Have not received any CR postings since last Friday morning. It seems perhaps just the users of certain ISP's, in my case ATT/Yahoo, are being affected. So I'm reading the postings from the archives, which makes it a bit more awkward to respond to threads.
As to greetings on the road, I, like other members, have observed that motorcycle riders, especially Harley riders, will greet a bicyclist on the road with amazing fequency, often more consistently than other cyclists will. Even some pretty rough looking characters, playing the rebel role to the max, will wave to a bicyclist. This surprised me when I first encountered it many years ago, but I think it can be explained by the motorcycling culture in the US. Motorcyclists, especially Harley types, like to refer to cars as "steel cages" and make a great point of distaining the supposed comfort and safety these provide, i.e. the perhaps greater risk of riding a motorcycle is part of the attraction, along with experiencing the elements rather than being insulated from them. So in this respect, the Harley guys seem to see bicyclists as kindred spirits, riding in the open wind, without crash systems, like themselves, even if it is at a much lower speed. One must also recognize that today, and indeed for decades now, actual Harley riders have only rarely been the thugs and outllaws that they are sometimes portrayed to be, even though to an extent many enjoy that image. Most are in fact pretty solid citizens with jobs and familiies, and many absolutely middle class, which given the price of a Harley today, is greatly helpful in actually being able to afford one. So they are typically a better informed and more thoughtful lot than their image would have it, and many may have a greater knowledge of bicycling than the average motorist. Big Spring, Texas, BTW boasts of having the oldest Harley-Davidson dealership in Texas, and Harleys greatly outnumber Japanese motorcycles here. And I don't think I've ever encountered any hostility from a Harley rider while cycling here, but usually receive a greeting gesture.
As to snobbishness among fellow cyclists, I too have encountered this, and agree it is greater among those with the latest carbon wonders. It's not the bikes per se, I think, but rather that there is an image obsessed subgroup within the cycling community, who seem more concerned with their own inflated egos than with the actual virtues of cycling. These guys of course have to have the lastest and most prestigeous equipment, which at the moment usually includes carbon frames. So while a guy who rides a carbon frame because he has found it has adavantages after experiencing the other materials will usually greet a fellow cyclist, the guy who bought it just because it is the "in" thing will usually be to self absorbed to acknowledge the presence of another human being. I think one clearly sees this in almost any large cycle club, and I certainly did in the one I belonged to in Houston. There is a certan group that alway have to ride in the group with the highest pace at every weekend ride on the latest carbon frame with all sorts of other gratuitous carbon bits. I think this satisfies some sort of self-image of themselves as "competitive". Personally, I've always considered these guys as laughable, if not pathetic. I mean, if you want to be "competitive" join the USCF, or whatever they call themselves these days, and do some real racing. I did that a bit in the past, although not very successfully. Club rides and centuries, IMHO, are not the place for indulging one's competitive instincts, but an opportunity to enjoy the company of one's fellow cyclists. Fortunately, along with the snobs and poseurs, most large cycle clubs also have several strong and experienced cyclist who will usually make a point of riding the shorter, slower rides with the beginning cyclists, both to assist them if needed and to make them feel welcome.
Regards,
Jerry Moos
Big Spring, Texas, USA