I was disappointed to read that the British magazine Bike Culture published its last issue recently. The glossy, astute quarterly that celebrated the diversity of cycling probably lost a market share in the ever-widening electronic information age and couldn’t make a go of it any longer. Oh well, another one bites the dust.

The good news is that bicycle culture is alive and well. I say “bicycle” culture so as not to be confused with “bike” culture, which conjures a different image. Motorcycles obviously have their own culture, and while there may be some crossover, not many folks show up at a Harley rally on their tandems.

To many outside observers, this love, compulsion and obsession for bicycles is beyond comprehension. “You mean you boys (and girls) rode those 10 speeds all the way up here?” asks the tourist at Waterrock Knob when he encounters a few cyclists recovering from the long climb. Although it’s easy to allow ego to take over, I’ve learned to be humble because that person may well be thinking that I’m a few fries short of a happy meal, they just don’t say it. In fact, I’ve even had my picture taken: “... and here’s a picture of that lunatic who rode his 10 speed up that mountain.” If you’ve ever wondered why roadies often look angry, it’s because they think they know what you’re thinking.

The diversity of bicycling is what really enriches the bicycle culture. It is easy to divide the people who come into a bicycle shop into two groups: those who like bicycles and those who are indifferent (folks who hate bicycles never go into bicycle shops unless they ran over their granddaughter’s Huffy and need to replace a wheel).

There are differing degrees of being enamored. There are those who have trained hard and suffered enough to consider themselves more worthy than most to ride their bicycles. Oh, I declare. There is sometimes an air of cultural elitism and bicycle correctness among cyclists. On the other hand, many indifferent riders that don’t see riding a bicycle as a skill requiring practice, road savvy and a fitness base, do little to flatter the bicycle culture.

Cycling is a physical and mentally challenging activity that requires work. It only gets better as experience develops and ability and equipment improve. So if you’re about instant gratification, you probably shouldn’t bother. Uh-oh, that sounded pretty elitist, didn’t it.

What makes bicycling a diverse culture is the variety of bicycles available. The design of the bicycle will determine when, where and how it can be ridden. Traditional road bikes, touring bikes, mountain bikes, recumbent bikes, tandems, street bikes, comfort bikes and cruisers are examples of different designs of bicycles with each suited to different riding styles. I won’t bore you with the history, but there is plenty of it. What I will say is this — there are now all kinds of bicycles for all kinds of riders, and they offer substantial rewards in terms of enjoyment, health and fitness, and some pretty damn outstanding experiences, all for a relatively moderate investment.

What type of people make up the bicycle culture? Well, I guess you could say all kinds, provided they love bicycles. We can exclude the folks forced to ride bicycles because they had their driver’s license suspended. You can sometimes spot them riding while trying to smoke a cigarette, or is it smoking while trying to ride. Whatever, they’re not part of the culture.

Bicyclists are usually goal oriented and enjoy being fit, and “the love” for riding can range from moderate affection to obsession. Most of our loved ones don’t really understand but remain supportive because they know how much easier we are to get along with when we can ride. Sometimes we are hard-core road riders who love to suffer on long climbs and experience the downhill thrills that follow. On the other hand, we can be mountain bikers who feel a sense of accomplishment every time we tear up our bikes or our bodies on a steep descending single track. We can be young and fearless or older and more cautious. We can feel so strongly about our bicycles and our sport that we dread sharing it with anyone who doesn’t share our commitment, while we can also be advocates who feel a duty to convert the nonbeliever. Some of us love bicycles for their simplicity and simple demands, whiles others of us are techno-weight weenies who think spending $600 on a wheel set that will shed a pound off the bike is well worth it. You can ride in a Zen like state allowing the mountains to come to you, or you can race to be the first one up.

While bicycle touring and leisure or comfort riding are significant rider categories, most cyclists consider themselves to be either road or mountain bikers. Note that most true believers do both.

Road riding is more conditioning and attracts the more fitness-oriented riders. Even professional mountain bike racers do a significant amount of training on road bikes. Very typically a serious road rider will do 100 to 200 miles weekly, and professional racers do way more than that. Road riding is best when done in groups because group riding greatly increases rider efficiency. While racing is popular, there are many riding events throughout the season that are “fun” rides, not actual races. The competition in these types of group rides is usually self inflicted. Most often small groups meet regularly and informally to ride together. Riding in groups is always a great opportunity to learn and improve your riding skills. There are multi-day rides such as the ride across North Carolina, the BRAG (across Georgia) and others. These are usually supported tours, meaning there is a van behind you somewhere, carrying your stuff and helping with breakdowns.

The downside of road riding is the obvious risk involved sharing overcrowded roads with cars and trucks. Savvy riders choose their roads and the times they ride to reduce the risks. Riders are easy targets for drivers who experience road rage or who are simply hateful or mean-spirited. Graceful and defensive riding can significantly reduce the hazards and negative encounters with vehicles, but three young guys in a pickup truck is almost never a good thing.

Many riders only ride off-road on mountain bikes or hybrids bikes to avoid highway hazards. You can bicycle without ever being on the pavement. Fat tire bikes have definitely become more popular than road bikes. They are light, simple to shift, have improved braking systems and are very stable. Forest roads, logging roads or just plain old lightly traveled country roads offer fantastic riding. For the more adventuresome, designated areas for technical mountain biking, such as Tsali or Pisgah National Forest, have become popular. Rail trails (graded reclaimed abandoned railroad beds), park trails and green ways have become popular for casual and family oriented riding. The Virginia Creeper Rail Trail offers 35 miles of some of the best scenery in the Blue Ridge Mountains and is closed to anything having a motor. There are more than 1,000 rail trails in the U.S. offering great active recreational fun. Check them out.

I believe bikes are for everyone, and if more of us joined the bicycle culture many environmental and health problems could be solved. A quality bicycle costs much less than a year’s supply of Prozac or blood pressure medicine, and if you ride often enough, you can eat almost as much of whatever you like and not gain weight. Think about that.

(Dave Molin lives in Jackson County and operates Motion Makers Bicycle Shop.)

 

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