed upon you it is intimidating to race against people on £4K bikes when your turning up to a TT on a 1980s steel bike with a 650cc wheel etc. I am not sure why though.
I think sportive riding as well is very much a case of having the nicest assos and colnago. But then there not real cyclists anyway.
Perhaps the perception of the sports 'class' or cost if you like, is the main hurdle for the sport taking off in the UK. You would never find amatures in Belgium riding the best kit money could buy. And over there people from all walks of life compete in the sport. |
that's a great post. i expect you will go far with an attitude like that  
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dave5n
E, Silver
Joined: 13 Jan 2006
Posts: 1020
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| Posted: Sun Apr 06, 2008 11:18 pm Post subject: |
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| De Rosa wrote: |
| In the Solihull CC we are all actually upper class and we don't want any middle class riff-raff joining us - they should go to the Coventry RC or Halesowen and win stuff. |
Probably about right. |
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cliffy
Cat 1 Groupie
Joined: 16 May 2007
Posts: 190
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| Posted: Mon Apr 07, 2008 6:22 pm Post subject: |
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| Richard wrote: |
| martin smith wrote: |
| it takes a reasonable amount of disposable income to take it seriously unless you are sponsored. . |
Disagree here - I've had decent enough kit since I was a uni student and even when I was working in a pub on barely minimum wage I still went racing. It's harder to take up from scratch when you've got dependents/family as £1000 for a bike to race on is a big ask/luxury as well as clothing/licence/entry fees/etc
| martin smith wrote: |
| I bet even running, which has virtually no expensive kit required has a base of mostly professional people. certainly those i see out training look more like accountants than dole scum. |
guy in our running club has a porsche and is Oxford educated, there's a few people with BMW's as well but it is still a wide spread of people. I agree with John McC here - running and cycling are classless sports.
Now, triathletes - there's a solid professional / middle-class sport if ever there was one.... |
"...a uni student": probably 'middle class' then! |
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kylie
World Champ
Joined: 02 Apr 2004
Posts: 10856
Location: going to a Wham concert with Molly Ringwald.
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| Posted: Mon Apr 07, 2008 7:06 pm Post subject: |
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| 1000 wrote: |
Financially speaking (from experience)
This often gives the wrong impression when every 3rd, 4th cat, junior and his dog turn up at races blinged out with the latest colnago bike *CENSORED*.
Passes by must think cyclists are made of money when in fact most arent in my experience. |
I don't think many passers by would even know how much a decent bike costs. Anyone outside of cycling will see a bike as a bike.
Out in Trinidad the guys are racing on begged and borrowed stuff but they are still very fast!
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Last edited by kylie on Mon Apr 07, 2008 7:13 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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mattr
World Champ
Joined: 16 Apr 2004
Posts: 12647
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| Posted: Mon Apr 07, 2008 7:07 pm Post subject: |
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| cliffy wrote: |
| Richard wrote: |
| martin smith wrote: |
| it takes a reasonable amount of disposable income to take it seriously unless you are sponsored. . |
Disagree here - I've had decent enough kit since I was a uni student and even when I was working in a pub on barely minimum wage I still went racing. It's harder to take up from scratch when you've got dependents/family as £1000 for a bike to race on is a big ask/luxury as well as clothing/licence/entry fees/etc
| martin smith wrote: |
| I bet even running, which has virtually no expensive kit required has a base of mostly professional people. certainly those i see out training look more like accountants than dole scum. |
guy in our running club has a porsche and is Oxford educated, there's a few people with BMW's as well but it is still a wide spread of people. I agree with John McC here - running and cycling are classless sports.
Now, triathletes - there's a solid professional / middle-class sport if ever there was one.... |
"...a uni student": probably 'middle class' then! |
you really do have an odd view of the world don't you! |
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1000
Cat 1 Groupie
Joined: 01 Apr 2007
Posts: 183
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| Posted: Mon Apr 07, 2008 7:52 pm Post subject: |
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| cliffy wrote: |
"...a uni student": probably 'middle class' then! |
15-20 years ago you may, in my opinion, have had a shout.
Nowadays students generally fall into the bracket of:
those who go for specific career focused degrees
those who dont want to work and party
those who are yet decided on their future and uni is the natural progression from 6th form or college
Middle class? not in this day and age from my experience |
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KJ
T de F Winner
Joined: 18 May 2005
Posts: 26400
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| Posted: Mon Apr 07, 2008 7:55 pm Post subject: |
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| Depends which country and which university |
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1000
Cat 1 Groupie
Joined: 01 Apr 2007
Posts: 183
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| Posted: Mon Apr 07, 2008 8:03 pm Post subject: |
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| KJ wrote: |
| Depends which country and which university |
I am talking UK from experience and whilst oxbridge will always attract the old faithful i know many from very working class backgrounds who are now attending through hard work and talent rather than who daddy knows |
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mattr
World Champ
Joined: 16 Apr 2004
Posts: 12647
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| Posted: Mon Apr 07, 2008 8:08 pm Post subject: |
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| 1000 wrote: |
| cliffy wrote: |
"...a uni student": probably 'middle class' then! |
15-20 years ago you may, in my opinion, have had a shout.
Nowadays students generally fall into the bracket of:
those who go for specific career focused degrees
those who dont want to work and party
those who are yet decided on their future and uni is the natural progression from 6th form or college
Middle class? not in this day and age from my experience |
15-20 years? Now you are showing your age (and lack of it!) i started uni 16 years ago and as a quick straw poll i would have said more than half were working class (but thats engineering, not pointless arguing or maths, sorry 'Politics' or 'Accountancy') |
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KJ
T de F Winner
Joined: 18 May 2005
Posts: 26400
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| Posted: Mon Apr 07, 2008 8:23 pm Post subject: |
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| 2% working class when I went . |
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Adam
Div 1 Pro
Joined: 22 Jan 2004
Posts: 7258
Location: London
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| Posted: Mon Apr 07, 2008 9:11 pm Post subject: |
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University is just a continuation of full time education after A-Levels. The general consensus at my Sixth Form is that if you can hack A-Levels, you're okay to do a degree too. It's certainly not exclusive as some suggest, even muppets like me from Chaventry can go.
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mr celery
Div 2 Pro
Joined: 06 Jun 2006
Posts: 5245
Location: london
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| Posted: Mon Apr 07, 2008 9:20 pm Post subject: |
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| Adam wrote: |
| University is just a continuation of full time education after A-Levels. The general consensus at my Sixth Form is that if you can hack A-Levels, you're okay to do a degree too. It's certainly not exclusive as some suggest, even muppets like me from Chaventry can go. |
Are you quite sure about that?  
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Adam
Div 1 Pro
Joined: 22 Jan 2004
Posts: 7258
Location: London
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| Posted: Mon Apr 07, 2008 9:24 pm Post subject: |
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| mr celery wrote: |
| Adam wrote: |
| University is just a continuation of full time education after A-Levels. The general consensus at my Sixth Form is that if you can hack A-Levels, you're okay to do a degree too. It's certainly not exclusive as some suggest, even muppets like me from Chaventry can go. |
Are you quite sure about that? |
I think so. Living proof? Veloriders' very own bald Coventry-born gimp, Richard Hodge even has a degree.
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Des
Moderator
Joined: 19 Apr 2002
Posts: 16900
Location: Harrow
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| Posted: Mon Apr 07, 2008 10:00 pm Post subject: |
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| mattr wrote: |
15-20 years? Now you are showing your age (and lack of it!) i started uni 16 years ago and as a quick straw poll i would have said more than half were working class (but thats engineering, not pointless arguing or maths, sorry 'Politics' or 'Accountancy') |
Come on Matt, you well know that engineering has more maths and stats involved than accountancy, which is basically arithmetic
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mattr
World Champ
Joined: 16 Apr 2004
Posts: 12647
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| Posted: Tue Apr 08, 2008 6:16 am Post subject: |
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| Des wrote: |
| mattr wrote: |
15-20 years? Now you are showing your age (and lack of it!) i started uni 16 years ago and as a quick straw poll i would have said more than half were working class (but thats engineering, not pointless arguing or maths, sorry 'Politics' or 'Accountancy') |
Come on Matt, you well know that engineering has more maths and stats involved than accountancy, which is basically arithmetic |
maybe i should have called it 'sums' |
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