tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9241204.post314289480888450951..comments2024-01-15T14:14:40.035-05:00Comments on Citizen Rider: The Extinction of the Cyclistcafiendhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05749761363337659545noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9241204.post-90804713071462190182009-04-27T16:17:00.000-05:002009-04-27T16:17:00.000-05:00In my dreams I might ride like that guy in the vid...In my dreams I might ride like that guy in the video. That's the fusion of cycling and parkour I surmised at least a year ago must exist. Beautiful stuff. Must have cost a lot of rear wheels and possibly skin, bone and teeth to learn. Fascinating.cafiendhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05749761363337659545noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9241204.post-42342988270946096942009-04-27T13:35:00.000-05:002009-04-27T13:35:00.000-05:00Extinct? Nahh.... just too much fun.
Also it is n...Extinct? Nahh.... just too much fun.<br /><br />Also it is not a niche activity: it is mainstream, just the majority of people haven't discovered it properly yet. In the same way as the consumer is seduced by white bread, bottled water, any number of inferior but marketable products, the motor car has been sold to masses. But it is not an answer, it is just another problem.<br /><br />And no, we don't want faster and faster transportation, we just don't want to waste time - as we perceive it. Which is why Concorde has died a death.<br /><br />Long term it is unlikely that it is sustainable for each individual to own and pilot 2 tonnes of machinery to get the weekly shop. The behemoth of the road are in their death throes, and cyclists will form the cortège.<br /><br />Oh and just in case you haven't seen this, here it is <A HREF="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z19zFlPah-o" REL="nofollow">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z19zFlPah-o</A>Hamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17182921009517833997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9241204.post-58706269712588470952009-04-26T16:09:00.000-05:002009-04-26T16:09:00.000-05:00Because we have let the environment for cycling be...Because we have let the environment for cycling become so harsh in so many places it has taken the character of a high-risk endeavor. Cyclists who pursue the real extremes on trick ramps or gnarly trails or other venues suited to that create a subconscious impression of the fearless lunatic cyclist that mixes strangely with the contempt motorists display for our slow, vulnerable progress along "their" roads, getting in their way.<br /><br />A lot of well-meaning people have told me over the years that they considered my odds of survival to be poor. No doubt they are trying to validate their own choices in life as much as save me from mine.cafiendhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05749761363337659545noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9241204.post-74108611493704663792009-04-25T22:49:00.000-05:002009-04-25T22:49:00.000-05:00I'm a cyclist who can't afford a car. Well I could...I'm a cyclist who can't afford a car. Well I could, but I never bothered to buy one. I constantly get "harassed" in a way by colleagues at work who do drive. While they generally remain pessimistic about bicycling themselves, they are also bent on telling me softly that I'm doing something stupid. It was a problem before, but now I don't worry so much about it. I guess the status quo is so ingrained in people, its hard to offer a different opinion of transportation.Ron Georgehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18394865788996482667noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9241204.post-25381943367883134822009-04-23T14:32:00.000-05:002009-04-23T14:32:00.000-05:00What a great, thoughtful post! I think your "evolu...What a great, thoughtful post! I think your "evolutionary" observations in the context of better cars is a very interesting (and plausible) way to look at the possible future of road cycling.<BR><BR>I hope there will always be a some place on the road for "the few soft-headed lunatics who bike voluntarily" like us. I don't want to be canceled, or relegated to recreational areas only...<br /><br />RantwickRANTWICKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15394479078513545568noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9241204.post-25741269460109221672009-04-22T19:21:00.000-05:002009-04-22T19:21:00.000-05:00I really hope so. But evolution doesn't care what ...I really hope so. But evolution doesn't care what your goals are, either. It just happens. It isn't a process so much as the description or summation of a process.<br /><br />Many species on their own branches hit an end. I don't WANT the bicyclist to hit an end, I just see how we could. Due to a lack of interest we could be canceled.cafiendhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05749761363337659545noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9241204.post-9795504671601064282009-04-22T15:48:00.000-05:002009-04-22T15:48:00.000-05:00Good post. However, evolution is not goal driven....Good post. However, evolution is not goal driven. The bicycle was not a transitional species that led to the car. It is an equally viable limb on the tree of transportation and one that will probably outlast the internal combustion engine.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com