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"Did you ride your bike? You're crazy"

Anyone else as sick as I am of hearing this? It is just annoying at this point. I think driving a car when unnecessary is crazy.. Perhaps that will be my new response instead of just smiling back. /rant
stefb
2014-02-06 06:23:17
They're actually trying to be nice, to engage in conversation, to chaff you a little. I just kid them back about how dangerous the roads are driving, with crazy motorists who have no idea about what to do on snow and ice. Yesterday I passed a motorist trying to make it up a steep hill, spinning his wheels. "Need a push?"
jonawebb
2014-02-06 08:49:09
Doesn't bother me at all. Most people don't understand walking or cycling. I just tell them how energized I feel if I ride my bike to work and that it makes my day. It is a chance to tell all what they are missing.
gg
2014-02-06 08:56:43
Admittedly, I haven't been riding much lately, but when I do get that question, I just say "Why is that?". Then it's on them.
edmonds59
2014-02-06 09:14:40
stefb wrote:Anyone else as sick as I am of hearing this? It is just annoying at this point. I think driving a car when unnecessary is crazy.. Perhaps that will be my new response instead of just smiling back./rant
I usually get, "Did you ride your bike, today?" with the "You're crazy" part left unspoken. Mostly they have kind intentions behind it, i.e. "I worry about you but admire what you're doing at the same time." <- I actually heard this, yesterday from a co-worker. Comments have run the gamut from, "You must be really fit; are you former military; be careful out there; etc." but usually it's just an opportunity for me to say, "Thanks, I'll be careful, just keep an eye out for all of us cyclists out there you see." I prefer bonechilling Minneapolis-style cold to the slick road conditions we've been getting, lately.
ka_jun
2014-02-06 09:22:44
My response is: "You didn't know I was batshit already?"
rustyred
2014-02-06 09:24:44
Nah, I'm not crazy. I am a middle aged man with rapidly decreasing testosterone, and I need to ride on days like this to feed my weak, masochistic ego.
ericf
2014-02-06 09:48:08
My biggest surprise was last week when the associate director of the business unit I work for insisted on driving me home. He helped me load my bike into his SUV, which was actually nice. I didn't have the heart to tell him I felt like I was missing something by not arriving home with an icy beard.
jaysherman5000
2014-02-06 09:57:33
Even driving on the skating rinks yesterday was not advisable. I did see some people out bicycling when I was driving a friend home. I would say that if bicycling on the roads yesterday and you didn't need to, you are a little crazy. I may have winter tires on my car, but how many people are out there on half-bald all-season tires? How many of them drive poorly or inattentively even in the best conditions?
andyc
2014-02-06 10:14:25
This is right up there with "Where do you get your protein?" for me What's amazing to me is that if the logic holds that it's crazy to ride our bike when it's below freezing, why is it not crazy for people to drive when it's 72 and sunny out?
sgtjonson
2014-02-06 12:20:41
nah, i don't mind it at all. actually, it's always coworkers saying this to me. usually i end up engaging them about it ("yeah, it's really cold out, but as long as you dress proprely..."), and it definitely comes with a tone of admiration. monday morning during our surprise snowstorm, i got that from a coworker who also bikes. "people tell me i'm crazy, but you're crazy." but that was a really fun ride. yesterday, though. that sucked. 34° and rainy, AND i had to constantly fight to just to keep upright. i ended up having to portage numerous times. i still prefer it to driving, though.
hiddenvariable
2014-02-06 12:50:55
It always makes me feel like an undeserved superhero. I like it. I always say, "Why, yes. I am an insane person. And you can be too!" Really, though, I mean "I'm too impatient and cheap for the bus system, and too anxious and cheap to find parking for a car... And you can be too!"
lcdill
2014-02-06 14:15:48
Seconded. I feel kinda bad I didn't ride in today. Yesterday I didn't due to a desire not to worry my wife. Today... dunno, the fact that all the slush froze hard actually scared me a bit. I couldn't even dig out my wife's car in the morning. And there was an absurdly convenient opportunity to ride in with a neighbor. But the sun is calling me now. I'm somewhat tempted to try jogging home. It's a touch under 4 miles. Should be plenty doable, if a bit slow. Anyone mix it up and jog for transportation?
byogman
2014-02-06 15:15:43
Biker's guilt. For not riding when everything is covered with thick, hard ice. A sign of mental illness if there ever was one.
jonawebb
2014-02-06 15:28:32
I just recalled an argument I had in Speech and Debate when I was in high school at a debate in Washington D.C. I had a room full of non-cycling privileged nincompoops who were arguing against my proposal to give a tax credit for cycling stuff Anyhow, one of my counter-arguments (against using bicycles in bad weather) was that if there is ice on the ground, you should actually have more control on a bicycle because the bicycle has less mass and usually less velocity This would be even more true if more of us had tricycles, which would be more stable in icy conditions
sgtjonson
2014-02-06 16:46:15
Yesterday was the first time in five winters that I felt uncomfortable on 32mm studded tires. Chunks and plates of hard ice hidden in slush. Cars were out of control and interacting with them was terrifying. Definitely on the verge of soiling myself a few times. I didn't appreciate that the drivers made a point of telling me I had no business being on the road. The "you're crazy because can't you see I can't control my car" argument isn't a particularly good one.
devohelmetguy
2014-02-06 16:46:40
I think I am just annoyed at the car culture mentality. Just an FYI - the fat tires handled well on the ice and slush yesterday.
stefb
2014-02-06 18:38:41
jonawebb wrote:Biker’s guilt. For not riding when everything is covered with thick, hard ice. A sign of mental illness if there ever was one.
Well, I somewhat do try to "represent", whatever the heck that means. One more rider and they'll clear the bike lanes for sure, right!? Anyways, it would have been somewhat less crazy to ride in and back than to get a ride in and run (well, a shuffling jog really) back, which is what I wound up doing. It was fun for the sake of its oddity and rewarding just to put an upper bound on how late I'll be worse comes to worse. Gives a little perspective, too. You think we've got it bad out there as a cyclist? Try being JUST a pedestrian trying to make any kind of time in winter boots tromping along on slick lumpy ice on sidewalk. Ankles, knees, hips, everything hurts a little. From one trip, one day.
byogman
2014-02-06 21:43:53
There is no such thing as bad weather / just bad clothing choises
cowchip
2014-02-07 06:17:58
I haven't been on the bike all week, nor have I been on the board all week. Strictly pedestrian, but some of that at speed. I have most of a mile to get to the bus stop, but for a variety of reasons, had less than walking time to the bus on three occasions this week, all of which were done on ice, snow, and/or frozen slush. Since biking Perrymont on a dry, fully lit day in July is chancy, I really wasn't going to risk getting into or causing a wreck by insisting on trying to bike. It's amazing how many people will pass me on a blind grade or blind curve, even in ideal conditions. I did bike last Friday and got a couple of "You rode today?" from people who are accustomed to see a helmet in my hand on non-ideal travel days. I don't think they see me as crazy so much as determined, which is actually better, I think.
stuinmccandless
2014-02-07 07:10:10
Another reason this phrase drives me crazy is because it's people who don't know WTF they're talking about, essentially saying we, people who do this everyday, don't know what we're talking about. Put on some clothes. It's not that different an experience cycling in 16 degrees or 65 degree weather. Who has better health outcomes, who isn't needlessly contributing to global warming and all the negative effects of that? Who isn't idling in an endless line of commuters going into the city? As I am writing this, I had two people ask how the ride in was, which is a slightly less annoying version of the same thing.
sgtjonson
2014-02-07 08:37:00
I wish people would use this opportunity to promote cycling and tell people how alive they feel cycling to work instead of driving. If everyone could just get one or two more people to ride a bike and they got one it would keep going in our direction. Maybe some folks like being the 1%'er. Are we even 1%? I don't know, but I would like to see less parking lots and more green space in our city, not to mention more amenities for cyclists. It is the future if we keep promoting it as a wonderful thing to do. It would sure help the diabetes epidemic going on.
gg
2014-02-07 09:19:47
are you former military; New response: "yes, special forces." I got the "even today???" treatment as I was locking/unlocking a few weeks back (no surprise there) from a friend who was herself locking/unlocking before/after a ride (I forget who was coming and who was going)--THAT was a first. I am also a believer in the "no bad weather, only inappropriate clothing" philosophy, but when we had warm day last weekend, I REALLY enjoyed going out for a ride without a big coat and gloves, etc.
ieverhart
2014-02-07 11:28:23
Pierce wrote:Another reason this phrase drives me crazy is because it’s people who don’t know WTF they’re talking about, essentially saying we, people who do this everyday, don’t know what we’re talking about.
As I am writing this, I had two people ask how the ride in was, which is a slightly less annoying version of the same thing.
man, you must be a real pleasure to be around. i hope no one ever asks you how your day was. i can't imagine how annoying that would be for you.
hiddenvariable
2014-02-07 12:30:56
By default I take "Did you ride your bike? You're crazy" as incredulity often, not always, but often, with admiration as the subtext. It gets a little silly when you hear it a lot, but whatever. I try my best to smile and say, yes but . If I don't have time I just smile and say yes. I think it's bad form to get curmudgeonly. We had fun commuting, we should be the happy ones. How was the ride in? Pretty much always great, thanks for asking.
byogman
2014-02-07 13:43:42
stef had it right in the first post, the people driving cars are the ones that are crazy. so i usually give them some variation of "yeah, how did *you* get here?" i don't think any of them have ever really understood my point, but you never know - i was a car driving fool for over a decade and eventually i got a clue.
salty
2014-02-07 21:30:47
@hiddenvariable You just reminded me, I actually drew a comic about people asking me how my ride in is: http://leftofsanity.wordpress.com/2013/10/30/rote-existence/ And yes, I typically am annoyed when people ask how my day was. It's usually a form of perfunctory communication, which I haaaaate. I used to have a co-worker when I was younger who would ask me just to piss me off and I would always say "mediocre" and that probably went on for a year or so. It's also annoying in the middle of the week, because really, what's the chance anything has changed between yesterday when I was working and today, a few hours later, when I'm working again?
sgtjonson
2014-02-08 11:43:14
I would prefer if content free perfunctory communication could be reduced to its barest element and be accomplished with a nod or grunt or two. But it serves a social purpose nonetheless, maintenance of a light association. All functioning social organizations have them and it's definitely not worth getting worked up over. As for the guy who said it just to piss you off, also best bet is not to get in a twist. Treat it like perfunctory communication and replace mediocre with fine. Eventually bullies get bored.
byogman
2014-02-08 20:08:07
byogman wrote:As for the guy who said it just to piss you off, also best bet is not to get in a twist. Treat it like perfunctory communication and replace mediocre with fine. Eventually bullies get bored.
Or you can take it seriously and explain the whole ride in details for about 10 minutes. Usually it never comes to the second attempt from a bully.
mikhail
2014-02-09 00:47:11
Pierce wrote:And yes, I typically am annoyed when people ask how my day was. It’s usually a form of perfunctory communication, which I haaaaate
? ? ? It's an opening for communication and your response determines whether it is perfunctory or personal; positive or negative; casual or intense.
mick
2014-02-11 00:24:41
Working a bank help desk I will get the "How are you doing" question and I will occasionally answer honestly by saying "Not so well today." Invariably I get the "Good" response and they move on to the issue they called about making it clear that these small talk greetings are completely insincere and are merely part of the phone script they have developed based on the assumption that when you ask how someone is they will offer the Pavlovian response of "OK" or "Allright.."
kordite
2014-02-11 07:00:05
Mick wrote:It’s an opening for communication and your response determines whether it is perfunctory or personal; positive or negative; casual or intense.
this.
cburch
2014-02-11 13:59:15
It's like that time when Wesley Crusher bumped into Rondon in the corridor of the Enterprise.
edmonds59
2014-02-11 14:34:06
I get a lot of calls too, and an amazing amount of times, people don't even stop talking to allow for a response. They ask how I'm doing, but then immediately jump into why they're calling. In that kind of environment, I'm on the fence whether or not I should even bother engaging in meaningful conversation. It's occasionally nice when it happens, but more often than not, it doesn't So I'd like the freedom to be as lazy the other person, while acknowledging that what we're saying is actually meaningless. If I were being genuine, a lot of my days I'd be like "Hello, I hate my job, you're going to ask me a question and then not actually listen to what I tell you, resulting in me having to repeat myself, how can I help you?" Or if I get the "How are you doing today?" question I could be like "Well, I'm sexually frustrated and live in a society where the vast majority of my values don't coincide with the vast majority of the population and this makes me feel increasingly alienated as we work towards an ecological disaster on a scale the human race has never seen before. But what can I do for you today?" On the note of things being covered with snow, the fucking coop of all places, has their upperlevel bike rack plowed in with snow. So the people driving their subarus over from Park Place and Sq Hill have a pristine parking lot, but me, the guy riding his bike, has to walk through snow to park my vehicle.
sgtjonson
2014-02-11 20:43:09
do you ever smile?
cburch
2014-02-12 03:46:47
Can someone give Pacifist Pessimist Pierce a hug already?
jaysherman5000
2014-02-12 08:34:02
Pierce wrote:... So I’d like the freedom to be as lazy the other person, while acknowledging that what we’re saying is actually meaningless.
How are you doing today? How was your ride? How was your weekend? How was your lunch?... "Fine". Or "good". One syllable and done. I'd prefer a grunt or nod as being more to the point, the nod sometimes I get and give in the bike storage at BNY Mellon, but it's close enough... why are you agonizing over it!? I mean, if you see an opening for more by all means, but there's no pressure anymore once you conform to the social norm just the teensiest bit. And that opportunity seems to be exactly what you're asking for if you can bring yourself to do it. Go for it. I promise you'll keep your soul.
byogman
2014-02-12 09:47:06
cburch wrote:do you ever smile?
I have a tendency to think that Pierce is a russian. As everyone knows russians do not smile.
mikhail
2014-02-12 09:48:02
edmonds59 wrote:that time when Wesley Crusher bumped into Rondon in the corridor of the Enterprise.
I love it that this is an actual, valid, reference (except, of course, that the encounter occurred on Relva, not the Enterprise).
jonawebb
2014-02-12 10:20:26
Mikhail wrote:
cburch wrote:do you ever smile?
I have a tendency to think that Pierce is a russian. As everyone knows russians do not smile.
in soviet russia, good day have you! what a country!
cburch
2014-02-12 11:06:23
Pierce wrote:... the fucking coop of all places, has their upperlevel bike rack plowed in with snow. So the people driving their subarus over from Park Place and Sq Hill have a pristine parking lot ...
I drive a VW, I'll have you know. Subarus are low class.
paulheckbert
2014-02-12 18:48:43
This thread kinda went off the rails so it's as good a place as any to tie up my reaction to a few similarly compromised threads. Dear Pierce, my choosing to live in Garfield and donate $250 to Kevin Sousa's kickstarter is indeed a pointed attack on your person. Please find solace in it justifying your approach to human interaction. And revel smugly at the fact that I am not a big enough person to keep my keyboard shut.
devohelmetguy
2014-02-13 20:23:10
I imagine Kevin's primary clientele is smug jackasses, so you'll fit right in Whoever is in charge of the building has been a great asset to the community so far. They haven't shoveled their sidewalk all winter It's funny you post in this thread, which is essentially about people commenting on things in which they have no experience and little knowledge. I.E. "You're crazy for doing X." This summer if you recall, you said that "veganism was extreme," during a break on the pool ride and I sarcastically joked that "Yeah, I just ordered this burrito without cheese or sour cream. EXTREME!" But yeah, torturing other animals for no reason, continuing to pollute the environment for no reason, letting other humans starve so we can eat whatever crap Kevin makes (we feed more grain to animals we consume than we do to humans), that's not extreme. Just like driving a few miles to work everyday and essentially doing the same thing is not crazy. I've had a very minor cold the last day and a half. My co-worker was quick to point out that it's no wonder I have a cold with all my bike riding in the cold. I guess she forgot the several colds she's already had and she drives an SUV to work everyday.
sgtjonson
2014-02-14 08:39:46
Like Pierce, I've gotten sick this winter, albeit only once and mildly. Last winter I had two. Before I started biking I averaged 4 or 5 colds a winter. Advantage: biking.
byogman
2014-02-14 09:24:39
Like Pierce, I’ve gotten sick this winter, albeit only once and mildly. Last winter I had two. Before I started biking I averaged 4 or 5 colds a winter. Advantage: biking.
Agreed. I've been doing little cycling this winter, and have had several colds since December, including a real award-winner now. Normally, I have one cold every year or two.
reddan
2014-02-14 09:29:39
It's funny that people still think colds are caused by being out in the cold, having not heard of Pasteur's Germ Theory of Disease.
jonawebb
2014-02-14 09:43:21
It was 32F, but it was Valentine's Day, and the bikes wanted to be taken for a ride to Whole Foods!
paulheckbert
2014-02-16 20:09:47