Maybe, but it’s also possible the subculture-focused riders are an outspoken minority. Or if not a minority, I think there are a lot riders out there who aren’t married to a particular niche.

I volunteer with an advocacy group, Bike Hayward. Between the organizers and the people who come to group rides I meet a lot of people who are zealous bike advocates, but who are also casual about type of bike, and how to approach riding. I guess if I were to use subculture label I’d say “commuters”. In a group that shows up to demand better bike lanes I suppose there is selection bias toward people who do a lot of riding in the city.

There’s also a substantial representation from teenagers doing wheelies all through the group rides. It’s good to see the next generation get excited about bikes!

I ride mountainbikes. Call me whatever you want.

Is this really a problem? Are there really lots of people who struggle with their bicycle subculture identity? I know some people do, like a guy I used to work with who obsessed about cycling culture and parts, going so far as to build custom high-end bikes despite never actually going for rides with the rest of us, but I’d say the vast majority of people I’ve ridden with just wear whatever they want, ride whatevery they want, and hang out with everybody else on two wheels, and sometimes one or three wheels.

Thank you, FartsWithAnAccent, for this post about the negative consequences of labeling.

💯 I’m definitely a civilian cyclist even though I’m open to boot camps and identity grinding with hardcore enthusiasts. Subcultures will eat me though.

Civilian cyclist? I’m just a guy.

Isn’t there an XKCD comic about encountering obscure controversies in corners of social media you’re only vaguely aware of