<Warning Roadie content!>
Anybody else find those types with pro-level kit (carbon wheels etc) taking part in sportives nauseating?
They take the phrase ‘all the gear no idea’ to a new level.
After all if they were any good they would take part in a proper race.

*runs off to the garage to hide the carbon Zipps*

That’s better 😛

Yes.

I know one who touts himself as “l’m like nearly pro level, you know. Really serious”

No, you’re just spaffing cash over kit and being boring.

I’m sorry, but when were you appointed the ombusman over-seeing what other people do with their own hard-earned money? I must have missed that appointment in the news.

Only the ones who will suck your wheel all day long whilst muttering about the pace being too slow but look at you like you’ve suggested dating their mother when you propose that they might like to take a turn on the front.

There are people out there who earn/have plenty of money. Even a top of the range bike is not that expensive when you consider what people spend on cars so it’s not impossible that some people decide they want to take up cycling and decide to splash the cash on a top end pro level bike.

Attitudes like the OP aren’t exactly going to welcome people to a club or local racing scene are they?

On a recent road club run I did ask a trio of wheel suckers what they and a trailer had in common. I got three blank looks and then told them that they all got towed around everywhere. They took the hint.

As for the comments regarding kit. I think it comes down to purpose. I think it’s the same arguments as can be had about how much travel is too much on a full suspenstion bike etc.

naah! there’s loads of people in the world more worthy of my pathetic wrath! Get over it.

If I could afford it, I would have top of the range everything. A £4,000 singlespeed just to go to the shops, a Ferrari for taking the kids to school…and some nice carbon wheels on my road bike.

Why? Because it’s my money, and no miserable internet person is gonna tell me how to spend it. Man.

Not just sportives you get them everywhere even at ‘ proper races’ sportives, testers, club rides even on mountainbike rides. Not your problem as pointed out if someone wants to spend their cash on kit let them.Whinging just makes you sound like you have an inferiority complex imo

If it’s the only ‘competitive’ thing they do, then yes. If they race as well, then where’s the harm. They’re probably just on their race bike. Can you be sure they don’t race other stuff?

I would hate to be judged like that if I fancied doing a sportive. As it is I’ve never done one.
If I entered an MTB marathon would people ‘assume’ I don’t race XC and just make a wild assumption based on my kit?

The funny thing is they still use the carbon wheels when the roads are properly manky!

Fair play to the bike shop owners though 🙂

Who cares what kit they ride their out they’re enjoying themselves. Maybe they can afford to buy the best kit or rather spend it on kit than piss it up a wall.

What’s a sportive ?

sportive and serious are oxymorons.

I have a good idea of the OP’s target – they dont do proper racing, they dont look like they’re having fun, and they cant read a map, else they would do audax or randonnee/reliability rides.

They are a recent addition to the family of biking tribes – I reckon they are the MTBers noone wanted to ride with 🙂

maybe they’re just getting long training miles in for a upcomming race?

sometimes the “pro kit” is nice and eye catching…might mean the difference between a car seeing them or getting knocked off & killed!

no difference than the majority of mountain bikers – I would put my bets on most people are “over biked”…it’s half the fun though isnt it (not fun on the old bank balance though) 😆

sportive and serious are oxymorons

Not for some people – there are riders who “compete” in every Sportive and god forbid a set of traffic lights should hold them up when they’re so close to setting a PB or “winning”. I heard a rider loudly proclaiming at one event how he was “in the top 20” in some Sportive event the previous week and how he’d be going for top 10 this time. It’s. Not. A. Race. 🙄

Sometimes I feel sorry for people like that, but then I also think that it’s one more person riding a bike, spending money in bike shops etc so swings and roundabouts really.

OP: Nice trolling though, picked a good subject. 7/10

TBH you get all sort at Sportives now including some top roadmen.

However there is a rider unique to sportives. One who has possibly thought he could buy his way to being a good rider, but is actually dreadfull and their superb kit just makes the picture look ridiculous.
Then again if your going to buy a bike you might as well get a good one and buy once.

No worse than “Glentress mincers” or should I say equally as bad as…..

i got some posh bibshorts the other day (posh for me anyway)

fancied plain black. guess what the only ones in the sale were 😥 :

Whats the point of having a really flash bike and riding fast so no one sees it? 😉

scaredypants in scarypants 🙂

be interested in how many mtb’ers could switch to a 50/100 mile sportive& get a decent time?????

are sportives the road rides where you stop for food and stuff along the way? i like the sound of them.

sefton…I can go sub 3 for a 100,but not on my singlespeed 😉

One of my colleagues talks about the races he does. They’re not races.

damo2576 – Member

are sportives the road rides where you stop for food and stuff along the way? i like the sound of them.

If that were the case, I would be a pro level sportive rider.

The funny thing is they still use the carbon wheels when the roads are properly manky!

yeah, well carbon rims are pretty good for that sort of thing aren’t they……

you have to be 50+ 😉 😆

I find them no more odd than a group of chubby middle aged blokes with german cars who attend trail centres with bikes dripping in this year best kit, showroom fresh and dressed as storm troopers; who then ignore you as you pass them on the trail. You then see them in the pub in their evening uniform of skate shoes, howies jeans and ‘cool’ mtb t-shirts, talking with ernest intent about the coating on forks and ‘flow’ whilst not drinking enough beer. But as with ‘serious sportive’ riders, I just think well they are doing their thing and having fun and that’s what counts, they aren’t hurting anyone so who am I to judge.

aP how are things?

After all if they were any good they would take part in a proper race.

Actually there a lot of bloody good riders take part in Sportives and judging from their times they could be doing well in races and probably are.

As for the others who the hell are you to judge how they should spend their money?

Only the ones who will suck your wheel all day long whilst muttering about the pace being too slow but look at you like you’ve suggested dating their mother when you propose that they might like to take a turn on the front.

If you don’t like it then ride them off your wheel. If you’re not good enough to do that then stop complaining.

TBH the most annoying type of riders are those who are intolerant of others doing different parts from their selected niche of the same sport that we all participate in in its different forms, ie riding for fun / competing / riding Enduros / sportives. It is up to each what and how they kit out; if riders get pleasure from shiny expensive bits so be it and its up to them

santacruzrider – Member
*runs off to the garage to hide the carbon Zipps*

button fly man myself

I support all riding (even Boris bikes) but having done a few sportives can recognise the people described in the OP. I think Brits have a bad reputation on the continent where we tend to be slow and have terrible road manners and be a liability to others on alpine descents. The Etape has turned into a festival of mediocre Brit first year roadies. Your typical sportive rider in UK is a lawyer or accountant in 40s, flash car, flash bike, talks kit all day but rides like $hit and not at all fit.

The respect a rider gets from the others generally comes from how well they ride doesn’t it?
So whether it’s a road bike or mtb, riding a top of the range bike, badly/slowly, tends not to engender respect, no? Isn’t that what the OP is getting at?

Brilliant topic.
I have no issue with people wanting to ride quicker or get faster but as Crazy-legs so rightly says It is not a race.
At least not a race with other people.

If they’re sitting in the wheels and not doing any work ask ’em if they like fish?

There’s always a ‘plaice’ at the front.

So, (and this is a genuine question) if they were slow but on a cheaper bike (than you) would you feel betterer towards them?

No he’s jealous people have better bikes than him even though he considers himself a better rider.