Is cycling now a 'middle-class sport'?

[Billy Boy]

[martin smith]

[martin smith]

class is all bolleux anyway. as kj said, people are people and should be evaluated on their own merits.
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Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you criticize them, you're a mile away and you have their shoes.

[Billy Boy]

[Paul H.]

[DNAse]

[Billy Boy]

[Rich Hill]

[Lone Wheeler]

i'll third that....people with class don't need to shout about it, they just have it.
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www.freddibnahheritagecentre.co.uk

[vegetable]

[16simon]

Is that Tony Bell?

[1000]

Financially speaking (from experience)

Unforutnately some riders feel they have to keep up with the jones' and over stretch their disposable income in an attempt to either feel one of the crowd or to compete with others on a level playing field.
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.

[Graham Webb]

That's the one thing we don't have here, and the one thing I loath most about my native country, 'class distinction'. If in Belgium I cycle with the Prime Minister, Eddy Merckx or one of my old work mates it all feels the same to me, and them. So I won't be voting Fritz.

[mattr]

of the guys i've conversed with in our new club we have a couple of joiners, a steeplejack, a roofer, a guy who pours concrete mouldings, a couple of housewifes (married to one or other of the aforementioned blokes) a nurse or two and dozen or so juveniles/juniors/students.

Mostly riding around on nice (ish) bikes. Driving 3-5 year old cars and all in a nice big house (well they cost f-all here).

So me and the wife as professionals are both odd ones out.

We never miss a training session as we are working late's or nights..........

Our last club in the UK was mainly professionals, teachers, engineers, management types etc.

We now live in Swedens industrial heartland (tho you wouldn't be able to tell) we used to live in a poshish bit of the midlands.

Make of that what you will.

(I think it's more to do with the area your club is based in, my first club in York had everything from minimum wage thro to the (then) boss of BREL.)

Keeping up with the Joneses is what is putting people with smaller disposable incomes off, if you don't have a carbon/Ultegra road bike, you can't ride with us attitude...... and so on.

Look at the number of thirds/fourths with carbon wheels, frame etc.

I'm not saying they shouldn't splash the cash, but it makes the sport look inaccessible.

(Best thing is watching the blinged up 4th cat getting hammered by someone on a 10 year old steel frame with 7 speed down tube shifter.....)

[1000]

[Lee]

I think it is classless to a degree. But you need a fair chunk of disposable or be prepared to batter your credit cards. 1 decent road bike will probably cost around a £1k, but could easily be £3k plus and still not be that out of the ordinary. And how many people have one bike. So maybe a TT bike - well that's not going to be cheap if you have decent wheels, or a track bike, or a cross bike or an MTB and it really starts to mount up yet nobody ion here would consider 4 bikes a lot?? Then kit, easy to spend £100 on pretty much any item of kit from shoes, shorts, shades helmet etc??

So it's not a sport for those with little disposable and thats before you factor in the cost of racing. But wealth and disposable income are not necessarily bedfellows are they?
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[mattr]

[mattr]

[1000]

[racyrich2]

Why all the fuss. As has been said, cyclists come from all professions and classes. And those with any sense respect what the legs do, nothing else.
And of course the 3rds and 4ths have the best bikes, They're typically older and richer and finally have the wherewithall to afford some nice gear. It's the not-quite-good-enough-to-be-sponsored 21 year olds who struggle with kit.

One other point. It's to all our benefit if it is perceived as middle-class, as that's the group whose acceptance we require on the road. Much as we might fear working-class white van man, the politicians take note of middle england, and when they start to support cycling and cyclists, so will politicians. And then our ascendancy begins.
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Rich