Bike Culture - Where you Live

[Jay]

I follow a lot of YouTube channels that are counter-culture to traditional road cycling / mountain biking.  I actually like most riding styles, and bikes, and I love watching bike races on Flo, but I went down the YouTube rabbit hole well over 7-8 years ago and you know how it is, the algorithm keeps feeding my similar videos.  It seems to have grown a lot in the last two years.

What I've noticed lately on YouTube: young hipsters, lots of bike bags, sandals, no helmets, and frequent stops for a joint.

I ride road, gravel, lots of mixed-surface, and mountain biked on-and-off for years.  At least where I ride, I don't see anything like I do in these videos.  It's a nice change of pace from how I ride, and if I every came across a group of riders like I see in these videos I would be sure to say chat them up.

Curious if some of the folks on here are the same dudes and dudettes in these videos?  Have you noticed a shift in bike culture where you live and ride?

[Jason Fuller]

Here in Vancouver BC, cycling culture is really at an all-time high. 'North Shore' mountain biking was quite literally invented here in the 1990s, and mountain biking culture here is still very prolific. I grew up riding mountain bikes thoughout the 90s, and I followed the trends into the 00's and even the early 10's.  Road and gravel cycling is popular here too but those I don't understand so much; we lack the winding mountain roads of much of the US and we lack any substantial gravel as well. 

In terms of the counter-culture, I would say it's exploded in the past few years. Ten or even five years ago, seeing a decked out 'alt' bike like an All City or such would be not too common (let alone a Rivendell, Boulder, Crust, etc) but nowadays they're everywhere. I don't even get a knowing nod back half the time anymore. But it's great to see, because in my mind these bikes are equal parts practicality and artistic expression, which fly in the face of the performance focus of road and MTB. 

I see an emerging 'ATB' scene in certain cities like the genosack or el prada crews, which I think might be some of whom you refer to - we're starting to have that here too but at a smaller scale. I see it as an off-shoot from gravel riding, cross-pollinated with BMX culture (and skills)

These days I just ride my bike - I have a small assortment of them, but I don't do road rides or MTB rides or gravel rides per se. I tend to do a little of each on every ride if I can help it. My bikes reflect this, and they're built to be ready for just about anything.  I'll ride rooty singletrack on my road bike with slicks, I'll traverse several boroughs of quiet streets on my 'mountain bike'. I'm quite well known in the local bike scene, and people regularly reference a 'Jason ride' in their strava upload etc if their ride involved the eclectic mix of terrain (always including a bit of hike-a-bike). I'm driven by curiosity and not much else. 

I'm no young hipster, in my mid-40s now, I almost always wear a helmet, I don't smoke weed (though I do drink a beer or two on many rides), but I do have a lot of bike bags.  

[Patrick Moore]

E-bikes on the dedicated bike paths here in ABQ, as well as 22 mph one-wheels and the occasional gasoline-powered motorcycle. The other day as I was doughtily powering up a small rise to close the remaining 1/2 mile to the RG bike path turnoff, I heard the sputtering of a small petrol engine behind me but ignored it, to see, after I turned, a motorcycle continue on eastward. I was surprised that the rider politely refrained from passing, let alone blowing by me, as I was not going much over 15 mph.

I’ve come across a couple of riders of new Rivendells — Homer and —?? re-sold Ram? Or was it a second Homer? -- in the last 6 months, who are not prominent on this list, and had good conversations with them.

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Patrick Moore

Alburquerque, Nuevo Mexico, Etats Unis d'Amerique, Orbis Terrarum

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[Jay]

Jason - back when I first mountain biked I was well aware of "north shore".  YouTube didn't exist then but I likely had some vhs/dvd or other way of learning about that scene and I thought it looked amazing.  Now that I'm older (50), I don't think I can survive it (though Betty rocks it I see!).  An hour outside Toronto we have rail trails and a smattering of gravel roads, plus 'cuts' in lots of places that makes ATB a great option.  I just don't see many people riding, as you call it, an eclectic mix of terrain (like I enjoy).  I do ride very early early though, so maybe it's just a matter of timing.

Patrick - I'm sure there are a lot of E-bikes in the bigger cities not far from where I live, but around town, maybe 10-20 people I've crossed paths with on E-Bikes.  Never seen a Rivendell though!  A couple people recognized mine and are aware of the brand though.

[Stephen A]

Portland OR and Seattle WA have a lot of these folks. We got a lot of bike shops with mechanics who value vintage parts, multiple shops with parts bins for digging, and group rides like "26in or die" or "Road Holes 200" that are explicitly catered to vintage MTB or cheaper builds. I got into cycling during another hipster era (the fixed gear NJS craze pre 2010s), so the idea of making a bike personal is very familiar. Back then it was colorful ReLoad messenger bag with deep v wheels on a vintage NJS bike ripping through the streets. Now I want to be in nature, I want to be off road, so its 26" alt bikes or Crust/Riv/Stridsland builds and plump tires. 

[Brady Smith]

I occasionally see fellow Riv riders here in Salt Lake City, and there's a good number of local randonneurs with 650b rando frames, or other alt-cycling type bikes. Outside of brevets, though, I rarely see them. Up the canyons and on the trails, people mostly ride carbon road bikes or standard mountain bikes. I love my La Cabra for forest roads or the rough double-track that surrounds my mom's house in Grand Junction, but if I'm going mountain biking, I grab my Specialized Fuse. 

BMS

[Marc Irwin]

Here in Kalamazoo Mi there is a very active bike culture.  The local authorities are self consciously developing a large network of bike infrastructure.  There is a bike club which is primarily a popular group of spandex hamsters, but the practical use is growing largely from e-bike sales.  There are a few of us Riv Riders but only 4 that I know personally.  Occasionally I see an Atlantis or Sam whose owner I don't know.

Marc 

[Andrew Vergara]

I'm in Chicago - we have Mack's bike shop in evanston who sells Rivs, and the marygold cyclery thing happening.  I'm a little older and usually just ride solo but I follow the IGs.   I saw a sick Riv at the post office the other day and gave the guy a "nice bike" so I'm doing my part :) :)   I'd like to find a chill social ride to do this year.

[Joseph Burge]

There are a couple "alternative cycling" slow moving no drop "party pace" group rides here in Milwaukee that have been popping up in recent years. The Scrappy Hour ride meets monthly for a short roll always to a predetermined destination and then stops and busts out their little butane stoves to make camp coffee and chit chat for an hour before packing up and the group rides back to the start. All skills levels and bikes are welcome, but you'll definitely see some sweet bikes including a Riv or two.

-J