Stereotypes, Thanks Courier Mail

http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/theres-a-definite-pecking-order-among-bicycle-riders-around-brisbane/story-e6freon6-1226549812826

Why oh why is it when you ride a bike you have to be stereotyped. I have previously written about how I hate being stereotyped just because I ride a bicycle and the Courier (trash) Mail did it again this morning. It is written by a so called "Michael Scammell is a bike-riding freelance writer". The way he has written his opinion piece as left some in the Brisbane cycling community questioning that fact.

According to this so called "bike riding freelance writer" there are four types of people that ride bikes.

• Lycra wearing aspirationalists with $1000 bikes that do the Sunday morning thing
• Beer drinking "McBikes" with $2000 bike that want a McMansion that don't ride it
• Utilitarian masses that get a $200 supermarket special bike as a toy to use with the kids in a park
• and then the "Car hating" "Mobile Vegetarianism" "Political Statement Making" "Cycling True believers" who don't even seam to ride because they enjoy it.

Oh great so I am one of four types of people. Mind you I find these grouping kind of weird and confused. First off the first two seam rather muddled up. From my casual observations I would say it is the "aspirationals" that have the $2000 bike out on the morning ride more than the people out in McMansions. Honestly I watch bikes when they go by and most group riders have a bike worth over $2000. So that means his first two groupings are in my opinion are wrong & confused!

Lets try the next grouping "utilitarian". Well according to the Australian Macquarie Dictionary the dictionary of Australia, definition point two and I quote

having regard to utility or usefulness rather than beauty, ornamentality
 

and the definition of "utility"

the state of character of being useful
 

Some how I do not see how having a bike as a toy can really be described as utilitarian as I have never hear of a toy as a utilitarian object before. The fact is $200 supermarket bikes are mostly ridden for recreational purposes as that is what riding around a park with the kids is, it is recreation. While in dead these bikes can be used for useful purposes the majority are recreational devices that in most cases are lucky if they get ridden twice a year. That makes his third group description invalid.

Then there is the final group which I guess I must fit under.  Mind you I am NOT a vegetarian, I am not Car Hating nor Political Statement Making. Well on that last one maybe just a little well ok alot. But I don't ride because I want to make a Political Statement, I ride because I want to go somewhere. I ride because I enjoy being out in the open and being active. I ride because I like being independent of having to worry about public transport fares or fuel costs. I ride because it is fun.
I RIDE BECAUSE I CAN.
and that when it come down to it is why people ride, because we can. It is not about being part of a stereotype, it is about getting somewhere or doing something because we can.

The fact is this was piece of mindless dribble that could not even correctly describe the stereotypes that do exist and when he tried to describe people that ride in normal clothes, because they can he basically called them all hippies because riding "because you can" seams foreign to him. For someone that claims to be a "bike-riding freelance writer" he knows very little. I would say someone is a bit insecure about there social status!

oh and here is the stereotyped bikes he described