Cyclist Time

The Cyclist Lifestyle

Two questions immediately suggest themselves:

• 1) What is a cyclist?
  
• 2) Do cyclists have a common lifestyle?

Research articles and statistical reports avoid "cyclist," perhaps to prevent confusion with motorcyclists, using "bicyclist" or "pedalcyclist" instead. Newspapers, on the other hand, use "cyclist" to describe anyone riding a bike. History can help, as the first recorded use of "cyclist" (in 1881) was as the name of a magazine for bicycle enthusiasts. Therefore, in my opinion, "cyclist" is most accurately used to describe people who are committed to bicycling. Two other terms are frequently used: "biker" is commonly used by non-cyclists, and "bike people," around since the early 70's, is used by cyclists who wish to emphasize the bicycling lifestyle or culture.

It might not be obvious that cyclists share a lifestyle. In January 1998, I wrote a funny piece about the "True Cyclist" in wreck bikes which generated a flood of postings. It seems that all cyclists share many idiosyncrasies (however oxymoronic that may be) which are not understood by occasional bike riders. Someone with a bicycle in the living room, a knowledge of all the back roads, a bicycle-related key chain, piles of road maps and cycling photos, an enormous appetite, and a two-tone tan is a cyclist beyond question. This is hardly a new discovery: one magazine is named Bike Culture Quarterly and one web site Bike People.

There are important characteristics that cyclists (bike people, if you prefer) most always share: a love of adventure, a strong whiff of self-sufficiency (self-reliance), a strong desire for good healthy exercise, a love of Nature and the outdoors, and tendencies to 1) waste less, 2) pay less attention to money, 3) not worry about impressing others, and 4) seek the humble pleasures of life.

www.kenkifer.com