commuter v tour de suburb..........

[weeds]

my observations.........

a commuter

nearly always has a back pack
obeys the road rules
rides solo
would delay a cars trip by seconds
these guys appreciate considerate drivers
tour de suburbs

its all about the fashion
mostly obeys the road rules
ride in packs
generally like to ride two a breast
minimal delays to cars
these guys probably don't even notice you giving them a little extra room
there is no chance in hell of educating the workforce where i work that one, there is a difference and two cyclist dont really delay your trip its just your preception.......soo you have to back off a little, check your mirrors, maybe merge a little, not a whole lot different to coming up behind a scooter or old granny

oh BTW.i had a great commute to work this morning, the lights were in my favour, cars and trucks gave plenty of room in the tight spots

[Slunnie]

Interesting perspective and probably right.

I'd say that the fashion is because of the function, especially with the amount of time they typically spend in the saddle. Also, I can assure you they notice the space given by each and every vehicle. As a rider I really appreciate those who give a wide birth, and take not of those who see how close they can get.

[Marmoset]

They seem like spot on observations...

Another one you could add:
A commuter would not be seen dead in white Lycra shorts, black all the way!

I generally thank people for stopping at roundabouts since getting knocked off on one earlier this year. I'm lucky in that 90% of my commute is cycle way, the 10% that isn't is full of people driving around with their eyes shut! :o

[debruiser]

I used to commute just about everyday until I changed jobs, now it's 300+km's /wk driving to and from work... so a bit far to ride. I also used to be pretty heavy into the social and training rides. So yes I used to wear the Lycra when training, but jeans and a backpack on the way to work. We have very few cycleways here and they all seem to be really twisty so they are slow and pretty much useless for commuting. 99% of my riding is roads, sometimes on single lane roads. Trust me when I say that I appreciate every millimetre a car/truck/bus gives me!

And as a side note, if you haven't ridden in lycra then your missing out. It's function as well as fashion, more so on longer rides 20+kms. I would not attempt a 100+km ride without :D

BTW, I miss commuting on my bike... poor oppy gets neglected too much these days :(