Guessing Game

Posted on May 12, 2012 by Dave Feucht

We’re going to play a little bit of a game here: it’s called “Spot the Cyclist.”

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Any guesses?

Ok, I’ll give it away. Here’s a photo from about 3 minutes prior:

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This is becoming more and more common: that you might see any random person in a shop, at work, at school, etc – and then see them on a bike, looking exactly like they did at the shop, in class, at work. I think this is a good thing, as it’s a sign that people are starting to realize that you don’t need all the trappings of “cycling” to ride a bicycle. I think it’s also good for the public perception of cycling as a means of transportation – a means accessible to the masses and not just for a special sub-group.

Hope you’re all enjoying some warmer weather! Get out there and enjoy the wind in your hair!

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  • http://redeyedtreefr0g.blogspot.com/ Redeyedtreefr0g

    I had been about to guess “all of them”, until I scrolled down.  :)

    • http://pin-hole.tumblr.com Dave

       I suppose technically they could be, and I just didn’t see them on their bikes :)

  • Ian Brett Cooper

    I don’t view people who use bicycles on the sidewalk as ‘cyclists’. Cyclists use the road.

    • http://pin-hole.tumblr.com Dave

      Cyclists ride bicycles.

  • Saleoe

    I play this game all the time. Only I use the grocery store and reverse it a bit. I see a person on a bike and think, if I saw them in line at the grocery store, would I guess they ride a bike. The best part of this game, over the years, the answer is increasingly no. Meaning that more and more average Janes and Joes are pedaling around my town (not Portland.) I’m hugely encouraged.

    • http://pin-hole.tumblr.com Dave

      Yeah, it’s pretty clear that, whether we’re being supported from up above or not, more people are deciding to ride bicycles around, and as more and more people hop on bikes to go to the store or to work or out to eat or whatever, the percentage of people who want to or feel the need to get geared up to go somewhere decreases.

      That’s not to say there is no reason to get geared up to ride a bicycle, but for most trips under 5 miles (even 10 if it’s flat-ish and not too strenuous), I think it makes sense to just wear completely normal clothes. It’s an indicator of fewer people viewing the act of getting on a bicycle at all as participating in a sport – that is, rightly judging between riding for sport and riding for transportation. There really is a big difference.